Derek Baxter

I’m thrilled to announce my new book, The Forgotten World War: Exploring the Secret History of the American Revolution, From Spain to India and Back Again! Did you know that the Revolutionary War was fought far beyond the borders of the Thirteen Colonies? America couldn’t have won it without the help from its allies and partners—the French, of course, but also the Spanish, the Dutch, the Oneida, and the Mysore Kingdom in India. The Forgotten World War takes a hands-on approach to uncovering this hidden history. To learn about it, I hit the road, traveling to battle sites and palaces, looking for local experts, reenactors, and descendants of historical figures who could share stories with me. My travels took me to the windswept English Channel, the bayous of Louisiana, and a lost battlefield in India. With my family, I tramped through the jungles of the Yucatan, descended the Rock of Gibraltar, and reached the heights of the Citadel of Quebec. And some travels were closer to home. Here in Virginia, I learned about Lafayette’s exploits here before Yorktown—as well as the role played by the enslaved spy and double agent, James Armistead, in the leadup to the battle. The Forgotten World War will be published in May, 2026, in time for the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary! It’s available now for preorder—see link in bio. Thanks to my publisher, @sourcebooks and my agent, Amanda Jain at @bookends_literary for all of their help along this journey! #forgottenworldwar #sourcebooks #bookends #newbook #revolutionarywar #americanrevolution #varevolution250 #america250 #americanindependence #historybook #lafayette #travelbook #booklaunch #americanfriendsoflafayette

On this day, 250 years ago, the Virginia Convention instructed the colony’s representatives at the Continental Congress to propose independence.(North Carolina had already authorized his representatives to vote for independence if it came to a vote.) On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee followed these instructions, striding into what we now call Independence Hall, and calling for the connection with Britain to be totally dissolved. Already previewing the international aspect of the war, he also called for the new nation to form foreign alliances. Not long after that, Jefferson would begin his work on the document we all know and love, the Declaration. #va250 #america250 #revolutionarywar #americanrevolution #thomasjefferson

Calling all history buffs: join us on June 2nd for an evening with @derekjbaxter in celebration of his new book, The Forgotten World War!⁠ ⁠ RSVP at the 🔗⁠ ⁠ ⁠ About the book⬇️⁠ How well do you truly know the American Revolution? On the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the United States, author Derek Baxter reveals just how global an effort it was to create a new country.⁠ ⁠ Forget the Liberty Bell: if you want to truly understand the American Revolution, get a passport and visit the hills of Andalucia, the lagoons of the Yucatan, and the palaces of south India. In The Forgotten World War, Derek Baxter embarks on an adventure-filled quest across four continents to uncover the story of how Americans really won our independence. He discovers how the fighting in the U.S. was only one theater of a much broader conflict, in which an unlikely group of nations banded together to take on the mighty British Empire.

It’s always a magical moment to open a box with copies of the book you wrote! I chose to do so at Yorktown, the site of our ultimate victory. The Forgotten World War, about our allies and partners during the American Revolution, comes out in 12 days—you can preorder it now! Link in bio. #booklaunch #bookrelease #unboxing #revolutionarywar #lafayette

Thank you, @ryanlcole11 , for your kind words about The Forgotten World War! I’m honored to receive this blurb from you. There’s only two weeks until my book is out—you can preorder it now! Link in bio. Also check out Ryan’s fascinating book on Lafayette’s tour of the U.S., The Last Adieu, which is well worth a read. #revolutionarywar #americanrevolution #lafayette #bookrelease

On this day in 1781, the dashing Spanish general Bernardo de Galvez took Fort George, a British stronghold in Pensacola, West Florida. The victory allowed the Spanish to secure the Gulf of Mexico—and later protect the Caribbean for the French, allowing France to sail north to the Yorktown campaign. Credit for the paintings La Marcha de Galvez and Por Espana y el Rey Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau. These files are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Credit for the painting Spanish Troops at Pensacola: H. Charles McBarron, Jr., U.S. Army Center for Military History. #bernardodegalvez #spainintheamericanrevolution #america250 #revolutionarywar #americanrevolution

NOTE UPDATED VENUE BELOW I’m excited for the launch of The Forgotten World War later this month! Friends and history lovers in the DMV—please come out to Vienna, Virginia at 2 p.m. on May 31 for the big event. It’s sponsored by Vienna 250 and Bards Alley Bookshop. Note that my talk isn’t at the bookstore itself, but at the Vienna Community Center on 120 Cherry Street. (An earlier version of this post had the locale as the police station community room; that was incorrect.) We’ll have books for sale, light refreshments, some swag… and what I hope is a great discussion about how our allies and partners helped America win the Revolutionary War. If you want, you can preorder books from Bards Alley, too! #bookrelease #america250 #revolutionarywar #americanrevolution #booklaunch

Revolutionary War weekend at Mount Vernon was a blast—literally and figuratively. Washington and Lafayette held court, while Patriots and British and Hessians took shots at each other, to the ever-present boom of cannons. And everyone had a good time. Here is @mrroywulf playing “La Charge” on the fife—music that makes you want to put down your phone, grab a musket, and rush the enemy lines! #america250 #georgewashington #americanrevolution #revolutionarywar #lafayette

250 years ago today, Benjamin Franklin arrived in Montreal on a diplomatic mission. American forces had taken the city the previous fall as part of an invasion of Quebec. The Continental Army had hoped that Canadians would join them in their revolt against Britain. Some did—but not in the numbers that the Patriots had hoped for. The Americans tried to storm Quebec City on December 31, 1775, in a snowstorm, but the assault failed. Franklin’s diplomatic mission—along with delegates Samuel Chase and Charles Carroll, as well as a Catholic priest and a French printer—came too late. While some sympathized with their cause, the vast majority of Canadians elected not to join in this war for independence and remained loyal to the Crown. Canada would achieve its own independence later, of course, thanks to its own efforts. #america250 #benjaminfranklin #revolutionarywar #worldwar

I enjoyed signing copies of In Pursuit of Jefferson at @colonialwmsburg ’s visitor center! And checking out all the other cool stuff they have there. Sadly, I did not buy the cannon. #thomasjefferson #america250 #va250 #presidentialhistory #colonialwilliamsburg

On this day in 1777, Lafayette made a daring escape to America. He wanted to volunteer to fight for the American cause, but the young Marquis was too prominent a figure. King Louis XVI worried that Britain might be so offended by his participation in the war that they would declare war on France, which the king was not yet ready for. So he banned Lafayette from leaving. The dashing young nobleman, of course, would have none of it. He bought his own 22-ton ship, renaming it the Victoire, and slipped away to Spain before the French authorities could stop him. From there, he sailed to America to fight for liberty. I retraced his steps in the Spanish port of Pasaia while researching my new book, The Forgotten World War, but America’s allies during the Revolutionary War. See link in bio. #Lafayette #Americanfriendsoflafayette #americanrevolution #revolutionarywar #america250

Celebrating Bernardo de Galvez—the subject of a new stamp by the U.S. Postal Service! The dashing Spanish general played a key role in the American Revolutionary War. He was a bold commander—when Spain joined the coalition against Britain in 1779, he launched lightning attacks against British forts along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast. He triumphed over the British at Pensacola, a victory that set the stage for the Yorktown campaign, for it allowed the French fleet to sail north in full force to help the Americans. I learned all about him while researching my new book, The Forgotten World War, which is part travel, part history. In it, I followed in Bernardo’s footsteps in his hometown of Macharaviaya, Spain, and across Louisiana and met experts on him along the way. Even one of his relatives—Jose Galvez, who plays Bernardo in the town’s annual Fourth of July pageant, and is a generally awesome guy. So get your stamp now, hot off the press! Are you going to want to save it as a keepsake or will you actually mail it somewhere? Credit for the painting La Marcha de Galvez: Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Credit for the painting Spanish Troops at Pensacola: H. Charles McBarron, Jr., U.S. Army Center for Military History. #bernardodegalvez #americanrevolution #revolutionarywar #america250 #revolutionarywarhistory