Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold began as a successful businessman in New Haven,Connecticut. He served in the Continental Army, working with soldiers such as Ethan Allan to bring about the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. The next year, he led the Americans in invading Quebec. IAs a major general, he was an important part of the American victory at Saratoga. After that point, his career began to disintegrate. Arnold's debt grew after his second marriage; He was unfairly criticized by political enemies, and he felt that he was unappreciated by his fellow Americans. Possibly for these reasons, he made a secret deal with a British Commander to surrender West Point to the British in exchange for a royal military command position and a large onetime payment, followed by a high salary in his new position. When the patriots discovered his plan, he fled to the British and was given a lesser position with much less pay. After the war, Arnold worked as a merchant shipper in England, where he died. Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) Joseph Brant, born Thayendanegea, was the leader of the Mohawk tribe, part of the Iroquois. He was educated by British ministers. He worked as an interpreter for visiting missionaries for about ten years; by 1774, he was interpreting for the British Indian Department as well. The next year, he traveled to London, was presented at court, and even dined with Royalty. After his return to America in 1776, Brant and his warriors supported the loyalists. Brant worked with Iroquois Mohawks in both Canada and what would become the United States, resisting American invasions of Native American homelands. He obtained a special rank of general from the British Army. He was a skillful leader but, although he was once called "the most ferocious being" ever born, he was never a butcher. Brant was actively involved in the political, economic, and religious life of the Canadian Mohawks from 1785 until his death.
John Burgoyne John Burgoyne was a British General and Politician: Although Burgoyne was in Boston during the Battle of Bunker Hill, he was without command. He returned to Britain, then came back to America in 1777 to command an army that was directed to enter New York through Canada and join Sir William Howe's troops at Albany. In the midst of this mission, however, Burgoyne and his troops were defeated and taken prisoner at Saratoga. It is not clear to what degree Burgoyne was responsible for the British defeat at Saratoga, one of the major turning points of the war. Although he earned the nickname "Gentleman Johnny," implying a casual attitude toward his military responsibilities, modern historians feel that Burgoyne was a good and innovative leader. When he was released in 1778, Burgoyne sailed to Britain, where he took a seat in Parliament and spoke out against the war. Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was the oldest and one of the most famous signers of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He gained fame for his generosity and the general interest he showed in causes such as libraries and hospitals. Franklin was also a talented scientist. Primarily, Benjamin Franklin was quite active politically. In addition to serving on the colonial legislature he lived in England, acting as an ambassador for the colonies. When Franklin returned to Philadelphia in May of 1775, he became a member of the Continental Congress. During the Congress he was part of the committee that helped draft the Declaration of Independence. When the war broke out he traveled to Europe as a diplomat. Between 1776 and 1779 he worked in France, negotiating for an alliance. At the end of he war he remained in Paris to negotiate the peace treaty. From 1785 to 1787 Franklin was back in Pennsylvania continuing his life in politics and eventually helping to write the Constitution. Lord Charles Cornwallis Although he was politically somewhat opposed to Britain's policies toward her American colonies, Charles Cornwallis volunteered to fight against the Americans once the war began. He began as a major general, and after the 1780 surrender of Charles Town, South Carolina, Cornwallis was left in charge of British forces in the South. Cornwallis was never able to adapt to fighting against the guerilla warfare techniques, which the Continental Army Militia learned from Native Americans. This eventually led him to the surrender at Yorktown, leading to Britain s unconditional surrender. Cornwallis was the only senior British general who was not blamed for the loss of the American colonies. After the war, he had a distinguished career, and served as governor-general of British India, where he died.
Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene was born into a Quaker family and worked as a merchant when he reached adulthood. Although he did not receive a formal education, he read devotedly and became a capable writer. When Greene was appointed commander he became the only one of Washington's generals to serve throughout the entire war. Known as a brave, level-headed, and resourceful leader, he won the respect of commanders and soldiers alike. Although he never won any clear-cut military victories, his repeated guerrilla warfare attacks on the British weakened their military strength and weakened some of the popular support they had enjoyed in England. Although he was a member of the Army, he was looked at and remembered as a true Militia leader. What Greene was able to accomplish with such a small number of poorly-equipped and unfed troops is a tribute to his ability to inspire others and earn their respect and loyalty. His willingness to switch tactics to ambushes is often credited with the failure of the British at Yorktown. Patrick Henry Patrick Henry received little formal education but, after unsuccessful attempts at farming and operating a general store, he began studying law informally. His passion for learning got him into law school where he quickly established a positive reputation and law practice. He served in the First Continental Congress in 1774, and gave his famous "Give me liberty or give me death" speech in May 1775. Henry's speaking style was a passionate and some argued it drew to people s passion rather than their reason. This made Henry one of the first popular politicians in the emerging United States. Throughout the war he used his heartfelt speeches in congress to sway popular opinions and moved many people to support the war. After the war, Henry was a strong opponent of the proposed federal Constitution, believing that too much power was being given to the central government. Nathan Hale Nathan Hale worked as a schoolteacher in Connecticut until the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. In 1775, he was appointed a lieutenant and was quickly promoted to captain the next year. In 1776, Hale was sent to gain secret information from behind enemy lines. In the midst of his return to the Continental Army, he was captured by the British and hanged as a spy, without any kind of trial. His last words are supposed to have been, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country," although historians feel that he probably did not say anything as memorable as that his sacrifice strengthened the view of the American people.
Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was born at Shadwell Plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia. His father was a well-to-do Virginian tobacco farmer who died when Thomas was 14, leaving him heir to the family's 14,000 acre plantation. Jefferson attended William and Mary College then went on to study law. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1767. In 1775-1776 Jefferson was a delegate to the Continental Congress. There he headed the committee charged with writing the Declaration of Independence. He was chosen for his superior writing skills that were admired throughout the colonies. In 1779, Jefferson became governor of Virginia; he oversaw the states militia and kept the Virginia public informed of the latest war information. After the war he continued to serve as a member of the Continental Congress. Eventually he becomes the 3 rd President of the United States. John Paul Jones Jones began his naval career in his homeland, Scotland, at the age of 12, advancing from apprentice to merchant captain by adulthood. He was accused of murdering a careless ship's carpenter and a disobedient crewman. Cleared of the first charge, he fled to American to avoid a trial for the second charge. He changed his name to Jones to hide his identity. Congress made him an official commander in the Continental Army despite is past because they needed a navy leader. He had many navel victories over in Europe fighting as an American. His ship the Bonhomme Richard was engaged in an intense naval struggle with the British ship called the Serapis. Jones' ship sank but, when he was asked to surrender, he yelled, "I have not yet begun to fight." In this most famous naval battle of the war, Jones was able to sink the enemy ship despite the destruction of his own vessel. Known as a Self-obsessed, ambitious, and argumentative, Jones was nevertheless a courageous man. After the War he retired in France. John Adams Adams was born in, Massachusetts. He had a playful childhood, putting only minor effort into his early schoolwork. But Adams went on to attend Harvard, where he became a lawyer. Adams served from 1774 to 1777 as a member of the Continental Congress. It was he who nominated Washington to be commander of the armed forces. From 1778 to 1788, Adams served abroad as a diplomat. In France, with Benjamin Franklin, then in the Netherlands, where he succeeded in gaining Dutch recognition, and loans, for the United States, he earned a reputation as a skillful negotiator and spokesman for his inexperienced country. In 1882, he returned to France to help negotiate the Treaty of Paris which ended the war.
Thomas Paine Thomas Paine was radical political writer born in England. Paine drifted from occupation to occupation until he was 37 years old. At that point, after two failed marriages and several professions, he moved to America. Paine served in the Continental Army during the war. During that time he wrote a series of essays called The American Crisis. Later he would write his most famous piece, Common Sense. Together these written works propelled him to fame. American patriots loved what he wrote. He was looked at as the first great American political writer. His works were very anti-british and Proindependence. After the war he returned to Europe where he wrote a political piece criticizing religion. This ill received book labeled him an atheist and ruined his future career. Mercy Otis Warren Warren developed as a literary talent in Revolutionary War period, with popular plays. Although she wrote poetry and essays on patriotic and other subjects, her most influential creations were plays that she wrote on the American Revolution. Her plays were found to be incredibly entertaining. They often insulted the intelligence of British soldiers and rulers. Her comedic plays were usually the hot ticket in town to have. Viewers of the plays were often said to have been moved to join the cause after seeing them. Although Warren was much more publically active than most women of her time, none of her writings dealt with issues of women's rights. She believed that women could affect events indirectly through their influence on husbands, fathers, and other male relations. After the war she wrote a three-volume digest out of concern that the post-revolution generation was forgetting the ideals of the revolution in its greedy desire to obtain wealth. Paul Revere Paul Revere was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied the silver trade with his father. He took over the family shop in 1754, and soon was one of the leading silversmiths in the city. He became a leader of the Sons of Liberty, and took part in the Boston Tea Party of 1773. His most famous action in service to the revolutionary cause, however, was his midnight ride on April 18-19, 1775. Revere, who was a member of the militia, rode to Lexington, Massachusetts to warn the colonists that the British were marching to seize weapons stored at Concord. He also warned patriot leaders of their pending arrests. He was caught by the British but not before is message got out. During the war, Revere continued as a militia officer. After the war, Revere became a prosperous businessman.
George Washington George Washington was born to a respectable plantation farming family in 1732 in Virginia. He built his reputation by serving in the French and Indian War. He later served in the Continental Congress but politics was never his passion. He really enjoyed life on the plantation and was reluctant to join the congress at all. In fact, he didn t serve long because Congress appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army. Washington's troops lost battles at Long Island, Brandywine, and Germantown, but they fought well and inflicted heavy casualties on their opponents. At the end of the war, Washington's troops surrounded the main British Army near the Yorktown peninsula, and the French forces, cut of the British troops' escape route. Lord Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781, and Washington held the army together until he resigned in 1783, following the peace treaty. After the War, Washington would be unanimously elected the 1 st President of the United States. Ann Bates Ann Bates was a loyalist spy who secretly worked for the British during the Revolutionary War. Ann lived in Philadelphia, working as a schoolteacher, and began her spy career sometime in 1778. Because her husband was in the British army, it was easy for Bates to identify and report on the types of equipment and numbers of men being employed by the American army; her husband made her familiar with that kind of information. Common thinking during the American Revolution conveyed that women were not smart enough to understand the issues relating to war. As a result, many women could easily overhear classified information by listening to the conversations of the men surrounding them. Ann Bates took the alias "Mrs. Barnes," posed as a merchant, and sold her goods to Americans while secretly reporting information back to the British. She even managed to gain access to George Washington's camp, which may be considered one of her biggest accomplishments.
Deborah Sampson Deborah Sampson was born in Massachusetts to a poor family. She didn t go to school but learned by bribing some of the boys in the family to teach her all they learned in school. She learned so well that later she became a teacher. When Deborah heard about the Revolutionary War, she wanted to help in some way. So in October of 1778 she disguised herself as a young man and signed in under the name of Robert Shirtliffe. For three years she did various jobs in the army and was wounded twice. Her true identity went undetected until she came down with brain fever, which was widespread in the camp at the time. When the physician, discovered her deception, he said nothing. Instead, he took her to his house saying that he could treat her better there. When she was better, General Washington summoned her and gave her a letter and enough money to get home safely. After the war, Deborah Sampson married Benjamin Garrett, and they had three children. During George Washington's presidency she received a letter inviting her to visit Washington. During her stay at the capital a bill was passed granting her an allowance and land, which she was to receive as an acknowledgment for her services to the country as a soldier. Molly Pitcher The actions of Molly Pitcher are usually attributed to one Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley. (The nickname "Molly" was common for women named "Mary".) Mary Ludwig was born to a German family in Pennsylvania circa 1744. Details of her childhood are unknown. She married William Hays, a barber, in 1769. Hays was a Patriot involved in the 1774 boycott of British goods. In 1777, Hays enlisted in the Continental Army and was trained as an artilleryman. Mary followed and joined a group of women camp followers. They took care of the troops, washed clothes, made food, and helped care for the sick or injured soldiers. In the Battle of Monmouth in June of 1778, Mary Hays carried water from a spring to the thirsty soldiers under heavy fire from the British. When her husband collapsed (sources claim either heat stroke or injury) and was carried off of the battlefield, Mary Hays took his place at his cannon.
Sybil Ludington On the night of April 26, 1777, Colonel Henry Ludington, commander of the militia in Duchess County, New York, received a messenger to his house. The British had entered nearby Danbury and found some American military storage locations, stolen some, destroyed others and drank the whiskey. Drunk, they began ransacking and burning the town. Col. Ludington's militia, some 400 men, was on vacation. His oldest daughter, Sybil, was 16- years-old and bravely volunteered to spread the word. Around 9 p.m., she set off in the rain to warn the men. She completed her mission around daybreak, covering nearly 40 miles, waking 400 men, and even fighting off a highway man with her father's musket. The militia caught up with the retreating British, too late to stop the attack, but not too late to make them pay dearly. Sybil received personal thanks from Gen. George Washington and made her an honorary member of the militia. At age 23, Sybil married a farmer and innkeeper, and lived to be 78 years old. John Howe John Howe was an American Loyalist who was born in Boston. He was well educated and wanted a career in journalism. He was present at the battle of Lexington and Concord and wrote an article for Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Weekly News which was said to be the first to report the major story. Throughout the war his writings turned more political and when he found it hard to find a paper that would print his essays he bought his own print shop in Boston. Here he was free to write any Loyalist story he wished. His writings were very popular among the Loyalist elite in New York City and were often quoted in those social circles. After the war he moved to Canada and established the Nova Scotia Royal Gazette where he continued to write pro-royal political essays.
Marquis de Lafayette Marquis de Lafayette, was born into a family of noble military ancestry on September 6, 1757, in Chavaniac, France. He joined the Royal Army the in 1773. Inspired by stories of the colonists' struggles against British oppression, Lafayette sailed to the newly declared United States in 1777 to join the uprising. He was named a majorgeneral in the Continental Army. During his first major combat he was shot in the leg while helping to organize a retreat. General George Washington requested doctors to take special care of Lafayette, which began a strong bond between the two that lasted until Washington's death. Following a winter in Valley Forge with Washington, Lafayette polished his credentials as an intelligent leader while helping to draw more French resources to the colonial side. He travelled back to France to press Louis XVI for more aid, Lafayette assumed increased military responsibility upon his return to battle. As commander of the Virginia Continental forces in 1781, he helped keep British General Lord Cornwallis' army pinned at Yorktown, Virginia, while divisions led by Washington and the French navy surrounded the British and forced a surrender in the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Henry Knox Knox was born in Boston and taught himself military science so skillfully that, despite his lack of battlefield experience, Congress appointed him a colonel in charge of the Continental Artillery (cannons) in 1775. He then proceeded to transform the small artillery into a major force in the Continental Army. Knox's artillery supported the ground troops at Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. The artillerymen later displayed their proficiency with siege warfare at Boston and Yorktown. In recognition of his achievements, Congress appointed him a major general in March 1782. After the war, Knox worked to establish a strong central government and effective military for the emerging United States. He served as the United States first Secretary of War.