Army
Brown Bess Meets the Pennsylvania Rifle
They also had another innovation we take for granted. The gunsmiths added a rear sight which the shooter could line up with the front sight before he pulled the trigger
Read More8 Little Known Tidbits About the Battle of Trenton and Its Aftermath
Two years into the war, the British government in London and the British Army in the Thirteen Colonies were confident that, eventually, they would defeat the Continental Army and end the rebellion. Or the citizens would tire of trying to defeat what was then the most powerful country in the world and reaffirm their allegiance to the crown. The Colonials, as the Brits called them, American historians prefer Patriots, needed a decisive victory.
Read MoreMany By Sea
The French army of 4,800 in North America was wintering in Rhode Island. In a meeting in Weathersfield, CT, Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau met on May 23rd and 24th, 1781. While Washington favored a move on New York, Rochambeau preferred to go after Cornwallis in Virginia. Washington ultimately agreed.
Read MoreGetting to Yorktown
Arnold’s (now a British Army general) force burns Richmond on January 5th. In response, Washington ordered Lafayette south with 1,000 men to put a stop to Arnold’s activities.
Read MoreFirst American Women in Combat
To serve on the front lines, they had to disguise themselves as men because the “norms” of the day held that woman were not fit for combat. Those that enlisted were more afraid of being found out if they were wounded or became sick than of being killed.
Read MoreAlexander Hamilton, Continental Army Officer
Captain Hamilton’s battery made the trek to the winter camp at Valley Forge and on the night of December 24th, it was ferried across the Delaware River. Hamilton positioned the battery so it could fire on the German soldiers as they tried to form in ranks. His guns rapid and accurate fire killed many German cannoneers and prevented them from firing on the attacking Continental Army soldiers.
Read MoreContinental Army Mutinies At Jockey Hollow and Pompton
Twice, the Continental Army mutinied over the lack of pay, food and supplies. Despite defeats and deprivation, it never refused to fight the British which says a lot about the men’s determination to win independence.
Read MoreThe Hard Winter
Washington picked Jockey Hollow as his 1779-1780 winter camp because it placed his army between the British in New York and the rebel capital of Philadelphia. Little did he know that his army was going to endure conditions worse that what it experienced the year before at Valley Force that almost tore his army apart.
Read MoreFar Reaching Impact of the First Militia Acts
Fear that Army officers who were members of the Federalist Party would oppose his actions even take power, Jefferson gets legislation passed that would reduce the Army by 50%.
Read MoreFreeing Georgia and South Carolina
Under the Royal Governor, James Wright, the British had pacified much of the Royal Province of Georgia, particularly the southern portion of the state along the coast. The British had…
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