Stories of American Legends

His ship was sinking. The British demanded his surrender. John Paul Jones was too determined and audacious.

September 1779. Off the coast of England, the tired American warship, Bonhomme Richard, is on fire. Her guns shattered, water pouring into her hull. Alongside her is HMS Serapis, a newer, better-armed British warship. Any ordinary captain would have struck his colors long ago.

In Episode 10 of Stories of American Legends, I tell the story of John Paul Jones, the Scottish-born sailor who became a Father of the American Navy. From his rough start at sea to his command in the Continental Navy, this is the man who took the Revolutionary War to Britain’s coast.

This is the beginning of American naval history.

August 1776. The Continental Army was trapped on Long Island, and a stone farmhouse stood between them and survival.

At the Battle of Brooklyn, the British seized the Old Stone House and cut off the American escape. The only way left was through the deadly Gowanus marsh. So Lord Stirling turned to a few hundred young soldiers from Maryland and gave them an order that sounded like madness.

What they did next is why George Washington never forgot them, and why Maryland is still called the Old Line State.

This is the story of the Maryland 400.

Stories of American Legends brings forgotten heroes of American history to life, one story at a time.

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When the Abenaki Warriors kidnap her and kill her one-week-old baby against a tree, this frontier mother is hell-bent on revenge. And she gets her hands on one of her captor's tomahawks.

And if you enjoy this historical narrative from American History, listen to my other episodes to discover more forgotten American heroes.

When the British thought the war was over in the South, the Swamp Fox began to terrorize them. He would ambush patrols, burn supply wagons and then vanish back into the South Carolina swamps.

The vote for Independence is deadlocked. The one man who can break the tie is 80 miles away, fighting cancer and on the wrong side of a thunderstorm.

George Washington has Boston under siege. But the British Navy keeps the harbor open. He needs heavy artillery to drive them out, but the guns are 300 miles away across frozen wilderness and impassable mountains. Henry Knox has the audacity to try to transport them.

The rugged frontiersmen just wanted to be left alone. The Revolutionary War was not their fight. But when a British officer threatened to bring "fire and sword", hang their leaders and burn their homes...they prepared for war. And there would be hell to pay.

You know the beer, but do you know the real Samuel Adams? Why did 13 separate colonies unite and defy the most powerful empire in the world? Much of it can be traced back to one man with an unmatched talent for organizing ordinary men and setting ideas ablaze with his pen.

A 5 year old boy was abandoned on a Virginia Dock in 1765. Patrick Henry's uncle took him in and raised him. He grew into a giant who accomplished many might feats in the service of the Continental Army.

A musket volley begins the American Revolution. As the British retreat through the countryside, they are fired on from all sides by colonial patriots. When they reach the small town of Menotomy, Massachusetts, a 78 year old farmer, named Samuel Whittemore is waiting. The old war veteran plans to ambush an entire British column by himself.

History With Jacob (@HistoryWJacob) / X

My goal is to tell the stories of forgotten American heroes in a way that is entertaining, compelling and historically accurate.
The episodes are just 10-15 minutes each.

I don’t recite dry historical facts. I try to bring you into a story.

I incorporate intentional cinematic background music and tasteful sound effects
Who am I? I am just a regular American dad, who loves our rich history and doesn’t want these stories to be forgotten.

If you think history is boring, give me 10 minutes to change your mind.

I’m Jacob. And welcome to Stories of American Legends.