249 years ago a brave group of leaders in an upstart colony decided to take the radical step of declaring a new nation, separating themselves from the monarchy its members had grown up and prospered within. It’s wild to imagine today, but at the time, the future looked rather uncertain, even unlikely, for this new experiment in self-government. The British crown launched a massive expedition aimed at curbing the rebellion of British subjects. Led by its finest military minds, dozens of ships ...