Greg Brooking
Award-winning historian of early America and the American Revolution; social studies teacher at North Springs High School (Fulton County, GA) since 2015; author of "From Empire to Revolution: Sir James Wright and the Price of Loyalty in Georgia" (UGA Press).
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APPEARANCES
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PODCASTS
Jul 29, 2026
Andrew AydenHOST
I mean, it doesn't take long before you're kinda like, "Wait, what are they, what are these guys doing?" Am I, am I wrong in that sort of assumption?
Greg BrookingGUEST
Um, uh, as you're asking the question, uh, two names, uh, immediately, uh, maybe three immediately pop to mind.
Greg BrookingGUEST
Um, one is Light-Horse Harry Lee, who was Robert E. Lee's, uh, father, um, who, uh, ran roughshod, and, uh, again, kinda like Dooley, didn't believe the rules much applied to him.
Greg BrookingGUEST
Uh, the other, uh, is John Laurens, Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, uh, who was a favorite of George Washington, who died foolishly, uh, in the, in this, uh, uh, a skirmish re- at the very, very end of the war.
Greg BrookingGUEST
Um, you, you don't get that nickname by being patient and calm and, uh, observing things before you act.
15 MINS LATER
Andrew AydenHOST
Whether every detail of the Tory Pond story happened exactly that way is, I mean, it's never going to be known, right? But that raises a different question, which is, why has this version of the story endured for nearly 250 years?