Meet author DON N. HAGIST, managing editor of the Journal of the American Revolution, advisor for Ken Burns "The American Revolution" on PBS, and an expert on the British army in the American Revolution. 

 FORGET EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT THE REDCOATS.

For centuries, they’ve been cast as the faceless, villainous army sent to crush American liberty. But who were the actual men wearing the red uniforms?

Join us for an exclusive evening with acclaimed historian and author Don N. Hagist as he discusses his award-winning book, now newly available in paperback!

• What: Author Talk & Book Signing: Noble Volunteers: The British Soldiers Who Fought the American Revolution

• When:    November 14, 2026

• Where: Brandywine Battlefield Park, 1491 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford PA, 19317

🏆 WINNER OF THE 2020 AMERICAN REVOLUTION ROUNDTABLE OF PHILADELPHIA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

Introduced by Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson, Noble Volunteers is a historical tour de force that completely shatters long-held myths. Drawing on thousands of primary sources, military records, and personal diaries, Hagist brings the "common" British soldier to life in vivid, human detail.

At this exclusive author talk, you will discover:

• The Real Faces: Why men from incredibly diverse ages, nationalities, and socioeconomic backgrounds chose the army as a peacetime career.

• The Reality of War: How a peacetime army quickly adapted to become a tactically dominant force on an entirely different continent.

• The Human Moments: The deeply personal stories of soldiers standing sentry in bitter cold or writing letters to their wives back home.

• The Aftermath: What exactly happened to the thousands of career soldiers once the war was over? (The answers might surprise you!)

"There was no ‘typical’ British soldier." > — Don N. Hagist

🎟️ Reserve Your Spot Today!

Whether you are a die-hard history buff or just love a fascinating human story, this is a talk you won't want to miss. Books will be available for purchase and signing following the event.

Images from the book, from left to right, top to bottom: Recruiting poster for the 52nd Regiment of Foot, appealing to young men aspiring to become “Gentleman Soldiers,” courtesy Eric H. Schnitzer. A fifer depicted in the frontispiece of a British fife instruction book, dressed in conformance with the clothing regulations of the 1770s and 1780s. In the near background is a tent that is shaped like a bell tent for storing arms, albeit rendered much too large. Five-man soldiers’ tents appear in rows in the background. From Entire New and Compleat Instructions for the Fife, London: John Preston, no date. “British troops on the March, 1790, Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection. “The Relief” by H. W. Bunbury, 1781, Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection.