author
Samuel Swett
1782–1866
Remembered for his energetic writing on Revolutionary history, he helped shape how 19th-century readers pictured the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was also a Massachusetts merchant whose books and pamphlets kept old debates about the Revolution very much alive.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in 1782 and dying in 1866, Samuel Swett was a Massachusetts merchant and author closely associated with Boston, Dedham, and Newburyport. He is best known today for historical works on the American Revolution, especially the Battle of Bunker Hill, a subject he returned to repeatedly over many years.
Swett wrote Historical and Topographical Sketch of Bunker Hill Battle in 1818 and later published expanded or related works including Notes to his Sketch of Bunker-Hill Battle, History of Bunker Hill Battle, and Who Was the Commander at Bunker Hill? He also wrote on other Revolutionary figures, including Israel Putnam, showing a lasting interest in preserving memories of the founding era and arguing over how its key events should be understood.
His writing has the feel of someone deeply invested in the people, places, and controversies of early American history. For listeners interested in older historical works, Swett offers a vivid example of how the Revolution was remembered, debated, and retold in the generation that followed it.