The American War for Independence was an overwhelmingly local affair. Of the 1600+ documented engagements, only sixty or seventy saw the regular armies carry the heaviest burdens of combat. The rest were the business of local forces -- militia, irregulars, Indigenous people, and even family groups. This local warfare had profound implications -- some of them quite dire -- for the nature of the wider war, especially when measured against the accepted rules of "civilized warfare." While staggering in its costs, the history of local warfare is essential to understanding how the colonies gained independence and launched a new nation.

This lecture is hosted by the Congress of American Revolution Round TablesNew Jersey Society, Sons of the American Revolution. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. in the Stockton Education Center for light refreshments. The program begins at 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Lender’s books will be available for purchase at the event with proceeds to benefit Morven Museum & Garden.

Mark Edward Lender has a Ph.D. in American History from Rutgers University. He is Professor Emeritus of History at Kean University. He is the author or co-author of eleven books and many articles and reviews in early American social, military, and institutional history. His scholarship has won awards for writing and research, including the Society for Military History’s Distinguished Book of the Year Award (2017) and a Distinguished Writing Award from the U.S. Army Historical Foundation. He was also a finalist for the 2017 George Washington Literary Prize for the book he co-authored Garry Wheeler Stone – Considered THE preeminent book on the Battle of Monmouth, a must read… FATAL SUNDAY: George Washington, the Monmouth Campaign, and the Politics of Battle, 2017. In 2018 he held a Research Fellowship at the Smith National Library at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Lender helped establish the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage Area in New Jersey as their First Vice President, and he wrote the teacher training materials adopted by Morristown National Historical Park. He is a recipient of the Richard J. Hughes Award, the highest honor bestowed by the New Jersey Historical Commission for contributions to New Hersey history. Lender lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, Rutgers University librarian emerita and author Penny Booth Page. Mark is also the Editor of Westholme Publishing's successful, and highly recommended Small Battles Series.