Historian Interview: Robbie MacNiven

Robbie at the Culloden Battlefield

Today, we are going to our historian interviews. By the time this series concludes in early May, we will have heard from Nick Kane, Ben Bartgis, Robbie MacNiven and Jonathan Abel. All of these individuals are broadly interested in the Kabinettskriege era, and have been selected as a result of recent promotion, impending graduate school applications, or work recently begun in graduate school or at a historic site. Today's young historian is Robbie MacNiven, a historian who researches the British Army in the era of the War of Independence. Robbie graduated in 2014 from the University of Edinburgh, and is now finishing his Ph.D, studying the era of the American Revolution.

 Alexander Burns: What drew you to study the history in this era? In 2018, much of popular memory of military history in the United States is focused on World War 1, World War 2, and the Vietnam War. What about the history of the 1648-1789 era do you find so compelling?

Robbie MacNiven: My father served 22 years in the British Army, so growing up I was very aware of military history. I developed an early fascination with the subject through various mediums – accidentally flipping the channel to the 1993 film Gettysburg when I was five years old, or playing the historical PC game Age of Empires, or starting to read Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels aged 12. During my early teen years I developed an interest that started in the early nineteenth century and then gradually worked its way back the way to the late sixteenth. General British history tends to be very focussed on the World Wars, but the Napoleonic era is also still very popular – I think someone did a study of literature whose main focus is just the battle of Waterloo, and found there had been about 3,000 publications on that subject alone in the last two hundred years! That was my initial entry point.

AB: Is there a particular person, conflict, event, or geographical setting which draws you to this era?

RM: Around the age of 15 I watched the film The Patriot for the first time, which introduced me to a rather fanciful depiction based off Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton. I became fascinated with him and with how his image differed (and occasionally matched) the character that was created in America both during the Revolution and after. I wrote my undergraduate dissertation about the Battle of Waxhaws. That in turn crystallized a broader interest in the close study of the British Army during the American Revolution.

AB: How do you plan to continue your research into this era? You’ve studied history at the postgraduate level, and are working on a number of projects related to the era. Why have you chosen your particular path?

Robbie MacNiven

RM: I’m not sure about a particular path, but at the moment I’m not gunning to go into academia straight after graduation. Between undergrad, my Masters and the PhD I will have been at university for a decade. I’m currently writing fiction full time (mostly fantasy and sci-fi novels), but not pursuing an academic career doesn’t mean I won’t be continuing my studies in my spare time. I’ve just finished a book for Osprey Publishing about British Light Infantry during the American Revolution, and I’m contracted for a second book about the broader tactics of the Revolutionary War, covering the British, German, Patriot and French armies. Writing is my passion, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, and I’m very grateful that I’m currently able to do it as my job. Hopefully that continues.

AB: What challenges have you faced in the historical profession? What, if any, advice would you give to high school and college students considering this field?

RM: In terms of advice I’d say follow your passion. It sounds clichéd, but it’s the sort of thing you hear for a good reason. University can be tough, and you really need an interest that anchors you, that’s going to get you through all the research and the deadlines. If you find the subject really captivating then you’ve got the building blocks of an academic career.

If you’re just starting out, I’d advise you to make good use of your supervisors. Don’t be intimidated by them – they’re there to help, and they want you to succeed more than anyone. I followed the advice of mine closely, but don’t be afraid to give a bit of pushback as well. You need to be able to develop and defend your own views. It’s something of a tightrope, but it gets easier after the first or second year.

Also, don’t forget to have fun! Studying can be all-consuming. Schedule breaks and stick to them!

AB: What have you been reading, recently? Could you recommend one book on your topic of interest, or any recent work on the era?

RM: Currently I’m helping proofread a manuscript for Don Hagist about the experiences of regular British soldiers during the American Revolution. It’s going to be an absolutely brilliant book and a great addition to the field, so keep an eye out for its release!

As for recommending one book, I’m going to cheat and recommend five, for anyone who wants to know more about the British military during the Revolutionary period:

British Soldiers American War by Don Hagist

The Men Who Lost America by Andrew O’Shaughnessey

Fusiliers by Mark Urban

With Zeal and With Bayonets Only by Matthew H. Spring

Lastly, it’s not specifically British Army-focused, but Holger Hoock’s Scars of Independence is a really great reassessment of the Revolution.  

AB: Thanks so much Robbie! We look forward to following your career as it continues!

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Thanks for Reading, 

Alex Burns