The 2011 series will offer new perspectives on the Battle at Minisink Ford (1779), The lost letters of Captain Joseph Lee, a Hunterdon County Loyalist and the Battle of the Assunpink (1776). The lectures will take place at 8:00 p.m. and held at the Clinton Community Center located on Halstead Street in Clinton, New Jersey. Because of the series’ popularity, pre-registration is highly recommended and the museum can be reached by calling 908-735-4101. Admission is $6 for the general public and $5 for museum members.

The lectures are as follows:
So Many Brave Men: A History of the Battle at Minisink Ford
By Peter Osborne
February 8, 2011
For the first time in more than thirty years a new book has been written about the only Revolutionary War battle to take place in the Upper Delaware River valley. The book, So Many Brave Men, by Mark Hendrickson, John Inners and Peter Osborne, highlights recently rediscovered archival material. These documents include all the known pension applications of the men who fought in the battle, providing researchers with wonderful first-hand insight, and significant primary resources which support a new understanding and interpretation of the battle. This Powerpoint presentation will explore the history of the battle and the importance of it on the lives of the settlers who lived in the valley during the Revolution.

Peter Osborne is the Curator of Education and Special Events at the Red Mill Museum Village. Prior to that he was the Executive Director of the Minisink Valley Historical Society in Port Jervis, New York for thirty years. The Society owned the Minisink battleground for thirty years. Mr. Osborne has authored nine books on a variety of historic subjects. He currently lives in Easton, Pennsylvania.

The Lost Letters of Capt. Joseph Lee: Hunterdon County Loyalist
By Todd Braisted
March 8, 2011
Captain Joseph Lee was one of many Hunterdon County Loyalists who took up arms for King George during the American Revolution.  During his service with the NJ Volunteers, he fought in several engagements until he was taken prisoner at sea in 1779.  When exchanged, he found himself at New York City while his battalion was serving in the back country of South Carolina.  Not having an immediate conveyance back to the South, he was ordered to remain in New York and recruit for the battalion. 

Lee kept his fellow officers apprised of his progress and every other bit of news and gossip from home through a series of letters. The intended recipients of these missives never saw them. Instead, they were intercepted at sea and sent to the Continental Congress, who delighted in turning them over to the Philadelphia press. 

Find out what interested a Hunterdon County Loyalist in New York City in 1781!

Todd Braisted is a long-time researcher of the Loyalist Military. He has appeared on the PBS Series “History Detectives” and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's “Who Do You Think You Are?” Mr. Braisted also served as a coordinator for the NJ Network documentary “Ten Crucial Days.”

Mr. Braisted has lectured throughout the United States and Canada, before such organizations as the United Empire Loyalist Association, the David Library of the American Revolution and the National Park Service among others. He is a lifelong resident of Bergen County, New Jersey.

Washington's Forgotten Victory: The Battle of the Assunpink.
By Wayne Daniels
April 12, 2011
Only one week after his surprise success at the famous Battle of Trenton, General Washington faced an attacking British force of five thousand soldiers. These British soldiers were determined to re-capture Trenton and drive Washington into the Delaware River. Washington was severely outnumbered. Though he had never won a defensive fight before, Washington created and supervised a brilliant defensive strategy that should be taught in every war college in the world, and yet is largely ignored in the history books. If you thought history was boring, be prepared for a fascinating program. It is nothing short of a great story, little known and poorly understood.

Wayne Daniels, has been a tireless researcher into the American War for Independence and the lives of common folk in New Jersey for more than 40 years.  Mr. Daniels is an author, lecturer, historic preservationist, former museum director as well as a founder of The Brigade of the American Revolution. Presently, Mr. Daniels is the Senior Historical Interpreter at the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, and consultant to “The Tech Effect: Washington Crosses the Delaware”, aired on the History Channel. -30-