P.O. Box 144, Falmouth, MA 02541-0144 - Barnstable County
Copyright Falmouth Genealogical Society, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved.
NEXT meeting:
Saturday, September 12, 2026 - 10:00AM EDT
Please note this meeting will be held on the second Saturday of September.
Hybrid Meeting with Live Presenter
"Noble Volunteers, the British Soldiers Who Fought the American Revolution"
with author Don Hagist
Redcoats. For Americans, the word brings to mind the occupying army that attempted to crush the Revolutionary War. There was more to these soldiers than their red uniforms, but the individuals who formed the ranks are seldom described in any detail in historical literature, leaving unanswered questions. Who were these men? Why did they join the army? Where did they go when the war was over?
In Noble Volunteers: The British Soldiers Who Fought the American Revolution, Don N. Hagist brings life to these soldiers, describing the training, experiences, and outcomes of British soldiers who fought during the Revolution. Drawing on thousands of military records and other primary sources in British, American, and Canadian archives, and the writings of dozens of officers and soldiers, Noble Volunteers shows how a peacetime army responded to the onset of war, how professional soldiers adapted quickly and effectively to become tactically dominant, and what became of the thousands of career soldiers once the war was over.
In this historical tour de force, introduced by Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson, Hagist dispels long-held myths, revealing how remarkably diverse British soldiers were. They represented a variety of ages, nationalities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and many had joined the army as a peacetime career, only to find themselves fighting a war on another continent in often brutal conditions. Against the sweeping backdrop of the war, Hagist directs his focus on the small picture, illuminating the moments in an individual soldier’s life—those hours spent nursing a fever while standing sentry in the bitter cold, or writing a letter to a wife back home. What emerges from these vignettes is the understanding that while these were “common” soldiers, each soldier was completely unique, for, as Hagist writes, “There was no ‘typical’ British soldier.”
*****
Don N. Hagist is managing editor of Journal of the American Revolution. His historical studies focus on presenting an accurate picture of individual soldiers and their families, especially those of the British army who served in America. This research is done using exclusively primary sources, mostly from archives in North America and Europe. He was a consultant for the PBS documentary The American Revolution produced by Ken Burns and the Netflix series Turning Point: the American Experiment. He has written several recent books including Noble Volunteers: the British Soldiers who fought the American Revolution, The Revolution’s Last Men: The Soldiers behind the Photographs and the forthcoming Invisible Lives: British Soldiers’ Wives in the American Revolution. Don is an engineering consultant, and also writes for several well-known syndicated cartoonists. For more information, see his web site, donhagist.com
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Past Presidents from left: Mary Barry, Ralph Wadleigh, Judy Fenner, Donna Walcovy, Joyce Pendery, Marge Riley, Eleanor Baldic, & John Caspole. Most recent presidents: Thomas Greve then Gerard Luby then currently Tim Martin missing from picture.
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FGS Monthly meetings
The Society is a nonprofit organization of beginner, amateur, and professional family historians and genealogists dedicated to studying, preserving and sharing family histories. Established in 1985, FGS promotes genealogical research among members; the Barnstable County, MA community; and anyone interested in family history.
The Society generally meets
on a selected Saturday of each month.
Since April 2022 we have resumed live monthly meetings at the Hermann Foundation Room of the Falmouth (Massachusetts) Public Library
- Check the calendar for more information!