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Thread: Sign Up Thread

  1. #1
    Barry Goldwater's Avatar Mr. Conservative
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    Default Sign Up Thread

    Founding Father claims
    George Washington - starting President, formerly CIC of the Continental Army - Claims: Barry
    John Adams - starting VP - Claims: LW
    Thomas Jefferson - Anti-centralist champion, author of the Declaration of Independence - Claims: Chesser
    Alexander Hamilton - Centralist champion, co-organizer of the Constitutional Convention - Claims: Gandy
    James Madison - Co-organizer of the Constitutional Convention, author of the Constitution - Claims: CF
    Benjamin Franklin - Former chief ambassador to France and revolutionary ideologue - Claims: Perry
    John Jay - Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Confederation Period and abolitionist ideologue - Claims: Chernov
    John Dickinson - Author of the Articles of Confederation
    John Hancock - Most famous signer of the DoI and President of the wartime Continental Congress - Claims: Brewster
    Charles C. Pinckney - Revolutionary War general, centralist delegate to the Constitutional Convention, advocate of slavery and the slave trade - Claims: Lucius
    Daniel Carroll - Delegate to Constitutional Convention and a rare Roman Catholic among the FFs - Claims: Gandy
    Patrick Henry - Great revolutionary orator, anti-centralist ideologue and opponent of the Constitution
    Nathanael Greene - Crucial commander in the Continental Army and Southern Theater overall commander - Claims: Perry
    Horatio Gates - Major Continental Army commander in the Saratoga Campaign and Southern Theater - Claims: Jokern

    Governor claims

    MA - Claims: LW
    NH - Claims: Lucius
    CT - Claims: Barry
    RI -
    NY - Claims: Perry
    NJ - Claims: CFMonkey
    PA - Claims: Jokern
    DE -
    MD - Claims: Perry, Gandy
    VA - Claims: Chesser
    NC - Claims: Lucius
    SC - Claims: Barry
    GA - Claims: Brew

    Character Creation Questionnaire
    Note: You cannot start with more than +3 points in any Skill.

    Heritage
    • Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.
    • Franco-American: You are descended from French settlers who ended up in American soil rather than in what used to be New France to the north and west. If your ancestors weren’t among the many Huguenots fled religious persecution in France, they were probably Catholic political exiles or adventurers who ended up in Maryland, the state intended as a shelter for European Catholics in general. The French are best known for their high culture and as explorers of much of the North American hinterland. +1 Cavalry Command, Charisma or Scout.
    • Scots-Irish: You are the descendant of Scots-Irish, or Ulster Scot, settlers who mainly lived in the interior of the Thirteen Colonies, away from the coast. Your ancestors were likely poor, a consequence of Ireland’s wealth having been concentrated in the hands of British Anglican landlords at the expense of both the Catholic Irish and Protestant Scots-Irish, but hardy and well-suited to the hardscrabble lives they led on the frontier, and no strangers to conflict either with the natives, the ‘Anglo’ coastal settlements, or each other. +1 Skirmish Command, Personal Combat or Survival.
    • Dutch-American: You are the descendant of Dutch settlers, who mostly dwelt in New Netherland (now parts of New York, Delaware, New Jersey and Connecticut) before its cession to Britain in the 1674 Treaty of Westminster. Dutch-Americans were reputed as wealthy patroons (manorial landowners) in the Mid-Atlantic states and as intrepid sailors. +1 to Wealth or Naval Command.
    • Other European-American: You don’t belong to any of the above categories, even though your ancestors were 1) definitely European and 2) established in America, sometimes coming with the earliest settlers in a given state. They may have been Spanish, Italian, German, Scandinavian or even from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. In any case, they bring with them a diverse set of skills and experiences, though they are less likely (in some cases vastly so) to be accepted in positions of political power than the former three categories. +1 Espionage or Logistician.

    Religion
    • Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.
    • Congregationalist: You belong to one of many Congregationalist churches, typically concentrated in the Northeast of the country. The Congregational Presbyterians are successors of the old Puritans, being staunch Calvinists who believe that God has predetermined the fates of all men toward either salvation or damnation without any human agency in the matter: they’re insular, are most likely to be distrustful of or outright hostile toward other sects, and combine a dead-serious take on the Protestant work-ethic with a zealous drive for spiritual and moral purity in all spheres of life. Dutch-descended Calvinists also fall under the Congregationalist umbrella.
    • Arminian: You belong to one of the Reformed Protestant churches which follow an Arminian doctrine, believing (unlike hard-line Calvinists) that there is room for human free will on the road to salvation. That means you’re most likely a Baptist or Methodist, two sects which enjoy great and growing popularity among the poor but free people of the South and the West: structurally, the Baptists tend to have more in common with the Congregationalists, while the Methodists with their bishops are more similar to Episcopalians. Arminians are not as inclined toward tolerance and liberal ideologies as Episcopalians, but also tend to be more habitually and doctrinally relaxed than Congregationalists.
    • Quaker: You belong to the Society of Friends, a Protestant sect that is especially prominent and influential in the state of Pennsylvania. The Quakes rs were counted among the ‘Dissenting Protestants’ who opposed the established Anglican (and later Episcopalian) church structure, like the Congregationalists, and shared their tight-knit communitarian organization. However, unlike the Congregationalists the Quakers are famously tolerant of other faiths and hold further distinctive beliefs not part of the Protestant mainstream such as staunch pacifism and abolitionism, opposition to material extravagance and swearing oaths, and teetotalism.
    • Catholic: You belong to the Roman Catholic Church, which means you acknowledge the Pope in Rome as the head of the Christian church overall, use the Douay-Rheims Bible and pray the Rosary, among other things. Many Protestant Americans will suspect you and your fellow believers of being an agent of the Papacy, but is not American religious freedom for everyone? Catholics tend to favor other Catholic polities in foreign relations, to not be great fans of radical Enlightenment liberalism, and to be based in Maryland where some of them, such as Charles Carroll, became fabulously successful around the time of the Revolution in history.
    • Deist: You are a Deist. You believe in a vaguely defined Supreme Being which the Christians call God, but only as a creator: as far as you’re concerned, the First Cause does not interact with its creations at all and is content to let them operate as they will. Deists tend to be the most radical embracers of the Enlightenment and all the liberal ideologies it brings. Thomas Jefferson was an example of a historical American Deist.
    • Other: Your creed can’t be said to fall under any of the above four categories. Perhaps it’s a Christian church that doesn’t fit under one of the three main divides of American Protestantism at this time. Perhaps you are not even a Christian, but instead a Jew - there were, after all, Jewish financiers and military men working for the Patriot cause during the Revolution. In any case, you’re quite the outsider to the American political scene, and if you aren’t Christian (or even if you are, but your Christianity isn’t quite recognizably Western/Central European) you’re probably going to be stuck indirectly influencing American politics from outside the political process entirely.

    Idolized philosopher
    • Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.
    • John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.
    • Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His belief that humans were fundamentally good and that direct democracy, whereby all are free even as they impose their will on each other because their own will was taken into account within the general collective, was the best sort of democracy rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with radically liberal and populistic inclinations. +1 Charisma.

    Early Life
    • Officer: Prior to entering politics, you secured a commission in the British (or if you’re still especially young, Continental) Army and took part in the mid-to-late 18th-century ‘cabinet wars’ between the Great Powers, from King George’s War to the French and Indian War, culminating in the American Revolution. You bring to the table your military experience and fame, or infamy, from your years at war. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery Command.
    • Sailor: Prior to entering politics, you were a sailor on the high seas. Perhaps you were a captain in the Royal and/or Continental Navies, just a civilian mariner involved in the fishing or shipping industries, or even a privateer who settled down after the Revolution. Being used to the dangers of sailing for long periods of time, you’re keenly aware of how to ration your supplies and pick out the quickest and safest routes of travel. +1 Naval Command.
    • Frontiersman: Prior to entering politics, you lived on the wild western frontier of the former Thirteen Colonies. There you befriended other poor but determined pioneers and learned how to hunt and dress game, light fires, read smoke signals, fend off hostile Indian raids while dealing with friendly ones, and in general not die in the wilds. When the Revolution happened, it may have passed you by, or you may have participated as an irregular fighter. +1 Skirmish Command or Survival.
    • Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth.
    • Diplomat: In your younger years, you were a member of the diplomatic corps, and thus was enmeshed in politics quite early on. Prior to the outbreak of the Revolution, you may have already been working as an envoy for Britain; afterwards, you represented America in critical negotiations with the French, Spanish and Dutch, helping to bring these Great Powers into the fight against the British. +1 Charisma.

    Role in the Revolution
    • Infantry Commander: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of line infantry or riflemen up to regiment-size. As commissioned officers up to the rank of colonel did, you fought at the front lines with your men, sharing the glory of victory and the bitterness of defeat, taking injuries in battle, and wearing out your boots beneath you as you marched with them. +1 Infantry Command, Personal Combat or Rearguard.
    • Cavalry Officer: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of cavalry up to regiment size. The Continental Army’s cavalry were predominantly light scouts or dragoons, and so you and your men would have spent most of your time scouting ahead of the main army or taking on British foragers & scouts in isolated skirmishers rather than charging into massed redcoat formations. +1 Cavalry Command, Scout or Survival.
    • General Officer: You were a general officer in the Continental Army, likely far removed from the front lines. Instead your role was at the war table, planning out operations, measuring resources and wrangling with the Continental Congress and your fellow generals over the direction of the war. At most, on the field you were likely directing artillery fire from the rear. If the Infantry and Cavalry Officers were the arms of the Continental forces, you were one of its brain cells. +1 Artillery Command or Logistician.
    • Naval Officer: You captained a ship or commanded squadrons of multiple ships in the Continental Navy during the war. In this capacity, in addition to maintaining discipline among your crew and maximizing usage of the talents of your specialists (navigator, bosun, etc) you had the unenviable task of battling the mightiest sea power in the world - the Royal Navy - on its home ‘turf’. Still, you proved (as historical US naval commanders, such as John Paul Jones, did) that it could be done. +1 Naval Command or Scout.
    • Irregular Fighter: You were a Patriot engaged in guerrilla warfare during the Revolution. Leaving conventional warfare against the redcoats to the brave and the stupid, you took to the back-country with a trusty rifle or hunting musket and spent the conflict sniping British officers, ambushing isolated patrols and supply convoys, and battling Loyalist or ‘Tory’ militias and pro-British Indian warbands. Dishonorable, perhaps, but nobody dares deny that what you did during the war wasn’t effective. +1 Skirmish Command, Espionage or Pillager.
    • Congressman: During the war, you were part of the Continental Congress. You did not fight in the field but instead politically represented the American states & people, presenting their demands to the British Crown at the Revolution’s eve and providing civilian leadership to revolutionary forces which foreign countries could negotiate with. As a delegate of the Congress, you also likely wrangled with overambitious generals from time to time, and may have even fought a duel or several over honor in clashes with prickly fellow Congressmen. +1 Wealth, Personal Combat or Charisma.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    • Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.
    • Mercenary: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you could not countenance a return to civilian life for whatever reason and went abroad to join another country’s army or navy (preferably not Britain’s, considering they were unlikely to view a traitor positively). For a time you fought under a foreign flag and in foreign wars, quitting and returning to America only around the time the Constitution was ratified. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Skirmish or Naval Command, or Logistician.
    • Planter: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to life on your country estate until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a planter, you would have been busy managing your estate - whether it was worked by slaves, free tenants, or a mix of both - and keeping up with other socialites in peacetime, which may have also involved getting into duels over honor. +1 Charisma or Personal Combat.
    • Tycoon: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to civilian life as a merchant prince until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a business tycoon, your primary concern would obviously have been trying to make more money than ever before, whether as a shipping magnate, a large proto-retailer, a mail delivery boss, etc. +1 Wealth or Espionage.
    • Great Yeoman: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to your farm until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a major yeoman farmer, you not only tended to your crops and herds with the aid of family members and hired farmhands, but also got involved with and often informally represented your community. You may also have harbored sympathies for yeoman revolts in the Confederation Period such as Shays’ Rebellion. +1 Charisma or Survival.


    Skills
    1. Military Skills

    - Infantry Command: +1 to battle rolls when commanding purely infantry (Line or Grenadier) units per level. Gained when a character leads an infantry regiment or regiments to victory an engagement against even or disadvantageous odds.

    - Skirmish Command: +1 to battle rolls when commanding purely light infantry (Rifleman or Militia) units per level. Gained when a character leads a light infantry regiment or regiments to victory an engagement against even or disadvantageous odds.

    - Cavalry Command: +1 to battle rolls when commanding purely cavalry units per level. Gained when a character leads a cavalry regiment or regiments to victory an engagement against even or disadvantageous odds.

    - Artillery Command: +1 to battle rolls when commanding purely artillery units per level. Gained when a character leads an artillery battery or batteries to victory an engagement against even or disadvantageous odds.

    - Naval Command:+1 to battle rolls at sea per level. Gained when a character wins a naval engagement against even or disadvantageous odds.

    - Pillager: Improves loot gained from raids, see Raid rules. Gained after every 3 raids.

    - Scout: +1 to detecting armies preparing to attack the force the character is in command of, and -1 to enemy detection rolls made on an army your character is in command of. This applies if the character is specifically in command of the scouts (in RP this can be confirmed with anything like 'Scouts', 'Outriders', 'Light Horse', 'Cavalry', anything that can easily be interpreted as being in charge of the scouts) or successfully ambushes an opposing force.

    - Logistician: Armies this character is in overall command of move 5% faster. Calculate total marching time in hours and subtract x%. Gained on request on a per-campaign if moderators feel the character's army's mobility has significantly contributed to a successful outcome.

    - Rearguard: -1 to your army's rout casualty rolls. Applies only if the character is in command of the reserve. Gained if the army the character is in retreats in good order (i.e. the reserve wins their fight with the victorious enemy flank and no rout roll is made).

    2. Personal Skills

    - Survival: +1 to surviving death rolls and in duel defensive rolls. Gained if the character loses a battlefield duel (e.g. no sparring, training, friendly, or tourney duels) but is not killed by his opponent or from surviving an assassination attempt.

    - Personal Combat. +1 to duel and jousting rolls. Gained if victorious in a duel that occurs either during a serious battle situation (a real battle, not a practice fight, tournament melee, training etc.) or if the victor is the winner of a tournament. Can be gained under other conditions if mod approved (highly unlikely). Does not require the death of the other combatant.

    - Espionage: +1 to any rolls related to underhanded subterfuge - spying or assassinating someone, stealing something, trying to manufacture evidence, etc. - that wouldn’t logically be covered under another trait (ex. Charisma, for trying to persuade an NPC to join you). Gained if the character successfully executes a feat of subterfuge.

    - Wealth: +5% to province income if you are a lordly character or +5% to asset income if you are a merchant character. Gained if the character uses their wealth to achieve something political (e.g. bribery, blackmail, buying someone's death) at moderation discretion.

    - Charisma: +1 to any rolls to convince an AI character to do something. Gained if the AI character is convinced to switch loyalties from any one party to another. This must be a switch of political or military allegiance.
    Last edited by chesser2538; September 10, 2019 at 09:59 AM. Reason: Adjusted for Claims.

  2. #2
    Lucius Malfoy's Avatar Pure-Blood
    Citizen

    Join Date
    Nov 2010
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    USA
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    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    The MacCotter (Cotter) Family



    The Cotter, or MacCotter, family are a well-known Irish clan that were founded by Viking descendants in the early 12th century AD. It is believed that they may have had an older ancestor, an Icelander dating to the time of Cnut of England. Whatever the case, the Cotters have remained a prominent family in County Cork. One of their earliest members was an William Cottyr, who flourished during the reign of Edward IV. Another prominent member, Sir James, served Charles II in the effort to restore the monarchy.

    The MacCotters of the Thirteen Colonies came to the Americas during the early 1700s when Queen Anne's War raged between France and Britain. In loyalty for his services, a certain Major Joseph MacCotter was awarded a grant of land, a viable estate, in North Carolina. In 1741, Joseph died and was succeeded, as patriarch, by his eldest son Edward. It is to be noted that both Joseph and Edward are remembered by the Lionheart family as the former was an acquaintance of Arthur I and the latter was a mentor for the young Arthur II during the French and Indian War, starting in 1754. His career came to an end, however, due an accident that occurred during a patrol. Edward was succeeded by his own son, James. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, James would side with the Royalists and command the 2nd American Regiment, also known as the Volunteers of Ireland, throughout much of the war. His career ensured he rose to the rank of Brigadier General, seeing combat at Charleston, Camden, the Siege of Ninety-Six and eventually the Surrender of Yorktown. Though James was made a prisoner of war after Yorktown, his association with the Lionheart family, and the services rendered by his son, Joseph II, who married Arthur II's daughter and fought in the Continental Army, ensured he was neither hanged nor deprived of his land

    After the war, James, along with his son, entered politics. He became one of the leading politicians in centralist policies, participating in the Constitutional Convention, and an advocate of slavery and the slave trade. His son, Joseph, remained in North Carolina as an elected official for the local government there. While the father aimed for federal participation, the son aimed to be governor of his home state. During Shay's Rebellion, the son would return to the military, letting his political career go to fight in the army once more as a cavalry commander.

    A little further information:
    - Joseph II MacCotter is the oldest surviving son of James MacCotter and the middle sibling between his two sisters, Helena and Harriet. Whereas his father joined the Royalists, Joseph is noted to have sided with the Patriots. He was married Henrietta Lionheart in 1775 and would later join the Continental Army in 1777, eventually rising to command the North Carolina Light Dragoons till 1780. His quick rise through the ranks was mainly due to his ties with the Commander-in-Chief, Arthur Lionheart, as well as modest service within the Continental Army. He would later be transferred to command the 4th Continental Light Dragoons till 1783, participating at Yorktown and remaining engagements till the wars end. His highest rank achieved was that of Colonel. His services rendered ensured that his father, James, was released and no consequences were suffered by the family. During a brief few years, he would serve minor political roles within North Carolina, while his father was doing his role in the federal government. In 1786, Joseph returned to the army, leading a command of dragoons from North Carolina, once more, during Shay's Rebellion. After the rebellion, and by 1789, Joseph had re-entered political office and is presently serving his term as Governor of North Carolina.

    Family Tree
    Joseph I MacCotter - b. 1682 and d. 1741
    Edward MacCotter - b. 1711 and d. 1777
    James MacCotter - b. 1733 and d. ???? - Married Emily MacCotter, b. 1743

    Issue of James and Emily MacCotter
    - Helena MacCotter (b. 1768) - Married to Richard Sterling
    - Joseph II MacCotter (b. 1768) - Married to Henrietta Lionheart (b. 1760)
    - Harriet MacCotter (b. 1767) - Married to Richard Harris

    Issue of Joseph II and Henrietta
    - Henry MacCotter b. 1780, twin of Elizabeth
    - Elizabeth MacCotter b. 1780, twin of Henry

    James MacCotter


    James MacCotter in full Brigadier General dress, ca. 1780

    Age: 56 (b. 1733)
    Spouse: Emily née Smith (b. 1743)

    +2 Infantry Command
    +1 Charisma
    +1 Espionage
    +1 Survival

    Heritage
    Scots-Irish: You are the descendant of Scots-Irish, or Ulster Scot, settlers who mainly lived in the interior of the Thirteen Colonies, away from the coast. Your ancestors were likely poor, a consequence of Ireland’s wealth having been concentrated in the hands of British Anglican landlords at the expense of both the Catholic Irish and Protestant Scots-Irish, but hardy and well-suited to the hardscrabble lives they led on the frontier, and no strangers to conflict either with the natives, the ‘Anglo’ coastal settlements, or each other. +1 Skirmish Command, Personal Combat or Survival.

    Religion
    Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.

    Idolized philosopher
    Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.

    Early Life
    Officer: Prior to entering politics, you secured a commission in the British (or if you’re still especially young, Continental) Army and took part in the mid-to-late 18th-century ‘cabinet wars’ between the Great Powers, from King George’s War to the French and Indian War, culminating in the American Revolution. You bring to the table your military experience and fame, or infamy, from your years at war. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery Command.

    Role in the Revolution
    Infantry Commander: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of line infantry or riflemen up to regiment-size. As commissioned officers up to the rank of colonel did, you fought at the front lines with your men, sharing the glory of victory and the bitterness of defeat, taking injuries in battle, and wearing out your boots beneath you as you marched with them. +1 Infantry Command, Personal Combat or Rearguard.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.

    Joseph II MacCotter

    Joseph II MacCotter in Dragoon commander attire, ca. 1779

    Age: 31 (b. 1768)
    Spouse: Henrietta, née Lionheart (b. 1760)

    +2 Survival
    +2 Charisma
    +1 Cavalry Command

    Heritage
    Scots-Irish: You are the descendant of Scots-Irish, or Ulster Scot, settlers who mainly lived in the interior of the Thirteen Colonies, away from the coast. Your ancestors were likely poor, a consequence of Ireland’s wealth having been concentrated in the hands of British Anglican landlords at the expense of both the Catholic Irish and Protestant Scots-Irish, but hardy and well-suited to the hardscrabble lives they led on the frontier, and no strangers to conflict either with the natives, the ‘Anglo’ coastal settlements, or each other. +1 Skirmish Command, Personal Combat or Survival.

    Religion
    Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.

    Idolized philosopher
    Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His belief that humans were fundamentally good and that direct democracy, whereby all are free even as they impose their will on each other because their own will was taken into account within the general collective, was the best sort of democracy rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with radically liberal and populistic inclinations. +1 Charisma.

    Early Life
    Frontiersman: Prior to entering politics, you lived on the wild western frontier of the former Thirteen Colonies. There you befriended other poor but determined pioneers and learned how to hunt and dress game, light fires, read smoke signals, fend off hostile Indian raids while dealing with friendly ones, and in general not die in the wilds. When the Revolution happened, it may have passed you by, or you may have participated as an irregular fighter. +1 Skirmish Command or Survival.

    Role in the Revolution
    Cavalry Officer: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of cavalry up to regiment size. The Continental Army’s cavalry were predominantly light scouts or dragoons, and so you and your men would have spent most of your time scouting ahead of the main army or taking on British foragers & scouts in isolated skirmishers rather than charging into massed redcoat formations. +1 Cavalry Command, Scout or Survival.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Planter: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to life on your country estate until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a planter, you would have been busy managing your estate - whether it was worked by slaves, free tenants, or a mix of both - and keeping up with other socialites in peacetime, which may have also involved getting into duels over honor. +1 Charisma or Personal Combat.
    Last edited by Lucius Malfoy; September 05, 2019 at 08:54 PM.
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  3. #3
    Barry Goldwater's Avatar Mr. Conservative
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    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Lionheart of Virginia



    The founding and early years of the Lionheart family
    The Lionhearts of Charles County, Virginia originated with one Richard Lyon, a handsome English country gentleman who lived on the border of Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire in the mid-17th century. The only one of his parents' children to survive to adulthood, Lyon managed his sickly and increasingly frail father's estate until the latter died and passed it on to him in 1637 - just in time to get mixed up in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms under Charles I's reign. Lyon fought in service to the King, becoming an officer in the Marquess of Newcastle's 'whitecoat' forces and seeing action from the war's earliest days to the devastating defeat at Marston Moor which broke the Royalists' northern army. In this time, the golden-haired and azure-eyed Lyon gained a reputation not dissimilar from that of other, better-known Cavalier officers: proud, extravagant, a drinker of fine wines and chaser of finer skirts, and bold to the point of foolhardiness.

    Left for dead after the massacre of the Royalist infantry at Marston Moor, Lyon managed to escape the battlefield after dark, seek treatment with a friendly Royalist family's manor, and ride southward to join the King's own forces. Unfortunately for him, only a few months later he went on to fight at the Battle of Naseby, where the Royalists were shattered for good and Lyon himself barely evaded capture. Nevertheless, determined to resist to the last, he rejoined the ragtag remnants of Cavalier forces in the Midlands under the Baron Astley, only to once again taste the sting of defeat early next year at Stow-on-the-Wold. Going underground, with his estate ransacked by the triumphant Parliamentary forces, Lyon lived as a vagabond in the countryside, thieving and cutting throats to get by when he wasn't sheltering with Royalist supporters who'd managed to conceal their sympathies from the new authorities. He always found a way to join Royalist armies and rebellions, from Charles II's forces at Worcester to the uprisings of Penruddock and Booth, and ever the survivor he'd manage to slink back into the English countryside after each inevitable defeat.

    Newcastle's Whitecoats, a young Richard Lyon among them, make their last stand at Marston Moor, 1644

    After the death of Lord Protector Cromwell finally provided an opening for the Restoration, Lyon's loyal service was recognized by Charles II (and just in time, because he had deflowered his then-host's daughter - a young woman less than half his age - and the man would've turned him over to the Puritans had the latter's power not fallen apart at exactly that time). The newly restored King granted him an estate on the north bank of the James River, Virginia to compensate for his own Nottinghamshire estate (now burnt to the ground and wiped off the map to the point where even Lyon himself couldn't find its ruins) and jokingly remarked that he had the 'heart of a lion' for his zealous loyalty to the House of Stuart and unwillingness to ever surrender to Parliament or the Protectorate, even long after it became apparent that the Royalists had been militarily defeated. Jest though it may have been, Lyon took the King's congratulations to heart and legally changed his surname to 'Lionheart' shortly after marrying this last girl he'd just deflowered and making landfall in Virginia.

    Since then, Richard's descendants have continued to live on the plantation house he built some miles east of Charles City, the Virginian town named after the King this first Lionheart had served so faithfully, managing their tobacco plantation and growing number of slaves and indentured servants from their luxurious new halls. As a staunch believer in both the established Anglican Church and the monarchy, Richard fought as an officer of loyal militia on the side of Governor Berkeley and his administration during Bacon's Rebellion - his last, and finally victorious war - and profited from the confiscation & redistribution of rebels' estates afterward. Many of the Lionheart men followed in their ancestor's martial footsteps and fought in the various Anglo-French conflicts in North America as part of the Virginia colonial militia, from King William's War to the final French and Indian War, ironically on the side of the Orange and later Hanoverian monarchy that displaced the Stuarts to whom Richard had been faithful at all cost.

    Richard Lionheart at the end of his first week in America, his long golden hair regrown, 1661

    Arthur Lionheart, the man, the legend: Early years
    Speaking of the French and Indian War...this is where Arthur Lionheart II enters the picture. The most senior of Richard Lyon/Lionheart's direct male descendants, a then-twelve-year-old Arthur found himself in charge of the Lionheart estate after his father Percival died of a bad flu in 1742. Growing into a tall and robust young man, Arthur went on to secure a commission in the Virginia militia like so many of his predecessors, organize the 1st Virginia Regiment as its Colonel and play a key role in sparking the Jumonville Affair, a 1754 skirmish in which he and his Mingo Indian allies annihilated a French patrol in what is now western Pennsylvania under unclear circumstances (though Lionheart maintains to this day that the French shot first). Incidentally, his involvement here caused him to miss the birth of his own firstborn. Resoundingly defeated in the Battle of Fort Necessity that followed, Lionheart also took part in the even more disastrous Braddock Expedition the next year, which culminated in his superior's death at the Battle of the Monongahela and gave him a newfound appreciation for the irregular warfare which had made mincemeat out of his & the British forces.

    The stupefied Colonel Lionheart looks on from horseback as General Braddock dies at the Monongahela, 1755

    Frustrated by disputes over seniority with other colonial captains and their British commanders, Lionheart spent the two years following the Monongahela commanding the defense of Fort Cumberland, a humiliating post away from action on the front-lines in which he saw no fighting. In late 1757 he was finally able to talk his way back into front-line combat, joining the Forbes Expedition to seize Fort Duquesne. This carefully organized and planned expedition was vastly more successful than Braddock's, and Lionheart and his Virginians washed away the stain of their past defeats with French and French-allied Indian blood in the constant skirmishes around General Forbes' forward base at Fort Ligonier, culminating in the October 1758 Battle of Fort Ligonier in which he and the British drove off a desperate attack by the outnumbered and undersupplied French garrison of Fort Duquesne. Marching to the latter fortress soon after, the British and their colonial auxiliaries found that the French commander had already destroyed his indefensible fort and withdrawn. As French positions in the Ohio Valley fell apart following this defeat and others further to the north, the Forbes Expedition effectively marked the end of Lionheart's role in the French and Indian War.

    The British assumption of France's North American colonies did not go unchallenged by the local Indians, however, and tensions were further exacerbated by the harsh policies of General Jeffrey Amherst, the new Governor of these lands and of Virginia. Hostilities erupted around the Great Lakes in 1763 with the Odawa chief Pontiac leading Indians in revolt against Amherst's tyranny, inflicting upon the British (who regularly underestimated them) a number of sharp defeats. Drawing from his experiences in the French and Indian War, Lionheart tried to advise the authorities to take a reconciliatory approach to the insurgents and a cautious one to attacking 'irreconcilable' Indians, but was too lowly on the British chain of command to even get anywhere near Amherst and his staff. He had more success in Lord Dunmore's War five years later, where despite privately cursing the settlers who butchered once-friendly Mingo chief Logan's family at the Yellow Creek Massacre, he secured command of the Virginia militia and led them to victory when Indians under the Shawnee war-chief Cornstalk ambushed them at Point Pleasant in October of 1774: there, in addition to resolutely directing his men as the Indians swarmed their defenses, Lionheart also heeded his second-in-command's advice to send a flanking force across a nearby creek, catching Cornstalk off guard and driving the Indians into full retreat.

    Colonel Lionheart exhorts the Virginia militia, including son Lionel, to fight on at Point Pleasant, 1774

    It was while Lionheart and his men were still returning over the western Virginian mountains that, in April of 1775, the first shots of the American Revolutionary War rang out at Lexington and Concord.

    Arthur Lionheart, the man, the legend: The Revolution
    Lord Dunmore's suspension of the Virginia legislature at the outbreak of revolution in Massachussetts, coupled with the history of belittlement and willful ignorance to which Lionheart had been subjected while still a militia captain in Britain's employ, made the choice of who now-45-year-old Arthur should support a fairly easy one. Rumors that Lord Dunmore had colluded with the Shawnee to try to get the Virginian militia massacred at Point Pleasant and beyond, thereby weakening the increasingly unruly colonials before they could rebel, sealed it for Lionheart. Making his way to the newly convened Continental Congress, Lionheart advanced his case for leadership of the Patriots' military efforts (with the victory at Point Pleasant serving as his newest reason as to why he should receive the role) and was duly appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army by the Congress on June 14, 1775, the same day that said Army was organized. Meanwhile Lionheart's then-21-year-old son, Lionel, had opted to stay in Virginia with the rest of his family, but joined the local Patriots and played a junior role in the skirmishes which drove Lord Dunmore out of the colony by the end of 1775.

    Lionheart's ensuing military career was marked by his aggressive leadership style and insistence on fighting the British in the open 'like men' wherever he could. This initially served him well in the Boston Campaign, where though he listened to the advice of his chief artillery officer Lionel Harrison to fortify the Dorchester Heights overlooking the city and install heavy artillery (which Harrison and allied Vermonters had secured in a raid on Fort Ticonderoga) there, he nevertheless insisted on baiting the British into an open battle. Launching probing attacks on Boston's defenses which were then promptly turned back by the British even as Harrison's heavy artillery began to rain fire down on the British ships in harbor, Lionheart successfully tricked his opposite number, General William Howe, into ordering an assault on Dorchester Heights in March of 1776. While this was ongoing, he eagerly ordered the Continental Army to attack from nearby Cambridge. The British were caught wrong-footed, their assault on Dorchester Heights floundered against the defenses there - a veritable second Bunker Hill, only this time the Americans won more than a moral victory - and the appearance of Lionheart's main force on the city outskirts threw the defense into complete panic. The raw Patriot militia and green Continental Army recruits took significant casualties as they threw themselves at the British defenses, but in truth those defenses were manned only by the British rearguard while the rest of their army and a thousand Loyalist civilians were racing to the boats to evacuate and were overrun piece by piece - Howe included, though he should be credited for managing a successful evacuation at all under these circumstances. As his soldiers swarmed across Boston, Lionheart issued strict orders to refrain from pillage, enforced by the threat of public flogging and hanging.

    The last British soldiers to hold out in Boston stand down before General Lionheart, 1776

    General Lionheart was lauded as a triumphant hero, and accordingly basked in the praise of the Patriots as the first man to lead Continental forces to a major victory over the British. It was in this time that his son Lionel also came up north to join him, and was appointed Captain of a company in the 1st Continental Light Dragoons. However, this much adulation made the general overconfident and turned his gallantry to foolhardiness. Five months later Howe returned from Nova Scotia, wiser and angrier than before, with a host of over 30,000 soldiers (including nearly 10,000 Hessians) at his back. Lionheart dared to openly confront him with 23,000 soldiers under his own command. The result was the New York Campaign, in which the Americans were repeatedly defeated from Brooklyn Heights to Kip's Bay to White Plains. To relieve his besieged twin forts near the mouth of the Hudson River, in November of 1776 the increasingly desperate Lionheart attempted a large counteroffensive along the lower banks of the Hudson, which failed miserably in the face of Howe's larger, higher-spirited and better-disciplined army. Thus chastened, Lionheart left downstate New York and New Jersey to the British. Bloodied, exhausted, and low on just about everything after having to abandon most of their supplies to outrun Howe's forces, Lionheart and the Continental Army would have been incredibly doomed at this point if it had not been for a turn where his trademark aggression actually proved useful: the Delaware River campaign.

    Crossing the icy Delaware River on Christmas night after first receiving reinforcements, Lionheart launched an extremely risky attack on a major Hessian encampment at the New Jersey town of Trenton in the early hours of the morning after Christmas. As the Hessians were still drunk and a blizzard had descended upon them, the Americans were able to score a rousing victory in the face of common military sense and even killed the Hessian commander, Johann Rall, after a short but fierce engagement. Having taken the Hessians' cannons and supplies for themselves, the Americans now retreated back over the Delaware and rested until New Year's Day. Shortly after receiving their pay in camp, they fended off a British reprisal at Assunpink Creek and went on the attack once more, defeating another British force at Princeton and in so doing keeping New Jersey in American hands. These victories were not particularly decisive in the long run - the British still had vastly more men and materiel to throw at the Americans - but they were direly needed to boost flagging American morale after the catastrophic New York campaign, and of course saved Lionheart's own career from being cut short by Congress.

    Arthur Lionheart crossing the Delaware, Christmas 1776

    1777 was very much a mixed year for the Continental Army. Lionheart prevented the British under Howe from linking up with a major invasion force trying to push through the north under John Burgoyne, but at great cost. In April, he moved out of his fortified positions in the Watchung Mountains to attack a British army that had moved to Somerset Countyhouse; Howe had sent this force out as a diversion, but Lionheart smashed it so quickly before falling back to his Middlebrook cantonments that any plans the former might have had about stealing a march past the mountains had to be abandoned. Instead Howe sailed from New York for the mouth of the Delaware, and before Lionheart got too comfortable he found he'd have to race the British to the American capital at Philadelphia. After months of maneuvering and skirmishing, the tired Americans were resoundingly defeated at Brandywine, and a reckless attack ordered by Lionheart on Germantown not long after also floundered. Philadelphia was lost by year's end and the Continentals marched to Valley Forge, where a quarter of the men died in the harsh winter conditions and Lionheart found his leadership abilities questioned by his subordinates and Congress. Enraged and stressed, Lionheart defended himself before Congress while his men recuperated and drilled under the watchful eye of new foreign advisers from Europe, and with the support of his political connections was able to avoid getting sacked this time.

    The Americans entered 1778 in much higher spirits than they had left 1777 with. The Continental Army had been rebuilt and trained to fight at a higher standard, the French and Spanish were entering the war, and the theater of operations was shifting southward as the British gave up on trying to retake the Mid-Atlantic and New England. Furthermore, the British high command had grossly overestimated the extent & organization of Loyalist support in the South. While the senior Lionheart remained occupied with containment actions against British forces still in the northern colonies until 1781, he did dispatch more contingents of the Continental Army southward over the years, including the Light Dragoons commanded by his son Lionel in late 1779: he whose exploits in New Jersey had earned him the moniker 'Light Horse Leo', won him both a promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel and a rare gold medal from Congress, and who went on to play a supporting role in the Southern Campaign, primarily focused on capturing rural outposts and trading blows with the dreaded Banastre Tarleton's own horsemen (incidentally, this was how he found the time to visit his wife and sire a son). The battles and troubles of that campaign were many, but this part of the story must be left to the men who saw it from start to finish to tell.

    The elder Lionheart finally marched south, buoyed by significant French reinforcements, in 1781. The British, now led by Lord Charles Cornwallis, put up a formidable resistance and fended off the advancing Franco-American forces time and again, but were gradually boxed into Yorktown - time and numbers were both in Lionheart's favor and he intended to use them to the fullest - and forced to yield after the defeat of Admiral Thomas Graves' relief fleet at French hands in the Battle of the Chesapeake. Cornwallis' surrender on October 19, 1781 effectively ended large-scale operations in the American Revolutionary War, and the Thirteen Colonies' independence was formally recognized by Britain two years later at the Treaty of Paris.

    Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, 1781

    Arthur Lionheart, the man, the legend: The Confederation Years
    Following the defeat of the British, America was free - and now it had to start functioning as an independent nation, or rather at this time, nations. Under the Articles of Confederation which had been fully ratified by 1781, the American colonies-turned-states remained virtually independent debt-ridden little nations of their own, with the Continental Congress (now referred to as the Congress of the Confederation) existing as a nominal authority with little in the way of enforcing its decisions. The Army and Navy both had to be disbanded, to the great sorrow of Lionheart Senior. His last significant act as commander-in-chief was to defuse the Newburgh Conspiracy, a threatened mutiny which could have exploded into a full-blown military coup after Congress had initially refused to pay the Continental veterans' pensions, with an emotional appeal to heed Congressional supremacy - in a deep and cutting irony which grievously harmed the relationship between father and son, it was none other than Lionheart Junior who penned a letter to other Generals suggesting taking unspecified action against Congress, something which the younger Lionheart remained unapologetic about.

    Unpaid and frustrated Continental troops on the verge of mutiny, 1783

    Between 1783 and '88, Arthur Lionheart retired to his plantation estate, peacefully presiding over the growth of tobacco, grains and vegetables along the banks of the James River. Lionel Lionheart, in another twist of irony, became a representative of Virginia to the very same Congress whose overthrow he once implied would be a positive development...and very rapidly became disgusted at the chamber's utter lack of power to collect any revenue at all and apparent pointlessness while the states it claimed to represent remained mired in debt, squabbled with one another, and were wracked with internal dissent.

    Temporarily retired and oblivious to the dangers facing the United States, Arthur Lionheart goes out for a pleasant stroll with his grandchildren, 1787

    In 1787, following the outbreak of Shays' Rebellion, it was decided that a stronger central government was necessary for the survival of the American states. A convention was called for in Philadelphia, with the elder Lionheart being invited to preside over the proceedings. He could not have expected that Lionel would dare call for America to become a monarchy so soon after casting off one crown - and not even by inviting a foreign prince, as some others suggested, but by crowning him 'High King of America'. Once more the father embarrassed the son by loudly and strenuously rejecting any notion of being crowned a monarch, demonstrating the strength of his republican convictions and destroying the latter's hopes of becoming Prince of Virginia this time, and the Constitution ended up calling for an empowered but still elected executive branch rather than any sort of monarchy.

    In the resulting election, Lionheart - despite his personal wishes to retire back into private life once more - was pressured by his friends among the Founding Fathers and above all his own son into running for office, ostensibly for the sake of stability and to give the young United States a unifying figure as its head. He proceeded to win the 1788-89 race, with X coming in second place and thus becoming his Vice-President.

    And thus, we enter the present day - Anno Domini 1789 - with President Arthur Lionheart and his Vice-President having been freshly inaugurated...

    Lionheart family tree, 1789
    Arthur Lionheart II, patriarch, age 59 (b. July 30, 1730)
    Mary Lionheart (née Pawlett), matriarch and wife of Arthur, age 53 (b. September 16, 1736)

    Lionel Lionheart, son of Arthur and Mary, age 35 (b. July 27, 1754)
    Frances Lionheart (née Le Montier), age 34 (b. February 28, 1755)
    Francine Lionheart, daughter of Lionel and Frances, age 14 (b. April 12, 1775)
    Richard Lionheart IV, son of Lionel and Frances, age 9 (b. November 23, 1780)
    Victor Lionheart, son of Lionel and Frances, age 5 (b. July 18, 1784)
    Caroline Lionheart, daughter of Lionel and Frances, age 4 (b. October 15, 1785)

    Henrietta Lionheart, daughter of Arthur and Mary, age 29 (b. November 18, 1760). Married to Joseph MacCotter of North Carolina. Any children they have will be recorded in the MacCotter annals.

    Jacqueline Lionheart, daughter of Arthur and Mary, age 25 (b. May 14, 1764)

    Arthur Lionheart, President of the United States

    The elder Lionheart deep in thought as he pens a letter to his wife, 1779

    Age: 59 (b. July 30, 1730)
    Spouse: Mary, née Pawlett (b. September 16, 1736)

    +1 Charisma
    +1 Infantry Command
    +1 Personal Combat
    +1 Logistician
    +1 Wealth

    Heritage:
    - Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion:
    - Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.

    Idolized philosopher:
    - John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.

    Early life:
    - Officer: Prior to entering politics, you secured a commission in the British (or if you’re still especially young, Continental) Army and took part in the mid-to-late 18th-century ‘cabinet wars’ between the Great Powers, from King George’s War to the French and Indian War, culminating in the American Revolution. You bring to the table your military experience and fame, or infamy, from your years at war. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery Command.

    Role in the Revolution:
    - General Officer: You were a general officer in the Continental Army, likely far removed from the front lines. Instead your role was at the war table, planning out operations, measuring resources and wrangling with the Continental Congress and your fellow generals over the direction of the war. At most, on the field you were likely directing artillery fire from the rear. If the Infantry and Cavalry Officers were the arms of the Continental forces, you were one of its brain cells. +1 Artillery Command or Logistician.

    Role in the Confederation Period:
    - Planter: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to life on your country estate until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a planter, you would have been busy managing your estate - whether it was worked by slaves, free tenants, or a mix of both - and keeping up with other socialites in peacetime, which may have also involved getting into duels over honor. +1 Charisma or Personal Combat.

    Lionel Lionheart, Virginian Senator

    'Light-Horse Leo' in his prime ordering around men of the 1st Continental Light Dragoons, 1781

    Age: 35 (b. July 27, 1754)
    Spouse: Frances, née Le Montier (b. February 28, 1755)

    +2 Charisma
    +2 Cavalry Command
    +1 Espionage

    Heritage:
    - Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion:
    - Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.

    Idolized philosopher:
    - Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.

    Early life:
    - Officer: Prior to entering politics, you secured a commission in the British (or if you’re still especially young, Continental) Army and took part in the mid-to-late 18th-century ‘cabinet wars’ between the Great Powers, from King George’s War to the French and Indian War, culminating in the American Revolution. You bring to the table your military experience and fame, or infamy, from your years at war. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery Command.

    Role in the Revolution:
    - Cavalry Officer: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of cavalry up to regiment size. The Continental Army’s cavalry were predominantly light scouts or dragoons, and so you and your men would have spent most of your time scouting ahead of the main army or taking on British foragers & scouts in isolated skirmishers rather than charging into massed redcoat formations. +1 Cavalry Command, Scout or Survival.

    Role in the Confederation Period:
    - Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.
    Last edited by Barry Goldwater; September 08, 2019 at 05:56 PM.

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    The Harrison Family



    The Harrisons are an old landowning family in the American colonies. The family legend is that their first ancestor came to England in the mid 1600s, among the first colonists to cultivate the land that would eventually become the Province of New Hampshire. However, a more accurate record notes a certain Robert Harrison, who was a local magistrate, in the Province of New Hampshire, during King William's War in 1688. With this record, the Harrisons have been in America for around a century and have always lived in the New England area. Robert would begat Thomas, another magistrate within the province. Thomas begat John, a British officer during Queen Anne's War in the early 1700s. John begat Robert II who died young, but whose son, Lionel, would come to lead the family. Lionel was an infant at the time, so the estate was handled by his widowed mother and a relative of his family until he turned 18 years old.

    Lionel continued the trend of his family to serve with the local law and justice of New Hampshire, rising to eventually be a chief justice within the province. This career preceded a time at a military academy in Pennsylvania before deciding to take up a more civilian role and be closer to his family. However, when the Revolutionary War broke out, Lionel re-joined the army in 1775, but sided with the Continentals. He quickly became a noted figure for his aptitude with artillery, a field that he would excel at and earn him renown within the Continental Army. His friendship with Arthur Lionheart ensured was made a quartermaster for the Patriots and, eventually, their chief artillery officer, due to merit and skill, by 1777. Lionel accompanied the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army to many battlefields and was involved in some of the most major actions of the war. As a Brigadier General, Harrison was commander of the Continental Artillery Regiment, which was named Harrison's Hammers, whose cannons aided the Army in various battlefields. Most notably the Siege of Boston, Fort Washington, and Trenton. The regiment was disbanded in 1776 and replaced with four artillery units, which Lionel still held command over due to his expertise with artillery.

    From 1779 to the eve of the Surrender at Yorktown in 1791, despite the ongoing war, Harrison set up various artillery schools and would go inactive, trusting command to his officers over the artillery in the Continental Army. for some months in order to give attention to training at these academies. He was especially seen the artillery school at Pluckemin, New Jersey, which was a precursor for a future military academy unknowingly. He served as Lionheart's representative in the north, ensuring fresh supplies and recruits were a steady stream to the Continental Army as advances were made across all fronts. This job was associated by his younger son, Benjamin, who worked directly in the Second Continental Congress. He returned to more active service when the main army moved south and began the final campaigns that would end the war on the American Continent. His cannons were heard from Richmond to Yorktown as the Patriots won the war and forced the British to surrender. By the end of the war in 1783, Lionel Harrison had been raised to Major General and served as the commander at West Point. After Arthur resigned from his commission in December of 1783, Harrison became the senior officer of the army. A position he held till the following year when his political career would begin.

    His political career would begin in 1784 when Lionel resigned from the army and took up his post as Secretary of War for the fledgling government. An office which he took up with great enthusiasm and vigor to ensure America was prepared for future conflicts, despite the absence of a standing army and navy. While he desired to rejoin the army during Shay's Rebellion, his duty to the government kept him away. Yet he would rise higher, as by 1789, Lionel was elected Senator of his home state of New Hampshire.

    A little further background information:
    - Robert III Harrison was the eldest son of Lionel and older brother of Benjamin. At the outbreak of the war, Robert considered joining the Continental Army. However, when the Continental Navy was commissioned in 1775, Robert signed up within a heartbeat. In that same year, he was assigned to the Trumble, as a sailor, but this service ended in 1777 when the ship was burned to prevent its capture by the British Navy. From there, transferred to the Warren, a ship he gained a second-in-command for before it, too, was burned in 1779 to prevent capture. After this, he requested leave and returned to his home to recover. Due to the popularity of his father back home, Robert was welcomed home by a fanfare and learned of his mother's efforts to find him a wife. One was chosen from the notable Prynne family, a lady by the name of Joy-Again (later called Joy within his household). They married in early 1780 before Robert returned to the navy, just after the French naval collaboration began. With various vacancies available, Robert was able to gain both an officer's rank and the command of a 32 gun frigate, designated the Dover. He was able to not only command his ship, but also command small fleets against larger convoys and smaller British flotillas, gaining good experience during the waning years of the war. Compared to the prestigious French Navy, however, most of his combat was against British shipping that mostly ended by 1783. The Dover was returned to the French later that same year, forcing him to return home. The navy was disbanded in 1785, a deep disappointment to Robert, who had gained the rank of Commodore by the end of his naval career. Despite not taking a greater political career, Robert is known for his stance on seeing the navy reformed.

    - Benjamin Harrison was the second son of Lionel and the younger brother of Robert. While both his brother and his father served with great distinction on the front lines of the Revolution, Benjamin stayed at home to manage to family's estates and serve his term as a civilian official, notably as Mayor of Dover from 1773 to 1775. He, eventually, earned an invitation to serve as a Congressional representative for his state, during the Second Continental Congress. With this heightened role, Benjamin did ensure that the regiments of New Hampshire were able to get necessary replacements, wounded were brought home, the families of the dead were notified, and supplies were given to the Continental Army. As representative, he did his best to serve in the interest of his home state and worked hard for the sake of independence. His political career was modest, overshadowed easily by achievements of Lionel and Robert, and ended in 1781 when the Second Continental Congress was dissolved. Offered a second time to serve, Benjamin declined the offer, whose seat eventually went to his popular father, Lionel, and decided to return to New Hampshire to serve locally. In 1784, Benjamin would marry Anne Sanford who was from a prominent family in Rhode Island.

    Family Tree
    Robert Harrison - b. 1631 and d. 1701
    Thomas Harrison - b. 1655 and d. 1705
    John Harrison - b. 1680 and d. 1731
    Robert II Harrison - b. 1702 and d. 1737
    Lionel Harrison - b. 1735 and d. ???? - Married Meredith (Mary) Harrison (b. 1746)

    Issue of Lionel and Mary Harrison
    - Robert III Harrison (b. 1762) - Married to Joy-Again (Joy) Prynne (b. 1769) (married 1779)
    - Benjamin Harrison (b. 1767) - Married to Anne Sanford (b. 1765) (married 1784)

    Issue of Robert III and Joy Harrison
    - Charlotte Harrison (b. 1782)
    - Henry Harrison (b. 1784)

    Issue of Benjamin and Anne Harrison
    - Eleanor Harrison (b. 1786)

    Lionel Harrison

    Lionel Harrison in full military attire, shortly after his promotion to Major General. ca. 1783.

    Age: 54 (b. 1735)
    Spouse: Meredith (Mary), née Johnson (b. 1746)

    +2 Charisma
    +2 Artillery Command
    +1 Wealth

    Heritage
    Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion
    Deist: You are a Deist. You believe in a vaguely defined Supreme Being which the Christians call God, but only as a creator: as far as you’re concerned, the First Cause does not interact with its creations at all and is content to let them operate as they will. Deists tend to be the most radical embracers of the Enlightenment and all the liberal ideologies it brings. Thomas Jefferson was an example of a historical American Deist.

    Idolized philosopher
    Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His belief that humans were fundamentally good and that direct democracy, whereby all are free even as they impose their will on each other because their own will was taken into account within the general collective, was the best sort of democracy rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with radically liberal and populistic inclinations. +1 Charisma.

    Early Life
    Officer: Prior to entering politics, you secured a commission in the British (or if you’re still especially young, Continental) Army and took part in the mid-to-late 18th-century ‘cabinet wars’ between the Great Powers, from King George’s War to the French and Indian War, culminating in the American Revolution. You bring to the table your military experience and fame, or infamy, from your years at war. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery Command.

    Role in the Revolution
    General Officer: You were a general officer in the Continental Army, likely far removed from the front lines. Instead your role was at the war table, planning out operations, measuring resources and wrangling with the Continental Congress and your fellow generals over the direction of the war. At most, on the field you were likely directing artillery fire from the rear. If the Infantry and Cavalry Officers were the arms of the Continental forces, you were one of its brain cells. +1 Artillery Command or Logistician.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.

    Robert III Harrison

    Commodore Robert III Harrison, commander of the frigate, Dover. ca. 1780


    Age: 37 (b. 1762)
    Spouse: Joy-Again (Joy), née Prynne (b. 1769)

    +2 Naval Command
    +1 Charisma
    +1 Wealth
    +1 Personal Combat

    Heritage
    Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion
    Congregationalist: You belong to one of many Congregationalist churches, typically concentrated in the Northeast of the country. The Congregational Presbyterians are successors of the old Puritans, being staunch Calvinists who believe that God has predetermined the fates of all men toward either salvation or damnation without any human agency in the matter: they’re insular, are most likely to be distrustful of or outright hostile toward other sects, and combine a dead-serious take on the Protestant work-ethic with a zealous drive for spiritual and moral purity in all spheres of life. Dutch-descended Calvinists also fall under the Congregationalist umbrella.

    Idolized philosopher
    Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His belief that humans were fundamentally good and that direct democracy, whereby all are free even as they impose their will on each other because their own will was taken into account within the general collective, was the best sort of democracy rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with radically liberal and populistic inclinations. +1 Charisma.

    Early Life
    Sailor: Prior to entering politics, you were a sailor on the high seas. Perhaps you were a captain in the Royal and/or Continental Navies, just a civilian mariner involved in the fishing or shipping industries, or even a privateer who settled down after the Revolution. Being used to the dangers of sailing for long periods of time, you’re keenly aware of how to ration your supplies and pick out the quickest and safest routes of travel. +1 Naval Command.

    Role in the Revolution
    Naval Officer: You captained a ship or commanded squadrons of multiple ships in the Continental Navy during the war. In this capacity, in addition to maintaining discipline among your crew and maximizing usage of the talents of your specialists (navigator, bosun, etc) you had the unenviable task of battling the mightiest sea power in the world - the Royal Navy - on its home ‘turf’. Still, you proved (as historical US naval commanders, such as John Paul Jones, did) that it could be done. +1 Naval Command or Scout.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Planter: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to life on your country estate until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a planter, you would have been busy managing your estate - whether it was worked by slaves, free tenants, or a mix of both - and keeping up with other socialites in peacetime, which may have also involved getting into duels over honor. +1 Charisma or Personal Combat.

    Benjamin Harrison

    Benjamin Harrison as the Mayor of Dover. ca. 1774

    Age: 32 (b. 1767)
    Spouse: N/A

    +2 Wealth
    +1 Espionage
    +1 Charisma
    +1 Personal Combat

    Heritage
    Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion
    Deist: You are a Deist. You believe in a vaguely defined Supreme Being which the Christians call God, but only as a creator: as far as you’re concerned, the First Cause does not interact with its creations at all and is content to let them operate as they will. Deists tend to be the most radical embracers of the Enlightenment and all the liberal ideologies it brings. Thomas Jefferson was an example of a historical American Deist.

    Idolized philosopher
    John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.

    Early Life
    Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth.

    Role in the Revolution
    Congressman: During the war, you were part of the Continental Congress. You did not fight in the field but instead politically represented the American states & people, presenting their demands to the British Crown at the Revolution’s eve and providing civilian leadership to revolutionary forces which foreign countries could negotiate with. As a delegate of the Congress, you also likely wrangled with overambitious generals from time to time, and may have even fought a duel or several over honor in clashes with prickly fellow Congressmen. +1 Wealth, Personal Combat or Charisma.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Tycoon: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to civilian life as a merchant prince until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a business tycoon, your primary concern would obviously have been trying to make more money than ever before, whether as a shipping magnate, a large proto-retailer, a mail delivery boss, etc. +1 Wealth or Espionage.
    Last edited by Lucius Malfoy; September 14, 2019 at 05:01 PM.
    Gaming Director for the Gaming Staff
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  5. #5
    Jokern's Avatar Mowbray of Nottingham
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    Harris Family

    The Harris family does not sport a long and privileged history in America, yet it has within a generation risen to prominence and fame in New England thanks to its current head and founder - Henry Harris, Hero of Saratoga. The story of the family is the story of Henry Harris and owes its status and wealth to him.

    History of Henry Harris
    Early Life and Education, 1731-1775
    Born in Hampshire, England, in 1731 to Lloyd Harris, a customs officer in Portsmouth. His mother, Elizabeth Harris, was a housekeeper in the employ of the third Duke of Bolton which provided the young Henry with otherwise off-bounds opportunities for education and social advancement. Through his mother’s energetic networking, a young Horace Walpole was enlisted as Henry’s godfather. In 1746, Henry obtained a military commission with financial help from his parents and political support from the Duke of Bolton. He served in the War of the Austrian Succession before arriving in Nova Scotia in 1749 together with Edward Cornwallis. Cornwallis, the uncle of Charles Cornwallis, would become Harris’ mentor in his early years in the American colonies. Henry would meet his future wife Mary O'Connor, whom he married at St. Paul’s Church, Halifax, in 1754.

    Harris left Nova Scotia in 1754, selling his commission and purchasing a captaincy in one of the New York Independent Companies. With the outbreak of the French and Indian War, Harris served under General Braddock and accompanied the ill-fated Braddock Expedition in its attempt to cross to the Ohio Valley. During this time Harris would make acquaintances with several future leaders of the American Revolutionary War – among them Arthur Lionheart. Harris developed an interest in military administration, defense tactics and fortifications during his service, witnessing firsthand the importance of controlling the land to gain the strategic upper hand.

    In 1758, Harris first son was born, named Edward. The following year he was made brigade major and later major, but here the war ended and with it, Harris’ future prospects for advancement as he did not have the finances to purchase higher ranking commissions. Frustrated by the British class hierarchy, he sold his commission in 1769 and emigrated to North America. In 1772 he bought a modest plantation in Virginia with the help of his old acquaintance Richard Lionheart.


    Beginning of the American Revolutionary War, 1775-1776
    With the outbreak of war in 1775, Harris went to Richard Lionheart and offered his services, and was commissioned Brigadier General and Adjutant General of the Continental Army by Congress. As one of the few men with significant experience in military administration after his service in the British Army, Harris became invaluable for turning the fledgling Continental Army into a proper fighting force, creating a system of records and orders, and helped standardize regiments from the various colonies.

    In 1776 he was promoted to Major General and was given command of the Canadian Department after the invasion of Canada had ended in a crushing defeat in Quebec, after which the Northern Department and Canadian Department were merged into one, which Harris took command over. He spent the summer of 1776 reinforcing Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Crown Point, working together with Major General Benedict Arnold in building up a fleet at Lake Champlain that could halt the British from taking control of the lake and link up with their forces under General Howe in New York, thereby separating New England from the southern colonies.

    On October 9, 1776, the British fleet under General Carleton set sail from Saint-Jean with their fleet, which heavily outgunned the Americans under Benedict Arnold. While fighting bravely, the difference was too great and on October 11, the American fleet snuck past the British under the cover of night and fog and were able to make it to Fort Crown Point before their pursuers were able to catch up. With enough men and cannons on the fort, they were able to bombard the British fleet from shore and force them back. Though they were able to land their men further away and then lay siege to the fort, with the first snow falling on October 20, the battle-season getting late and with overstretched supply lines, General Carleton decided to withdraw back north to winter quarters.

    With the British unable to make an assault at Ticonderoga in 1776, Harris marched some of his men south to join Lionheart’s army in Pennsylvania. Here the two would have a falling out over strategy – Harris argued that the army should retreat further rather than risk an attack, which Lionheart summarily dismissed. Angered, Harris feigned illness and went to Baltimore and actively lobbied for Congress to replace Lionheart as commander-in-chief with himself, supported by several prominent delegates from New England. However, following Lionheart’s stunning victories at Trenton and Princeton left no doubt as to who the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army should be. Harris was subsequently ordered back north in February 1777.


    Saratoga Campaign, 1777
    The great career changer for Harris began in June 1777, with the beginning of what would become known as the Saratoga Campaign. General Burgoyne, replacing the disgraced Carleton, had assembled and army of some 8,000 Regulars, Loyalist militias, Native scouts and Hessian mercenaries at Fort Saint-Jean. Their aim was to march south and capture Albany in order to isolate the rebellious New England from the southern colonies where supposedly Loyalist elements could be rallied. On June 30, Burgoyne’s army landed at Fort Crown Point, laying siege to it. Though the small garrison would eventually surrender on July 4, the delay gave ample time to the 3,000 strong garrison at Fort Ticonderoga to prepare for the coming assault.

    The Siege of Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point
    The siege of Fort Ticonderoga began on July 5 with open skirmishes on the outer defense works. However, with the overwhelming difference in strength, the fort only being manned by barely 3,000 Regulars and militia, General St. Clair decided to withdraw to preserve his strength under the cover of night. The day after, British forces took control of the abandoned fort and immediately set off in pursuit. St. Clair’s army had at this point already crossed to Mount Independence and had made good headway down Hubbardton Road. The political and public outcry was massive, with papers lambasting both St. Clair and Harris for cowardly abandoning the “Gibraltar of the North” to the British. Quite a few ridiculed Harris when he had thought himself better suited for the position of commander-in-chief and calling for his immediate resignation, some even labeling him a double-crossing traitor and “a Red Coat in sheep’s clothing”.

    The Battle of Hubbardton
    On July 10, the British vanguard under General Simon Fraser would catch up with the American rear commanded by Seth Warner at Hubbardton while the main bulk of the American army marched on to Castleton. General Burgoyne and the rest of his army had this point reached Skenesboro. Fraser launched a surprise attack in the morning and was able to scatter a few elements of the American army. However, they quickly reformed into a defensive line and returned fire. Fraser then decided to send a detachment to outflank the American left at the risk of exposing his own left, hoping it would hold until reinforcements from Baron Riedesel’s Hessian units arrived. The Americans fell back to Monument Hill and were able to push back Fraser’s left, forcing the British back. They would then be reinforced by militia led by Henry Brockholst Livingston, around the same time that Riedesel and his Hessians arrived to support Fraser. However, by now the tides had turned in American favor and the British were forced to sound the retreat. The American rear guard quickly marched south and joined up with the main army, reaching Fort Edward on July 15. Burgoyne would later send Riedesel’s Hessian troops to occupy Castleton.

    Battle of Skenesboro and Fort Anne
    On July 10, Colonel Pierse Long’s force of 600 men, who had previously garrisoned the fort on Mount Independence, skirmished with Burgoyne’s vanguard at Skenesboro. Long’s men were eventually forced on the retreat to Fort Anne, though not before burning down most of the town behind them, where they met up with 400 militiamen sent by Harris from Fort Edward. A small force of 200 Red Coats under Lieutenant Colonel John Hill had landed just south of Skenesboro in an attempt to cut off Long’s retreat but would prove unsuccessful Hill continued his pursuit anyway and on the morning of July 11 reached Fort Edward. Long, seeing the outnumbered enemy, launched a counter-attack and tried to surround them. Hill’s force vigorously fought back in an orderly retreat, leaving behind supplies originally captured from the Americans. Wary of potential enemy reinforcements and soon to run out of ammunition, Long called off the attack. With later reports of a strong British force advancing south, Long decided to abandon and torch the fort, marching to Fort Edward.

    Butcher Burgoyne Raids
    The dispersed elements of Burgoyne’s army finally regroup at Skenesboro on July 14. Continuing southward, he encountered further delays while travelling the heavily wooded road between Skenesboro and Fort Edward, which General Harris’ forces had ruined by felling trees across it and destroying all bridges in the swampy terrain. Scorched earth tactics were also employed by the Americans, denying the British any available local provisions. Burgoyne was forced to build a road through the wilderness, which took about two weeks. Leaving Skenesboro on July 28, Burgoyne reached Fort Edward on August 2, only to find it abandoned. Harris led his men in retreat further south to Stillwater, New York. With increasing supply problems, Burgoyne decided to act on a suggestion by Baron Riedesel and sent out a regiment led by Colonel Baum on August 13 toward western Massachusetts and the New Hampshire Grants to seize draft animals and horses for the army.

    Further problems would soon crop up, though. The British army’s advance was always preceded by a wave of Native troops. With the lack of proper battle and loot, these allies became increasingly impatient and began raiding the local countryside and settlements, even Loyalist families. This had the effect of increasing local support to the Patriot cause. Burgoyne’s ineffective attempts to reel in these raids were smeared in the press and he was soon dubbed “Butcher Burgoyne” in American propaganda.

    Siege of Fort Stanwix
    British Brigadier General Barry St. Leger and the Iroquois leader Joseph Brant besieged Fort Stanwix on August 2. St. Leger's expedition was a diversion in support of General John Burgoyne's campaign to gain control of the Hudson River Valley to the east. One attempt at relief was thwarted early in the siege when a force of New York militia under Nicholas Herkimer was stopped in the August 6 Battle of Oriskany by a detachment of St. Leger's forces. While that battle did not involve the fort's garrison, some of its occupants sortied and raided the nearly empty Native and Loyalist camps, which was a blow to the morale of St. Leger's Native support. The siege was finally broken when American reinforcements under Benedict Arnold neared and Arnold used a ruse, with the assistance of Herkimer's relative Hon Yost Schuyler, to convince the besiegers that a much larger force was arriving. This misinformation, combined with the departure of Native fighters not interested in siege warfare and upset over their losses from the raids, led St. Leger to abandon the effort and retreat on August 22.

    Battle of Bennington
    On August 19, a 700 men strong British detachment under Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum, mainly composed of Hessian troops, had been sent out to raid Bennington in the disputed New Hampshire Grants area for horses, draft animals, provisions and other supplies. Believing it to be only lightly defended, the British were unaware that Major General John Stark and 1,500 militiamen were stationed there. Stark’s men would envelop Baum’s position, taking many prisoners and killing Baum. British reinforcements under Heinrich Breymann arrived as the Americans were mopping up, restarting the fighting. Breymann’s forces were soon driven off, though at the cost of heavy casualties for the Americans.

    The Beginning of the End
    Burgoyne took no responsibility for “Butcher Burgoyne Raids” and instead blamed his Native allies, gave them no credit and showed them no gratitude for their service, even after losing several of their number at Bennington. Langlade, La Corne and most of their troops left after this, leaving the British army with no protection against American rangers. He had at this point lost a significant portion of his army, some were casualties, and some were left behind as garrisons at the captured forts.

    American ranks would swell throughout the months of August and September with the arrival of militia companies, along with troops from Generals Lionheart and Morgan. This was mainly thanks to the Butcher Burgoyne Raids and the victories at Bennington and Fort Stanwix. Harris set up camp at Stillwater to rally local forces.

    At the beginning of September, Burgoyne learned of St. Leger’s failure to capture Stanwix and received news that General Howe would be unable to provide any support from New York City. His army, number about 7,000 strong, would soon need to reach defensible winter quarters, and the choice was between retreating back to Ticonderoga or advancing on Albany. He chose the latter, along with cutting communications to the north to avoid so to avoid the need to maintain heavily fortified outposts between his position and Ticonderoga. He also decided to cross the Hudson River while he was in a relatively strong position. The British army crossed the river just north of Saratoga between September 17 and 19. At the same time, Harris had moved his army, about 10,000 men at this point, north to just south of Saratoga and setting up defense works on September 4. Defensive lines were laid out from the river to the bluffs called the Bemis Heights.

    Battle of Saratoga
    In the morning of September 25, Burgoyne ordered the army to advance in three columns – Baron Riedesel’s Hessians on the left along the Hudson, bringing the main artillery and guarding supplies and the boats on the river; General James Inglis Hamilton led the center column to attack the undefended heights to the left of the American fortifications on Bemis Heights; General Simon Fraser with the left column trekking through the heavily wooded high ground north and west of the heights in order to turn the American left flank.

    At the same time, the Americans had also realized the importance of their left flank and the potential for a flanking maneuver, and Harris sent out a reconnaissance force led by Benedict Arnold and Daniel Morgan with his crack marksmen. He also sent a few scouts up along the Hudson river to look out for the expected main assault. Morgan’s men would set up position at Freeman’s Farm from where they saw the incoming British columns under Hamilton, where they employed their famed tactic of picking off enemy officers first before charging, unaware that they were facing the main bulk of the British army. Fraser’s column would soon arrive to attack the American lines, scattering them into the woods.

    Arnold would immediately send a request for reinforcements. Harris, having yet heard any news from his scouts about any advancing forces along the Hudson river, decided to gamble and sent several regiments with artillery to reinforce Arnold’s men. At the same time, Harris’ scouts encountered Riedesel’s forces, who had been delayed by broken bridges, and began to harass them while sending a request for reinforcements to keep the Hessians busy. Around 1 PM, there was a pause in the fighting as the lines formed up around Freeman’s Farm and reinforcements on both sides arrived. The battle alternated between intense fighting and breaks in the action. Morgan’s men had regrouped in the woods and continued to pick off British officers and artillerymen. At a crucial point in the battle, Burgoyne himself was wounded, hit in the arm by an American sharpshooter, and had to retreat from the field. The British center almost broke but were saved by the intervention of General Phillips’ regiment relieving them.

    At 3 PM, Baron Riedesel was well-aware of the sound of gunfire and cannon in the distance but was unable to send any relief due to skirmishes with American rangers, who were arriving in force with additional troops sent by Harris, without risking the vital supply train. The first phase of the battle would fall to the Americans. As more reinforcements arrived, they would eventually push back the center column and drive a wedge between Fraser’s and Hamilton’s columns. With Burgoyne off the field to direct his troops, darkness falling and with almost 700 casualties, the British found it prudent to retreat and regroup.

    When word of the enemy retreating, Harris immediately ordered Morgan to bring his sharpshooters to the right and do as much damage to the Hessian column as possible. At this point Riedesel was already marching north, but when his officers started dropping like flies, he was forced to abandon some of his supplies to make haste back to safe camp. The victory at Freeman’s Farm and the capture of a large piece of British supplies was a great boon to morale among the Americans. Harris, confident that the British were almost on their knees, decided to finally launch a counter attack. Scouts were sent out to watch and observe British movements, and in the morning of September 26, the rest of the American army followed. The center column was headed by Harris himself, the left by Benedict Arnold, while the right was led by General Benjamin Lincoln.

    Burgoyne, still recuperating from his bullet wound, had set up HQ at Sword’s Farm and placed his troops in defensive lines on the hills to his south. The loss of supplies took a tremendous toll on morale and troops had already begun to desert. Riedesel was lambasted for his ineptitude in protecting their supplies, after which the Hessian baron stormed out in a fury. A war council was held, and it was decided that they had to retreat to Fort Ticonderoga for winter quarters. However, gunfire was soon heard in the distance as their defenses skirmished with American rangers. The second phase of the battle at Sword’s Farm saw the Americans carefully probing British lines while Burgoyne’s officers rallied their troops to hold until they were ready to retreat. As the day drew to a close, Harris decided to withdraw for the time being. Burgoyne immediately ordered his army to retreat under the cover of darkness.

    As the withdrawal began north, the British were harassed along the way by American marksmen as Harris’ army raced after them. More and more British soldiers deserted, and by the time they reached Saratoga on September 30, only about 5,200 men remained.

    Surrender at Saratoga and Recapture of Ticonderoga
    By this point Burgoyne’s exhausted army had been trapped and surrounded in the town of Saratoga, outnumbered at least 2:1 and with more and more American militias arriving every day to reinforce Harris’ army. Negotiations had begun in the beginning of October and on October 8, General Burgoyne surrendered with full honors of war. Burgoyne gave his sword to Harris who immediately returned it as a sign of respect, while British troops surrendered their arms. The so-called “Convention of Saratoga” stipulated that the surrendered British troops would be granted safe passage to Boston from where they would sail back to Europe on parole that they never participate in the conflict again.

    Capitalizing on his recent hero status, Harris marched the Northern Army, now numbering 12,000 men, north on October 10 to undo the blemish on his record – the loss of Fort Ticonderoga. Reports of General Henry Clinton’s capture of Forts Clinton and Montgomery forced him to split his force, sending 4,000 men under General Lincoln south to reinforce Albany. Reaching the outskirts of the fort on October 24. Burgoyne had left 900 men to defend Ticonderoga and another 400 at Fort Crown Point. Heavily outnumbered, the garrison surrendered on October 27, being promised safe passage to Canada. The “Gibraltar of the North” was once more in American hands.


    Harris’ War after Saratoga, 1778-1784
    Harris tried to maximize his political return on his string of victories while Arthur Lionheart was having no present successes with the main army. In fact, Harris insulted Lionheart by sending reports directly to Congress instead of to Lionheart, his commanding officer. At the behest of Harris’ friends and the delegates from New England, Congress named Harris to President of the Board of War, a post he filled while retaining his field command – an unprecedented conflict of interest. The post technically made Harris Lionheart’s civilian superior, conflicting with his lower military rank. At this time, some members of Congress briefly considered replacing Lionheat with Harris as commander-in-chief, supported by military officers also in disagreement with Lionheart’s leadership.

    Conway Cabal
    Lionheart learned of the campaign against him by Harris’ adjutant, James Wilkinson. In a letter to Harris, Wilkinson forwarded remarks of General Thomas Conway critical of Lionheart to General William Alexander, who passed them on to Lionheart. Harris, then unaware of Wilkinson's involvement, accused persons unknown of copying his mail and forwarded Conway's letter to the president of Congress, Henry Laurens. Lionheart’s supporters in Congress and the army rallied to his side, ending the “Conway Cabal”. Harris then apologized to Lionheart for his role in the affair, resigned from the Board of War, and took an assignment as commander of the Eastern Department in November 1778.

    Disaster at Camden and the Southern Theater
    In May 1780, news of the fall of Charleston, South Carolina and the capture of General Benjamin Lincoln’s southern army reached Congress. In desperate need of a distinguished general to deal with the threat to the south, it voted to place Harris in command of the Southern Department of the Continental Army in July. Harris set out almost immediately to capture the town of Camden against the advice of his officers, who remarked on the barren, inhospitable environment and the mostly Loyalist inhabitants. Eager to wash off the embarrassment of the Conway Cabal, Harris pushed on his army which was mostly comprised of inexperienced militia units.

    On August 16, the American army clashed with Cornwallis’ forces. Harris, seeing his troops outnumbering the British 2:1, became overconfident and pushed for a swift victory. However, his left flank manned by militias faced the British right, where traditionally the strongest units in the army were placed – the American left broke before even engaging the enemy in combat. The American right pushed forth valiantly but were soon hit in the rear by the British right flank. The killing blow when the infamous Tarleton’s Raiders charged into the rear of the Continental line, who finally broke and fled after just one hour of combat. 2,000 casualties, half of which were captured by the British, while the rest scattered spelled the end of the Continental Army in the South.

    Congress were horrified by this crushing defeat and Harris’ enemies smeared him, and he was barely able to avoid inquiries into the debacle thanks to his New Englander allies. However, Lionheart took this opportunity to replace Harris with Pierre Bellerose, his trusted confidant, in command of the Southern Department. Harris would keep his rank in the Continental Army but would have to serve under Bellerose for the rest of the war. The two would often come to blows, as Harris grew to despise his “superior” for being “Lionheart’s man” and for his French heritage. As the war turned in favor of the Americans in the South, so too did Harris’ reputation slowly rebuild.


    Life after the War, 1784-present
    Following the end of the war in 1784 and the disbandment of the Continental Army, Harris sold his Virginia estate in 1785 and moved to Albany, New York. He enjoyed strong support from the local population and from large parts of New England for his service during the Saratoga Campaign. He joined the Society of Cincinnati, the organization of former Continental Army officers, serving as its vice president.

    Having served in the army since a young age, Harris had initially little interest in the tumultuous politics of a country with no army. However, with the increasing influence of Arthur Lionheart, his disdain for his rival increased as well. The election of Lionheart to the presidency of the young nation was the last straw for the aging general, seeing the man he would grow to detest being lifted to ever greater heights.


    Family Tree

    Lloyd Harris (b. 1699, d. 1765) - married to Elizabeth Harris (née Woodkirk) (b. 1710, d. 1778)
    - Henry Horace Harris (b. 1731) - married to Mary Harris (née O'Connor) (b. 1734)

    Issue of Henry and Mary Harris
    - Edward Lloyd Harris (b. 1758) - married to Gloria Harris (née Berkeley) (b. 1766)
    - Richard Nathan Harris (b. 1760) - married to Harriet Harris (née MacCotter) (b. 1767)
    - Charlotte Harris (b. 1765)

    Issue of Edward Lloyd and Gloria Harris
    - Samuel Harris (b. 1778)
    - William Harris (b. 1785)

    Issue of Richard and Harriet Harris
    - Emily Harris (b. 1783)


    Henry Horace Harris

    Henry Harris in his Major General uniform, ca 1787

    Age: 58 (b. 1731)
    Spouse: Mary, née O'Connor (b. 1734)
    Occupation: Plantation owner, former Major General of the Continental Army
    Skills:
    +2 Infantry Command
    +1 Logistician
    +1 Personal Combat
    +2 Espionage

    Heritage
    Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.


    Religion
    Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.


    Idolized Philosopher
    Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.


    Early Life
    Officer: Prior to entering politics, you secured a commission in the British (or if you’re still especially young, Continental) Army and took part in the mid-to-late 18th-century ‘cabinet wars’ between the Great Powers, from King George’s War to the French and Indian War, culminating in the American Revolution. You bring to the table your military experience and fame, or infamy, from your years at war. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery Command.


    Role in the Revolution
    General Officer: You were a general officer in the Continental Army, likely far removed from the front lines. Instead your role was at the war table, planning out operations, measuring resources and wrangling with the Continental Congress and your fellow generals over the direction of the war. At most, on the field you were likely directing artillery fire from the rear. If the Infantry and Cavalry Officers were the arms of the Continental forces, you were one of its brain cells. +1 Artillery Command or Logistician.


    Role in the Confederation Period
    Planter: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to life on your country estate until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a planter, you would have been busy managing your estate - whether it was worked by slaves, free tenants, or a mix of both - and keeping up with other socialites in peacetime, which may have also involved getting into duels over honor. +1 Charisma or Personal Combat.


    Edward Lloyd Harris

    Portrait of E. L. Harris, ca 1788

    Age: 31 (b. 1758)
    Spouse: Gloria Harris, née Berkeley (b. 1766)
    Occupation: Owner and Editor of the New York Courier daily newspaper, former Colonel of the Continental Army
    Skills:
    +1 Infantry Command
    +2 Espionage
    +2 Wealth

    Heritage
    Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion
    Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.

    Idolized Philosopher
    Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.

    Early Life
    Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth.

    Role in the Revolution
    Infantry Commander: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of line infantry or riflemen up to regiment-size. As commissioned officers up to the rank of colonel did, you fought at the front lines with your men, sharing the glory of victory and the bitterness of defeat, taking injuries in battle, and wearing out your boots beneath you as you marched with them. +1 Infantry Command, Personal Combat or Rearguard.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Tycoon: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to civilian life as a merchant prince until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a business tycoon, your primary concern would obviously have been trying to make more money than ever before, whether as a shipping magnate, a large proto-retailer, a mail delivery boss, etc. +1 Wealth or Espionage.

    Last edited by Jokern; September 08, 2019 at 02:39 PM.

  6. #6
    Jokern's Avatar Mowbray of Nottingham
    Join Date
    May 2011
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    14th Century England
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    6,900

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Lindberg Family
    The Lindbergs can trace their lineage in North America back to the first Swedish colonizers who settled along the Delaware river. In 1646, the soldier Johan “the Elder” Lindberg and his family arrived in New Sweden and lived at Fort Nya Korsholm. When the Dutch conquered New Sweden in 1655, the family’s life did not change much – the lenient rule of the Dutch allowed the Swedes to keep their own militias, religion and courts. They kept their lands along the Delaware and made their living as subsistence farmers.

    England would later conquer the region in 1664, though this did not change matters substantially for the Lindbergs. However, in 1682 the area where the family lived was included in William Penn’s charter for the Province of Pennsylvania. The family patriarch Lars decided to sell their lands and move into the new city of Philadelphia the same year, opening a woodworking business.

    With the growing importance of the city as a trading center, so did the woodworking business with lumber being transported down the river from the northern regions of Pennsylvania. The family would live in the Swedish community in the city, close to the Gloria Dei Church, locally known as “Old Swedes’ Church”.

    Erik Lindberg would involve himself with the so-called “Philadelphia Coffee Clubs” in 1730, an umbrella term for the myriad of social clubs that sprung up in the city around this time where the young and educated would discuss various topics morals, politics and natural philosophy, inspired by the Enlightenment in Europe. Erik’s growing political interest also spread to his sons as they read every single book and pamphlet that their father brought home.

    Erik’s grandson Thomas Lindberg would be the first son of the family to involve himself in politics, being elected to the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly in 1772. The 1770’s was a tumultuous time in America – the debt incurred by Britain after winning the Seven Years War was imposed on the colonies with heavy taxes. Anti-British sentiment was rife, and radicals were gaining strength, and in Pennsylvania Thomas became one of the leading radical voices protesting British taxes. His beliefs would only be strengthened by the implementation of the Intolerable Acts.

    With the outbreak of hostilities at Concord, Massachusetts in 1775, Thomas would be one of the leading voices in favor of independence in the Provincial Assembly, which was replaced by the General Assembly in 1776. He celebrated the Declaration of Independence and initially supported the Articles of Confederation and the creation of a new political union between the independent colonies.

    With the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783, work began to forge a new country. However, in the following years the Articles of Confederation proved ineffective in producing any sort of political unity, leaving the different states more or less independent and squabbling with each other. Thomas Lindberg joined the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 to create a new constitution for the United States. While supportive of a stronger federal government to create political unity, he found himself disagreeing with the Federalists, viewing their efforts for centralization to go too far. He and other so-called Anti-Federalists only agreed to ratify the Constitution with the understanding that a Bill of Rights would soon follow.

    In 1788, Thomas Lindberg would be elected President of the Supreme Exectuive Council of Pennsylvania, later replaced with the governorship. His son Gustav would just barely reach the age limit for the House of Representatives, which he successfully secured thanks to the growing influence of his father in Pennsylvania.

    Family Tree

    Johan "the Elder" Lindberg (b. 1612, d. 1667)
    Lars Lindberg (b. 1637, d. 1690)
    Johan "the Younger" Lindberg (b. 1660, d. 1725)
    Erik Lindberg (b. 1692, d. 1761)
    Robert Lindberg (b. 1721)
    Thomas Lindberg (b. 1740) - married to Anna Lindberg (née Eriksdotter) (b. 1744)

    Issue of Thomas and Anna Lindberg
    - Gustav "Gus" Lindberg (b. 1763)
    - Peter Lindberg (b. 1769)


    Thomas Lindberg

    Governor Thomas Lindberg, ca 1784.

    Age: 49 (b. 1740)
    Spouse: Anna, née Eriksdotter (b. 1744)
    Occupation: Governor of Pennsylvania
    Skills:
    +1 Espionage
    +1 Wealth
    +3 Charisma

    Heritage
    Other European-American: You don’t belong to any of the above categories, even though your ancestors were 1) definitely European and 2) established in America, sometimes coming with the earliest settlers in a given state. They may have been Spanish, Italian, German, Scandinavian or even from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. In any case, they bring with them a diverse set of skills and experiences, though they are less likely (in some cases vastly so) to be accepted in positions of political power than the former three categories. +1 Espionage or Logistician.

    Religion
    Deist: You are a Deist. You believe in a vaguely defined Supreme Being which the Christians call God, but only as a creator: as far as you’re concerned, the First Cause does not interact with its creations at all and is content to let them operate as they will. Deists tend to be the most radical embracers of the Enlightenment and all the liberal ideologies it brings. Thomas Jefferson was an example of a historical American Deist.

    Idolized Philosopher
    Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His belief that humans were fundamentally good and that direct democracy, whereby all are free even as they impose their will on each other because their own will was taken into account within the general collective, was the best sort of democracy rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with radically liberal and populistic inclinations. +1 Charisma.

    Early Life
    Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth.

    Role in the Revolution
    Congressman: During the war, you were part of the Continental Congress. You did not fight in the field but instead politically represented the American states & people, presenting their demands to the British Crown at the Revolution’s eve and providing civilian leadership to revolutionary forces which foreign countries could negotiate with. As a delegate of the Congress, you also likely wrangled with overambitious generals from time to time, and may have even fought a duel or several over honor in clashes with prickly fellow Congressmen. +1 Wealth, Personal Combat or Charisma.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.


    Gustav Lindberg

    Portrait of Gustav Lindberg, ca 1789.

    Age: 26 (b. 1763)
    Spouse: None
    Occupation: Member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
    Skills:
    +1 Personal Combat
    +2 Espionage
    +2 Charisma

    Heritage
    Other European-American: You don’t belong to any of the above categories, even though your ancestors were 1) definitely European and 2) established in America, sometimes coming with the earliest settlers in a given state. They may have been Spanish, Italian, German, Scandinavian or even from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. In any case, they bring with them a diverse set of skills and experiences, though they are less likely (in some cases vastly so) to be accepted in positions of political power than the former three categories. +1 Espionage or Logistician.

    Religion
    Deist: You are a Deist. You believe in a vaguely defined Supreme Being which the Christians call God, but only as a creator: as far as you’re concerned, the First Cause does not interact with its creations at all and is content to let them operate as they will. Deists tend to be the most radical embracers of the Enlightenment and all the liberal ideologies it brings. Thomas Jefferson was an example of a historical American Deist.

    Idolized Philosopher
    Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His belief that humans were fundamentally good and that direct democracy, whereby all are free even as they impose their will on each other because their own will was taken into account within the general collective, was the best sort of democracy rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with radically liberal and populistic inclinations. +1 Charisma.

    Early Life
    Diplomat: In your younger years, you were a member of the diplomatic corps, and thus was enmeshed in politics quite early on. Prior to the outbreak of the Revolution, you may have already been working as an envoy for Britain; afterwards, you represented America in critical negotiations with the French, Spanish and Dutch, helping to bring these Great Powers into the fight against the British. +1 Charisma.

    Role in the Revolution
    Congressman: During the war, you were part of the Continental Congress. You did not fight in the field but instead politically represented the American states & people, presenting their demands to the British Crown at the Revolution’s eve and providing civilian leadership to revolutionary forces which foreign countries could negotiate with. As a delegate of the Congress, you also likely wrangled with overambitious generals from time to time, and may have even fought a duel or several over honor in clashes with prickly fellow Congressmen. +1 Wealth, Personal Combat or Charisma.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.





    Last edited by Jokern; September 09, 2019 at 04:42 PM.

  7. #7
    Barry Goldwater's Avatar Mr. Conservative
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    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Prynne of Connecticut


    Early years
    The earliest origins of the Prynne family are obscure: they are not related to the Puritan statesman William Prynne, who in any case died childless and unmarried, though several Prynne men were named after him. Presumably they were among the many Puritan families who, finding Mother England to be insufficiently zealous and disciplined for their tastes, migrated to New England in hopes of building a new 'shining city on a hill' that would be properly consecrated to God. The first of the family must have arrived in the New World after the first pilgrims aboard the Mayflower but before the outbreak of the English Civil War, because one Bezalel Prynne was a witness to the execution of all four of the Quakers' Boston Martyrs. In any case, they were completely irrelevant to history until the infamous Salem Witch Trials, in which the 13-year-old Ann Putnam was among the gang of girls whose hysterical accusations resulted in the death of 25 people (19 from hanging, 1 from crushing, and 5 in prison) and greatly discredited Puritanism for decades. Some time after the death of her parents, Ann married the New Haven merchant and Puritan community leader Eli-Lama-Sabachthani Prynne (better known as just 'Eli') and had half a dozen children with him, from whom the contemporary Prynnes are descended.

    Mary Dyer being taken to her execution in 1660, of which Bezalel Prynne was a witness

    The Prynnes' fortunes accordingly boosted by the land Putnam passed on to them, they went on to become a fixture in New Haven for generations. The land was good - it wasn't long before they got rich enough to start hiring less fortunate people to work for them - but sea trade was where the family heads made most of their money, transporting everything from beer and furs to cotton and slaves back and forth across the Atlantic. Others, typically the second and third sons of each generation of Prynne, forsook material gain in favor of preaching as ministers for the local congregation. They were not among the great merchant princes of New England, nor the great prophets whose names are taught to contemporary children, but they were reasonably prosperous and respected within their community regardless.

    A Congregationalist...well, congregation meets with a Prynne at its head, c. 1695

    Lemuel Hate-Evil-And-Kill-Sin Prynne: Troubled childhood and adolescence
    Which brings us to the first of the contemporary Prynnes. Lemuel Prynne, also known by his middle name Hate-Evil-And-Kill-Sin, was born on a stormy September night, 1726 to the minister Gamaliel Fear-God Prynne and his newlywed wife, Hepzibah (née Pritchard), the product of their short-lived affair nine months prior - unfortunately for the former, the latter's father was his own mentor and a popular traveling preacher, so once it became apparent that his daughter had become pregnant he loudly insisted that the two marry to save face, and Gamaliel had to agree if he wanted to continue living in or anywhere near New Haven without facing overt harassment every day. The marriage was loveless, for Gamaliel and Hepzibah's attraction to one another was skin-deep, and as a consequence so was Lemuel's own childhood.

    Thanks to the Prynnes' small fortune, young Lemuel never wanted for anything growing up, save for parental affection. Gamaliel overcompensated for the immoral excesses of his youth by becoming a frighteningly cold and pitiless zealot who would thrash his son with a rod well in excess of what was considered acceptable for so much as repeating profanities he'd heard down at the harbor, sniffing alcohol without immediately covering his nose, or looking at an attractive girl for more than a few seconds; and while Hepzibah played the role of a polite housewife and devoted mother in the eyes of others, in private she never hid her contempt and resentment toward young Lemuel, who she saw as a mistake shackling her to a man she didn't love and damning her to live a life she had no interest in. The only relative who showed him kindness was his childless uncle Othniel, the merchant of the family, who looked on the boy Lemuel as if he were his own son.

    Portrait of Lemuel Prynne's not-so-proud parents, Gamaliel and Hepzibah, at the time of their marriage

    Remarkably, Lemuel bore his emotionally horrific childhood with outward stoicism. He had always been a quiet boy with few friends, and so became only more invisible as he grew up. He only truly, openly exploded for the first time when he caught his father in the wee hours of a night, not long after his own 15th birthday, trying to sneak a much younger mistress - who the teenage Lemuel himself had privately fancied - back to her home; Gamaliel had not, in fact, outgrown certain old amorous habits. The outrage was compounded by the obvious hypocrisy, for Gamaliel's sin made a complete mockery of his fire-and-brimstone teachings and the lessons he'd been brutally enforcing upon Lemuel. Gamaliel responded to his son's moralistic haranguing by beating him to an inch of his life and leaving him, bloodied and unconscious, in the rain, but other locals found him shortly after and saw to it that he received the medical care to survive. Once Lemuel had regained consciousness, Gamaliel made a great public show of seeking God's forgiveness and his and of reproaching himself for letting wrath get the better of him, and his son apparently forgave him. They promised to go out hunting together as a sign of their reconciled relationship as soon as Lemuel could walk again.

    The day they went, Gamaliel died before sundown. Eaten by a bear in its lair, his (again) bloodied and distraught son claimed. The posse that was formed to investigate did find what was left of him in a bear's lair, and killed the bear and its cubs for good measure, but they also found spent musket cartridges near the entrance. Lemuel insisted that they tried to shoot the bear from the cave's entrance, but only winged it and were unable to flee before it got its claws into his father. Since he was the only witness, and nobody wanted to get close enough to the bear to see how many bullet wounds it had before shooting it dead first, the posse accepted his explanation, though it raised some of their eyebrows.

    Ten months later, another pair of mysterious deaths befell the Prynne household. Mother Hepzibah and uncle Othniel were both killed when the Prynne home burned down overnight. Lemuel soon became the primary suspect, for he had publicly raged at his mother and physically fought his uncle for the first time after finding out they'd been having an affair for the past eight years by walking in on them in bed, half a year after his father's death by bear. But, he had a legitimate alibi - he was traveling to the border between Connecticut and Massachusetts, and was last spotted at a crossing too far for him to have raced back to set the fire without having borrowed God's chariot - and since the true arsonist was never caught, he was eventually cleared of all suspicions yet again.

    The young and newly orphaned Lemuel Prynne playing cards, looking remarkably not-unhappy at the death of his parents, c. 1742

    Thus, at the age of 16, the orphaned Lemuel Hate-Evil-And-Kill-Sin Prynne had inherited his uncle's business (per the latter's own will, which he failed to change in time following his public falling-out with the lad) while also beginning to build up his own following in the local Congregationalist polity.

    Lemuel Hate-Evil-And-Kill-Sin Prynne: The Revolution up to Bunker Hill
    Lemuel made his way through life without much incident after his grim childhood and eventful adolescence. On weekdays he was a moderately successful but famously scrupulous merchant who swore off the slave trade after deeming - like an increasing number of fellow Congregationalists - that slavery was an evil and sinful institution, passed up opportunities for self-enrichment that more ruthless merchants would've taken at the deep and lasting personal expense of others, and donated generously to the community. On weekends, he came to serve the local church congregation as one of its elders: not quite a minister, but an increasingly influential figure over the years, who advised the actual pastor to preach rigidly conservative and orthodox teachings while also vociferously condemning slavery, not only with words but also generous donations that made his neighborhood's church one of the nicest (if also still spartan, in the old-Puritanical style) in New Haven.

    When the French and Indian War exploded across North America, Prynne did not enlist. Like no small number of Puritans/Congregationalists, he wasn't a great fan of the British monarchy, what with their foreign origins and the Anglican Church that stank of too much Popery - was this not why his ancestors left England in the first place, to get away from such heathen mockery of the true faith? - and while he tolerated living under British rule, he wasn't about to go fight and possibly die for a King he was at best indifferent to unless New England was in grave danger of falling under the rule of the Catholic French or Spanish. The only combat he saw during the conflict was the occasional need to fend off or outrace privateers in the employ of Britain's enemies who attempted to board his trading vessels.

    Ships belonging to Prynne's company docking at Bristol, 1758

    It was during this time that Lemuel met and married his wife, and fathered their first few children. Though he'd named his firstborn son Safe-On-High because he was a sickly infant and expected to die, the latter's continued survival came across as nothing short of a divine miracle to Lemuel and hardened his religious convictions. And while harsh, aloof and stern as could be expected from a Puritan father, he would not be as physically abusive toward his children as his father had been to him, and seems to have been more sincere when giving them moral instruction than their hypocritical grandfather had been with him as well.

    Between wars, Lemuel grew interested in the cause of the Sons of Liberty. He was no frontiersman, so the Royal Proclamation of 1763 had no effect on him, but the Quartering Act, the Townshend Acts, the Stamp Act of '65 and the Tea Act of '73 all negatively affected his household and business and gave him cause for dissent against British rule. After all, why should he, who fought not at all during the French and Indian War and had less than zero interest in the hostilities, have to pay a penny to his British overlords for their conduct of said war? By 1768 he was actively corresponding with the other major figures among the Sons of Liberty and using his influence among the Congregationalists to agitate anti-British sentiment among the local churchgoers in & around New Haven, having effectively become their voice in Connecticut. Lemuel was also a supporter of anti-British boycotts and physically present at numerous anti-tax demonstrations, though he'd always made himself scarce from the ones that descended to tarring & feathering British tax collectors and customs officers.

    By 1774, the situation had worsened to the point where Lemuel was actively participating in smuggling operations in Connecticut to defy the British. When open warfare finally exploded a year later, it did not come as a surprise to the Congregationalist merchant prince, who despite his total lack of military experience happily volunteered to fight against the British out of sheer ideological and religious zeal, and used his funds to sponsor the creation of a Connecticut regiment. At the head of his minutemen, Lemuel first tasted in the skirmishes around Boston leading up to the city's siege, followed by the Battle of Bunker Hill. Though he felt great fear at the sight of oncoming redcoat regiments with their bayonets fixed and murder in their eyes, Lemuel's ironclad faith that God was on his side and that of the revolutionaries gave him the strength to stand his ground and exhort his troops to do the same. Ordering his troops to hold their fire until they could see the whites of the British soldiers' eyes, he and the forces assigned to him stubbornly defended the Patriot redoubt at Breed's Hill until they ran out of ammunition, at which point the British were able to close in on them despite Prynne's efforts to roll barrels downhill and drive them off the hill in a vicious melee. Prynne himself was left with a long scar across his left cheek and the side of his neck by a British bayonet, but the British were left with the knowledge that these American insurgents would be much harder to crack down on than they originally expected.
    Prynne orders his militia to hold their fire until they can see the whites in the advancing redcoats' eyes, Bunker Hill, 1775

    Lemuel Hate-Evil-And-Kill-Sin Prynne: The Revolution from Bunker Hill to Yorktown
    After the arrival of Arthur Lionheart and the Continental Army, and the subsequent victorious conclusion of the Boston Campaign, Lemuel was commissioned a brigadier-general, later rising to major-general. He was a much more cautious and defensive-minded commander than his superior, instead having more in common with the latter's deputy Pierre Bellerose. He played a supporting role in the New York and Philadelphia campaigns: at Long Island he was charged with holding the Gowanus Road and did so until he was overwhelmed and his ranks completely shattered by the advancing British. Almost immediately afterward, Prynne was also entrusted with leading the rearguard action at the Buttermilk Channel to cover the withdrawal of the rest of the Continental Army, another task in which he held out almost literally to the last man (that last man being himself) before pitching himself into the strait just as the British overran his position entirely and being rescued by a handful of Continental soldiers paddling away in a boat.

    Lemuel Prynne and the remains of his brigade evacuate from Buttermilk Channel, Long Island, 1776

    Now separated from the rest of the Continental Army, Prynne was ordered by Lionheart not to rejoin the latter as they made their way across the Delaware, but to instead relieve Forts Clinton and Montgomery south of West Point with what little remained of his brigade. In this he failed however, being fooled by General Henry Clinton's ruse into preparing for an attack on the wrong side of the Hudson River - though at least the delay to Clinton's army prevented him from relieving John Burgoyne in turn. After rejoining the Continental Army and receiving reinforcements from New England in the spring of 1778, Lemuel was found himself typically being assigned to hold hotly contested battlegrounds and cover retreats where his stubborn courage and determination availed him, but rarely anything else: to both Lionheart and Bellerose's frustration and disappointment, he exhibited a consistent lack of initiative and imagination when ordered to attack, meticulously following the plans given to him and marching along preplanned routes no matter the obstacles and dangers placed in his way, nor whether the situation on the ground may have changed ahead of the plan being put into action. By 1781, as Lionheart prepared to move south for the Yorktown Campaign, Lemuel was being ordered north to supervise recruitment and training efforts in New England, and so spent the rest of the war away from the battlefield.

    In all, Lemuel Hate-Evil-And-Kill-Sin Prynne's wartime record was that of a brave and resolute defensive commander, who often fought with his troops (if he wasn't literally leading them from the front) when he could - because, in his words, 'I will not order you to do anything I am not willing to do myself' - and would fight to the last man, which was often himself, to take and/or hold his objectives. But he was also a commander greatly lacking in creativity and flexibility, unable to effectively respond to new challenges on the battlefield or to take unforeseen opportunities, which was what doomed Forts Clinton and Montgomery. His elder sons gained a little fame of their own as sailors in the Continental Navy, with his eldest son Ichabod Safe-On-High piloting the submersible Turtle in an unsuccessful attempt to sink the flagship of Admiral Richard Howe's fleet in late 1776.

    The 'Turtle' being piloted by Ichabod Prynne, 1776

    Lemuel Hate-Evil-And-Kill-Sin Prynne: After the Revolution
    Following the victorious conclusion of the American Revolutionary War, Prynne remained in Connecticut and began to seek office. He was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1784 and '85, before climbing to the State Senate in 1786. As Connecticut held annual elections for Governor, he used his State Senate seat as a pathway to ascend to the Governor's chair the year after that, and the year after that. Sons Ichabod Safe-On-High and Shadrach Be-Thankful-For-The-Mercy-Of-The-Lord led volunteers to fight against Pennsylvania in the Third Pennamite-Yankee War of 1784, the third (obviously) such land dispute to erupt between Pennsylvanians and Connecticuters in the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, in which the latter brother inflicted the only Pennsylvanian casualty in a small skirmish outside of the Connecticut Yankee settlement of Westmoreland.

    Connecticut Yankee militia marching through the Pennsylvanian winter, 1784

    Having viewed Shays' Rebellion in neighboring Massachusetts with (deeply ironic, considering his participation in the American Revolution and reasons for doing so) significant fear and revulsion, he staunchly supported efforts to centralize the Union of American States and made his views clear through his son Ichabod, who by then was a state representative and one of Connecticut's delegates to the Constitutional Convention. With the Constitution duly inked and ratified, the task of leading Connecticut into a new age alongside the other American states - even Pennsylvania, with whom Connecticut had taken the largest step towards ending the Wyoming Valley land dispute just a year prior - falls, for now at least, into the stern and unrelenting grip of Governor Prynne and his eldest son, the newly-elected US Senator from Connecticut.

    Prynne family tree, 1789
    Lemuel Hate-Evil-And-Kill-Sin Prynne, age 63 (b. September 13, 1726)
    Prudence Prynne née Cranwell, matriarch and wife of Lemuel, age 57 (b. February 14, 1732)

    Ichabod Safe-On-High Prynne, son of Lemuel and Prudence, age 40 (b. December 15, 1749)
    Amity Prynne née Abell, Ichabod's wife, age 42 (b. July 16, 1747)
    Jonathan Fear-God Prynne, son of Ichabod and Amity, age 21 (b. August 4, 1768)
    Faith-My-Joy Prynne, daughter of Ichabod and Amity, age 18 (b. January 14, 1771)
    Bezalel Search-the-Scriptures Prynne III, age 14 (b. 10 December, 1775)

    Abstinence Prynne, daughter of Lemuel and Prudence, age 37 (b. May 15, 1752)

    Grace Prynne, daughter of Lemuel and Prudence, age 35 (b. February 23, 1754)

    Shadrach Be-Thankful-For-The-Mercy-Of-The-Lord Prynne, son of Lemuel and Prudence, age 32 (b. May 12, 1757)
    Temperance Prynne née Greenhill, wife of Shadrach, age 29 (b. August 10, 1760)
    Gabriel Jesus-Christ-Came-Into-The-World-To-Save Prynne, son of Shadrach and Temperance, age 7 (b. December 12, 1782)

    Joy-Again Prynne, daughter of Lemuel and Prudence, age 30 (b. June 10, 1769). Married to Robert Harrison III of New Hampshire. Any children they have will be recorded in the Harrison annals.

    Lemuel Hate-Evil-And-Kill-Sin Prynne, Governor of Connecticut

    A portrait of then-State Senator Prynne at the age of 60, 1786

    Age: 63 (b. September 13, 1726)
    Spouse: Prudence, née Cranwell (b. February 14, 1732)

    Skills:
    +2 Wealth
    +2 Espionage
    +1 Infantry Command

    Heritage:
    - Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion:
    - Congregationalist: You belong to one of many Congregationalist churches, typically concentrated in the Northeast of the country. The Congregational Presbyterians are successors of the old Puritans, being staunch Calvinists who believe that God has predetermined the fates of all men toward either salvation or damnation without any human agency in the matter: they’re insular, are most likely to be distrustful of or outright hostile toward other sects, and combine a dead-serious take on the Protestant work-ethic with a zealous drive for spiritual and moral purity in all spheres of life. Dutch-descended Calvinists also fall under the Congregationalist umbrella.

    Idolized philosopher:
    - Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.

    Early Life:
    - Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth.

    Role in the Revolution:
    - Infantry Commander: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of line infantry or riflemen up to regiment-size. As commissioned officers up to the rank of colonel did, you fought at the front lines with your men, sharing the glory of victory and the bitterness of defeat, taking injuries in battle, and wearing out your boots beneath you as you marched with them. +1 Infantry Command, Personal Combat or Rearguard.

    Role in the Confederation Period:
    - Tycoon: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to civilian life as a merchant prince until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a business tycoon, your primary concern would obviously have been trying to make more money than ever before, whether as a shipping magnate, a large proto-retailer, a mail delivery boss, etc. +1 Wealth or Espionage.

    Ichabod Safe-On-High Prynne, Connecticut Senator

    Ichabod Prynne as a Connecticut State Representative, 1785

    Age: 40 (b. December 15, 1749)
    Spouse: Amity, née Abell (b. July 16, 1747)

    Skills:
    +2 Wealth
    +2 Naval Command
    +1 Charisma

    Heritage:
    - Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion:
    - Congregationalist: You belong to one of many Congregationalist churches, typically concentrated in the Northeast of the country. The Congregational Presbyterians are successors of the old Puritans, being staunch Calvinists who believe that God has predetermined the fates of all men toward either salvation or damnation without any human agency in the matter: they’re insular, are most likely to be distrustful of or outright hostile toward other sects, and combine a dead-serious take on the Protestant work-ethic with a zealous drive for spiritual and moral purity in all spheres of life. Dutch-descended Calvinists also fall under the Congregationalist umbrella.

    Idolized philosopher:
    - John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.

    Early Life:
    - Sailor: Prior to entering politics, you were a sailor on the high seas. Perhaps you were a captain in the Royal and/or Continental Navies, just a civilian mariner involved in the fishing or shipping industries, or even a privateer who settled down after the Revolution. Being used to the dangers of sailing for long periods of time, you’re keenly aware of how to ration your supplies and pick out the quickest and safest routes of travel. +1 Naval Command.

    Role in the Revolution:
    - Naval Officer: You captained a ship or commanded squadrons of multiple ships in the Continental Navy during the war. In this capacity, in addition to maintaining discipline among your crew and maximizing usage of the talents of your specialists (navigator, bosun, etc) you had the unenviable task of battling the mightiest sea power in the world - the Royal Navy - on its home ‘turf’. Still, you proved (as historical US naval commanders, such as John Paul Jones, did) that it could be done. +1 Naval Command or Scout.

    Role in the Confederation Period:
    - Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.

    Shadrach Be-Thankful-For-The-Mercy-Of-The-Lord Prynne, presently unemployed commander

    Shadrach at the outbreak of the Third Pennamite-Yankee War, 1784

    Age: 32 (b. May 12, 1757)
    Spouse: Temperance, née Greenhill (b. August 10, 1760)

    Skills:
    +2 Naval Command
    +1 Infantry Command
    +1 Skirmish Command
    +1 Espionage

    Heritage:
    - Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion:
    - Congregationalist: You belong to one of many Congregationalist churches, typically concentrated in the Northeast of the country. The Congregational Presbyterians are successors of the old Puritans, being staunch Calvinists who believe that God has predetermined the fates of all men toward either salvation or damnation without any human agency in the matter: they’re insular, are most likely to be distrustful of or outright hostile toward other sects, and combine a dead-serious take on the Protestant work-ethic with a zealous drive for spiritual and moral purity in all spheres of life. Dutch-descended Calvinists also fall under the Congregationalist umbrella.

    Idolized philosopher:
    - Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.

    Early Life:
    - Sailor: Prior to entering politics, you were a sailor on the high seas. Perhaps you were a captain in the Royal and/or Continental Navies, just a civilian mariner involved in the fishing or shipping industries, or even a privateer who settled down after the Revolution. Being used to the dangers of sailing for long periods of time, you’re keenly aware of how to ration your supplies and pick out the quickest and safest routes of travel. +1 Naval Command.

    Role in the Revolution:
    - Naval Officer: You captained a ship or commanded squadrons of multiple ships in the Continental Navy during the war. In this capacity, in addition to maintaining discipline among your crew and maximizing usage of the talents of your specialists (navigator, bosun, etc) you had the unenviable task of battling the mightiest sea power in the world - the Royal Navy - on its home ‘turf’. Still, you proved (as historical US naval commanders, such as John Paul Jones, did) that it could be done. +1 Naval Command or Scout.

    Role in the Confederation Period:
    - Mercenary: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you could not countenance a return to civilian life for whatever reason and went abroad to join another country’s army or navy (preferably not Britain’s, considering they were unlikely to view a traitor positively). For a time you fought under a foreign flag and in foreign wars, quitting and returning to America only around the time the Constitution was ratified. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Skirmish or Naval Command, or Logistician.

  8. #8
    Pericles of Athens's Avatar Vicarius Provinciae
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    Aug 2010
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    The United States of America
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    12,267

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Bellerose Family History
    Acadia
    Jean-Baptiste and his twin brother Pierre Bellerose were born a little over a decade before the French in the colony of Acadia were forcibly removed from their homeland, after years of having fought a protracted guerrilla war against the English occupiers. In their youth, the two were raised under the tutelage of Jesuits, under their care they were educated to the highest standard. Their education covering theology, philosophy, reading, writing, mathematics and even sciences, as well as languages. Jean-Baptiste took to his studies far more naturally, having mastered six languages by the time he reached adolescence. He showed an inventive spirit from a young as well, inventing the Swimming Fins when he was only 8. Pierre lagged behind, but made up for his failings with a keen sense of both direction and leadership.

    Their father, Philippe Bellerose, was a key figure in the Acadian Militia. Helping to keep the spirit of revolution alive among the colonists. This eventually led to the brutal removal of the Acadian Frenchmen, starting in 1755. Philippe’s father had fought in Queen Anne’s War, Philippe himself fought in the Dummer War and King George’s War, receiving a crippling injury in the latter. As such, he was unable to take part in the French and Indian war, though his family would be treated as any Acadians that had fought.

    The Thirteen Colonies
    The Bellerose family were some of the first removed, ending up in Maryland. There the family started anew. Through luck and drive they were able to acquire large tracts of land, and become well situated planters in the hierarchy of Maryland.

    By the dawn of the revolution, over two decades later, the family was both effluent and influential, though unable to involve itself directly in politics. Despite their success the family patriarch, the aging Philippe was unwell. He longed for his home in Acadia and for life beneath the French Crown.

    Jean-Baptiste had positioned himself as an influential writer by this point, he had spent time abroad in Spain, France, Italy, and Britain where he had come to understand the intricacies of government and the power of the Enlightenment. Despite his Catholic upbringing the man had become a staunch champion of Enlightenment principles, a self-stylized inventor, and a political activist like. To name only a few inventions the man made the bifocal, the lightning rod, and the Jean-Baptiste Stove. Like his father had done before he began preaching anti-British rhetoric leading up to the war, and colonial unity. To this end Jean-Baptiste purchased a printing press, and published a newspaper for the city of Baltimore, under a pseudonym naturally. Maryland was deeply divided on the issue of independence before the revolution even began, many were loyal to the British Crown, others believed that their issues with the Crown could not be solved with violence and instead had to be solved with words. In the early 1770s Jean-Baptiste began engaging loyalists in anonymous debates over local newspaper, as a Roman Catholic he was prohibited from entering politics, voting, or practice law in the state of Maryland. Being barred from holding political office did not stop him from wielding political influence, as the war drew ever closer he continued to be an outspoken proponent of revolution, and as the decade went on he had increasingly decided that armed conflict would be the only way to see their issues with Britain rectified. Pierre had served in the British armed forces before the war, having received British military training and education shortly after the family arrived in Maryland. One day he would turn that knowledge on the British, and perhaps that had been their father’s intent the entire time.

    Revolutionary War
    The war would have a drastic effect on the life of all three of the Bellerose brothers. Only one of which (the elder of the twins, Jean-Baptiste) would be present at the Second Continental Congress, and would sign the Deceleration of Independence on behalf of Maryland. After engaging in failed talks with Canada he was appointed as an ambassador to France in 1776, and while there would become good friends with many influential leaders within the upper crust of Paris, including the King himself. Perhaps his closest friend in Paris was the Count of Mirabeau, a brilliant orator and revolutionary writer, Honore Gabriel Riqueti (a leader in the newly minted French Constitutional Assembly). Jean-Baptiste would even go on to name his second son for the Count of Mirabeau. He won the French over by being relatable and rustic, as a Frenchman he was familial and could communicate in their own native tongue. Jean-Baptist was no frontiersmen, however in Paris he wore a coonskin cap, a beaver skin jacket, and moccasins. He became something of a celebrity in Paris, a backwoods and self-made French Catholic surviving or even thriving in an overwhelmingly Protestant Thirteen Colonies. He was able to convince the French to enter the war on the side of the Revolutionaries, getting France to officially recognize the fledgling nation in 1778 and entering a permanent alliance with the United States. In turn French alliances with the Spanish and the Dutch would pull them into the growing war in 1779 and 1780. Jean-Baptiste would continue to serve in Paris until 1785, helping to negotiate the Treaty of Paris which ended the war. It is worth noting that he served as the ambassador to Prussia, this led to the signing of an agreement of friendship between the two.

    Pierre Bellerose, a former British officer at the outbreak of the war, was given command of the Maryland Line, the soon to be infamous Maryland Regulars who served in the Continental Army. Between 1776 and 1780 Pierre served in the New York and New Jersey Campaign, the Delaware Campaign, and the Philadelphia Campaign. After the failure of the Battle of Long Island Pierre proposed that the army burn Manhattan before retreating, to deny the British their victory, though Congress and Lionheart denied him. However, Pierre did convince Lionheart to withdraw from the city rather than attempt to defend it, and so the campaign continued in the field. He proved himself capable at the Battle of Trenton and the Battle of Princeton, both of which were victories for the Continental Army. In Pennsylvania his forces saved the Continental Army from envelopment at the Battle of the Brandywine. When officers began to speak of mutiny and replacing Lionheart, Pierre was one of his most prominent supporters. Over the course of the war he became a close confidant and respected advisor to General Arthur Lionheart. Though the two had different mindsets and upbringings, they respected what the other brought to the table.

    After the debacle at Camden, General Bellerose would be appointed to help right the sinking ship that was the Patriot cause in the Southern Colonies. He replaced General Harris, whom Pierre had worked to thwart by supporting Lionheart during the attempted coup earlier during the war, as overall commander in the Southern Theatre. This led to a long standing rivalry between the two icons, which outlived even the war itself. A rivalry birthed from their adversarial loyalties and their differing faiths, as well as Harris’ personal hatred of Frenchmen. For his part Pierre had to work hard to keep his command, as Harris worked against him, and as many Anglos beneath his command (particularly any that questioned Lionheart, or held loyalties to Harris) resented the Frenchmen’s position. General Bellerose was no fool, he knew through experience that the British forces could not be overcome in a head on fight (as Harris had attempted at Camden), not with the troops Bellerose had at his disposal. Instead, he opted to wait them out, fighting a slow and grueling battle of attrition with the British. He divided and subdivided his forces, harassing the British at every step, and avoiding direct conflict whenever possible. Allowing Cornwallis strategic victories, but at brutal costs in both manpower and resources, forcing the English and their loyalist allies to spread themselves thin. His efforts in the South did not go unnoticed, Bellerose became commonly known as “The Savior of the South” and “The Fighting Frenchmen”, given that earlier in the war the French crown had refused to land any ground troops. Whatever the case, prejudice seemed to fall away as the man proved himself despite the circumstances of his birth, as the colonies celebrated him as both a liberator and hero. If only for the time being.

    Postbellum Period
    At war’s end things were looking good for the Bellerose clan, their father had elected to remain in France, having been brought over by his son Jean-Baptiste when the latter was a Minister to France. This left Jean-Baptiste in charge of their father’s estates and he promptly began splitting the responsibility with his brother Pierre.

    However, times also proved enough to drive the war-hero and former General Pierre away from the fledgling nation. Just weeks after the war was officially ended Pierre resigned his post, retiring shortly to Maryland, with his wife and child. However, Pierre, was disillusioned with the failing federal government, and corrupt state government in Maryland. Both of which he had fought so hard to respectively create and preserve. The soldiers, who had sacrificed so much for the nation, were left forgotten. Unpaid and disgruntled, men that Pierre had seen as his children during those long years on campaign. He fled, making a short career for himself fighting as a freelancer for the French, where his brother had made many influential contacts that proved useful. Only returning upon the formation of a more structured government, given form by the new Constitution. And so Pierre Bellerose has returned to the country he helped give birth to, only to see his old friend and mentor, Arthur Lionheart, elected President.

    For his part, Jean-Baptiste fought to refine and define what it is this country would be. After the war he served in the newly minted Congress of the Confederation. However his time there was for but a single year, before returning to Maryland. He served for another term in Maryland’s state assembly, but found himself baffled by the state’s inability to collect taxes or even pay down the looming debt they had incurred. Jean-Baptiste had decided the Congress was too weak, too inept, too spineless, as too was his state’s government. This certainly must have been an opinion shared in other States, as even Massachusetts suffered the indignity of Shay’s Rebellion. And so, when Maryland sent a delegation to the Constitutional Convention Jean-Baptiste was at its head. He attempted to serve as a mediator and facilitator of compromise between the two deeply embittered sides at the convention. Eventually compromises were met as cooler heads prevailed, and the constitution was set into law. With the first elections held the nation waits with bated breath, as we see what this new system will bring.

    Jean-Baptiste enters the year 1789 as one of two of Maryland’s first Senators, his son Philippe having taken a seat in the House, and of course the former General Pierre sits at a personal and professional crossroads.

    Family Tree
    Philippe Bellerose - Born: Port Royal, French Acadia 1705, Died: Belle-Ile, France 1787
    Married to: Clemence Bellerose - Born: Quebec 1720, Died: Baltimore, Maryland 1787


    Issue Philippe and Clemence:
    Jean-Baptiste Bellerose - Born: Port Royal, French Acadia 1737
    Married to: Josephine Bellerose - Born: Quebec, 1741

    Pierre Bellerose - Born: Port Royal, French Acadia 1737
    Married to: Maria Bellerose - Born: Baltimore, Maryland 1739

    Issue by Jean-Baptiste and Josephine:
    Eloise Bellerose - Born: Baltimore, Maryland 1765
    Honore Bellerose - Born: Paris, France 1778

    Issue by Pierre and Maria:
    Phillipe Bellerose - Born: Baltimore, Maryland 1756
    Clemence Bellerose - Born: Baltimore, Maryland 1760

    Jean-Baptiste Bellerose
    Age: 52

    Position: Senator of Maryland

    Heritage: Franco-American
    Religion: Catholic
    Idolized Philosopher: Thomas Hobbes
    Early Life: Diplomat
    Role in the Revolution: Congressman
    Role in the Confederation Period: Congressman

    Skills:
    +3 Charisma
    +2 Espionage

    Pierre Bellerose
    Age: 52

    Position: Nothing

    Heritage: Franco-American
    Religion: Catholic
    Idolized Philosopher: Thomas Hobbes
    Early Life: Officer
    Role in the Revolution: General Officer
    Role in the Confederation Period: Mercenary

    Skills:
    +2 Infantry
    +1 Espionage
    +1 Logistician
    +1 Charisma

    Phillipe
    Age: 33

    Position: Representative of Maryland’s 2nd District

    Heritage: Franco-American
    Religion: Catholic
    Idolized Philosopher: John Locke
    Early Life: Officer
    Role in the Revolution: Infantry Commander
    Role in the Confederation: Planter

    Skills:
    +2 Personal Combat
    +1 Charisma
    +1 Infantry Commander
    +1 Wealth

    Bok Family History
    Antebellum
    wip

    Revolution
    wip

    Postbellum
    wip

    Bok Family Tree
    Lambert Bok - Born: New York, New York 1690, Died: Albany, New York 1776
    Married to: Stella Bok - Born: Albany, New York 1710, Died: New York, New York 1770


    Issue by Lambert and Stella:
    Willem Bok - Born: New York, New York 1729
    Married to: Eva Bok - Born: New York, New York 1739

    Issue by Willem and Eva:
    Willem Bok Jr. - Born: New York, New York 1758
    Married to: Abagael Bok - Born: New York 1761

    Issue by Willem Jr. and Abagael:
    Willem Bok III - Born: New York, New York 1783
    Married to: Unmarried.

    Willem Bok Sr.
    Age: 59

    Position: Governor of New York

    Heritage: Dutch-American
    Religion: Deist
    Idolized Philosopher: Jean-Jacques Rousseau
    Early Life: Diplomat
    Role in the Revolution: Congressman
    Role in the Confederation Period: Planter

    Skills:
    +3 Charisma
    +1 Wealth
    +1 Personal Combat

    Willem Bok Jr.
    Age: 31

    Position: Representative for New York’s 6th District

    Heritage: Dutch-American
    Religion: Congregationalist
    Idolized Philosopher: Thomas Hobbes
    Early Life: Merchant
    Role in the Revolution: Infantry Commander
    Role in the Confederation: Tycoon

    Skills:
    +2 Wealth
    +2 Espionage
    +1 Personal Combat
    Last edited by Pericles of Athens; September 14, 2019 at 10:09 PM.


  9. #9
    chesser2538's Avatar Senator
    Citizen

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
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    Houston, Texas
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    1,483

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Sterlings of Virginia

    Thomas Sterling



    Name: Thomas Sterling

    Age: Born 1734 (55)

    Skills:

    +2 Skirmish
    +2 Espionage
    +1 Survival

    Heritage
    Scots-Irish: You are the descendant of Scots-Irish, or Ulster Scot, settlers who mainly lived in the interior of the Thirteen Colonies, away from the coast. Your ancestors were likely poor, a consequence of Ireland’s wealth having been concentrated in the hands of British Anglican landlords at the expense of both the Catholic Irish and Protestant Scots-Irish, but hardy and well-suited to the hardscrabble lives they led on the frontier, and no strangers to conflict either with the natives, the ‘Anglo’ coastal settlements, or each other. +1 Skirmish Command, Personal Combat or Survival.

    Religion
    Arminian: You belong to one of the Reformed Protestant churches which follow an Arminian doctrine, believing (unlike hard-line Calvinists) that there is room for human free will on the road to salvation. That means you’re most likely a Baptist or Methodist, two sects which enjoy great and growing popularity among the poor but free people of the South and the West: structurally, the Baptists tend to have more in common with the

    Idolized philosopher
    Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.

    Early Life
    Frontiersman: Prior to entering politics, you lived on the wild western frontier of the former Thirteen Colonies. There you befriended other poor but determined pioneers and learned how to hunt and dress game, light fires, read smoke signals, fend off hostile Indian raids while dealing with friendly ones, and in general not die in the wilds. When the Revolution happened, it may have passed you by, or you may have participated as an irregular fighter. +1 Skirmish Command or Survival.

    Role in the Revolution
    Irregular Fighter: You were a Patriot engaged in guerrilla warfare during the Revolution. Leaving conventional warfare against the redcoats to the brave and the stupid, you took to the back-country with a trusty rifle or hunting musket and spent the conflict sniping British officers, ambushing isolated patrols and supply convoys, and battling Loyalist or ‘Tory’ militias and pro-British Indian warbands. Dishonorable, perhaps, but nobody dares deny that what you did during the war wasn’t effective. +1 Skirmish Command, Espionage or Pillager.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Mercenary: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you could not countenance a return to civilian life for whatever reason and went abroad to join another country’s army or navy (preferably not Britain’s, considering they were unlikely to view a traitor positively). For a time you fought under a foreign flag and in foreign wars, quitting and returning to America only around the time the Constitution was ratified. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Skirmish or Naval Command, or Logistician.

    James Sterling


    Name: James Sterling
    Age: Born 1736 (53)

    Skills:

    +1 Survival
    +1 Wealth
    +2 Naval Command
    +1 Charisma

    Heritage
    Scots-Irish: You are the descendant of Scots-Irish, or Ulster Scot, settlers who mainly lived in the interior of the Thirteen Colonies, away from the coast. Your ancestors were likely poor, a consequence of Ireland’s wealth having been concentrated in the hands of British Anglican landlords at the expense of both the Catholic Irish and Protestant Scots-Irish, but hardy and well-suited to the hardscrabble lives they led on the frontier, and no strangers to conflict either with the natives, the ‘Anglo’ coastal settlements, or each other. +1 Skirmish Command, Personal Combat or Survival.

    Religion
    Arminian: You belong to one of the Reformed Protestant churches which follow an Arminian doctrine, believing (unlike hard-line Calvinists) that there is room for human free will on the road to salvation. That means you’re most likely a Baptist or Methodist, two sects which enjoy great and growing popularity among the poor but free people of the South and the West: structurally, the Baptists tend to have more in common with the

    Idolized philosopher
    John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.

    Early Life
    Sailor: Prior to entering politics, you were a sailor on the high seas. Perhaps you were a captain in the Royal and/or Continental Navies, just a civilian mariner involved in the fishing or shipping industries, or even a privateer who settled down after the Revolution. Being used to the dangers of sailing for long periods of time, you’re keenly aware of how to ration your supplies and pick out the quickest and safest routes of travel. +1 Naval Command.

    Role in the Revolution
    Naval Officer: You captained a ship or commanded squadrons of multiple ships in the Continental Navy during the war. In this capacity, in addition to maintaining discipline among your crew and maximizing usage of the talents of your specialists (navigator, bosun, etc) you had the unenviable task of battling the mightiest sea power in the world - the Royal Navy - on its home ‘turf’. Still, you proved (as historical US naval commanders, such as John Paul Jones, did) that it could be done. +1 Naval Command or Scout.

    Role in the Confederation Period
    Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.

    Bio:

    Early Life
    James Sterling hailed from a humble background. The son and grandson of house carpenters in Fairfax, Virginia, young James had not reached school age when his father died. Thereafter, he and his two siblings were raised by their mother. By late adolescence James was earning a living as a shoemaker in Norfolk. He married at age twenty-two in a Methodist church, and six months later he was a father. Three other children followed. In his mid-twenties he opened a grog shop, or bar, and with his profits purchased a merchant ship.

    He made runs to the Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal, and to other British colonies in North America. He gradually acquired a small fleet of vessels, speculated in property, and by the mid-1760s was part of the local gentry. He lived in a large two-story house and was in the habit of wearing only clothing that was fashionable in London.
    Like many merchants, James was adversely affected by Britain’s attempted taxation of the colonists and its efforts to tighten its control of American trade outside the empire. But for several years he remained largely aloof from the American protest movement. Not until war approached was James’s consciousness inflamed. He grew more active politically.

    James Sterling - The Young Entrepreneur

    He had always yearned to improve his status, and for many Americans winning renown as a soldier trumped possessing great wealth. James had served as a militiaman in the French and Indian War, rising from ensign to captain, and when Virginia reactivated its militia on the eve of the war with Great Britain, he was elevated to the rank of lieutenant colonel. But neither James nor Norfolk’s unit fought on the Concord Road or at Bunker Hill. The men were at sea plying their trade as fishermen.

    The Revolution
    When James arrived at last to take part in the siege of Boston, his unit had already been taken into the new Continental army and he was recommissioned a colonel. James’s men were mostly white, though some African Americans were in the ranks. They came to war bearing the look more of sailors than soldiers. The enlisted men wore blue jackets with leather buttons, white shirts, tarred breeches—to make them waterproof—blue stockings, and blue caps.
    The officers dressed all in white. James, fashionable as always, marched to New York in 1776 with two broadcloth coats—one trimmed in lace, the other with velvet—eight shirts from Holland, ten jackets, six pairs of trousers, and shoes with silver buckles. He was armed with two silver pistols, a Scottish sword, and a musket fitted with a bayonet made in Genoa. In his mid-forties at the time of the Battle of Long Island, he looked more like the popular image of a soldier.

    After Lionheart lost the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, James Sterling’s “Norfolk Marauders” evacuated the army across the East River to Manhattan Island in a surprise nighttime operation, saving them from being entrapped in their fortified trenches on Brooklyn Heights. In subsequent actions of the New York campaign the regiment fought well against the British at Kip's Bay when the Redcoats invaded. The last action of the regiment was its most famous: ferrying Washington's army on confiscated river coal ore boats from upstream across the Delaware River at night for a surprise attack on German Hessian allied mercenaries at Trenton in New Jersey on Christmas night, the morning of December 26, 1776. The regiment was disbanded as enlistments expired at year's end.
    James went home to tend to his sick wife and look to business affairs. He turned down a promotion to brigadier general in March 1777 but rejoined the war and accepted the promotion after a personal appeal from General Lionheart. As commander of a brigade made up of four Virginia regiments, he served in the successful Saratoga campaign along the Hudson River in the summer and fall of 1777 and the failed Battle of Rhode Island in 1778.

    With Frances entry into the war, Congress grew more confident of conducting naval operations, and agreed to conducting joint operations in the Atlantic. Put In command of Prestige in late 1778, he operated in British home waters and made audacious raids on England’s shore. In recognition of his exploits, he was placed in command of five French and 3 American vessels. Aboard his flagship, USS Virginia. Sterling led his small squadron in the capture of seven merchantmen off the Irish coast. Then in early October 1779, he fought one of the bloodiest engagements in US naval history with the 44-gun Royal Navy frigate Serapis. Although his own vessel was burning and sinking, Sterling would not accept the British demand for surrender. More than three hours later, Serapis surrendered, and Sterling took command.

    James Sterling - Military Commander

    Sterling would be recalled to the Americas in mid-1780 following the failed siege of Savannah and the American defeat at Charleston. He would be sent to Virginia, where his connections would be used to recruit troops for the patriot cause. During this time, he got his first real taste of politics. Taking up a seat in the Virginia legislature.

    After multiple requests, Sterling would finally resume his command in early 1781. Being given command of a Regiment in the Carolinas campaign. His 1st Virginia Regiment would go on to fight in a number of engagements; including Guilford Courthouse and Eutaw Springs. His last action of the war would be leading his men in the storming of Redoubt #10 at Yorktown. After Yorktown James would return to serve as representative for his state until the end of the war.

    Storming Redout #10

    Confederation Years
    By the summer of 1784, James had firmly established himself as a dominant force in Virginia politics. Serving in the state legislature, he would champion industrialization and for the development of the militia. In 1786 he would run for Governor. Traveling the state he would campaign on a post and pulpit tour. Speaking in front of the local post offices of the towns on Saturday, then attending church with the townsfolk the following Sunday. A strategy that would secure him the Governorship, and then reelection a few years later. Major legislation of his Governorship include, expanding the mining and fishing industries, championing a strong well organized militia, and the development of the Shenandoah region for agriculture.

    In regards to the Federal Congress, he is critical of it, but recognizes its need and usefulness. Still a champion what is best for Virginia, he can accept relinquishing some powers for the benefit to the country. For if this nation is to survive it will be through strength, unity and perseverance.

    Personality/Appearance
    Short, thick, and sinewy, James has long, curly, reddish hair that was beginning to thin and gray, a perpetual five o’clock shadow, and a rugged visage that exuded power and authority. For much of the past twenty years he had commanded men on good voyages and bad. He is in the habit of leading, and of acting, under stress. Those who have served under him were in the habit of following his direction.
    Much about James’s background and activism would suggest that economic self-interest had drawn him toward a role in the American rebellion. Though what radiates from him is a vibrant nationalism and a yearning for American autonomy; the force driving the American protest. He believed the war would determine whether Americans were freemen or slaves, and to be a slave, is worse than death. His maxim is to not leave too much to chance, fight hard, and hope for the best.

    Sterling Family Tree

    [DEL]-1. Joseph Hiram Sterling 1715-1740
    -1a. Margaret Strong 1718-1781

    --2.Thomas Sterling 1734
    --2a. Emily Williams 1737-1779

    ----3. Richard Sterling 1755-
    ----3a. Alice Morehouse 1756-1785
    ------4. Ulysses Sterling 1775-
    ------4a. Katherine Sanford 1777-
    ------4. Carol Sterling 1779-
    ------4. Mary sterling 1785-1785
    ----3b. Harriet MacCotter 1767-
    ------4.Thomas Sterling 1787

    ----3. Hannah Sterling 1759-
    ----3a. Elmer Smytheson 1756-
    ------4. Alexander Smytheson 1780-
    ------4. Clara Smytheson 1782-
    ------4. Sarah Smytheson 1786-1788
    ------4. Dolly Smytheson 1787-

    --2. James Sterling 1736-
    --2a. Sophia van den Berg 1740-

    ----3.Patrick Sterling 1761-
    ----3a. Jacqueline Lionheart 1764-
    ------4. Francis Sterling 1785-
    ------4. Charlotte Sterling 1788-

    --2. Laura Sterling 1744-1739


    Drakes of North Carolina

    Edward Drake


    Name: Edward Drake

    Age: Born 1743 (46)

    Skills:

    +2 Charisma
    +2 Wealth
    +1 Calvary Command


    Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.


    Religion
    Deist: You are a Deist. You believe in a vaguely defined Supreme Being which the Christians call God, but only as a creator: as far as you’re concerned, the First Cause does not interact with its creations at all and is content to let them operate as they will. Deists tend to be the most radical embracers of the Enlightenment and all the liberal ideologies it brings. Thomas Jefferson was an example of a historical American Deist.


    Idolized philosopher
    John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.


    Early Life
    Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth.


    Role in the Revolution
    Cavalry Officer: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of cavalry up to regiment size. The Continental Army’s cavalry were predominantly light scouts or dragoons, and so you and your men would have spent most of your time scouting ahead of the main army or taking on British foragers & scouts in isolated skirmishers rather than charging into massed redcoat formations. +1 Cavalry Command, Scout or Survival.


    Role in the Confederation Period
    Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.

    Bio:

    Early Life
    Drake was born May 3, 1743, on his father’s plantation near Wilmington located along the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. His father Peter Drake was a successful planter and surveyor and his mother Jane Randolph a member of one of Virginia’s most distinguished families. When Drake was fourteen, his father died, and he inherited a sizeable estate of approximately 5,000 acres. That inheritance included the family house, but Drake dreamed of living on a mountain.

    In 1768 he contracted for the clearing of a 250 feet square site on the topmost point of the 900-foot mountain that rose above Ashville. He would name this mountain Paradisio, and the house that he would build and rebuild over a thirty-year period took on this name as well. The following year, after preparing the site, he began construction of a small brick structure that would consist of a single room with a walk-out basement kitchen and workroom below. This would eventually be referred to as the South Pavilion and was where he lived first alone and then with his bride, Martha Wayles, following their marriage in 1772.

    Along with the land Drake inherited slaves from his father and even more slaves from his father-in-law, John Wayles. In a typical year, he owned about 200. These men, women and children were integral to the running of his farms and building and maintaining his home at Paradisio. Some were given training in various trades, others worked the fields, and some worked inside the main house.

    Education and Professional Life

    After a two-year course of study at the College of William and Mary in Virginia that he began at age seventeen, Drake read the law for five years, and recorded his first legal case in 1767. In two years he was elected to North Carolina General Assembly.
    His first political work to gain broad acclaim was a 1774 draft of directions for North Carolina’s delegation to the First Continental Congress. Two years later he was a member of the Second Continental Congress. He championed the colonies’ arguments for declaring themselves free and independent states.

    Edward Drake - Ambitious Lawyer

    The Revolution
    Returning to North Carolina, After Trenton Drake would work to raise a couple regiments of Calvary, and would coordinate these men to harass British movement and raid their supply network.

    He took command of the 1st Continental Light Dragoons around April of 1778, Drake's Legion. We first saw action in September of that year, defeating a Hessian regiment in an ambush. When Lord Cornwallis moved his British Army into North Carolina, his Legion entered South Carolina to protect that colony. In 1781, he participated in Pyle's Massacre and the Siege of Ninety Six.


    He also saw considerable action at the Battle of Guilford Court House, and the retaking of North and South Carolina.

    Edward Drake - The Calvary Commander

    Post-War
    In 1784, he entered public service again, in Spain, first as trade commissioner and then as U.S. minister. During this period, he avidly studied European culture, sending home to Paradisio, books, seeds and plants, along with architectural drawings, artwork, furniture, scientific instruments, and information.

    In 1787 he would return to his native North Carolina to secure the position of Governor, campaigning on his war service and long family connections.

    Drake Family Tree

    -1. Peter Drake 1708-1757
    -1a. Jane Randolph 1720-1776

    --2. Jane Drake 1737-1765

    --2. Mary Drake 1741-
    --2a. John Bolling 1737-

    ----3a. Archibald Bolling 1756-
    ----3a. Eustace Bolling 1759-
    ----3a. Geraldine Bolling 1761-

    --2. Edward Drake 1743-
    --2a. Martha Wyles 1748-

    ----3a. Martha Drake 1772-
    ----3a. Jane Drake 1774-
    ----3a. Mary Drake 1778-
    ----3a. Lucy Drake 1780-

    --2. Elizabeth Drake 1744-1773

    --2. Martha Drake 1746-
    --2a. Roger Bates 1745-1766
    --2b. Phillip Browning 1740-1770

    --2. Peter Drake 1748-1748

    --2. James Drake 1750-1750

    --2. Lucy Drake 1752-
    --2a. Charles Lewis 1748-1779

    ----3a. George Lewis 1773-
    ----3a. Alice Lewis 1776- 1782
    ----3a. Carol Lewis 1778-

    --2. Anna Drake 1755-
    --2a. Hastings Marks 1757

    ----3a. Bertrim Marks 1777-
    ----3a. John Marks 1779-1779
    ----3a. Karl Marks 1781-

    --2. Randolph Drake 1755-
    --2a. Anna Lewis 1755-

    ----3a. Sally Drake 1773-
    ----3a. William Drake 1775-

    Last edited by chesser2538; September 25, 2019 at 11:07 AM.

    Under the Patronage of the venerable General Brewster

  10. #10
    Dave Strider's Avatar Dux Limitis
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    Nov 2009
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    Maine
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    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    The McIntyre Family


    Recent history has not been kind to the McIntyre family. Descended from a Scottish highland clan, the McIntyres of Massachusetts were first brought to the New World by force when the progenitor, Micum McIntyre I, was deported by Cromwell's forces following his capture at the battle of Dunbar. Worked to the bone and treated as less than dirt by the English planter whom he worked for as an indentured servant, upon achieving his freedom Micum set up shop in the northern wilderness of New England, carving a small homestead and a modest living out of the dense woods of what would come to be known as the town of York in the Maine province of Massachusetts. Life in this isolated wilderness proved sadistic in its capacity for mixing generosity and hardship. The soil was poor, but hunted game was plentiful; the winters were brutal, but the abundance of trees provided ample firewood. And so it was that the McIntyres, descending from Micum I, came to be all-too-intimate with their clan's motto of per ardua - 'through hardship'. But Micum, despite it all, would survive for five decades in this rough new home, passing peacefully in 1697 at the age of 75, mourned and survived by what had become - by the grace of God - a large, healthy, happy family.

    The McIntyres of York, Massachusetts, through a shared familial effort of economic thrift and hard work, managed to pool their resources to purchase trapping and tree-felling equipment, and over the years were able to convert their modest homestead into a small farm estate, selling wheat and corn to the town markets. With this lifeline secured, they also expanded into the trapping trade, some of the younger men of the family heading north for weeks on end during the late fall to hunt smaller game and trade pelts with the natives - that is, when they weren't fending off their raids. They were never comfortable, oftentimes just a step or two short of ruin, but this precarious upbringing hardened the family and taught them the value of intelligence, thoughtful planning, hard work, and determination to achieve their goals.

    It was no different for Micum Frederick Mcintyre III in his life - his father raised him and his brothers with equal parts musket, bottle, bible, and hoe. Born in the 1720s, he saw action in many of the skirmishes and border wars between the English colonists and the native tribes, and by the end of the French and Indian War he was the sole surviving McIntyre boy out of seven sons. Keenly aware of the importance of his survival, Micum managed to find work in the nearby city of Falmouth, Massachusetts, performing on-and-off odd jobs before finally finding steady work as a typesetter for a small local newspaper. For a time, this provided a safe, steady, lifeline for the McIntyres, and Micum was able to settle down, marry, and have children of his own - a daughter, Margeret, and three sons, Micum IV, Joseph, and Ian. Finally, it seemed that the McIntyres had achieved some sort of semblance in life...

    ...that is, until his and his childrens' lives were turned upside-down when Falmouth was burned by the British navy during the early stages of the revolution, bombed with incendiary shell and then set ablaze by landing parties of British troops. The newspaper dispensary, the McIntyres' home, and the majority of the town in general, were completely destroyed; the McIntyres were ruined, all at the hands of the English. So it seemed that perfidious Albion was never content to leave the McIntyre clan feeling as though their hardships were finally over. With the little money they could scrounge up from selling off the farm and closing their modest trapping enterprise, the McIntyre men, led by their father, the fifty-four year old Micum, fetched their hunting muskets, purchased ammunition, food, warm clothes, and shoes, made their way to Boston, and volunteered for service in the burgeoning revolution.

    Micum, for his part, as a veteran of numerous border wars against the French and natives, was named a captain of the Massachusetts militia and served in the revolution's northern theater, his sons serving under him. He soon distinguished himself as a commander, instilling discipline in his men and excelling at skirmishing in the wilderness, and ultimately was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by war's end. His sons found their niches and specialties in the revolution as well, with Micum IV taking proficiently to cavalry operations, Joseph proving a natural artillerist and logistician, and Ian trying his hand as an infantry officer - but unfortunately, in one of the final battles of the war, Ian would be struck by a British ball and would die in hospital five days later, in the arms of his brothers and father.

    After the war, the McIntyres would return to Falmouth and re-establish themselves in the rebuilt settlement, which now found itself at the center of a burgeoning lumber and shipping trade. Micum III, Micum IV, and Joseph worked tirelessly to establish themselves in this new industry, as was their wont, but in the post-war world of uncertainty and divergent paths, the family found themselves pulled in different directions. Micum III found himself, for the first time in his life, drawn to the world of politics - his time as a newspaper editor having taught him not only to read, but to think, to ponder the world, and to consider the larger questions of life, and his time in the military having only confirmed this when works by those such as Thomas Payne were circulated through the camps. Joseph, having learned much of logistics and organization as an artillery officer in the revolution, took quite well to the task of administering the new shipbuilding yard which the McIntyres had founded, and with the aid of his sister Margaret pioneered the business while his father was at work in the Massachusetts legislature, and later in Congress itself. Micum IV, though, seemed restless in the prospect of civilian life, and longed for a return to the days of the saber and saddle, and so would end up disappearing with naught but a note explaining that he would send home whatever pay he could. And so it was that the McIntyres of Maine would go their separate ways, writing each other when possible, and finally having found something approaching a place in life. Per ardua indeed.

    Family Tree
    Micum Frederick McIntyre III - b. 1721 (age: 68), m. 1751 to Theresa Jane Locksley, four children, three surviving

    Issue of Micum F. III and Theresa J. L. McIntyre
    Margeret Elizabeth McIntyre - b. 1752 (age: 37), m. 1777 to Samuel B. Thompson, two children
    Micum Frederick McIntyre IV - b. 1756 (age: 33), m. 1776 to Catherine Brown Morgan (d. 1785), no children
    Joseph Isaiah McIntyre - b. 1757 (age: 32), m. 1779 to Charlotte Winslow Green, three children
    Ian Jonathan McIntyre - b. 1759, d. 1781 (age: 22)


    Micum Frederick McIntyre III


    Age: 68 (b. 1721)
    Spouse: Theresa née Locksley (b. 1725)

    +2 Survival
    +2 Charisma
    +1 Logistician

    Heritage:
    • Scots-Irish: You are the descendant of Scots-Irish, or Ulster Scot, settlers who mainly lived in the interior of the Thirteen Colonies, away from the coast. Your ancestors were likely poor, a consequence of Ireland’s wealth having been concentrated in the hands of British Anglican landlords at the expense of both the Catholic Irish and Protestant Scots-Irish, but hardy and well-suited to the hardscrabble lives they led on the frontier, and no strangers to conflict either with the natives, the ‘Anglo’ coastal settlements, or each other. +1 Survival


    Religion:

    • Deist: You are a Deist. You believe in a vaguely defined Supreme Being which the Christians call God, but only as a creator: as far as you’re concerned, the First Cause does not interact with its creations at all and is content to let them operate as they will. Deists tend to be the most radical embracers of the Enlightenment and all the liberal ideologies it brings. Thomas Jefferson was an example of a historical American Deist.


    Idolized Philosopher:

    • Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His belief that humans were fundamentally good and that direct democracy, whereby all are free even as they impose their will on each other because their own will was taken into account within the general collective, was the best sort of democracy rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with radically liberal and populistic inclinations. +1 Charisma


    Early Life:

    • Frontiersman: Prior to entering politics, you lived on the wild western frontier of the former Thirteen Colonies. There you befriended other poor but determined pioneers and learned how to hunt and dress game, light fires, read smoke signals, fend off hostile Indian raids while dealing with friendly ones, and in general not die in the wilds. When the Revolution happened, it may have passed you by, or you may have participated as an irregular fighter. +1 Survival


    Role in the Revolution:

    • General Officer: You were a general officer in the Continental Army, likely far removed from the front lines. Instead your role was at the war table, planning out operations, measuring resources and wrangling with the Continental Congress and your fellow generals over the direction of the war. At most, on the field you were likely directing artillery fire from the rear. If the Infantry and Cavalry Officers were the arms of the Continental forces, you were one of its brain cells. +1 Logistician



    Role in the Confederation Period:
    • Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma







    Micum Frederick McIntyre IV


    Age: 33 (b. 1756)
    Spouse: Widowed; formerly Catherine née Morgan (d. 1785)

    +2 Cavalry Command
    +1 Personal Combat
    +1 Wealth
    +1 Charisma

    Heritage:
    • Scots-Irish: You are the descendant of Scots-Irish, or Ulster Scot, settlers who mainly lived in the interior of the Thirteen Colonies, away from the coast. Your ancestors were likely poor, a consequence of Ireland’s wealth having been concentrated in the hands of British Anglican landlords at the expense of both the Catholic Irish and Protestant Scots-Irish, but hardy and well-suited to the hardscrabble lives they led on the frontier, and no strangers to conflict either with the natives, the ‘Anglo’ coastal settlements, or each other. +1 Personal Combat


    Religion:

    • Deist: You are a Deist. You believe in a vaguely defined Supreme Being which the Christians call God, but only as a creator: as far as you’re concerned, the First Cause does not interact with its creations at all and is content to let them operate as they will. Deists tend to be the most radical embracers of the Enlightenment and all the liberal ideologies it brings. Thomas Jefferson was an example of a historical American Deist.


    Idolized Philosopher:

    • Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His belief that humans were fundamentally good and that direct democracy, whereby all are free even as they impose their will on each other because their own will was taken into account within the general collective, was the best sort of democracy rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with radically liberal and populistic inclinations. +1 Charisma


    Early Life:

    • Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth

    Role in the Revolution:

    • Cavalry Officer: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of cavalry up to regiment size. The Continental Army’s cavalry were predominantly light scouts or dragoons, and so you and your men would have spent most of your time scouting ahead of the main army or taking on British foragers & scouts in isolated skirmishers rather than charging into massed redcoat formations. +1 Cavalry Command


    Role in the Confederation Period:

    • Mercenary: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you could not countenance a return to civilian life for whatever reason and went abroad to join another country’s army or navy (preferably not Britain’s, considering they were unlikely to view a traitor positively). For a time you fought under a foreign flag and in foreign wars, quitting and returning to America only around the time the Constitution was ratified. +1 Cavalry Command



    Joseph Isaiah McIntyre


    Age: 32 (b. 1757)
    Spouse: Charlotte née Green (b. 1760)

    +3 Wealth
    +1 Survival
    +1 Artillery Command

    Heritage:

    • Scots-Irish: You are the descendant of Scots-Irish, or Ulster Scot, settlers who mainly lived in the interior of the Thirteen Colonies, away from the coast. Your ancestors were likely poor, a consequence of Ireland’s wealth having been concentrated in the hands of British Anglican landlords at the expense of both the Catholic Irish and Protestant Scots-Irish, but hardy and well-suited to the hardscrabble lives they led on the frontier, and no strangers to conflict either with the natives, the ‘Anglo’ coastal settlements, or each other. +1 Survival


    Religion:

    • Deist: You are a Deist. You believe in a vaguely defined Supreme Being which the Christians call God, but only as a creator: as far as you’re concerned, the First Cause does not interact with its creations at all and is content to let them operate as they will. Deists tend to be the most radical embracers of the Enlightenment and all the liberal ideologies it brings. Thomas Jefferson was an example of a historical American Deist.


    Idolized Philosopher:

    • John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth


    Early Life:

    • Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth

    Role in the Revolution:
    • "General" Officer: You were a general officer in the Continental Army, likely far removed from the front lines. Instead your role was at the war table, planning out operations, measuring resources and wrangling with the Continental Congress and your fellow generals over the direction of the war. At most, on the field you were likely directing artillery fire from the rear. If the Infantry and Cavalry Officers were the arms of the Continental forces, you were one of its brain cells. (In Joseph's case, he served as chief of artillery for his father, who actually was a general.) +1 Artillery Command

    Role in the Confederation Period:
    • Tycoon: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to civilian life as a merchant prince until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a business tycoon, your primary concern would obviously have been trying to make more money than ever before, whether as a shipping magnate, a large proto-retailer, a mail delivery boss, etc. +1 Wealth


    Last edited by Dave Strider; September 09, 2019 at 11:22 AM.
    when the union's inspiration through the worker's blood shall run,
    there can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun,
    yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one?
    but the union makes us strong.

  11. #11
    Lord William's Avatar Duke of Nottingham
    Citizen

    Join Date
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    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    10,742

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    The Clare Family


    WIP

    Family Tree
    Richard Gilbert Clare - b. 1735 (age: 54), m. 1751 to Elizabeth Sarah Taylor, four children, four surviving

    Issue of Richard G. Clare and Elizabeth S. Taylor
    Gilbert R. Clare - b. 1752 (age: 37), m. 1777 to Eleanor G. Thompson, 3 children
    William R. Clare - b. 1755 (age: 34), unmarried
    Arthur R. Clare - b. 1755 (age: 34), m. 1779 to Abigail C. Reid, 1 child
    Eleanor E. Clare - b. 1769 (age: 20), unmarried


    Richard G. Clare


    Age: 54 (b. 1735)
    Spouse: Elizabeth Sarah Taylor (b. 1736)


    +3 Charisma
    +1 Wealth
    +1 Espionage

    Heritage:
    • Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Wealth


    Religion:

    • Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.


    Idolized Philosopher:

    • Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.


    Early Life:

    • Diplomat: In your younger years, you were a member of the diplomatic corps, and thus was enmeshed in politics quite early on. Prior to the outbreak of the Revolution, you may have already been working as an envoy for Britain; afterwards, you represented America in critical negotiations with the French, Spanish and Dutch, helping to bring these Great Powers into the fight against the British. +1 Charisma.


    Role in the Revolution:

    • Congressman: During the war, you were part of the Continental Congress. You did not fight in the field but instead politically represented the American states & people, presenting their demands to the British Crown at the Revolution’s eve and providing civilian leadership to revolutionary forces which foreign countries could negotiate with. As a delegate of the Congress, you also likely wrangled with overambitious generals from time to time, and may have even fought a duel or several over honor in clashes with prickly fellow Congressmen. +1 Charisma.



    Role in the Confederation Period:
    • Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma







    Gilbert R. Clare


    Age: 37 (b. 1752)
    Spouse: Eleanor G. Thompson

    +3 Infantry Command
    +2 Charisma

    Heritage:
    • Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command


    Religion:

    • Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.


    Idolized Philosopher:

    • Jean-Jacques Rousseau: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Jean-Jacques Rousseau. His belief that humans were fundamentally good and that direct democracy, whereby all are free even as they impose their will on each other because their own will was taken into account within the general collective, was the best sort of democracy rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with radically liberal and populistic inclinations. +1 Charisma


    Early Life:

    • Officer: Prior to entering politics, you secured a commission in the British (or if you’re still especially young, Continental) Army and took part in the mid-to-late 18th-century ‘cabinet wars’ between the Great Powers, from King George’s War to the French and Indian War, culminating in the American Revolution. You bring to the table your military experience and fame, or infamy, from your years at war. +1 Infantry,

    Role in the Revolution:

    • Infantry Commander: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of line infantry or riflemen up to regiment-size. As commissioned officers up to the rank of colonel did, you fought at the front lines with your men, sharing the glory of victory and the bitterness of defeat, taking injuries in battle, and wearing out your boots beneath you as you marched with them. +1 Infantry Command,


    Role in the Confederation Period:

    • Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma



    William R. Clare


    Age: 34 (b. 1755)
    Spouse: unmarried

    +3 Naval Command
    +1 Charisma
    +1 Espionage

    Heritage:

    • Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Charisma


    Religion:

    • Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.


    Idolized Philosopher:

    • Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.


    Early Life:

    • Sailor: Prior to entering politics, you were a sailor on the high seas. Perhaps you were a captain in the Royal and/or Continental Navies, just a civilian mariner involved in the fishing or shipping industries, or even a privateer who settled down after the Revolution. Being used to the dangers of sailing for long periods of time, you’re keenly aware of how to ration your supplies and pick out the quickest and safest routes of travel. +1 Naval Command.



    Role in the Revolution:
    • Naval Officer: You captained a ship or commanded squadrons of multiple ships in the Continental Navy during the war. In this capacity, in addition to maintaining discipline among your crew and maximizing usage of the talents of your specialists (navigator, bosun, etc) you had the unenviable task of battling the mightiest sea power in the world - the Royal Navy - on its home ‘turf’. Still, you proved (as historical US naval commanders, such as John Paul Jones, did) that it could be done. +1 Naval Command



    Role in the Confederation Period:
    • Mercenary: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you could not countenance a return to civilian life for whatever reason and went abroad to join another country’s army or navy (preferably not Britain’s, considering they were unlikely to view a traitor positively). For a time you fought under a foreign flag and in foreign wars, quitting and returning to America only around the time the Constitution was ratified. +1 Naval Command



    CONTENTBOX=Thomas R. Clare]

    Age: 34 (b. 1755)
    Spouse: Abigail C. Reid (b. 1762)

    +3 Charisma
    +1 Wealth
    +1 Espionage

    Heritage:
    • Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Wealth


    Religion:

    • Episcopalian: You are a member of the Episcopalian Church, the dominant religion of the elite in America. Once the Episcopalians were just Anglicans and accordingly recognized the King of Britain as the head of the church, but when the Revolution severed all ties to the British Crown, that obviously had to change. Episcopalians are known for being religiously moderate, broadly accepting of America’s other faiths and to embrace Enlightenment ideology, though protective (sometimes jealously so) of their ties to the nation’s elite.


    Idolized Philosopher:

    • Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.


    Early Life:

    • Diplomat: In your younger years, you were a member of the diplomatic corps, and thus was enmeshed in politics quite early on. Prior to the outbreak of the Revolution, you may have already been working as an envoy for Britain; afterwards, you represented America in critical negotiations with the French, Spanish and Dutch, helping to bring these Great Powers into the fight against the British. +1 Charisma.


    Role in the Revolution:

    • Congressman: During the war, you were part of the Continental Congress. You did not fight in the field but instead politically represented the American states & people, presenting their demands to the British Crown at the Revolution’s eve and providing civilian leadership to revolutionary forces which foreign countries could negotiate with. As a delegate of the Congress, you also likely wrangled with overambitious generals from time to time, and may have even fought a duel or several over honor in clashes with prickly fellow Congressmen. +1 Charisma.



    Role in the Confederation Period:
    • Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma






    [/CONTENTBOX]
    Last edited by Lord William; September 18, 2019 at 05:57 PM.

    Section Editor ES
    LibrarianLocal ModeratorCitizenCdeC
    Under the patronage of Jom • Patron of Riverknight & Stildawn

  12. #12
    cfmonkey45's Avatar Praeses
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    8,222

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Crawford Family



    The Crawford Family hails from Yorkshire in England and arrived in Virginia in the 1640s. Edward Crawford (b. 1615 - d. 1691), the family patriarch, first arrived at Jamestown where he began his career as a tobacco planter. Like much of Virginia, during the English Civil War, the Crawford Family remained within the Royalist camp. However, the family later grew disillusioned with the Royalist cause. Later, the family relocated to the Shenodah Valley in the 1720s, where Edward's grandson, John Crawford (b. 1681 - d. 1741), acquired a vast land grant including approximately 70,000 acres from the Virginia Company in what is now Frederick County. Eventually, this land grant would be broken up into smaller portions and sold to new colonists. John Crawford and his son Jonathan Crawford Sr. (b. 1721) worked to make the estate profitable. By the 1730s, the Crawfords had established the earliest manor on the estate, now known as Belle Grove, Virginia.



    Heritage: Anglo-American
    Religion: Episcopalian




    Jonathan Crawford, Jr.


    Jonathan Crawford was born on August 20, 1751 to Jonathan Crawford Sr. at Belle Grove Manor in Virginia. He was the eldest of three brothers and four sisters. From age 11 to 16, Jonathan was sent to study under Albert Robertson, a Scottish instructor who served as a tutor for many prominent planter families in Virginia. From there, Crawford learned mathematics, geography, French, German, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Crawford matriculated to the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and excelled in Classical Studies. At this time, he was profoundly influenced by the writings of the Enlightenment, particularly the works of John Locke.

    After returning to Virginia, Crawford rose to prominence as a member of the Virginia militia. In 1775, he was commissioned as a colonel in the Virginia Militia, and served as his father's second-in-command. Although his military service was brief, he saw action in the Southwest of Virginia during the Cherokee War of 1776. Crawford's regiment was deployed on orders of the Governor towards the Colony of Transylvania (known by the Natives as Kain-tuck-ee). The brief campaign took Crawford through the lower Little Tennessee Valley to scour the villages where the Cherokee raids had originated and through the Great Indian Warpath. There, the Colonists had found the Cherokee had burned their towns and withdrew to the Wilderness. With the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, Crawford was recalled to Virginia, where he stood for election to the Virginia House of Delegates. Albeit brief, his military campaign had impressed the voters of Virginia, and he easily won election. At the Virginia constitutional convention, he convinced delegates to alter the Virginia Declaration of Rights to provide for "equal entitlement," rather than mere "tolerance," in the exercise of religion. With the enactment of the Virginia constitution, Crawford became part of the Virginia House of Delegates, and he was subsequently elected to the Virginia governor's Council of State.

    Crawford served on the Council of State from 1777 to 1779, when he was elected to the Second Continental Congress. As the American Revolution raged on, the United States had begun to face serious difficulties financing the war effort, and the economy was afflicted with stagnant growth, financial instability, run-away inflation, and disunity between the different levels of government. This experience impressed upon Crawford the necessity of a strong central government. His attempted Constitutional Amendments to allow the Continental Congress to raise money from foreign tariffs was rejected because it lacked unanimous consent from each of the Thirteen Colonies. Additionally, his criticisms of the social decay caused by fiat currency and "excessive democracy" fell upon deaf ears. During this time, Crawford delved into his Classical Education and sought out works from the various historical Republics, including the Ancient Constitutions of Rome, Athens, Achaea, as well as the more modern Dutch and Swiss Republics.

    Following the American Revolution, Crawford was influential in drafting the American Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention. During the Convention, he proposed a rough outline, known as the Virginia Plan, which would establish three co-equal branches of Government: the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches. Although this was opposed by smaller states, which favored the New Jersey Plan, a compromise was reached whereby the two plans were combined. This combined plan, known as the Connecticut Compromise, ultimately became the basis for the United States Constitution

    Heritage: Anglo-American (+1 Wealth)
    Philosopher: John Locke (+1 Wealth)
    Early Career: Officer (+1 Infantry Command)
    Revolutionary War: Congressman (+1 Charisma)
    Articles of Confederation: Congressman (+1 Charisma)




    Elizabeth Crawford, née McClelland


    WIP



    James Crawford (b. 1756)


    James is the second eldest Crawford Son.



    Jonathan Crawford Sr. (b. 1721)






    Edward Crawford







    Last edited by cfmonkey45; September 16, 2019 at 09:11 PM.

  13. #13
    Indefinitely Banned
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Beerdom Empire Shogunate
    Posts
    277

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Hello, can I still join?

  14. #14

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Sanford of Rhode Island


    John Greenwood's Sea Captains Carousing in Surinam

    Family Tree

    William Sanford (b. 1734) m. (b. 1734)
    -Stephen (b. 1754) m. Susannah Sanford nee Hopkins (b. 1756)
    --Stephen (b. 1772)
    --Cornelia (b. 1774)
    --Katherine (b. 1777) m. Ulysses Sterling
    --William (b. 1784)
    --James (b. 1784)
    -William (b.1755 - d. 1756)
    -Edward (b.1757 -) m. Lydia Bull (b. 1758)
    --Edward (b. 1774)
    --Lydia (b. 1783)
    --John (b. 1787)
    -Bridget (b. 1760)
    -Anne (b. 1765) m. Benjamin Harrison (b. 1757)
    -Eleanor (b. 1786)

    Thomas Sanford (b. 1734) m.
    -Thomas (b. 1755) m.
    --Thomas (b. 1772)
    --Henry (b. 1774)
    --Elisha (b. 1782)
    -Elizabeth (b.1760) m.
    -Susanna (b.1760)

    William Sanford, Governor of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations


    Age : 55 (b. October 13th, 1734)
    Marital Status : Married (wip)
    Children : Stephen (b. 1754), William (b. 1755- d. 1756)Edward (b. 1757), Bridget (b. 1760), Anne (b. 1765)

    +3 Wealth, +2 Charisma
    Heritage : Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion : Congregationalist: You belong to one of many Congregationalist churches, typically concentrated in the Northeast of the country. The Congregational Presbyterians are successors of the old Puritans, being staunch Calvinists who believe that God has predetermined the fates of all men toward either salvation or damnation without any human agency in the matter: they’re insular, are most likely to be distrustful of or outright hostile toward other sects, and combine a dead-serious take on the Protestant work-ethic with a zealous drive for spiritual and moral purity in all spheres of life. Dutch-descended Calvinists also fall under the Congregationalist umbrella.

    Philosopher : John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.

    Early Life : Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth.

    Role in the Revolution :Congressman: During the war, you were part of the Continental Congress. You did not fight in the field but instead politically represented the American states & people, presenting their demands to the British Crown at the Revolution’s eve and providing civilian leadership to revolutionary forces which foreign countries could negotiate with. As a delegate of the Congress, you also likely wrangled with overambitious generals from time to time, and may have even fought a duel or several over honor in clashes with prickly fellow Congressmen. +1 Wealth, Personal Combat or Charisma.

    Role in the Confederation : Tycoon: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to civilian life as a merchant prince until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a business tycoon, your primary concern would obviously have been trying to make more money than ever before, whether as a shipping magnate, a large proto-retailer, a mail delivery boss, etc. +1 Wealth or Espionage.

    Thomas Sanford


    Age : 55 (b. October 13th, 1734)
    Marital Status : Married
    Children : Thomas (b. 1755), Elizabeth (b. 1760), Susanna (b. 1760)

    +1 Charisma, +2 Naval Command, +2 Wealth
    Heritage : Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Religion : Congregationalist: You belong to one of many Congregationalist churches, typically concentrated in the Northeast of the country. The Congregational Presbyterians are successors of the old Puritans, being staunch Calvinists who believe that God has predetermined the fates of all men toward either salvation or damnation without any human agency in the matter: they’re insular, are most likely to be distrustful of or outright hostile toward other sects, and combine a dead-serious take on the Protestant work-ethic with a zealous drive for spiritual and moral purity in all spheres of life. Dutch-descended Calvinists also fall under the Congregationalist umbrella.

    Philosopher : John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.

    Early Life : Sailor: Prior to entering politics, you were a sailor on the high seas. Perhaps you were a captain in the Royal and/or Continental Navies, just a civilian mariner involved in the fishing or shipping industries, or even a privateer who settled down after the Revolution. Being used to the dangers of sailing for long periods of time, you’re keenly aware of how to ration your supplies and pick out the quickest and safest routes of travel. +1 Naval Command.

    Role in the Revolution : Naval Officer: You captained a ship or commanded squadrons of multiple ships in the Continental Navy during the war. In this capacity, in addition to maintaining discipline among your crew and maximizing usage of the talents of your specialists (navigator, bosun, etc) you had the unenviable task of battling the mightiest sea power in the world - the Royal Navy - on its home ‘turf’. Still, you proved (as historical US naval commanders, such as John Paul Jones, did) that it could be done. +1 Naval Command or Scout.

    Role in the Confederation : Tycoon: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to civilian life as a merchant prince until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a business tycoon, your primary concern would obviously have been trying to make more money than ever before, whether as a shipping magnate, a large proto-retailer, a mail delivery boss, etc. +1 Wealth or Espionage.
    Last edited by Xion; September 23, 2019 at 02:43 PM.

  15. #15

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Hamilton Family


    Arms of the Scottish Clan Hamilton, which Alexander claims illegitimate descent from.

    Alexander Hamilton:


    Age: 34 (Born 1755)

    Marital Status: Married to Elizabeth Schuyler

    Children:
    Philip (7)
    Angelica (5)
    Alexander (3)
    James (2)

    Traits:
    +1 Personal Combat
    +1 Infantry Command
    +1 Artillery Command
    +1 Wealth
    +1 Charisma


    Questionnaire
    Questionnaire Scots-Irish: Hamilton has the blood of English Protestants and French Huguenots through his mother, but his name and patrilineal heritage comes from his father, a minor member of the Highland Hamilton clan of Scotland. +1 Skirmish Command, Personal Combat or Survival.

    Arminian: You belong to one of the Reformed Protestant churches which follow an Arminian doctrine, believing (unlike hard-line Calvinists) that there is room for human free will on the road to salvation. That means you’re most likely a Baptist or Methodist, two sects which enjoy great and growing popularity among the poor but free people of the South and the West: structurally, the Baptists tend to have more in common with the Congregationalists, while the Methodists with their bishops are more similar to Episcopalians. Arminians are not as inclined toward tolerance and liberal ideologies as Episcopalians, but also tend to be more habitually and doctrinally relaxed than Congregationalists.

    John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.

    Officer: Prior to joining general Lionheart's staff, Hamilton formed his own militia company of students and took part in the battles of the White Plains, Trenton, and Princeton He proved himself an able officer with a sound knowledge of military strategy. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery Command.

    General Officer: Hamilton served as Chief of General Lionheart's staff for most of the war, distributing orders and acting as Lionheart's emissary to senior army officers and enemy commanders. Towards the end of the war he secured an independent command, but aside from this his military experience was accrued from behind the front-lines. +1 Artillery Command or Logistician.

    Congressman: Whether a newcomer or already a member of the wartime Continental Congress, you became a member of the post-Revolutionary War Congress of the Confederation, the feeble and virtually powerless nominal legislature of the USA under the original Articles of Confederation. With no military, no means of acquiring revenue, and little credence in the eyes of foreign powers, you and the rest of this Congress may as well not have existed - but you and it did, and despite your overall powerlessness, you still learned valuable political lessons & forged connections with the other Congressmen while you were there. +1 Charisma or Espionage.


    Fathered out of wedlock by a minor member of Clan Hamilton, Alexander was raised solely by his mother in the Danish Virgin Islands in the small settlement of Christiansted. Yellow fever took her in 1768, leaving Hamilton orphaned, and he soon entered employment as a low level clerk for a local business. By 1772, his apparently prodigious intelligence was regarded highly enough by the local leaders of Alexander's community to send him off to New York for a professional education. Enrolling as a student of King's College, it was here that Hamilton first became affiliated with the Patriot cause, anonymously publishing writings that refuted the arguments of the widely circulated loyalist propaganda and attending meetings with other like-minded political thinkers.

    When hostilities broke out in 1775, Hamilton immediately enlisted in a volunteer company that came to be called the Hearts of Oak. His grasp of military history and strategy soon saw him promoted, and under his command the company captured a number of British cannons stationed at The Battery on Manhattan Island. His political connections among the Patriots ensured he became Captain of his own Artillery Company, serving under Lionheart's command in his campaign to capture Boston; soon enough he was noticed by the Commander-in-Chief and invited to serve as his aide. Now a Lieutenant Colonel, Hamilton served as Lionheart's chief staff aide for several years, dealing on his behalf with various political and military figures. He developed a friendship with many of the senior American officers as well as Lionheart himself, connections that eventually led to Hamilton being granted an independent command over several battalions as the war was drawing to a close. In a joint operation with the French, Hamilton forced the British from several forts protecting Yorktown, thereby participating in one of the final acts of the war. With their position surrounded, Cornwallis promptly surrendered to Lionheart.

    Following Yorktown, Hamilton resigned his commission as an officer and secured an appointment to the Congress of the Confederation as a representative of New York. Already, he noted that the Confederation was fundamentally flawed, and had been slowly growing frustrated with the its reliance on the goodwill of the states to provide money and soldiers. He began to campaign for the introduction of federal taxation to repay the substantial debts accrued by the Revolutionary War, and he became well known for his preference for a strong, central government with a standing army to properly govern over the loose collection of states that had won their independence. Rumours even suggested that Hamilton used the Newburgh conspiracy to leverage his agenda, and there was perhaps a certain level of contact between himself and a certain Lionel Lionheart - though naturally these conversations are naught but hearsay without sufficient evidence. At the Convention in Philadelphia, Hamilton tempered calls for Lionheart to assume a crown by suggesting the Presidency instead be a lifetime appointment; his suggestions were however defeated by the senior Lionheart's own desire to avoid anything resembling a monarchy or dictatorship. With the Constitution remaining unpopular in New York, Hamilton vigorously campaigned for its adoption, and the state eventually voted to ratify it by a slim margin. Following the adoption of the Constitution and the election of Lionheart to the Presidency, Hamilton was named to the newly formed cabinet as Secretary of the Treasury.


    Howard Family



    Coat of Arms of the English aristocratic Howard family, which Philip Howard claims descent from.

    Founded by Philip's great-grandfather, Edward, who claimed legitimate descent from the 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Fought for the forces of Charles I during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms and fled to America upon his defeat. Settling in Maryland, the family's wealth remained relatively modest until Philip's grandfather, Benedict Howard, secured a marriage to a wealthy heiress, inheriting a vast plantation that secured their entry into the local elite.


    Philip Howard:


    Age: 40 (born in 1759)

    Marital Status: Widower

    Children:
    Charles Howard (25)
    George Howard (20)
    Anne Howard (18)

    Traits:
    +3 Wealth
    +2 Charisma

    Questionnaire

    Questionnaire
    Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Catholic: You belong to the Roman Catholic Church, which means you acknowledge the Pope in Rome as the head of the Christian church overall, use the Douay-Rheims Bible and pray the Rosary, among other things. Many Protestant Americans will suspect you and your fellow believers of being an agent of the Papacy, but is not American religious freedom for everyone? Catholics tend to favor other Catholic polities in foreign relations, to not be great fans of radical Enlightenment liberalism, and to be based in Maryland where some of them, such as Charles Carroll, became fabulously successful around the time of the Revolution in history.

    John Locke: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was John Locke. His belief that there existed a moral Law-of-Nature forbidding men from harming one another’s lives or possessions without cause and that a night-watchman state whose role was limited to protecting the lives, liberty and property of its citizens was ideal rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with moderately liberal inclinations. +1 Wealth.

    Merchant: Prior to entering politics, you ran your own business as a merchant of at least local note. In this role you not only crunched numbers but also learned to buy low and sell high, to efficiently manage not only accounts but also your workers, to spot and plan for both opportunities and risks, and to deal with both competitors and tough customers - all skills that should serve you well in the realm of politics. +1 Wealth.

    Congressman: During the war, you were part of the Continental Congress. You did not fight in the field but instead politically represented the American states & people, presenting their demands to the British Crown at the Revolution’s eve and providing civilian leadership to revolutionary forces which foreign countries could negotiate with. As a delegate of the Congress, you also likely wrangled with overambitious generals from time to time, and may have even fought a duel or several over honor in clashes with prickly fellow Congressmen. +1 Wealth, Personal Combat or Charisma.

    Planter: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you retired to life on your country estate until the time came to get more involved in public life. As a planter, you would have been busy managing your estate - whether it was worked by slaves, free tenants, or a mix of both - and keeping up with other socialites in peacetime, which may have also involved getting into duels over honor. +1 Charisma or Personal Combat.



    Named for his relative, the infamously martyr-turned-Saint Philip Howard of Arundel, it should seem obvious that these Howards, like their distant English cousins, remain fervent believers in the true faith. After a period of study abroad in Europe, Philip assumed the management of his father's extensive estates right before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Elected to the Maryland Senate, he raised troops and money for the American cause - despite initially being wary of the prospect of warfare - and became a key figure in the establishment of the infant American State. Though convinced of the need for a strong central government, he remained a champion of the rights of Maryland, being elected as the state's postwar governor.


    Edmund Howard:


    Age: 38 (Born in 1751)

    Marital Status: Single

    Children: None

    Traits:
    +2 Infantry Command
    +2 Artillery Command
    +1 Espionage

    Questionnaire

    Questionnaire
    Anglo-American: You are, like the majority of the new nation’s inhabitants, descended from English and likely (but not always) Protestant settlers, whether they came aboard the Mayflower in 1620 or were refugees from the English Civil War or came here peacefully in much more recent days. The English have a reputation as cunning traders and are also more likely to have enjoyed leadership positions of prominence in the years leading up to the American Revolution, as well as afterwards. +1 Infantry Command, Wealth or Charisma.

    Catholic: You belong to the Roman Catholic Church, which means you acknowledge the Pope in Rome as the head of the Christian church overall, use the Douay-Rheims Bible and pray the Rosary, among other things. Many Protestant Americans will suspect you and your fellow believers of being an agent of the Papacy, but is not American religious freedom for everyone? Catholics tend to favor other Catholic polities in foreign relations, to not be great fans of radical Enlightenment liberalism, and to be based in Maryland where some of them, such as Charles Carroll, became fabulously successful around the time of the Revolution in history.

    Thomas Hobbes: In your younger years, the political philosopher you looked up to most was Thomas Hobbes. His belief that men would invariably live ‘poor, brutish and short’ lives and destroy one another if left to their natural devices and needed firm order in the form of a social contract in order to not engage in a chaotic ‘war of all against all’ rubbed off on you as a result, leaving you with conservative and ‘big state’ inclinations. +1 Espionage.

    Officer: Prior to entering politics, you secured a commission in the British (or if you’re still especially young, Continental) Army and took part in the mid-to-late 18th-century ‘cabinet wars’ between the Great Powers, from King George’s War to the French and Indian War, culminating in the American Revolution. You bring to the table your military experience and fame, or infamy, from your years at war. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery Command.

    Infantry Commander: You were, at most, a colonel in the Continental Army, commanding over a unit of line infantry or riflemen up to regiment-size. As commissioned officers up to the rank of colonel did, you fought at the front lines with your men, sharing the glory of victory and the bitterness of defeat, taking injuries in battle, and wearing out your boots beneath you as you marched with them. +1 Infantry Command, Personal Combat or Rearguard.

    Mercenary: Following the Patriot victory in the Revolutionary War, the dissolution of the armed forces and the ascent of the Articles of Confederation, you could not countenance a return to civilian life for whatever reason and went abroad to join another country’s army or navy (preferably not Britain’s, considering they were unlikely to view a traitor positively). For a time you fought under a foreign flag and in foreign wars, quitting and returning to America only around the time the Constitution was ratified. +1 Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery, Skirmish or Naval Command, or Logistician.


    The younger brother of Philip, Edmund lacked the eldest's financial clout and political influence; already a soldier in the Colonial Militia, he joined the Patriots as an officer, seeing considerable military action against the British in the southern theatre. Having returned from years of service abroad in the French army, he wishes to enter the arena of politics.

    Last edited by Gandalfus; September 20, 2019 at 04:00 AM.

  16. #16

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Stephen Van Rensselaer III



    Portrait by Gilbert Stuart.

    Born 1st November 1764.
    Status: Married, to Margarita "Peggy" Schuyler (b. 1758, m. 1783).
    Children: Catherine (b. 1784), Stephen (b. 1786-d. 1787), Stephen [IV] (b. 1789).

    Heritage:
    Dutch-American: member of the Van Rensselaer line, whose fortunes in America were made by Killiaen Van Rensselaer, one of the board directors of the West India Company. In the 1630s he build up a very large estate, purchased to a local Indian chief, and gained the status of patroon, which granted the family van Rensselaer feudal ownership of the land, including the jurisdiction over the settled tenants. By 1789 the Van Ressenlaers still hold the property of the masive estate and are one of the wealthiest families in New York and the dominant force in the Albany County. +1 to Wealth.
    Religion:
    Congregationalist: The Van Rensselaer follow the faith of their Fathers, in this case being wealthy patrons of the Albany Reformed Church. The first church in the land was, in fact, the manor of the Van Rensselaer, who as patroons had also to provide for the religious services and espiritual well-being of their tenants and colonists in those early times. Ever since, the Van Rensselaer have been central in the religious life of the Albany County. Remarkably, the church in Albany is made in a Dutch fashion and has decorations brought from Europe in the XVII century.
    Idolized philosopher:
    John Locke: Despite his upbringing in a patroon family, Stephen is a pretty open-minded, liberal and free thinker individual, elements strengthened with his ties to freemasonry, recently being admited into the Grand Lodge of New York, the main offshoot of the masons in that part of the country. John Locke remains the main pillar of the philosophical mindset of many of the recently independent Americans, and the said influence can be felt in the very Declaration of Independence from 1776, more than seventy years after Locke's own death. Works of his, like Two Treatises on Government or a Letter Concerning Toleration remain hallmarks of the free-thinking of the century and, such, their influence can be felt in any educated gentleman like Van Rensselaer. However, John Locke isn't the only author the Dutch-American landholer has read or learned about, others like Francis Hutcheson or David Hume have also influenced the morals, ethics and insight of Stephen. All in all, an illustrated author like Jean-Jacques Rosseau has deeply affected the worldview of Van Rensselaer, who believe in the inherent goodness of man. Émile, ou De l'Éducation remains one of the most influential cornerstones of Stephen's philosophical thoughts, including the major importance of a good education system and how it must be extensive to any citizen, for it shapes its relationship to the estate, society and one another. Du Contract Social ou Principes du Droit Politique is another read by the said author which has been hugely formative for this landlord of Dutch descent, and it has mostly shaped his ideas about society and government, with the need of the implementation of a political system where everyone is born the same and free. +1 Wealth.
    Early life:
    An educated gentleman (diplomat): Van Rensselaer is a young man, who had not a very storied trajectory by 1789. Still, he was educated first in Princeton College and later in Harvard, where he graduated. Having received a very extensive education, Stephen is a capable man, with a very self-conscious duty to carry as the latest patroon of his large inheritance. He has, very recently, admited into the ranks of the freemasons, being part of the Grand Lodge of New York, the main and principal offshoot of the masonry in this part of the country. +1 Charisma.
    Role in the war:
    A man with connections (congressman): While neither Van Rensselaer nor his father had any participation whatsoever in the war -one was merely a youngster and the other died prematurely- his relatives were pretty involved with the revolutionary war, including his father-in-law, the influential congressman, Philip Schuyler, or his maternal grandmother, Philip Livingston, one of the signataries of the Declaration of Independence. His stepfather is also a preacher of note, who even welcomed Lionheart personally when he came to Albany County years past. The quality and quantity of his relations and connections make, per se, the young Van Rensselaer a rather influential man. +1 Charisma.
    Role in the confederation period:
    Patroon (planter): Ever since he came of age and could administrate his lands, Van Rensselaer has been dutifully looking after his interests. A liberal man, he's known to have good personal relations with his tenants and renters, for he believes in the inherent goodness of men, their right to liberties and freedom and the necessity of those in power to be inclined to mercy, justice and liberality. Still, that doesn't mean that his estates are not well managed, for he inherited a good network of principled and able men, including some of his relatives. One must remember that his lands remain the single largest personal estate in the newly independent United States. Despite the size of his lands he merely own thirteen slaves. +1 Charisma.
    Last edited by Oznerol; September 13, 2019 at 06:04 AM.

    Left: artwork by the great Duncan Fegredo.

    A link to my Deviantart's account.

  17. #17

    Default Re: Sign Up Thread

    Douglas of Georgia


    "Mad" James Douglas




    Age: 42 (Born 1747)

    Marital Status: Married to Jane McKinley

    Status: Congressman, Planter

    Heritage: Highland Scot
    Religion: Presbyterian
    Idolised Philosopher: Rousseau
    Early Life: Merchant
    Role in the Revolution: Infantry Commander
    Role in the Confederation Period: Mercenary

    Traits:
    +1 Skirmish Command
    +1 Charisma
    +1 Wealth
    +2 Infantry Command

    Born in Philadelphia to an exiled Jacobite family, James was raised in relative comfort in what would be the eventual capital of the American Revolution, his unremarkable upbringing balancing his studies with aiding in his father's substantial business interests. When war broke out, Douglas - considering the Hanoverians to be German usurpers as well as tyrannous - raised a militia regiment to join the Continental Army, notably taking part in the failed Invasion of Canada under General Montgomery. Nonetheless, he acquitted himself admirably, his efforts securing a promotion to Brigadier General by 1777. Now under Lionheart's command, he distinguished himself particularly in the defeat at Brandywine, being ordered to retreat after defending the American right for several hours from von Knyphausen's attacks - Lionheart continually used him to cover the rearguard of the army during retreats thereafter. Though surprised by a nighttime raid at Paoli, he later used these tactics against the British in his capture of Stony Point: Douglas took 550 prisoners in twenty five minutes, the bravery and daring of the act earning him both his moniker and a congressional medal for courage. Douglas once more proved his capabilities as a defensive general in an engagement against Cornwallis at the Green Spring, holding out against superior forces until aid arrived before organizing a counter charge with bayonets. After the British surrendered at Yorktown, Douglas went south and severed the British alliance with the Native tribes in Georgia, for which he was amply rewarded with a plantation by the state.

    Following the war, Douglas briefly returned to Pennsylvania and resumed civilian life, serving in the state legislature in 1784. However, the Scotsman found it difficult to adjust. Resigning his post, he traveled to the continent, and spent three years serving in the army of the Swedish King, in which he saw action against the Russian army. In early 1788, he returned to the United States, and was among the delegates that ratified the United States Constitution, and was elected as a representative of Georgia's 1st Congressional District. Politically, Douglas is particularly influenced by the more liberal philosophers of the Enlightenment, though he loosely maintains his religious beliefs in the tradition of John Knox and the Scottish Kirk.

    Last edited by Gandalfus; September 18, 2019 at 09:48 AM.

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