In the fall of 1861, General William "Bull" Nelson, Union commander in northeastern Kentucky, was ordered to break up a large Confederate recruiting camp in Prestonsburg. In what would be the first major clash in eastern Kentucky, Confederate Capt. Andrew Jackson May's recruits took up positions at Ivy Mountain and waited in ambush. The Battle of Ivy Mountain, fought #OnThisDay November 8, 1861, ended the first phase of the struggle for the Big Sandy Valley. battlefields.org/visit/battlefi…

There was a lot more at stake during the American Revolution than the patriot colonists' political sovereignty; the Mohawk leader Thayendanegea knew this well. The warfare raging between the British and colonists shattered the generations-long political alliance of Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous people known as The Six Nations. In addition, even though Thayendanegea fought with the British to help protect Indigenous lands, the Treaty of Paris made no mention of Britain’s Indigenous allies. It also ceded all British-held territory south of Canada and east of the Mississippi to the United States, including land traditionally held by the Mohawk and other nations in the Iroquois Confederacy. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth …evolution-experience.battlefields.org/people/thayend…

Are you ready for a celebration of literature, learning, and the stories that shape our collective past at the American Battlefield Trust Battlefield Bookfest on November 12-13, 2026, at Gettysburg History in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania? This two-day celebration will feature a live taping of our podcast, Boom Goes the History; the third iteration of our ultimate Civil War quiz, GettysNerd; and talks from a number of finalists from our annual American Battlefield Trust Prize for History.

We hope to see you all there! Tickets are still available below ⬇️ battlefields.org/events/battlef…

The American victory at the Battle of Tippecanoe #OnThisDay November 7, 1811, prompted Tecumseh to ally his remaining Native American forces with Great Britain during the War of 1812, where they would play an integral role in the British military success in the Great Lakes region in the coming years. battlefields.org/learn/war-1812…

While the Battle of Belmont ended inconclusively #OnThisDay November 7, 1861, both sides claimed victory. Confederate forces thought they won at Belmont since they forced the Union troops to retreat to Paducah, Kentucky. Union forces believed it was their victory since the skirmish resulted in heavy Confederate losses and, according to Ulysses S. Grant’s post-war memoirs, the Confederate forces “gave up all idea of detaching troops from Columbus” after the engagement. battlefields.org/learn/civil-wa…

Daniel Nimham, the last sachem of the Wappinger Indians, led his people through land disputes and the American Revolution, ultimately dying in the Battle of Kingsbridge in 1778, where he and his Stockbridge warriors fought alongside the Patriots against the British. Month

Sculpture by Michael Keropian

Learn more: bit.ly/3Wp4aaF

The Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777, was close and bloody. Han Yerry Tewahangaraghkan initially directed the fighting on horseback before dismounting to join his son, Cornelius, and his wife, Tyonajanegan, on the firing line. When a ball struck his wrist, Tyonajanegan took on the task of loading her husband’s musket. Despite the wound, Han Yerry refused to yield, and by the end of the day killed nine of the enemy, some in hand-to-hand combat. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

⭐ Guess that Historical Site ⭐

Built from August through December of 1862 atop St. Cloud Hill, this fort was the largest inland fortification built during the Civil War and helped protect Union-occupied Nashville, Tennessee.

Write your guess in the comment below and then rt here: bit.ly/4sKsi3n

Is Burnside Bridge the most iconic location on any American battlefield? Join Dennis Frye and Garry Adelman as they explore the Antietam Battlefield from this unique perspective.

In the southern theater of the American Revolution, the British successfully garnered favor with Native American tribes, and the vast majority of the Cherokee tribes in the south allied with them. In the summer of 1776, the “Cherokee War” erupted along the western border of the southern states, wreaking havoc on Patriot settlements. The British encouraged the Indian raids and assisted with supplies and treasure. The Patriot legislatures and militias reacted aggressively, and a year later many Cherokee villages were burned, and tribes pushed westward. Nearly 2,000 Cherokee died during the year-long war. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

Learn more about Native American impact on British war strategy in the Southern Campaign at the link below ⬇️ battlefields.org/learn/articles…

In an effort to check the Union army’s advance through Georgia, Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest led a 23-day raid culminating in an attack on the Union supply base at Johnsonville, Tennessee. Although Bedford destroyed a great amount of Union materiel by the time the engagement ended #OnThisDay November 5, 1864, he failed to stem the tide of Union success in the state. battlefields.org/learn/civil-wa…

Tucked into a pension record in the National Archives is a single page ripped from a family bible, recording Robert Mursh’s marriage and the names of his children and grandchildren. Born in 1758, Mursh was part of the Pamunkey tribe and enlisted in the 15th Virginia Regiment at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown before defending Charleston, SC. After being captured and subsequently released, he served until the end of the war in 1783. At age sixty-two, he filed a pension with the State of South Carolina, detailing his service during the American Revolution and included a page from his family Bible. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

Learn more: bit.ly/3X2NbLn

Join Daniel Holt, Associate of Digital Production for The Liberty Trail, on the Camden Battlefield as he shows exactly where General Horatio Gates made a critical mistake in his battle plans — placing inexperienced militia directly opposite some of the British Army's most land is part of a larger effort to preserve 326 acres across four Revolutionary War Battlefields in Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Learn more about this opportunity and donate today: bit.ly/4BFnLU3

During the American Revolution, Dragging Canoe and the Chickamauga Cherokee were in direct competition with colonists. Their main targets were settlements in eastern and middle Tennessee, including Fort Nashborough (modern-day Nashville). On April 2, 1781, at the Battle of the Bluffs, the Chickamauga nearly destroyed the outpost, but Americans repulsed the attack. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

When George Washington walked among the ruins of Fort William Henry in 1783, he remarked: “There is a lot of history under this ground.” Dive into the history of Fort William Henry and the French and Indian War in the newest episode of our podcast, Boom Goes the History.

Before the Revolution, another struggle helped shape America—and we’re heading to Fort William Henry to explore it! Join Chris Mackowski, Sarah Kay Bierle, and Dan Davis on Boom Goes the History for a lively look at a sometimes-overlooked chapter of the French and Indian War. es to the people caught in the middle, we’ll explore the fort’s dramatic story and its place in a world conflict. 🎧 Listen now: bit.ly/4yVstdS

Catawba leader General New River, born around 1740, allied with the Patriots during the Revolutionary War, leading Catawba warriors in key southern battles. Despite their service, the Catawba lost much of their ancestral land, and New River continued advocating for his people's in 1804. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

🖋️ Illustration by Dale Watson

💡 Learn more about New River: bit.ly/4ijJzf6

#OnThisDay November 2, 1772, in response to a bill passed by the British Parliament that restored a portion of the Townshend Acts, Samuel Adams of Boston, one of the early agitators for American independence, organized the “Committee of Correspondence.” The committee's three main goals were to establish a system of communication with other colonial assemblies, educate the populace about their political rights, and rally support for American independence against British rule. Soon these committees popped up in communities across the Thirteen Colonies. battlefields.org/learn/articles…

“To the Councils of South Carolina,” Peter Harris begins in a 1822 petition to the state, “In the War of Independence, I am one of the lingering embers of an almost extinguished race, Our Graves, will soon be our only habitations.”
Harris was a member of the Catawba tribe, which had allied with the Patriot cause during the American Revolution. During the war, he fought at the battles of Rocky Mount, Hanging Rock, and Blackstock’s Farm, and was wounded at Stono River. In his old age, he petitioned South Carolina for a pension for his military service. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

Read the full petition below ⬇️ battlefields.org/learn/biograph…

Dennis Frye and Garry Adelman take a spill during their Antietam Creek tour!