A Macaroni in the Barracks: Sexuality on Trial in Revolutionary America

Join John Gilbert McCurdy as he tells the story of Robert Newburgh, a British Army chaplain whose trial reveals the link between sexuality and revolution in the late 18th century.

Robert Newburgh was as a chaplain in the 18th Regiment of Foot during the American War of Independence (1775-83), who stood accused of ‘vicious and immoral behaviour’ for having sexual relations with a man. To his opponents, the rumours surrounding his sexuality roused suspicions concerning his loyalty to the British cause.

While the charge against him reveals certain 18th-century attitudes towards queerness, Newburgh’s demand for a court-martial invoked Enlightenment ideals of equality. He argued passionately that his manner and his style of dress should not exclude him from the Army or society.

In this fascinating talk, John Gilbert McCurdy tells of Newburgh’s legal battle to clear his name, and explores what his trial tells us about the link between sexuality and revolution in early America. 

About the speaker

John Gilbert McCurdy

John Gilbert McCurdy is Professor of History at Eastern Michigan University, where he teaches courses on colonial and Revolutionary America, as well as LGBTQIA+ history. He is the author of three books and has held fellowships from the British Library, the Massachusetts Historical Society and the University of Michigan.