The Trent House Association will host a talk by Larry Kidder based on his newest book, Defending Fort Stanwix: A Story of the New York Frontier in the American Revolution, published in November 2024. This free talk will be given on Saturday, January 11,, 2025, at 2:00 pm in the Trent House Museum Visitor Center and simultaneously via Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/FortStanwix. The Museum is located at 15 Market Street, Trenton, with free parking behind the museum property off William Trent Place.
In the aftermath of defeats in 1776-1776, the British attempted to split the colonies by controlling the Hudson River. Three British generals – Burgoyne, Howe, and St. Leger,- joined in this campaign. Fort Stanwix, at present-day Rome NY, was in the path of St. Leger’s army.
The courageous actions of the Continental soldiers, civilians, and Haudenosaunee tribal members withstood St. Leger’s siege of the fort forcing his army’s retreat. This British defeat led to Burgoyne’s surrender at the Battles of Saratoga, a turning point in the war that convinced France to aid the American Revolution.
Revolutionary War historian and author Larry Kidder will describe life in Fort Stanwix before, during, and after the siege, highlighting the crucial role cooperation among soldiers and civilians, colonists, and Native peoples played in this important victory.
William (Larry) Kidder is author of many books and articles on the Revolutionary War, particularly in New Jersey, including A People Harassed and Exhausted: The Story of a New Jersey Militia Regiment in the American Revolution; Crossroads of the Revolution: Trenton, 1774-1783; Ten Crucial Days: Washington’s Vision for Victory Unfolds; Revolutionary Princeton 1774-1783: The Biography of an American Town in the Heart of a Civil War; and The Revolutionary World of a Free Black Man: Jacob Francis, 1754-1836.
The William Trent House Museum is a National Historic Landmark in the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area and on the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail and on the New Jersey Black Heritage Trail. The Museum is dedicated to sharing the authentic history of the house, property, and people with our communities, connecting the past with today and tomorrow.
Owned by the City of Trenton, it is operated by the Trent House Association, which is supported by the generosity of its donors; by grants from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, the New Jersey Historic Trust, the Mercer County Cultural and Heritage Commission with funding from the New Jersey Historical Commission, and the Bunbury Fund and the New Jersey Arts & Culture Renewal Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation; and by contributions from NJM Insurance Group and Orion General Contractors. For more information, visit www.williamtrenthouse.org.
