american revolution Flashcards
american revolution 1776-1783
also called the revolutionary war and the war for independence
2nd continental congress 1775-1781
• the 2nd continental congress acted as the national government during the war
• they met in philadelphia and relied on states to send contributions to pay for military supplies for and soldiers wages
• the congress issued paper money called continentals but it was worthless
• in 1778 the congress formalized an alliance with france
Great Britain advantages
the british had
• largest navy in the world
• professional and experienced military leaders and soldiers
• the infrastructure to produce weapons and supplies
great britain disadvantages
• they were fighting a war across the atlantic ocean
• it was common for soldiers to desert
• they were fighting in unfamiliar territory
• british soldiers had no real stakes in the outcome
rebelling colonies advantages
• the colonists had a determination to win
• the colonists know the land (home field advantage)
• france and spain will come to the aid of the colonists
rebelling colonies disadvantages
the colonists
• had an inexperienced military
• were politically organized
• had a small navy
• had little money for supplies
it was a civil war
• not all of the colonists worked indepenced
at the start of the war:
• about 1/3 of the colonists were tories or loyalists
• about 1/3 of the colonists supported independence (called rebels, patriots, revolutionaries, whigs, or yankees)
• about 1/3 of the colonists were undecided
• about 25,000 loyalists fought alongside the british
• loyalists who did not actively fight supported the british by providing the troops with food weapons and shelter
• some loyalists pillaged the homes and farms of the rebels and rebel sympathizers (and vice versa)
• at the end of the war between 80,000-100,000 loyalists left the colonies and emigrated to canada
important people
• george washington was in charge of the continental army
• prussian baron von steuben helped train the continental army
• marquis de lafayette was a french military officer who helped train and command troops in the continental army
• horatio gages was a retired british soldier who served as a general in the continental army
• nathaniel greene was a gener in the continental army
• ethan allen, leader of the green mountain boys, helped capture for ticonderoga from the british and helped establish the state of vermont
• frances “swamp fox” marion was a military officer who helped fight against the british in south carolina
• john paul jones was a naval commander and is often called the “father of the american navy”
• nathan hale was a colonial soldier and spy who was captured and hung by the british in 1776
• benedict arnold was a general for the continental army who become a traitor when he betrayed the americans to the british in 1780
espionage
• both the british and the americans used network of spies during the war
• spies were unassuming people from all walks of life
• anna strong used the clothes she hung out on her clothes line to signal the location of hidden documents for other spies
• former slave james armistead lafayette worked as a double agent for the americans and provided crucial intelligence for the battle of yorktown
• the culper spy ring was one of the most well known american spy networks
• they send washington invaluable information from the british army’s headquarters in new york city
• in 1780 they uncovered a british plot to ambush the french army in rhode island and they uncovered that benedict arnold was working with the british
methods
• cyphers, coded letters (the key was often delivered separately by a second spy), and messages written with invisible ink passed along secret information and orders
• important letters and notes were hidden in objects like quills and orders
• false and deceptive messages were sent by the americans and the british in hopes the other side would believe the misinformation
• double agents gained trust and passed along intelligence to the other side
important british people
• King George was the king of Great Brotain
• Thomas Gage was Commander in Chief of the British Army in the colonies from 1763-1775
• William Howe was the Commander in Chief of the British Army in the colonies from 1775-1781
• General Charles Cornwall commanded the British Army in the South and surrendered at Yorktown in 1781
• General John Burgoyne commanded British troops in Canada and New York and was forced to surrender his entire force at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777
• Lt. Colonel Banaste Tarleton led British troops in the Northern and Southern campaigns and, after the 1780 Battle of Waxhaws, his name became synonymous with cruelty
• Joseph Brant Chief of theMohawks, and leader of 4 of the Iroquois Natons was a strong British ally
women and the american revolution
Woman served as
• Nurses who cared for the patients and cleaned the hospital areas
• camp followers (usually the wives and children of enlisted soldiers) who cooked, cleaned, did laundry, sewed, and carried water
• spies
• Replacement workers for men who were away fighting
• A few served as soldiers
african americans and the american revolution
- both the british and the americans offered freedom to slaves who fought on their side
- about 5,000 african americans joined the continental army and 2,000 joined the continental navy
- most were freemen from the north
- they fought in racially mixed units in just about every battle and made up about 4% of the continental army
native americans and the american revolution
- some native americans like the cherokee mohawks supports the british because they believed the british would protect their lands from colonial settlements
- others like the oneida and catawba sided with the americans because they had a good relationship with them and hoped that a colonial victory would also benefit their people
- many other nations tried to remain neutral but ended up being drawn into the war
fighting during the american revolution
- the fighting methods used by the british and the continental armies were very similar because they learned military strategies from the same sources and had access to the same
types of weapons - both armies were able to adopt their fighting methods to the terrain and each specific situation
- sometimes they fought in tightly regimented rows
- other times they abandoned the rows and used their surroundings for cover
- when fighting a large enemy army in an open field, soldiers lined up in rows within shot distance (about 100 yards)
- the first row fired their muskets in unison on command from the officer and then knelt down to reload while the soldiers in the second row (and sometimes third row) first in unison
- after a series of volleys one side fixed bayonets to their muskets and began to charge the enemy’s firing line
- those who survived the change then fought hand to hand
