Famed historian speaks at President’s Gala, Stukes Lecture

Erskine welcomed more than 100 alumni and friends to the Bowie Arts Center Feb. 28 for the 2025 President’s Gala. Historian Patrick K. O’Donnell, featured speaker, also delivered this year’s Stukes Lecture Feb. 27 in the Founders Room. In both talks, he focused on the impact of two Revolutionary War regiments, the Marylanders and the Marblehead Mariners of Massachusetts, or Marbleheaders. Learn more about Patrick O’Donnell here.

“It’s about men of family, honor, and fortune whose agency changed the course of history,” O’Donnell said.

“All of the books I have written have found me in one way or another,” the prolific author told the Gala attendees, recounting as an example his trip to Green-Wood Cemetery in New York, the site of the Battle of Brooklyn (August 1776).

“Here lie 256 Marylanders, American heroes,” O’Donnell read on a rusty sign at the cemetery. The sign inspired his interest in a regiment whose repeated bayonet attacks allowed the beleaguered Americans to retreat and regroup, saving Washington’s army from destruction in the early months of the Revolutionary War. Researching the role of the Marylanders led to Washington’s Immortals, one of O’Donnell’s many books.

In the wake of the Battle of Brooklyn, the Marbleheaders, another remarkable regiment, transported some 10,000 retreating American soldiers and their horses across the East River—in the middle of a Northeaster. O’Donnell called the Marbleheaders’ feat “the American Dunkirk.”

During Washington’s surprise attack on Hessian mercenaries at the Battle of Trenton (December 1776), only one third of his army—the group led by the Marblehead Mariners—was able to cross the Delaware River to make the attack. The Marbleheaders seized a bridge which offered the only path of retreat for the Hessians, leading them to surrender to the Americans.

O’Donnell also cited the pre-Revolutionary War activities of some of the men who became the Marblehead Mariners, a regiment which included black, Native American, and white men. Prior to the start of armed conflict, a group of Marblehead fishermen responded defiantly to an attempt at press-ganging, common British practice at the time. One of the men harpooned the British lieutenant who had boarded their fishing vessel and tried to force them into military service.

Noting the significance of the Marbleheaders’ actions, O’Donnell said, “Freedom and liberty, the principles that we see today, [were] forged in Marblehead, and these are groundbreaking principles.”

O’Donnell fielded questions following both the Stukes Lecture and his address at the President’s Gala.

An audience member at the Stukes Lecture suggested that Washington could not be considered one of the greatest generals because he lost so many battles, and O’Donnell responded that Washington’s greatness lay in his ability to pivot, forge alliances, and innovate.

Erskine President Dr. Steve Adamson asked about O’Donnell’s early work, before he began writing books, and the historian said he began by interviewing World War II veterans and starting a history archive of their stories. It was the veterans who suggested that he write a book.

“History’s my passion,” O’Donnell said. “Preserving history is my goal.”

This year’s President’s Gala was the fifth such event that Erskine has hosted in recent years. The President’s Gala has featured a variety of artists and other speakers.

The Joseph T. Stukes Lecture series brings a distinguished lecturer in history to Erskine College each year. The fund was established by students and colleagues of Stukes, who served as professor of history and vice president for academic affairs at Erskine College. He died in 2016.

Shown at top are Patrick K. O’Donnell, left, and Erskine President Dr. Steve Adamson.