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The Judith Randolph-Longwood Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), held its monthly meeting on Saturday, Jan. 14 at the Barbara Rose Johns Farmville/Prince Edward Community Library.  The program, entitled General George Washington’s Philadelphia Campaign 1777-1778: Pennsylvania Battles and Battlefields, was presented by guest speaker Andrew Ronemus.

Ronemus, a history teacher and Revolutionary War reenactor, grew up in eastern Pennsylvania where he visited many battlefields there and in Delaware. These visits sparked his interest in state parks and history which he followed at Pennsylvania State University where he majored in Recreation and Park Management.

He later completed his certification in History Education and went on to teach in Portsmouth and is now teaching in Cumberland County Schools. Ronemus completed internships at Valley Forge and the Minutemen National Historic Park during college and continued this interest later by working at Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation and volunteering at Brandywine Battlefield State Park.

He described for the members some of the battles such as Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Pennsylvania, Fort Mifflin and Valley Forge and the hardships faced by the soldiers. He also shared items he has collected such as canteens, uniforms, shoes, rifles and muskets. A question from the audience prompted a description of the difference between a musket and a rifle.

He shared that during most of these battles the Colonials lost more soldiers than the British, that the bright colors of the Colonial uniforms helped officers know where their troops were and that Colonial privateers would raid British ships and depots, bringing the stolen items back to the soldiers.

These facts and many others made this a very interesting and informative program for the local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter.