Our Story

Although Robert Heriot held the rank of colonel in the Revolutionary militia, he led no gallant charges, nor did he boldly defend important posts against great odds. On the contrary, it is likely that he never came under enemy fire throughout the entire war.

Mary Heriot's experiences seem similarly unremarkable. She penned no works in support of the American cause as Mercy Otis Warren did, and she did not even push privately for women's rights in the new republic, an effort that made Abigail Adams famous. What, then, can be learned from the Heriots' lives and wartime experiences?

The short answer is: much. While it has become a cliché to say that the Revolution affected the lives of everyone in the thirteen American colonies that rebelled against British rule, there is scant evidence to provide direct support for that generalization. ... The lives of Robert and Mary Heriot, related through their correspondence, reveal a great deal of information about the impact of the Revolution on families, and the struggles of individuals to navigate the vicissitudes of war. -from the Foreword by Jim Piecuch, Ph.D.