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Many people played important roles in the events leading up to the Revolution and the outcome of the war. Here are some of them.
John Paul Jones (1747–1792)
When the Revolution broke out, Jones joined the Continental Navy. Sent across the Atlantic to harass the British in their own territory, Jones captured 17 merchant ships and took more than 500 prisoners. One moonlit night, Jones’s Bonhomme Richard engaged the frigate Serapis in battle. Asked if he was ready to surrender, Jones replied, “I have not yet begun to fight!” The battle raged on, and in the end it was the British captain who lost his nerve and surrendered.
King George III (1738–1820)
A monarch of average ability and excessive stubbornness, George III was convinced it was his duty to subdue the rebellious colonists. Early in 1782, when it was clear that his opposition in Parliament had enough votes to end the war with the American colonists, George nearly stepped down as king. A trusted adviser persuaded him to remain. By 1811, George III was both insane and blind, and his son ruled in his place.
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
Jefferson wrote and rewrote the Declaration of Independence many times before it was done. In one draft he changed fully one-third of the words. After penning this memorable document, Jefferson was elected to two one-year terms as governor of Virginia. In 1781, he narrowly escaped capture by British troops, who later plundered his home, burned crops, killed livestock, and exposed 30 slaves to smallpox so that they might spread the disease to the American troops.
Abigail Smith Adams (1744–1818)
Abigail Smith married John Adams in 1764. During the Revolution, when John was away from home for long periods of time, he and Abigail exchanged letters. Hers give a vivid portrait of the homefront and express her own revolutionary thinking. She was a firm supporter of independence, an outspoken foe of slavery, and a strong champion of women’s rights.
George Washington (1732–1799)
Most historians agree that without George Washington, the Patriots would have lost the Revolution. Washington was not a military genius, but he excelled at doing the most with what little he had. What mattered more than Washington’s practicality, however, was his character. The general was courageous in battle, incorruptible, and utterly dedicated to the cause of independence. He was also a superb politician who kept 13 independent states united behind that cause.
Benedict Arnold (1741–1801)
Brilliant Patriot or despicable traitor? Arnold was actually both. In the early years of the war, he served the American cause with distinction. When his second wife convinced him that he would be better off financially working for the British, Arnold, who had been put in charge of the fort at West Point, New York, gave Major John André some information that the British needed to take the fort. André was captured with the information and hanged. Arnold served with the British for the rest of the war and went to England afterward.
Friedrich Wilhelm Augustin, Baron von Steuben (1730–1794)
The Prussian Von Steuben took over the military training of the Continental Army in 1778. He wrote a book of regulations for the young army, became its inspector general, and participated in the siege of Yorktown in 1781. After the war, he stayed in America, becoming a citizen in 1783.
Thomas Paine (1737–1809)
Paine had a way with words that stirred people to action. In January 1776, when several colonies were still undecided about declaring for independence, Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense” argued the case persuasively. Later, seeing the discouragement of the common soldier, he penned “The Crisis,” which begins with the now-famous words, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”
John Burgoyne (1722–1792)
Vain, boastful, but courageous, General Burgoyne was called Gentleman Johnny by his troops because he treated them well. In 1777 he devised a plan to secure the Hudson River Valley for the British and isolate New England from the other colonies. The plan failed. Burgoyne was left alone in the Hudson Valley. On July 6, 1777, he captured Fort Ticonderoga, but he was soon forced to surrender at Saratoga.
Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757–1834)
In the summer of 1777, an idealistic French nobleman arrived in America to fight for the cause of liberty. Lafayette and Washington soon formed a close bond. The soldiers under his command called Lafayette “the soldier's friend.” That’s because he spent his own money to buy them warm clothing. While in Virginia, Lafayette was lent a slave named Jim, who did some daring spying at Yorktown. Lafayette persuaded Virginia to grant Jim his freedom. After the American Revolution, the marquis helped begin the French Revolution.
