People of the American Revolution

1. People of the American Revolution

2. George Washington • 1732-1799 • Founding father. Member of the Continental Congress. • commander-in-chief of the Continental Army • presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention • first President of the United States.

3. General Thomas Gage • 1721 -- 1787 • In April 1775 he sent a force to seize arms from the colonists at Concord, and next day the skirmish at Lexington took place which began the American Revolution. After the Battle of Bunker Hill (Jun 1775) he was replaced by General Howe.

4. Paul Revere • 1735 -- 1818 • American patriot, silversmith, engraver. • Revere is best remembered for his ride before the Revolutionary War to warn American patriots of a planned British attack.

5. Benedict Arnold • 1741-1801 • Prominent U.S. army officer who secretly arranged with British to hand over West Point. • After discovery of his treason he fled to the British side, became General in British Army, and led raids against American forces.

6. Ethan Allen • 1738 -- 1789 • He and Benedict Arnold jointly captured Fort Ticonderoga (1775) but he was later captured by the British. • He sought to represent Vermont as an independent country and even negotiated with the British to get it. • He died two years before Vermont achieved statehood.

7. Thomas Paine • Revolutionary War writer, gained fame as author of Common Sense

8. Thomas Jefferson • Author of the Declaration of Independence. • member of the Continental Congress • Secretary of State, Vice-President, and 3rd President of the United States. • founder of the University of Virginia.

9. Richard Henry Lee • 1732 -- 1794 • In June 1776, he introduced the resolution in Congress which led directly to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

10. Nathan Hale • 1755 - 1776 • He was captured by British soldiers while disguised as a schoolmaster and hanged. He is famous for his declaration "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country," for which he became a symbol of the Revolutionary spirit.

11. Marquis de Lafayette • French citizen who joined Continental Army . • Made a Major General by Continental Congress and commanded a division in Battle of Yorktown. • He was a close associate of George Washington.

12. Friedrich Von Steuben • 1730-1794 • Served under Washington at Valley Forge, • Made Inspector General of Continental Army. • Trained troops & wrote drill manual adopted by Continental Army. • Commanded a division at Battle of Yorktown. • Military planner to Washington following end of the War.

13. Thaddeus Kosciusko and Casimir Pulaski, Polish Officer Volunteers • Thaddeus Kosciusko - Colonel in the engineers; he made the fortifications along the Hudson River, and was promoted to brigadier general in 1783 • His will directed that the 500 acres in Ohio granted him by the U.S. Congress in 1797 be sold and the money used to free slaves; instead it was used to found the Colored School of Newark, N.J., one of the earliest schools for African-Americans in the U.S.A. • Casimir Pulaski - In 1777 he went to America, and was given a brigade of cavalry. mortally wounded at the siege of Savannah.

14. Bernardo de Galvez • Provided aid to the American cause by allowing tons of supplies to be shipped up the Mississippi to patriot forces in the north. • With Spain's official entry into the war in 1779, Galvez raised a patchwork army of Creoles, Indians, free African Americans and his own Spanish regulars and marched on British-held forts at Baton Rouge and Natchez.

15. John Paul Jones • 1747 - 1792 • Heroic sailor whose famous quote” I have not yet begun to fight!” epitomizes his daring and bravery. He accepted the surrender of the first British ship and became an Admiral. • He held many posts including Rear-Admiral in the Russian Navy

16. Molly Pitcher • 1756- 1789. She was the wife of a cannoner. She fought alongside her husband bravely, especially when she carried water from a neighboring spring to her husband while he was working a gun. A shot killed him at his post, and Molly seized the rammer and filled his place at the gun. After the battle Washington commended her bravery and made her a sergeant.

17. Prince Estabrook, Peter Salem, and Salem Poor • Several of the 5,000 black soldiers fighting for independence. • All three fought at Lexington and Concord where Estabrook was wounded

18. James Armistead • 1748. He was born a slave who later worked as a spy for the colonists.  He was sent by General Lafayette to pretend to be an escaped slave.  • British General Cornwallis asked him to spy on the Americans, while he was really spying on the British.  As a double agent he delivered fake information to Gen. Cornwallis who believed the Americans were much stronger than they really were. This helped the Americans defeat the British. • Because of his bravery and help to the Americans, James was granted his freedom from slavery.  He took the last name Lafayette in honor of the General.

19. General Charles Cornwallis • 1738 – 1805 • British general and colonial governor. He served with distinction in American Revolution. He captured Philadelphia in 1777 and Charleston in 1780, and was forced to surrender to Washington at Yorktown in 1781 which ended the war.