An American army emerged from a militia system of self-protection. For decades these militias had been supplied and nourished by the British, only to turn on its mother country in an act of violent defiance. By 1776, patriots proved they could gather in mass and were willing to fight and die for a cause they …
No man dare speak. They crept through the woods and marshland, silently lowering themselves into the water, knowing if their musket fell from their shoulder, or they hesitated even a moment, orders demanded they be speared to death. And with still a hundred yards to go before reaching the abattis of sharpened stakes that blocked …
When the British charged that hot day on August 16, 1780, the militia, two-thirds of the American army, threw aside their weapons and broke ranks, most never even firing a shot. But not all Americans turned and ran for their lives. The Continental soldiers left on the battlefield, now grossly outnumbered, stood firm. They did …
“It appears that very few, or none of the British Officers [who] entered the quarters of our Troops on this occasion, that no stop might be put to the Rage and Barbarity of their Bloodhounds…Southward Cullency has 12 wounds, 10 of which are in his breast, belly, and back. He says, that, on the enemies …
As far as battles fought during the American Revolutionary War, the Battle of Harlem Heights was considered a smallish affair. As far as victor, most historians consider the contest a draw based on the number of casualties and because all parties returned to their former lines. However, its impact on both sides was immediate and …
Participant in the Three Major Surrenders of the Revolutionary War Major General Benjamin Lincoln was present with Major General Gage when they accepted British General John Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga – an event that historians agree tilted the scale for the Americans in their path towards independence. Lincoln was the commander of American forces at …