Virtual Author Series featuring John U. Rees

The Fort Ticonderoga Author Series features presentations by authors of books related to Fort Ticonderoga’s history. The program takes place virtually at 2pm ET.

Using a masterful combination of artistry and accuracy, Don Troiani has dedicated his career to transforming our understanding of the military soldier. Don now turns his talents to capturing the under-recognized African-American soldiers as they fought in the French and Indian War, the War of Independence, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War. Don’s battle paintings, figure studies, and artifact collection are teamed with historian John Rees’s insightful text.

This long-needed work combines Troiani’s magnificent art—the dramatic battle paintings and authentically illustrated uniformed soldier studies—with Rees’s introductory chapters on the four wars. Using primary sources, Rees gives a true picture of the contributions of the many Black soldiers over the 100-year history.

Together Troiani and Rees provide the most comprehensive, authoritative, and well-researched study of the Black soldier in early America.

John U. Rees has been writing for more than thirty years on the experiences and material culture of common soldiers and women in the armies of the American Revolution. He has produced more than two hundred monographs on topics including soldiers’ food and cooking gear, equipment and personal belongings, campaign shelters, battle and campaign studies, and the role and numbers of women with the Continental Army. John’s first book was “They Were Good Soldiers”: African Americans Serving in the Continental Army, 1775–1783 (Helion, 2019). He lives in New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Your participation in these online programs supports Fort Ticonderoga’s mission to preserve, educate, and provoke an active discussion about the past and its importance to present and future generations.