Washington's Dispatches | Washington College

General Washington Orders the Formation of the Flying Camp

10/06/2026

The 11-month-long Siege of Boston ended in March 1776 when the Continental Army under General Washington fortified the strategic points in the city, and in fear of a repeat of the Battle of Bunker Hill, British General Howe and his troops withdrew to Nova Scotia. This constituted General Washington’s first victory of the war; however, Washington knew that he had a huge area of territory to defend and convened the Continental Congress to figure out an effective military strategy.

American Revolution
Flying Camp
Maryland Soldiers
USA 250th
Archives

Alexander Hamilton in the Archives

09/29/2026

In 1985, former Missouri Congressman James Wadsworth Symington gave Washington College a truly special gift: Alexander Hamilton’s personal copy of George Washington’s Message from the President of the United States of America.

Alexander Hamilton
Democracy
Foreign Policy
George Washington
Quasi-War
Rare Book Collection
USA 250th
Archives

“GATH”: A Washington College grammar school student becomes a celebrated journalist and author of works celebrating the history and lore of the Eastern Shore.

09/25/2026

In 1827, Washington College’s original (and only) college building was destroyed by fire. Shortly after the new college building, today’s Middle Hall, was built, the college admitted a limited number of grammar school students, who were educated in that same building. Among these young students was a boy who would go on to become a prolific, celebrated, and internationally-known journalist who also authored poems, short stories, and novels about Maryland and especially his native Eastern Shore.

Eastern Shore
George Alfred Townsend
Maryland Authors
Maryland Rare Collection

The Occupation of Philadelphia

09/22/2026

On September 26, 1777, the British, led by General Howe, marched into the new American capital of Philadelphia. Was this really a victory for the British?

American Revolution
Battle of Germantown
General Howe
Jousting
USA 250th
Archives

Remembering Robert Janson-LaPalme

09/18/2026

Washington College’s esteemed professor Emeritus Robert “Rob” J.H. Janson-La Palme passed away on September 1, 2026. He was 97 years old.

Art History
Robert Janson-LaPalme
Archives

Jane Stuart Raffles a Painting

09/15/2026

At the end of August 1868, the Newport Reading Room auctioned her last painting of George Washington. Did it end up here at Washington College?

Early American Painters
Gilbert Stuart
Jane Stuart
Presidential Portraits
USA 250th
Archives

25th Remembrance of 9/11

09/11/2026

Most of our student body was not yet born when the Pentagon and World Trade Center were attacked on a sunny Tuesday morning twenty-five years ago.

9/11
Archives

The Battle of Brandywine

09/08/2026

On September 11, 1777, a year after the Battle of Brooklyn and the sacrifice of the Maryland 400, Maryland troops once again fought in the largest single-day engagement of the American Revolution.

American Revolution
Battle of Brandywine
USA 250th
Archives

Map of the Battle of Brooklyn August 27, 1776

The Battle of Brooklyn and the Maryland 400

09/01/2026

On August 27th, 1776, the first battle of the American Revolution after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence took place.

American Revolution
Battle of Brooklyn
Maryland 400
Maryland State Archives
USA 250th
Archives

Welcome Back to WAC!

08/28/2026

Welcome back to a brand-new year at Washington College.

Class of 2030
Fall Semester
Freshman
Students
Archives