24 March 2022
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Researcher Anne Ammundsen has spent twenty years painstakingly piecing together the correspondence surrounding the Asgill Affair, in which a young soldier, Charles Asgill, was unlawfully imprisoned and his reputation subsequently severely damaged.
The Asgill Affair is a chapter of history with international connections at the time, from George Washington to Marie Antoinette. Anne Ammundsen has dedicated two decades of research to piecing together the evidence and thus help to clear Charles Asgill's name - which was damaged as it was George Washington's account that held sway in the late 1700s, and in the decades that followed.
Anne Ammundsen spoke to Helen Tovey, Editor of Family Tree, about her research.
To learn more about the Asgill Affair
Please see:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asgill_Affair#Error_of_judgement
- General Washington's Dilemma by Katherine Mayo
- First and Always: A New Portrait of George Washington by Peter Henriques
If you wish to contact Anne Ammundsen, please email: [email protected]
Anne Ammundsen's self-confessed 'Heath Robinson' studio set up, so arranged to ensure her Asgill collection was visible in the video background.
Notes:
Theresa/Thérèse. Re: mention of Theresa in the recording. To give her French origins some meaning, Asgill's mother changed her name from Theresa, signing as Thérèse.
To discover the movements of the Asgill letter, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asgill_Affair#The_movements_of_Asgill's_1786_letter,_which_was_published_in_2019
Memorials: James Gordon now has a memorial plaque in the graveyard in which he is buried in an unmarked grave, Trinity Church, New York City. Since the interview Anne Ammundsen has had a meeting with St James's Church, Piccadilly, but a memorial to Charles Asgill and his wife is looking less promising there.
Memorial Stanchion for Lieutenant Colonel James Gordon at Trinity Church, New York City.