Story 1

May 14, 2008

The American Revolutionary War 1775-1783
(American War of Independence)

We have all heard of Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, George Washington, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, and Deborah Sampson. Well, maybe you haven't heard of Deborah, aka Robert Shurtleff, besides what is in the email about women in the military, but these names are all associated with the American Revolutionary War along with many others. But how did we become independent?

We all have a general knowledge of our battle for independence. We know we defeated the British, although most of us probably couldn't name three battles we won. Certainly we know who George Washington was, but coming up with the names of his subordinate officers would be nearly impossible. The American Revolution was arguably the most important war in Western History, yet most of us know only about that part which was fought in our own region. We know that it was a war between the new thirteen colonies and England and we know the Boston Tea Party, in 1773, was leading us up to a war.

Facts about the Revolutionary War: 1775: The Shot Heard around the World this took place in Lexington/Concord, MA (Apr 19th). It was the Minutemen and the Redcoats. Both commanders said they had given orders not to shoot unless fired upon. No one knows who fired the first shot.   first major battle was fought at Bunker Hill. "Don't shoot till you see the whites of their eyes." became famous at this point.   The Declaration of Independence is written July 4th and signed   December 1776 Commander George Washington crosses the Delaware and captures Trenton   1777 June 14th ... America has a flag   June 1778 Washington's Army leaves Valley Forge   peace talks begin...the British have completely lost the south and unable to win in the north.   September 3, 1783 officially ends the Revolutionary War, the Revolutionary Army was disbanded

Other interesting unknown facts about the Revolutionary War: Paul Revere & William Dawes ride to let everyone know the British are coming, not just Paul Revere.   the Battle of Bunker Hill did not occur at Bunker Hill at all. The military leaders went to the wrong hill...called Breed's Hill. But popularly became known as the Battle of Bunker Hill.   Monmooth, New Jersey (1777) Washington's Army defeated the British. This was probably the largest battle of the war in terms of the number of troops fighting. The British did not surrender, they just abandoned the fight.   The Declaration of Independence was declared on July 2nd not the 4th. The final draft was approved on the 4th. But it was already signed.   George Washington was not the first president of the United States. It was John Hanson, he was immediately elected when the Articles of Confederation was signed. His formal title was "President of the United States in Congress Assembled." The title of "President of the United States" was started by elected president.   Washington was not paid for his military service and he gave up his commission   Benjamin Franklin did not want the bald eagle to be the nation's symbol when it was placed on the Great Seat in 1782. Instead he wanted the turkey to be our symbol.   When Washington died he stated in his will that his slaves were to be emancipated when Martha died. He is the only member of the Virginia dynasty to free all of his slaves.   The Boston Massacre started from a wig! When young wigmaker's apprentice called out to a British officer on duty that he had not paid his master's bill.

The total loss of life throughout the Revolutionary War is unknown, though it is estimated 25,000 American Revolutionaries died during active military service, but it may be as many as 50,000. About 8,000 of these deaths were during battle; the other 17,000 or more were from disease, including about 8,000 who died while prisoners of war. The number of Revolutionaries seriously wounded or disabled by the war has been estimated from 8,500 to 25,000.