Redcoats & Resistance
Invasion of New York 1776
Class of 49er Lodge, West Point, NY
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Join us for Redcoats & Resistance, a special military-focused conference diving deep into the tactics, strategies, and turning points of the British invasion of New York, 1776. This illuminating weekend will explore how both sides maneuvered through one of the most pivotal campaigns of the American Revolution—from the landing at Staten Island to the battles of Brooklyn, Harlem Heights, White Plains, and beyond. As we look ahead to the 250th anniversary of American Independence, this event is a must-attend for anyone interested in the military history that shaped the fight for freedom. Whether you're a reenactor, historian, or enthusiast, it's time to sharpen your knowledge, gear up, and prepare for what’s ahead.
Located at the historic Class of 49er Lodge at West Point, N.Y., the whole weekend will feature 8 AMAZING speakers on a variety of specific thematic topics in regards to the New York Invasion. A light breakfast and lunch on both Saturday and Sunday will be provided compliments of the Brigade of the American Revolution and thanks to the Roy Najecki Sponsorship! A buffet dinner will be served at 6:00 PM on Saturday and will have a cash bar available for libations!
You will be required to pick up your West Point Security Pass on Friday Night or Saturday morning.
As this conference is being held on West Point, which is an active US Military Base, all participants will be required to share their full name, address, DOB, State issued ID number and/or passport number. This information will be shared with the Security Team at West Point who will perform a security check to clear everyone to enter the base.
You must register as soon as tickets become available on July 4th, 2025!
Presenters
This presentation list may be subject to change -
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West Point Historians -
Private Tour of Fort Putnam
Conference attendees were treated to a private tour of Fort Putnam, one of the most significant surviving Revolutionary War fortifications in the Hudson Valley. Perched high above the Hudson River at West Point, Fort Putnam was originally constructed in 1778 to strengthen the defensive network protecting the vital Hudson Highlands. Led by West Point historians, the tour offered participants a rare opportunity to explore the restored earthworks and stone bastions while learning about the fort’s strategic role in securing the American position against British advances. Attendees walked the same ground once occupied by Continental soldiers, gaining a deeper appreciation for the engineering, determination, and tactical brilliance that defined this crucial site in America’s fight for independence.
Dr. James M. Johnson -
Dr. James M. Johnson brings a distinguished career in military history and education to his role as Executive Director of the Hudson River Valley Institute (HRVI) at Marist College, where he also serves as the Dr. Frank T. Bumpus Chair in Hudson River Valley History. With decades of teaching experience at the United States Military Academy, the Naval War College, and Marist, Dr. Johnson is a leading voice in the study and preservation of the Hudson River Valley’s historical legacy.
In this presentation, Dr. Johnson will explore the Hudson River Valley’s vital role during the American Revolution, particularly as a strategic corridor and cultural crossroads. Drawing on his deep military background and scholarly research, he will examine sites such as Fortress West Point and the region’s broader contributions to the war effort. His insights will connect past to present, highlighting the importance of regional heritage and education in cultivating engaged citizenship and leadership today.
Patrick O’Donnell -
Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution
Patrick K. O'Donnell is a renowned military historian, bestselling author, and public speaker, recognized for his expertise on elite and special operations units and irregular warfare. He has authored 13 critically acclaimed books that recount the epic stories of America's wars from the Revolution to Iraq. His works are described as “nonfiction that reads like fiction,” and he has received numerous awards, including the prestigious William E. Colby Award and the OSS Society’s John Waller Award.
In his book Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution, O'Donnell brings to life the forgotten story of the 1st Maryland Regiment, a group of elite soldiers whose extraordinary sacrifices and valiant fighting helped make the difference between defeat and victory during the American Revolutionary War. Known as the "Immortal 400," these men fought not only in Brooklyn but also in key battles throughout the war, including Trenton, Stony Point, Camden, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, and Yorktown. Drawing on extensive unpublished original sources, including letters, diaries, and pension applications, O'Donnell weaves together the stories of these dauntless men—their friendships, loves, defeats, and triumphs. Through the prism of this regiment, which included rich merchants, tradesmen, and free blacks, he tells the larger story of the Revolutionary War.
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COL Seanegan P. Sculley
Dilemmas of Leading America’s First Army: American Military Leadership in the Continental Army’s First Establishment of 1776
When Washington marched from Boston to New York in the spring of 1776, he led an army comprised of both continental and state regiments, all regulated under three unique circumstances: one-year enlistments, the first Articles of War, and a complete lack of a unified training regimen. Along with an incredibly difficult and complex operational problem set, what followed was a leadership challenge that resulted in a catastrophic American defeat. This presentation will focus on those leadership challenges, how Washington attempted to overcome them, and why he largely failed until Congress agreed to give him more authority over his army. With those new powers in effect, he made the risky and momentous decision to go on the offensive at the very end of that fateful year, allowing the Continental Army to continue fighting for the remainder of the war.
Dr. Seanegan P. Sculley has served as both an enlisted paratrooper and as an Armor officer in the US Army since 1995. He earned his PhD from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and served in Bosnia, Korea, and Iraq over the last 30 years. He taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point from 2007-2012 and again from 2015 to present. He directed the American History Program at West Point from 2015-202 and currently serves as an Associate Professor and the Director for the Digital History Center in the Department of History at the U.S. Military Academy. COL Sculley is the author of Contest for Liberty: Military Leadership in the Continental Army, 1775-1783 (2019).
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Benjamin L. Carp. -
The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution
Benjamin L. Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center, specializing in the American Revolution. His book, The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution, investigates the mysterious fire that devastated a significant portion of New York City shortly after British forces occupied it in 1776.
In this presentation, Carp will delve into the origins and consequences of the Great Fire, exploring the chaos and unresolved tragedies that defined this event. He will examine the various theories surrounding the fire's cause, including the possibility of deliberate action by revolutionaries, and discuss how the incident influenced the British occupation and the city's residents. Drawing from extensive research, Carp offers a vivid picture of this pivotal yet often overlooked episode in Revolutionary history, challenging traditional narratives and shedding light on the complexities of urban warfare during the struggle for independence.
Vivian Davis -
The Battle of Golden Hill, New York, 1770
The Battle of Golden Hill was one of the more obscure conflicts during the Revolutionary Period, despite the participation of several key figures who played prominent roles in the New York efforts in the war. This skirmish in the center of New York City in January 1770 was born out of the frustration of not only the Sons of Liberty in New York, including leaders Alexander MacDougall, John Lamb, and Isaac Sears, but of a larger group of citizens who were demoralized and weary of years of military overreach.
The men who formed the inhabitant side of the battle was one of the first successful concerted efforts of the colonial population against the British military system. Coupled with the written and physical reaction of the soldiers of the 16 th Regiment of foot, the Battle of Golden Hill is an early demonstration of the fundamental reasons as to why war erupted in the colonies. This maneuver paved the way for more historically well-known events of the period including the Boston Massacre and ultimately the American Revolution. In the end, the ability to mobilize a group of citizens before popular sentiment against Britain truly materialized proves that dissension was strong enough for action to be taken.
David Price -
The Battle of Harlem Heights, 1776: The U.S. Army’s First Victory and the Legacy of Thomas Knowlton
Join David Price as he brings to life the Battle of Harlem Heights—a pivotal yet often overlooked moment in the American Revolution that marked the Continental Army’s first successful battlefield victory on September 16, 1776. This dynamic presentation explores how regiments from New England, Maryland, and Virginia began to cohere into a unified fighting force, laying the groundwork for a shared American identity. Through the lens of this critical engagement, attendees will gain a deeper appreciation for both an underappreciated victory and the man widely regarded as the father of American military intelligence.
David has also authored four other books, including a trilogy about the “Ten Crucial Days” of the Revolutionary War—Winning the Ten Crucial Days, The Road to Assunpink Creek, and Rescuing the Revolution—as well as a related volume, John Haslet’s World. He has been awarded the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Bronze Good Citizenship Medal and Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of his work as an author, speaker, and historical interpreter at Washington Crossing Historic Park (PA) and Princeton Battlefield State Park (NJ). Since 2021, David has authored
fourteen scholarly articles for the prestigious, peer-reviewed Journal of the American Revolution,
three of which have been selected by the editorial board for inclusion in its annual hardcover
volume.
Dylan Yeats -
The Battle of Brooklyn: Civil War in a Revolutionary Village
The Battle of Brooklyn, fought in August 1776, was the first major engagement of the American War for Independence after the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed. Yet beyond its dramatic battlefield maneuvers and Washington’s daring nighttime evacuation, the conflict was also a deeply local and profoundly personal civil war. In this richly researched presentation, Dylan Yeats explores the Battle of Brooklyn not only as a military turning point, but as a moment that exposed the fragile fault lines of loyalty, identity, and survival within Kings County. Drawing on local records, family papers, British and American accounts, and material culture, Yeats examines how Brooklynites—Patriots, Loyalists, enslaved Africans, militiamen, and ordinary farmers—navigated occupation, shifting allegiances, and the chaos of war. From the toppling of King George III’s statue in Manhattan to the Marylanders’ sacrifice at the Gowanus, from militia desertions to enslaved men and women recalculating freedom amid upheaval, this talk reframes the Battle of Brooklyn as both a military defeat and a social crucible. It was not simply a clash of armies, but a struggle that reshaped communities and redefined what independence would mean for those living through it.
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Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York
More than two hundred and fifty years after the revolution began, Fire and Freedom invites readers to rediscover America's journey to independence. Showcasing New York's central role in the revolution, Fire and Freedom highlights the stories of people and events previously hidden from popular view, unveiling a new vision of this famous narrative. Many of the revolution's key moments can be traced to New York: city crowds rioted against colonial taxation and George Washington spent one-third of the war in and around the soon-to-be "Empire State." Beyond these well-known players and moments, however, lies a trove of new information on New York's hidden revolutionary stories.
With seven fascinating chapters on a range of subjects, we see that events off the battlefield―a strategic retreat, a destructive fire, and displays of independence―were just as meaningful as the fighting itself. State power and politics redefined conceptions of loyalty and allegiance. The resistance and agency of Indigenous and enslaved populations shaped New York's postwar era. These diverse stories are tied together by the defining war, but they stretch far beyond its confines and even further beyond our common understandings. By providing a more comprehensive look into New York's influence on the era, the contributors to this book expand and evolve the meaning and significance of the revolution. Exciting and insightful, Fire and Freedom is a must-read addition to the great revolutionary saga.
The Debra Najecki Endowment
The Debra Najecki Endowment was established by her husband in loving memory of Debra Najecki, who was a dedicated member of the Brigade of the American Revolution from 1987 until her passing in 2017. Debra was deeply passionate about the Brigade and its mission, and she championed the role of women in the organization. An avid lover of horses and a fierce advocate for historical preservation, Debra's spirit of determination and passion for the American Revolution continues through this endowment. The funds will be used to honor her legacy and further her work in promoting the ideals she held so dear.