General Ward’s Colonial Army is an enlightening collection of articles giving the history of the Massachusetts minute-men and militia that first engaged the British during the Revolutionary War. When this series was originally published for The Massachusetts Magazine, 1908–1918, the periodical proved an authoritative resource on the officers of the Massachusetts Revolutionary regiments and has been compiled, edited, and updated for a modern audience by Keith A. Brough.

This book, pulling extensively from the collected information of Dr. Frank A. Gardner—who wrote the original articles and began chronicling these events at age seventeen—also incorporates factual data researched and recovered by Brough. Chapters are logically organized by regiment and county, with each containing a biographical narrative and historical sketch of the corresponding regiment, thus forming a natural reference guide to the Commonwealth’s 17 volume Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War.

The book creates a unique perspective and vivid picture of key officers as they developed in their careers. The information includes their location of service, the date of enlistment, the action they saw, alarms to which they responded, and finally their resignation date, in addition to other pertinent facts.

Keith Brough