THE AMERICAN
WAR OF
INDEPENDENCE,
1775-83
(Right) The 2nd South Carolina
Regiment holds Fort Moultrie in the
face of a British naval attack on
Charleston, South Carolina, June
28, 1776.
THE AMERICAN
WAR OF
INDEPENDENCE:
THE THEATER
OF WAR
A BRITISH SHOW OF FORCE, 1774-75
In 1774, the British attempted to intimidate malcontents in Massachusetts by placing the
colony under martial law and stationing 4,000 Redcoats in Boston. The British garrison
included these light infantry officers from the 4th Regiment of Foot (left) and the 10th
Regiment of Foot (right).
A TAX PROTEST TURNS TO REBELLION
Massachusetts militia and British light infantry exchange shots on Lexington Green at
dawn, April 19, 1775.
THE AMERICAN
WAR OF
INDEPENDENCE:
THE THEATER
OF WAR
A REBELLION TURNS
INTO A WAR FOR
INDEPENDENCE
In July 1776, the Second Continental
Congress (below) adopted a declaration
that proclaimed the Thirteen Colonies
were now free and independent states.
(Right) The Declaration of Independence
is read to an enthusiastic crowd in a
colonial city.
BRITISH ADVANTAGE: THE ROYAL NAVY
The British Navy began the Revolutionary War with 270 warships, including
many ships of the line (18th century battleships), like the 104-gun HMS Victory.
BRITISH ADVANTAGE:
THE ROYAL NAVY
(Below) The gun deck on the HMS Victory.
(Right) A British gun crew in action.
Nothing that the
Patriots could put to sea
could match the
firepower of a British
ship of the line.
Consequently, the
Continental Navy had
to resort to commerce
raiding rather than
challenge the Royal
Navy for control of the
seas.
BRITISH ADVANTAGE: THE ROYAL NAVY
Naval supremacy allowed the British to land their troops anywhere along the American
coast at will, while the Patriots, forced to rely on America’s inadequate road network, could
not move Continental forces fast enough to check these invasions.
BRITISH
ADVANTAGE: THE
ROYAL NAVY
The long American
coastline was vulnerable
to British amphibious
operations.
BRITISH HANDICAP:
A DIVIDED POPULACE
• The unpopularity of the War of
Independence at home inhibited the British
Army’s recruiting efforts.
• Consequently, the British hired 30,000 troops
from various German princes to serve in
North America.
• The Patriots labeled these “Hessians” as
barbarous mercenaries, and their use turned
many colonists against the British cause.
• The soldier at right is a private from the
Hesse Hanau Regiment Erbprinz, circa 1777.
BRITISH ERROR: MISHANDLING THE LOYALISTS
Two British officers who overcame their anti-American prejudices and formed two highly
efficient Loyalist military units were Lieutenant Colonel John Graves Simcoe of the
Queen’s Rangers (left) and Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton of the British Legion
(right).
BRITISH ERROR: MISHANDLING THE LOYALISTS
Contemporary views of personnel from the Queen’s Rangers. Under John Graves Simcoe,
these green-garbed troops delighted in setting ambushes for their Rebel foes. The British
Army erred in not raising as many Loyalist units as it could when the Revolution started.
BRITISH ERROR:
MISHANDLING THE
LOYALISTS
• A rifleman of the Queen’s
Rangers. The Patriots were
not the only ones to employ
these long-range weapons to
harass their enemies.
• The Queen’s Rangers was one
of the few Loyalist units that
the British Army allowed to
engage in extensive combat.
• Most other Loyalist units were
consigned to garrison duty,
which made them feel
mistrusted and sapped their
morale.
BRITISH
HANDICAP:
GEOGRAPHY -AMERICA’S SIZE
AND
DEMOGRAPHICS
This map of the Thirteen
Colonies shows the
distribution of America’s
population in 1775. A
rural people, the colonists
were able to continue
resistance even after the
British seized some of
their most important
cities.
BRITISH HANDICAP: FRENCH INTERVENTION
Yearning for revenge for previous defeats, France funneled military aid to the Patriots
beginning early in the Revolution. With the Patriot victory at Saratoga, the ministers of
King Louis XVI (left) decided France should enter the war as an ally of the young United
States and send French regulars (right) to fight in North America.
BRITISH ERROR: DIVIDED COMMAND
In 1777, General William Howe (left) decided to capture Philadelphia, rather than
cooperate with General John Burgoyne (right), who was leading a British army
south from Canada along the Hudson River. Consequently, the Patriots were able
to trap Burgoyne at Saratoga and compel his surrender.
BRITISH ERROR: DIVIDED COMMAND
General Sir Henry Clinton (left) tried to micro-manage the campaigns that Lord
Charles Cornwallis (right) conducted in Virginia in 1781. Eventually, Clinton
ordered Cornwallis, who was conducting effective mobile operations, to take
refuge at Yorktown, where the latter was trapped by a French fleet and FrancoAmerican army.
BRITISH ADVANTAGE: A STANDING ARMY
The British started the Revolution with a small but well-trained regular army. British
Redcoats were the fastest musketmen in Europe, able to fire three to four shots in a minute.
BRITISH
ADVANTAGE: A
STANDING ARMY
• From the start of the
Revolution to the end, Great
Britain’s superbly disciplined
infantry took pride in its
willingness to close with the
enemy with the bayonet.
• Washington’s Continentals
did not master the bayonet
until they came under the
tutelage of Baron Friedrich
Wilhelm von Steuben at
Valley Forge in the winter of
1777-78.
• WASHINGTON’S
CONTINETALS,
1781: AN
IDEALIZED VIEW
• A recent U.S. Army print
showing General George
Washington’s 1779
uniform regulations. A
lieutenant from New York
or New Jersey
(foreground) strides past
an artilleryman. Infantry
from New England stand
in the left background,
and infantry from
Pennsylvania, Maryland,
or Virginia stand to the
right.
• WASHINGTON’S
CONTINENTALS,
1783: AN
IDEALIZED VIEW
• General George
Washington bestows the
newly created “Badge of
Merit” on a New England
infantryman. A light
dragoon from New
England (at right) proudly
wears the same award.
• In the background are
musicians from a regiment
from New York or New
Jersey.
WASHINGTON’S CONTINENTALS: THE REALITY
As seen in this view of the Battle of
Monmouth, New Jersey, June 28,
1778, Washington’s regulars often
wore fringed hunting shirts and
civilian garments in place of
European-style uniforms.
WASHINGTON’S CONTINENTALS: THE REALITY
An eyewitness sketch by a French officer who fought at Yorktown shows (left to right) a
black private of the Rhode Island Regiment, a white soldier from an unidentified regiment,
a rifleman in his fringed hunting shirt, and an artilleryman.
CONTINENTAL
UNIFORMS,
1777-80
(Left to right) Private,
2nd South Carolina
Regiment, 1777-80;
Private, 5th Pennsylvania
Regiment, 1780;
Sergeant, 2nd
Connecticut Regiment,
1777; Private, George
Rogers Clark’s Illinois
Regiment, 1780
CONTINENTAL
ELITES:
RIFLEMEN AND
LIGHT
INFANTRY
(Left to right) Private,
Morgan’s Rifle Corps,
1777; Private, Light
Infantry Company, 2nd
Virginia Regiment, 1779;
Sergeant, Corps of Light
Infantry (Lafayette’s
Light Division), 1781
A RESPECTABLE
ARMY AT LAST
Continental light infantry and
pioneers storm a British redoubt at
Yorktown, October 14, 1781.
After the Valley Forge
encampment, 1777-78,
Washington’s
Continentals took pride
in their ability to
successfully engage their
foes with the bayonet.
PATRIOT MILITIA IN ACTION:
LEXINGTON GREEN, APRIL 19, 1775
Contrary to this National Guard print, the Lexington militia broke and fled at the first
British volley.
PATRIOT MILITIA IN ACTION:
BREED’S HILL, JUNE 17, 1775
Fighting from behind stout field works, New England militiamen stood their ground and
held off two British assaults, retreating before a third only after their ammunition gave out.
PATRIOT MILITIA IN ACTION: BREED’S HILL
Poorly trained and often unequipped with bayonets, militiamen could rarely hold their own
against British regulars at close quarters.
GENERAL GEORGE
WASHINGTON:
THE CONTINENTAL
ARMY’S
INDISPENSABLE
COMMANDER-INCHIEF, 1775-83
Washington is seen here in his
customary blue and buff uniform shortly
after taking command of the Continental
Army outside of Boston in July 1775. To
the left stands an aid in a brown coat
and to the right stands Major General
Artemas Ward, former commander of
the New England Army.
GEORGE
WASHINGTON:
A PORTRAIT
FROM LIFE
This 1780 portrait by John
Trumbull shows Washington in his
prime as commander-in-chief of
the Continental Army. The
African American at right is
William Lee, Washington’s slave,
who served as his servant faithful
companion throughout the war.
A BRITISH HOST DESCENDS
ON NEW YORK
Some of the officers and men of the huge army of
32,000 Redcoats and Hessians that General William
Howe assembled to take New York in the summer of
1776.
DISASTER ON LONG ISLAND, AUGUST 27, 1776
The Delaware Regiment, one of the few Continental units to give a good account of itself in
the New York Campaign, attempts to delay the advancing Redcoats and Hessians in the
battle that began four months of defeat and retreat for George Washington’s Main Army.
A DRAMATIC CHANGE
IN STRATEGY
Thwarted in his efforts to save New York
City from the British, Washington
adopted a strategy of harassment that
would make it impossible for his
opponents to disperse their troops
sufficiently to control the American
countryside.
WASHINGTON’S TARGETS
AT TRENTON
(Left) A soldiers of the Grenadier
Regiment Rall and a fusilier from the
Regiment von Lossberg. (Below) Feld
Jaegers, elite Hessian riflemen.
WASHINGTON CROSSES THE DELAWARE,
DECEMBER 25-26, 1776
Emanuel Leutze’s 19th century painting is not very accurate, but it certainly captures the
indomitable spirit that George Washington displayed during the campaign.
TRENTON, DECEMBER 26, 1776
General George Washington and his ragged Continentals overrun a Hessian gun.
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY, DECEMBER 26, 1776
Captain Alexander Hamilton’s Company of New York Artillery fires down a street crowded
with confused Hessians during General George Washington’s surprise attack.
PATRIOT MILITIA IN ACTION:
BENNINGTON, AUGUST 17, 1777
With stealth, deceit, and raw courage, 2,000 New England militia overran a foraging
expedition of 800 Hessians, Redcoats, Loyalists, and Indians in a battle that helped turn the
tide in the decisive Saratoga Campaign.
VICTORY AT SARATOGA
Continental infantry and riflemen maul the British at the Battle of Freeman’s Farm,
October 7, 1777. The Continentals succeeded in this campaign because of the support they
received from Patriot militia.
MAKING THE BEST
USE OF THE
PATRIOT MILITIA:
THREE BATTLES IN
THE SOUTH, 178081
THE OPPOSING COMMANDERS AT CAMDEN
(Left) Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis.
(Right) Major General Horatio Gates.
BRITISH LIGHT INFANTRYMAN, 1777-81
By 1777, British troops in America had discarded the spit and polish fashions of the
European parade ground and adapted both their clothing and their tactics to conditions in
North America.
BRITISH ARMY
COMBAT DRESS,
1776-83
•
•
A contemporary portrait of
Lieutenant Thomas
Dowdeswell, 1st Regiment of
Foot Guards, who served in
the Thirteen Colonies from
the summer of 1776 until
July 1777.
Dowdeswell’s coat is stripped
of the extravagant gold lace
prescribed for officers of his
regiment, and he trusts to a
fusil (musket) to protect
himself in North America’s
wooded terrain rather than
the British line officer’s
traditional spontoon (short
pike) and sword.
• MAJOR
GENERAL
NATHANAEL
GREENE
• Washington’s most
trusted lieutenant.
• Took command of the
Southern Department
following the Camden
disaster.
• A poor tactician, but a
brilliant and resilient
strategist
THE OPPOSING
COMMANDERS AT
COWPENS
(Left) Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton,
young, aggressive, and impulsive.
(Below) Brigadier General Daniel Morgan in
the frontier uniform he wore commanding
Continental riflemen earlier in the war.
COWPENS, JANUARY 17,
1781
(Left) A map of the battlefield.
(Below) A company officer from a British
fusilier regiment, like Tarleton’s 7th
Regiment of Foot.
TARLETON PREPARES FOR THE KILL
Tarleton’s troops reached the Cowpens battlefield hungry and exhausted, but they were
confident of victory. (Below) Highlanders of the 71st Regiment of Foot deployed for battle.
COWPENS, JANUARY 17, 1781
The 3rd Continental Light Dragoons and militia cavalrymen rout the British 17th Light
Dragoons and Loyalist troopers of the British Legion.
COWPENS, JANUARY 17, 1781
Morgan’s counterattacking militia overrun the 71st Fraser’s Highlanders on Tarleton’s left
flank. Last-minute militia reinforcements probably raised Morgan’s numbers closer to
2,000, a fact he concealed for propaganda purposes to increase the impact of his victory.
COWPENS, JANUARY 17, 1781
Colonel John Eager Howard’s Maryland Continentals overrun Lieutenant Colonel
Banastre Tarleton’s 7th Regiment of Foot.
GUILFORD COURTHOUSE, MARCH 15, 1781
Major General Nathanael Greene deploys the North Carolina militia in the first of
his three lines.
GUILFORD COURTHOUSE, MARCH 15, 1781
Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis commits his outnumbered army
against Greene’s first line.
GUILFORD
COURTHOUSE, MARCH
15, 1781
Maryland Continentals in
Greene’s third line check
advancing British
infantry while the 3rd
Continental Light
Dragoons counterattack.
BAYONET TO BAYONET AT GUILFORD
COURTHOUSE, MARCH 15, 1781
Maryland Continentals and a crack battalion of British Foot Guards engage in a savage
hand-to-hand melee that marked the climax in the fight along Greene’s third line.
Although the Redcoats were beaten back, Greene withdrew his troops from the field,
leaving Cornwallis to claim an empty victory.
BAYONET
TO
BAYONET
British Foot Guards and Maryland
Continentals melee in the final phase
of the Battle of Guilford Court
House.
VICTORY AT
YORKTOWN
This 1784 Charles Willson Peale
portrait captures Washington at the
scene of his greatest triumph – the
siege that broke the British will to
continue the war against American
independence. In the background,
soldiers of the combined FrancoAmerican army parade with their
colors – the Stars and Stripes of the
young United States and the white
banner with golden fleur-de-lis of
Bourbon France.
THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF FRENCH AID
It took the assistance of a French army under the Comte de Rochambeau (left) and a
French fleet to allow George Washington to trap Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown.