American Revolution
Military History
Armies, alliances, strategies, spies, and the diverse peoples who fought for and against independence.
Military History
African Americans in the Revolution
The American Revolution presented an irreconcilable contradiction: a war fought in the name of liberty by a society in which approximately…
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Colonial Militia and Minutemen
The colonial militia was not a military invention but a legal obligation inherited from English common law and adapted to American…
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Continental Army
The Continental Army came into existence on June 14, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress authorized the enlistment of ten companies…
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Espionage and Intelligence in the Revolutionary War
Espionage during the American Revolution operated within the conventions and limitations of eighteenth-century warfare. There were no…
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French Alliance
France's involvement in the American Revolution was driven not by sympathy for republican ideals but by the calculation that weakening…
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Hessian Soldiers
The term "Hessian" was applied by Americans and British alike to the German auxiliary troops hired by Great Britain to supplement its…
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Military Strategies and Tactics
The American Revolution presented both sides with strategic problems that were, in important respects, insoluble. Britain needed to…
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Native Americans in the Revolution
The American Revolution proved catastrophic for Native American nations in the eastern woodlands, and nowhere more so than among the…
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Naval Warfare in the Revolution
The naval dimension of the American Revolution was defined by a fundamental asymmetry. The Royal Navy entered the war as the world's…
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Revolutionary War Military History
The American Revolution was not merely a political upheaval but a sustained military conflict that lasted eight years, from the first shots
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Spanish Involvement in the Revolutionary War
Spain's participation in the American Revolution is among the least understood dimensions of the conflict. Often overshadowed by the more…
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The Role of Privateers
Privateering was among the most profitable and widespread American maritime activities during the Revolutionary War. Authorized by letters…
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Weapons of the Revolutionary War
The weapons used in the American Revolution were products of eighteenth-century technology, limited by the metallurgy, chemistry, and…
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Winter Encampments
The winter encampments of the Continental Army were among the most harrowing experiences of the Revolutionary War. Far from the romantic…
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Women in the Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War affected every segment of colonial society, and women's experiences during the conflict were as varied as their…
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