From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War

Presented by Dr. John R. Maass, National Museum of the United States Army. Sponsored by the Fielding Lewis Chapter, NSSAR, and the Fredericksburg Masonic Lodge No. 4. Delve into the five decisive events that secured independence for the thirteen hard-pressed, but determined colonies. These turning points, not all triumphs on the battlefield, delivered a victory for the new United States. By challenging conventional interpretations of what ensures victory in warfare, audiences will learn a new perspective on the Revolutionary War. After the lecture, stay for a special 60-minute screening of the PBS documentary series, The American Revolution, by Ken Burns, focusing on the American military during the Revolutionary War.

Dr. John R. Maass is an educational specialist and historian at the National Museum of the United States Army and former U.S. Army Reserve Officer. He received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in early American History, and is the author of several historical works, including The Road to Yorktown: Jefferson, Lafayette, and the British Invasion of Virginia (2015), The Battles of Spencer’s Ordinary and Green Spring (2025), and From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War (2025). The latter was named one of the Library Journal’s “Best Books of 2025.”