451 The Court-Martial That Put The American Revolution on Trial

In December 1777, Continental Army Colonel David Henley climbed off his horse to discipline a drunk British prisoner of war who was screaming epithets about Americans and vowing to fight for his king. Henley struck the prisoner, one of 6,000 in his care, with his sword.

The wound was minor, but Major General John Burgoyne cited this incident when he accused Henley of plotting to murder British prisoners of war. Burgoyne demanded a formal court-martial.

Professor Timothy Breen joins us to examine Henley’s trial with details from his new book, The American Revolution on Trial. Timothy asks a question most grand narratives of the American Revolution skip past: What did it actually feel like, in real towns among real people, to stop being British? What did it mean to be American?

Timothy’s Book

Show notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/451

EPISODE OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:04:43 The 250th Anniversary and the Limits of Grand Narratives

00:09:31 How Timothy Found the Henley Court-Martial Transcript

00:13:26 Major General John Burgoyne and Aristocratic Privilege

00:23:00 Competing Ideas of Honor During the Revolution

00:29:53 Inside the Cambridge Prisoner of War Camps