Michael Isenberg

Peculiar & pedantic Zionist Omar Khayyam fanboy, author of historical novels & Quarter Millennial Minutes. زن زندگی آزادی עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי 🇺🇸🇮🇱🍸🥩🥓

[Michael Isenberg @MadMikeIsenberg]

"Shogun for Persia"
Please check out my latest novel, The Thread of Reason. It's a murder mystery set in Baghdad & western Persia in the year 1092, featuring Omar Khayyam. The murder happened in real life. The investigation & solution are my invention.
https://t.co/SssotTpKRl

[Michael Isenberg @MadMikeIsenberg]

And--Mrs. Washington's recovery from the smallpox inoculation. My latest...

[Quarter Millennial Moments @TheBig250]

250 years ago today, Congress wrapped up a wide-ranging conference with Gen. Washington and gave him leave to return to New York City.

We saw previously that the general had arrived in Philadelphia on May 23, 1776, to consult with the delegates about the foundering invasion of Canada and the defense of New York City.

Mrs. Washington accompanied him, in order to undergo a serious medical procedure: the smallpox inoculation. This was not the Jenner cowpox vaccination; that was still twenty years in the future. In the 1770s, patients were immunized with actual smallpox—in the form of pus or powdered scabs from an infected individual introduced into the skin. The resulting case of the disease was far milder than when it was caught “in the natural way,” but it was still very much a case of the disease, requiring several weeks of recovery and quarantine.

The conference with Congress was productive. Among the topics discussed were hastening troops and supplies to Quebec, alleviating a shortage of lead, raising a German-speaking battalion to encourage the Redcoats’ Hessian mercenaries to defect, building fortifications along the St. Lawrence River, recruiting Native Americans to the Continental Army and building alliances with them for the capture of Niagara and Detroit, recruiting sufficient troops to give American forces a two-to-one advantage over the enemy, constructing fire rafts and row gallies to protect the port of New York and the Hudson River, purchasing $50,000 worth of “tents, entrenching tools, and sundry other articles,” removing animal stocks and grain stores from areas that might be subject to a British landing, raising the salary of assistant quartermasters and regimental surgeons, and filling vacancies at the senior levels of the military.

One idea Washington proposed was the “Flying Camp.” The British possessed the most powerful Navy in the world; it made it possible for them to land on any of the hundreds of miles of coastline in the New York/New Jersey area. They could pick their battlefield, much to Washington’s frustration. His brainstorm: a rapid mobile response force of 10,000 Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania militiamen who could be quickly dispatched to any quarter a threat might arise.

Congress concurred. The Flying Camp was established at Amboy, and Washington assigned newly minted brigadier Hugh Mercer to command it. Units of the Flying Camp were deployed to harass the Redcoats landing on Long Island and fought in the rearguard action at the Old Stone House, holding off the enemy while their comrades made their escape. On Christmas night, some 400 Flying Camp soldiers crossed the Delaware with Washington and joined the attack on Trenton.

Alas, the Flying Camp suffered the same frustrations as the rest of the army: recruitment not hitting quota (the Camp never had more than 6,000 troops), excessively short enlistment periods, and widespread illness. Further, with the loss of New York City in the fall and the retreat of the Continental Army across New Jersey, the Flying Camp’s original mission of opposing an amphibious British landing had been overcome by events. After Gen. Mercer was fatally wounded during the January 3, 1777, Battle of Princeton, the unit was disbanded. An idea ahead of its time.

Another topic of the Philadelphia conference was public opinion. Washington and Congress recognized that they could not win the Revolution unless ordinary Americans understood and supported its objectives and were willing to make the necessary sacrifices. The delegates therefore resolved, “That an animated address be published to impress the minds of the people with the necessity of their now stepping forward to save their country, their freedom and property.” A committee was appointed and a draft address written by Virginia’s George Wythe. It was not particularly inspiring and nothing was done with it. Of course, a few weeks later, a far more stirring document, written by Thomas Jefferson, would serve the same purpose.

As for Martha, she was weathering the inoculation well. Her fever had passed and, according to a June 4th letter from the general to his brother, she “will, I expect, have the Small pox favourably—this is the 13th day, and she has very few Pustules—she would have wrote to my Sister but thought it prudent not to do so, notwithstanding there could be but little danger in conveying the Infection in this Manner.” Mrs. Washington continued her recuperation in Philadelphia for a couple weeks after the general left and then rejoined him in New York.

I'm @MadMikeIsenberg, and that's the way it was.

Check out Quarter Millennial Moments on Spotify https://t.co/6mxx9zsIXr

Previous QMM: Salt Follies https://t.co/reGW0yCcVU

Next QMM: The British Invest Charleston Harbor

Illustration(s):

The Washington Family by Edward Savage (ca. 1790)

Source(s):

Richard Baker, “A Successful Failure,” US Army, July 8, 2010, https://t.co/ktvs8lFxCE.

“Flying Camp,” Wikipedia, updated May 12, 2026, https://t.co/xBv4Ip4ygz.

Journals of the Continental Congress (1774-1789), Washington: Government Printing Office, vol. IV, (1906), pp. 387-8, 391-2, 394-6, 399-403, 406-8, 410, 412-14, https://t.co/mxlZoHLlsH; vol. V (1906), pp. 418-9, https://t.co/m1PbAkYBea.

George Washington, “Letter to Burwell Bassett,” June 4, 1776, National Archives, https://t.co/amaQZX5awk.

George Washington, “Letter to John Augustine Washington,” June 4, 1776, National Archives, https://t.co/Hg6bqHgd4l.

#AmericanRevolution #patriotic #GeorgeWashington #MarthaWashington #smallpox #FlyingCamp #Philadelphia #Pennsylvania #NewYorkCity #NewYork #Quebec

[Heimish Humor @HeimishHumor]

In the 1960's, Beirut was known as the Paris of the Middle East. Now after decades of radical Islam, it's become the...Paris of the Middle East.

[Uri Kurlianchik @VerminusM]

Most criticism of Israel can be summarized as: "Stop defending yourself! Can't you see it's hurting the people trying to kill you!"

[Michael Isenberg @MadMikeIsenberg]

H/T Pat Wahler, Author, via That Other Site

[Michael Isenberg @MadMikeIsenberg]

@DeTahmineh 💯

[Michael Isenberg @MadMikeIsenberg]

Social Conservatives: "Sorry, Atheists, but the First Amendment protects freedom of religion, not freedom from religion."
Also Social Conservatives: "Atheism is a religion."

[Liberty ＞ Life @StpeterPadilla]

@TheGriftReport This is why you don't put the "government" to doing ANY more than ABSOLUTELY necessary. And even then, restraining the hell out of even that.

[Quarter Millennial Moments @TheBig250]

The audio for today's QMM is up on Spotify!
https://t.co/cjsbizkvxP

[Michael Isenberg @MadMikeIsenberg]

And the importance of public opinion during wartime. My latest...

[Quarter Millennial Moments @TheBig250]

250 years ago today, Congress wrapped up a wide-ranging conference with Gen. Washington and gave him leave to return to New York City.

We saw previously that the general had arrived in Philadelphia on May 23, 1776, to consult with the delegates about the foundering invasion of Canada and the defense of New York City.

Mrs. Washington accompanied him, in order to undergo a serious medical procedure: the smallpox inoculation. This was not the Jenner cowpox vaccination; that was still twenty years in the future. In the 1770s, patients were immunized with actual smallpox—in the form of pus or powdered scabs from an infected individual introduced into the skin. The resulting case of the disease was far milder than when it was caught “in the natural way,” but it was still very much a case of the disease, requiring several weeks of recovery and quarantine.

The conference with Congress was productive. Among the topics discussed were hastening troops and supplies to Quebec, alleviating a shortage of lead, raising a German-speaking battalion to encourage the Redcoats’ Hessian mercenaries to defect, building fortifications along the St. Lawrence River, recruiting Native Americans to the Continental Army and building alliances with them for the capture of Niagara and Detroit, recruiting sufficient troops to give American forces a two-to-one advantage over the enemy, constructing fire rafts and row gallies to protect the port of New York and the Hudson River, purchasing $50,000 worth of “tents, entrenching tools, and sundry other articles,” removing animal stocks and grain stores from areas that might be subject to a British landing, raising the salary of assistant quartermasters and regimental surgeons, and filling vacancies at the senior levels of the military.

One idea Washington proposed was the “Flying Camp.” The British possessed the most powerful Navy in the world; it made it possible for them to land on any of the hundreds of miles of coastline in the New York/New Jersey area. They could pick their battlefield, much to Washington’s frustration. His brainstorm: a rapid mobile response force of 10,000 Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania militiamen who could be quickly dispatched to any quarter a threat might arise.

Congress concurred. The Flying Camp was established at Amboy, and Washington assigned newly minted brigadier Hugh Mercer to command it. Units of the Flying Camp were deployed to harass the Redcoats landing on Long Island and fought in the rearguard action at the Old Stone House, holding off the enemy while their comrades made their escape. On Christmas night, some 400 Flying Camp soldiers crossed the Delaware with Washington and joined the attack on Trenton.

Alas, the Flying Camp suffered the same frustrations as the rest of the army: recruitment not hitting quota (the Camp never had more than 6,000 troops), excessively short enlistment periods, and widespread illness. Further, with the loss of New York City in the fall and the retreat of the Continental Army across New Jersey, the Flying Camp’s original mission of opposing an amphibious British landing had been overcome by events. After Gen. Mercer was fatally wounded during the January 3, 1777, Battle of Princeton, the unit was disbanded. An idea ahead of its time.

Another topic of the Philadelphia conference was public opinion. Washington and Congress recognized that they could not win the Revolution unless ordinary Americans understood and supported its objectives and were willing to make the necessary sacrifices. The delegates therefore resolved, “That an animated address be published to impress the minds of the people with the necessity of their now stepping forward to save their country, their freedom and property.” A committee was appointed and a draft address written by Virginia’s George Wythe. It was not particularly inspiring and nothing was done with it. Of course, a few weeks later, a far more stirring document, written by Thomas Jefferson, would serve the same purpose.

As for Martha, she was weathering the inoculation well. Her fever had passed and, according to a June 4th letter from the general to his brother, she “will, I expect, have the Small pox favourably—this is the 13th day, and she has very few Pustules—she would have wrote to my Sister but thought it prudent not to do so, notwithstanding there could be but little danger in conveying the Infection in this Manner.” Mrs. Washington continued her recuperation in Philadelphia for a couple weeks after the general left and then rejoined him in New York.

I'm @MadMikeIsenberg, and that's the way it was.

Check out Quarter Millennial Moments on Spotify https://t.co/6mxx9zsIXr

Previous QMM: Salt Follies https://t.co/reGW0yCcVU

Next QMM: The British Invest Charleston Harbor

Illustration(s):

The Washington Family by Edward Savage (ca. 1790)

Source(s):

Richard Baker, “A Successful Failure,” US Army, July 8, 2010, https://t.co/ktvs8lFxCE.

“Flying Camp,” Wikipedia, updated May 12, 2026, https://t.co/xBv4Ip4ygz.

Journals of the Continental Congress (1774-1789), Washington: Government Printing Office, vol. IV, (1906), pp. 387-8, 391-2, 394-6, 399-403, 406-8, 410, 412-14, https://t.co/mxlZoHLlsH; vol. V (1906), pp. 418-9, https://t.co/m1PbAkYBea.

George Washington, “Letter to Burwell Bassett,” June 4, 1776, National Archives, https://t.co/amaQZX5awk.

George Washington, “Letter to John Augustine Washington,” June 4, 1776, National Archives, https://t.co/Hg6bqHgd4l.

#AmericanRevolution #patriotic #GeorgeWashington #MarthaWashington #smallpox #FlyingCamp #Philadelphia #Pennsylvania #NewYorkCity #NewYork #Quebec

[໓ērēk p໐ຟēr // キラヨシ @djproject]

Wind turbines endanger historic monastery hub of Orthodox Christian community https://t.co/rxlKSJz4bO via @Change

[Michael Isenberg @MadMikeIsenberg]

@davidboxenhorn The double standard is glaring.

[Augie @augierakow]

Probably true.

[Bunagaya @Bunagayafrost]

"Kids today" complaints were partly a memory illusion. The olds forgot what they were like when they were young. Today we have photo and video evidence of exactly how degenerate they were.

There's nothing foreign left to panic about. Everyone is on the same screen and platform. Rock'n roll was alien. To even understand it you had to be with the young, and they didn't let the olds in. Now you make an account and you're in. The olds hijack the fad. The algorithm dissolved the boundary.

Only complaints the olds have about the "kids today" are that they don't drink, don't date, don't take risks. Every historical complaint was a complaint from order against disorder. Olds created such a disorderly society that "kids today" rebel yearning for order.

[Pessimists Archive @PessimistsArc]

Some optimism about pessimism

[Louis Anslow @LouisAnslow]

Interesting