This is not just a history book. The sheer amount of detailed information regarding each battle and skirmish collectively called the Philadelphia Campaign during the Revolutionary War, would fill volumes. This book focuses more on the ironies, intrigue, and idiosyncrasies of a phase in the Revolutionary War that was fought on Pennsylvania soil and helps a novice local historian gain a better perspective of how the battles were fought, won, or lost in their backyard. This book will take you on a guided tour of 18th-century Pennsylvania, where forts were built, battles were fought, and loyalties were challenged. Because this book does not provide a detailed, exhaustive history of the Philadelphia Campaign, there is plenty of room to explore some of the little-known and less frequently visited Revolutionary War sites in Penn's Woods.

During this book project, my family and I visited mills, houses, taverns, and forges to learn about the people and places that contributed to the birth of our great nation. Some of the stories told in this book focus on heroes and heroines who worked well behind the battle lines but did their part in securing liberty for all. Conversely, this book features stories of villains and anti-heroes who fought against American patriots or preyed on their families. Finally, this book will peel back the layers of local folklore and provide evidence and insight on whether we can call those stories authentic history.

This book also provides a platform for me to tell the unique story of my career as an active-duty infantry Marine, which spanned over twenty years. These stories, called Marine Corps Tie-ins, chronicle my ups and downs, triumphs, and failures during my sojourn as a Soldier of the Sea. Some of these stories are amusing, and some of them are tragic. They contain their own ironies, intrigue and idiosyncrasies that combine to make my journey through the Marine Corps one worth telling. Although I will never sit by a fire with my beautiful daughters and recount my war stories, they are captured in this volume and preserved for them and their children should they ever want to know the intricacies of their daddy's service to our nation.