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Learn about the The Stamp Act of 1765. A tax the Britain placed on the American colonies eventually leading the Revolutionary War.

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Townshend Acts - Definition, Facts & Purpose | HISTORY

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The Townshend Acts were a series of unpopular measures, passed by the British Parliament in 1767, that taxed goods imported to the American colonies. The laws heightened the tensions between Great Britain and the American colonists and were a precursor to the Revolutionary War.

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Who Was Paul Revere?

Paul Revere was born in the North End neighborhood of Boston at the end of 1734 (the exact date is unknown) to a French Huguenot father who ran a silversmith shop and a mother from a local family.

The young Revere was educated in reading and writing in school before completing his training as an apprentice to his silversmith father. At age 19, Revere inherited the business upon his father's death. But he left the business briefly and enlisted in a provincial army in 1756 during the French and Indian War.

Children

Revere returned to Boston after a failed military expedition and started to build his family life and business. He wed Sarah Orne in 1765, and they had eight children before she died nearly two decades later.

The silversmith was resourceful and dabbled in a range of work, taking on apprentices and workers who created specialty flatware, silver bowls, tea sets and even casting the first bell in Boston in his foundry. He turned to dentistry to augment his income when the colonial economy faltered during a recession.

Revere's network was also expanding to include local activists angered by British rule. In the mid-1760s, as tensions were rising between the colonists and the British, he joined the rebellious Sons of Liberty.

Revere took part in the Stamp Act protests in 1765, which eventually led the Crown to repeal a tax that ignited the colonists' hatred of taxation without representation.

Did you know? Paul Revere did not gain immediate fame for his April 1775 "Midnight Ride." In fact, it wasn't until Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1861 poem, which greatly embellished Revere's role, that he became the folk hero we think of today.

Boston Massacre

With British troops in Boston and a rebellion stewing, Revere became a master propagandist, using his artisan skills to craft engravings that incited the colonists to join in the rebellion.

The growing unrest boiled over on March 5, 1770, when British troops and a crowd of colonists faced off on Boston's King Street near the Customs house. The tense standoff ended in the Boston Massacre, as the British used their bayonet rifles to shoot and kill five unarmed colonists.

One of Reveres' best-known pieces of propaganda depicted the violent night. He reworked a Henry Pelham drawing in an engraving and widely distributed prints of the stark image of armed British troops taking aim at the colonists.

Paul Revere's House

Amid the growing political tensions in Boston, Revere continued to strengthen his roots in the colonial harbor city. In 1770, he bought the now-landmarked Paul Revere House at 19 North Square for his growing family.

Revere lived in his North End home on and off for 30 years as his family continued to evolve. After the death of his wife, Sarah, in 1773, he married Rachel Walker and they had eight additional children.

Revere sold the home in 1800, and it was purchased by his great-grandson roughly a century later to ensure it was preserved. The 1680 structure still stands today as the oldest building in downtown Boston.

The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere

As Revere was settling into his Boston home in the early 1770s, he became active politically. He responded to the new laws about tea imports that bypassed Boston's merchants by attending secret meetings with the inner circle who planned the Boston Tea Party. Revere joined other activists and dumped tea from the British East India Company on December 16, 1773, into Boston's harbor.

His activism extended beyond the confines of Boston when Revere began work as a courier and rode from Boston to New York on horse to spread information about the colonies.

When his associates learned the British were moving troops out of Boston and planned to arrest revolutionary leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington, Massachusetts, Revere was tasked with tipping them off to help them avoid arrest.

He first used his signal system and had two lanterns placed on the Old North Church steeple in Boston to alert those on the harbor that the troops had left Boston and were crossing the Charles River.

Then, at about 10 p.m. on April 18, 1775, Revere set out in the dark from his North Boston home by horse with William Dawes to reach Adams and Hancock. The two riders met Adams and Hancock in Lexington and enabled the revolutionaries to avoid arrest.

Revere's next stop that late night was Concord, Massachusetts, a hotbed of the resistance and the suspected location of the British troops' second attack. But Revere, Dawes and a third rider named Samuel Prescott were captured by the British en route, and only Prescott reached Concord.

Revere was soon released, but he had already helped give the colonial militia a key advantage by alerting them to the impending attack by the British. The Battles of Lexington and Concord would spark the Revolutionary War.

Paul Revere's Ride

Revere remained active in the Revolutionary War, building Boston's first gunpowder mill and joining a Massachusetts infantry, but his remaining war record was lackluster, and he was largely unknown in his lifetime.

He became an American folk hero about 100 years later because of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's stirring retelling of his act of patriotism in "Paul Revere's Ride."

It begins with the now-famous lines, "Listen, my children, and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere" and depicts a dangerous, midnight ride as Revere warns the colonists about the British attack. The poem recounts his lantern signal system in the lines "one if by land, two if by sea."

The stirring poem made him an American hero, and while it contains historical inaccuracies-such as claiming Revere rode alone-the poem highlights the risks taken by this patriot at the start of the American Revolution.
READ MORE: 7 Events That Led to the American Revolution
Sources

The Paul Revere House. Paul Revere Memorial Association.
"Paul Revere's Ride." Academy of American Poets.
Revolutionary War Battles. American Battlefield Trust.
Paul Revere. Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum.
Voices of the Revolution: The Five Riders. Constitution Facts.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

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Paul Revere: House, Midnight Ride, Boston Massacre - HISTORY

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Paul Revere was born in the North End neighborhood of Boston at the end of 1734 (the exact date is unknown) to a French Huguenot father who ran a silversmith shop and a mother from a local family. The young Revere was educated in reading and writing in school before completing his training as an apprentice to his silversmith father.

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Learn about the Battle of Lexington and Concord major event in the American Revolutionary War. The first battles of the war.

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Lexington & Concord | Battles of America

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History >> American Revolution

The Battles of Saratoga were a series of battles that culminated in the Battle of Saratoga and the surrender of British General John Burgoyne. This decisive victory by the Americans was a turning point of the Revolutionary War.

The Leaders

The main leader for the British was General John Burgoyne. He had the nickname "Gentleman Johnny".

The Americans were led by Major General Horatio Gates as well as Generals Benedict Arnold and Benjamin Lincoln. Other key commanders included Colonel Daniel Morgan and General Enoch Poor.

General Horatio Gates
by Gilbert Stuart

General General John Burgoyne
by Joshua Reynolds

Leading up to the Battles

British General Burgoyne had come up with a plan to defeat the American colonies. He would split the colonies in two along the Hudson River. With the colonies divided, he was sure they could not stand.

Burgoyne was to lead his army south from Lake Champlain to Albany, New York. At the same time General Howe was to advance north along the Hudson River. They would meet at Albany.

Burgoyne and his army successfully advanced south. They first recaptured Fort Ticonderoga from the Americans then proceeded to march south. General Howe, however, had other plans. Instead of heading north to Albany, he headed east to take Philadelphia. Burgoyne was on his own.

Bennington

As the British continued south, the Americans harassed them along the way. They cut down trees to block the roads and took shots at the soldiers from the forests. Burgoyne's progress was slow and the British began to run out of food. Burgoyne sent some of his soldiers to Bennington, Vermont to find food and horses. However, Bennington was guarded by American General John Stark. They surrounded the British troops and captured around 500 soldiers. It was a decisive victory for the Americans and weakened the British forces.

Map of the Battles of Saratoga
Click picture to see larger version

The Battle of Freeman's Farm

The first battle of Saratoga took place on September 19, 1777 on the farmland of British loyalist John Freeman. Daniel Morgan led 500 sharpshooters to the field where they saw the British advancing. They were able to take out a number of officers before the British began to attack. At the end of the battle the British gained control of the field, but they had suffered 600 casualties, twice as many as the Americans.

The Battle of Bemis Heights

After the Battle of Freeman's Farm the Americans set up their defenses at Bemis Heights. More militia men arrived and the American forces continued to grow. On October 7, 1777 the British attacked. Their attack failed miserably and they were defeated by the Americans. British casualties mounted to nearly 600 men and General Burgoyne was forced to retreat.

The Americans under General Gates pursued the British army. Within days, they had them surrounded. The British surrendered on October 17, 1777.

Surrender of General Burgoyne
Source: U.S. Federal Government

Results

The Battles of Saratoga and the surrender of the British army under General Burgoyne was one of the major turning points of the Revolutionary War. The Americans morale was boosted and the country now felt it could win the war. Just as important to the war, the French decided to support the Americans with military aid.

Interesting Facts About the Battles of Saratoga

Benedict Arnold did not get along with General Gates. At one point they had a heated argument and Gates relieved Arnold of his command.

George Washington declared a day of Thanksgiving on December 18, 1777 to celebrate the victory over the British at Saratoga.

Despite being relieved of his command, Benedict Arnold entered the battle at Saratoga. He was injured when his horse was shot and fell on his leg.

The American ranks swelled from 9,000 soldiers at the first battle to over 15,000 by the time the British surrendered. The British army, on the other hand, shrunk from 7,200 at the first battle to around 6,600 at the second battle.

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Works Cited

History >> American Revolution

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Learn about the Battles of Saratoga at Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights. Major event in the American Revolutionary War.

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The Battle of Yorktown proved to be the decisive engagement of the American Revolution. The British surrender forecast the end of British rule in the colonies and the birth of a new nation-the United States of America.

How it ended

American victory. Outnumbered and outfought during a three-week siege in which they sustained great losses, British troops surrendered to the Continental Army and their French allies. This last major land battle of the American Revolution led to negotiations for peace with the British and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

In context

After six years of war, both the British and Continental armies were exhausted. The British, in hostile territory, held only a few coastal areas in America. On the other side of the Atlantic, Britain was also waging a global war with France and Spain. The American conflict was unpopular and divisive, and there was no end in sight. For the colonies, the long struggle for independence was leading to enormous debt, food shortages, and a lack of morale among the soldiers. Both sides were desperately seeking a definitive victory.

General George Washington and his Continental Army had a decision to make in the spring of 1781. They could strike a decisive blow to the British in New York City or aim for the south, in Yorktown, Virginia, where Gen. Charles Lord Cornwallis's troops were garrisoned. Washington and his French ally, Lt. Gen. Comte de Rochambeau, bet on the south, where they were assured critical naval support from a French fleet commanded by Adm. Comte de Grasse. The Allied armies marched hundreds of miles from their headquarters north of New York City to Yorktown, making theirs the largest troop movement of the American Revolution. They surprised the British in a siege that turned the tide toward an American victory in the War for Independence.

Before the Battle

In the fall of 1781, the British occupy Yorktown, where Cornwallis intends to refit and resupply his 9,000-man army. While he awaits supplies and much-needed reinforcements from the Royal Navy, the Continental Army seizes an opportunity. On receiving word that the French fleet will be available for a siege south of New Jersey, Washington and Rochambeau move their force of almost 8,000 men south to Virginia, planning to join and lead about 12,000 other militia, French troops, and Continental troops in a siege of Yorktown.

On September 5, while the Allied army is still on route, the French fleet guards the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The Royal Navy, attempting to sail up the Bay to Cornwallis, is met by French warships at the mouth of the Chesapeake. In this encounter, called the Battle of the Capes, the British fleet is soundly defeated and forced to abandon Cornwallis's army at Yorktown.

During the Battle

September 28. After a grueling march, the American and French forces arrive near Yorktown and immediately begin the hard work of laying siege to Cornwallis and his men. Cornwallis has thrown up a series of redoubts on the outskirts of Yorktown while the majority of his men hunker down in the town.

With the help of French engineers, American and French troops begin to dig a series of parallel trenches, which bring troops and artillery close enough to inflict damage on the British. Feverishly working night and day, soldiers of the combined forces employ spades and axes to create a perimeter line of trenches that will trap the British. As the work on the parallels continues, the British attempt to disrupt Allied operations by using what little artillery they have left. Their attempts prove futile.

October 9. The Allied lines are now within musket range of the British and American and French artillery are in place. In the afternoon, the Allied barrage begins, with the French opening the salvo. On the American side, George Washington touches off the first cannon to commence their assault. His artillery consists of three 24-pounders, three 18-pounders, two 8-inch (203 mm) howitzers, and 6 mortars, totaling 14 guns. For nearly a week the artillery barrage is ceaseless, shattering whatever nerve the British have remaining and punching holes in British defenses.

October 11. Washington orders troops to dig a second parallel 400 yards closer to the British lines. British redoubts #9 and #10 prevent the second parallel from extending to the river and the British are still able to reinforce the garrisons inside the redoubts. They have to be taken by force. The new line is in place by the morning of October 12.

October 14. On a moonless night, after firing incessant artillery to weaken British defenses, American and French forces prepare a surprise assault on redoubts #9 and #10. To maintain stealth, soldiers do not to load or prime their weapons. The password for the operation is "Rochambeau," which the Americans translate as "Rush on boys!" The assault commences with a diversionary attack on a redoubt further to the north of Yorktown at 6:30 p.m., giving the appearance that the town itself was to be stormed. Then, Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton's force, consisting of a detachment of 400 of his light infantry, assaults redoubt #10 with bayonets fixed and muskets unloaded. To prevent the British defenders from escaping the coming onslaught, Lt. Col. John Laurens 's troops cover the rear of the redoubt.

As American troops hack at the abatis with axes, the British are alerted. A British sentry fires at the Americans and the Americans proceeded to assault the fortification, climbing over the parapet and descending into the redoubt. Serious fighting ensues in close quarters, but the British are overwhelmed. It is a stunning victory with the Americans sustaining only 34 casualties.

The French simultaneously assault redoubt #9 and, after an equally fierce firefight, wrest control from the British. Cornwallis's position is untenable as the Franco-American alliance has artillery on three of his sides, with additional new pieces positioned in redoubts #9 and #10 after their fall. In a last-ditch effort, Cornwallis orders a futile counterattack on October 15, which fails miserably.

October 17. That morning, a lone British drummer boy, beating "parley" and British officer waving a white handkerchief tied to the end of a sword are seen on a parapet at the forward position of the British lines. Blindfolded and brought inside American lines, the British officer secures terms of surrender for the British Army.

October 19. In a field outside of Yorktown, the capitulation takes place as British troops and their Hessian allies, with flags furled and cased, march sullenly between contingents of American and French forces. The British seek honorable terms of surrender, but Washington refuses as American forces were denied the that honor in Charleston, South Carolina, earlier in the war.

Aftermath

The Battle of Yorktown marks the collapse of the British war efforts. Later, it is said that the British band played the tune "The World's Turned Upside Down" during the surrender at Yorktown-an apocryphal story that has become part of American folklore. But the world truly changes that day as the military operations of the War for Independence cease.

When news of Cornwallis's surrender reaches London on November 25, the Prime Minister, Lord North, declares, "Oh God. It is all over. It is all over." On March 5, 1782, Parliament passes a bill authorizing the government to make peace with America. Lord North resigns 15 days later. Although it takes the Americans two more years of skillful diplomacy to formally secure their independence through the Treaty of Paris, the war is won with the British defeat at Yorktown.

Yorktown: Featured Resources

Related Battles

Virginia | September 28, 1781

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Yorktown was George Washington's decisive victory over General Lord Charles Cornwallis. Learn about the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War.

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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After crossing the Delaware River in a treacherous storm, General George Washington's army defeated a garrison of Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. The victory set the stage for another success at Princeton a week later and boosted the morale of the American troops.

How it ended

American victory. The army that the British thought was all but defeated destroyed a major garrison and suffered very few casualties. The Americans also managed to capture critical supplies, including food and clothing, in the process. Emboldened, General George Washington recrossed and crossed the Delaware again over the next week, fighting a delaying action at the Battle of the Assunpink and winning another stunning victory at the Battle of Princeton.

In context

In late 1776, morale in the Continental Army was at a low after losses at the Battle of White Plains in October and at Forts Washington and Lee in November. Chased by the British, General Washington retreated across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. His force, in threadbare uniforms and many without shoes, was reduced to a few thousand and enlistments were set to expire. By December, the troops were huddled along the western banks of the Delaware River, with the waterway and winter weather helping to keep the British at bay. Thomas Paine's The American Crisis was passed around campfires, reigniting a passion for the revolutionary cause and helping to steady the soldiers' spirits and resolve.

On the night of Christmas, December 25, 1776, Washington implemented at audacious plan that would improve the fortunes of the American forces. The general daringly led his men across the icy Delaware River and on a ten-mile march into Trenton, New Jersey, where they surprised a garrison of 1,500 Hessians. The Americans dominated the fight and prevailed again in Princeton a week later. In these battles, Washington demonstrated his ingenuity and resilience as a leader, won the loyalty of his soldiers, and revived the Continental Army.

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After crossing the Delaware River in a treacherous storm, General George Washington's army defeated a garrison of Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. The victory...

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This map shows George Washington's triumph at Trenton, New Jersey. After crossing the icy Delaware Rive r late on Christmas Day 1776, Washington's forces struck the Hessian garrison in Trenton on the morning of December 26. Washington's attack mortally wounded Col. Johann Rall, the Hessian commander, killed 22, wounded another 83, and led to the capture of more than 890 Hessian soldiers. This stunning victory served to rebuild American morale after a summer of defeats and setbacks.

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This map shows George Washington's triumph at Trenton, New Jersey. After crossing the icy Delaware River late on Christmas Day 1776, Washington's forces struck the Hessian garrison in Trenton on the morning of December 26. Washington's attack mortally wounded Col.

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Learn about Patriots and Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. One side wanted independence while the other wanted to remain part of Britain.

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In a way, the American Revolution was also a civil war. By 1774, American colonists were divided into two camps: patriots and loyalists. Hotheaded patriots like the Sons of Liberty wanted to rid themselves of British rule at all costs. While the loyalists, either through stubborn loyalty to the crown or simple pragmatism, opposed all-out revolution.

It's estimated that up to one-fifth of American colonists were loyalists and they didn't all belong to elite British families tied to the crown or military, says Ben Marsh, a professor of American history at the University of Kent. Tens of thousands of merchants, farmers, Native Americans and enslaved people all had their reasons for preferring the known problems of British rule over an unpredictable independence.
WATCH: The Revolution on HISTORY Vault
But loyalists were on the losing side of the Revolution. Their businesses were ransacked, the homes confiscated, and after the war as many as 70,000 loyalists became refugees, fleeing to British imperial outposts in Canada and the Caribbean, or back to England itself.

Here are the stories of seven famous loyalists, most of whom paid a steep price for daring to oppose the Revolution:

1. William Franklin

William Franklin was an illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, but the two had a close relationship. They worked together on Poor Richard's Almanack and the older Franklin used his influence to have William appointed governor of the colonial Province of New Jersey, where he earned a reputation as a reformer.

"Like other loyalists, William Franklin hated what the Crown was doing and thought it was wrong, but he didn't disagree enough to warrant a revolution," says Marsh.

As calls for war grew louder, Benjamin Franklin urged his son to resign and take a leadership post with the patriots, but William refused. On January 13, 1775, Governor Franklin made a plea to the New Jersey Legislature: "You have now pointed out to you, gentlemen, two roads," he said, "one evidently leading to peace, happiness, and a restoration of the public tranquility-the other inevitably conducting you to anarchy, misery, and all the horrors of a civil war."

When his state chose Revolution, Franklin was confined to house arrest for his loyalist views, then shipped to a prison in Connecticut, where he was caught communicating and plotting with other loyalists. Franklin was thrown into solitary confinement and wasn't even let out to see his dying wife.

Franklin described his desperation in a letter to Gov. Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut. "I suffer so much in being thus buried alive, having no one to speak to day or night, and for the want of air and exercise," wrote Franklin, "that I should deem it a favor to be immediately taken out and shot."

Released as part of a prisoner exchange in 1778, Franklin became a loyalist leader in British-controlled New York and even organized guerilla attacks on patriot forces. He fled to London at the war's end and never reconciled with his father.

2. Thomas Hutchinson

Born into a prominent Massachusetts family, Thomas Hutchinson was a successful merchant, a respected judge and governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the explosive run-up to the Revolution.

In 1765, Hutchinson opposed the Stamp Act while lieutenant governor, but that didn't stop an angry mob from looting and nearly destroying his home. Hutchinson was acting governor during the Boston Massacre and ensured that the British soldiers were tried for the deaths of six Bostonians, but he was still cast as the enemy.

"Hutchinson was a pragmatist trying to navigate a line between British policies, which were becoming more aggressive, and the demands of the patriots, but it was an impossible task," says Marsh.

When patriots in other cities turned away British tea ships rather than pay the steep duties required by the Tea Act of 1773, Hutchinson stood his ground. He ordered that all duties be paid on the three tea ships docked in Boston Harbor, which the Sons of Liberty answered with the infamous Boston Tea Party.

Hutchinson sailed to England in 1774 in a last-ditch attempt to broker peace between the crown and the colonies, but he never returned to Massachusetts. Historians like Marsh see Hutchinson as a sympathetic figure who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"With the exception of a handful of nasty people, much of the rest of the loyalists are quite tragic stories of people whose loyalties, as far as they were concerned, remain pure and stable, but it was the rest of the world that changed," says Marsh.

3. John Malcolm

John Malcolm is a far less sympathetic character than Franklin or Hutchinson. Malcolm was an overzealous and often cruel British customs officer who was tarred and feathered not once, but twice by patriot mobs.

The first incident happened in 1773, when Malcolm gleefully seized a Sons of Liberty ship at a port in Maine and threatened the crew with a sword if they didn't heed his authority. When word spread of Malcolm's behavior, a group of local sailors "disarm'd [him] of Sword, Cane, Hat & Wig," poured hot tar and feathers over his clothes and paraded him through the streets for an hour.

If the public shaming was meant to humble Malcolm, it didn't work. A year later, Malcolm got into trouble in Boston when he whacked a local shoemaker on the head for insolence. The shoemaker, it turns out, was a member of the Sons of Liberty and an angry crowd quickly gathered outside of Malcolm's house.

Stubborn and defiant to the core, the 50-year-old Malcolm taunted the crowd from his upstairs window, yelling, "You say I was tarred and feathered, and that it was not done in a proper manner, damn you let me see the man that dare do it better!"

The patriot mob was happy to oblige. They seized Malcolm and dragged him on a sled to King Street, where, instead of pouring the tar over his clothes, they stripped him naked in the freezing January air and applied the hot tar and feathers directly to his skin.

Malcolm fled to England a few months later carrying a box containing strips of his own flesh that peeled off when removing the tar, and a petition to the King over his "barbarous" treatment. He never returned to Boston, leaving behind a wife and children.

"As a loyalist, Malcolm is very two-dimensional and he's used to great effect in the patriot propaganda of the time," says Marsh, "like the famous cartoons of him being tarred and feathered in Boston."

4. Thomas Brown

There were ardent loyalists outside of big cities like Boston and Philadelphia, too. One of the most famous was Thomas Brown, a wronged merchant from Georgia who took his vengeance on the patriots as the leader of the King's Rangers.

Brown arrived in Georgia in 1774 just as the Revolution was heating up. Refusing to side with the patriots on boycotting trade with Britain, Brown was badly beaten by the Sons of Liberty and the soles of his feet were nearly burned off.

"He's a much more interesting character in some ways than John Malcolm," says Marsh. "Brown's response was, 'If you push me, I will push back.' He turned his victimization into an angry militaristic retort."

Brown fled to Florida, where he convinced the colonial governor to put him in charge of a regiment of loyalist fighters, who with help from local Indian tribes would ride against the patriots. In 1776, Brown was commissioned as lieutenant colonel of the Florida Rangers, later known as the King's Rangers.

Brown led the King's Rangers on raids along the Georgia-Florida border and fought the patriot armies in Savannah, Charleston and Augusta, where he was forced to surrender in 1781. Released as part of a prisoner exchange, Brown and many of his rangers eventually settled in the British-ruled Bahamas, where he was elected to the legislature and ran a sugar plantation.

5. Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea)

Known as Thayendanegea in his native Mohawk language, Joseph Brant was the most famous of the many Native American loyalists.

Brant enjoyed close family ties with Sir William Johnson, British superintendent of the Northern Indians of America, because Johnson had married Brant's sister. Educated by the British and fluent in six tribal languages, Brant had "really good connections on both sides of the cultural divide," says Marsh, "and he made the most of them during the war."

It was Brant who convinced four of the Six Nations to fight for the British in 1775, arguing that the British were more likely to uphold their land agreements with the Indians than the Americans. Brant then traveled to England, met the King and became a favorite of the British aristocracy, who promised full support of Native American loyalists.

Brant returned to the colonies in 1776 where he fought alongside the British to retake New York, then led his Indian armies into battle in the Mohawk Valley. The patriot press portrayed Brant and his fighters as brutal savages, and "Monster Brant" (as he was known) was blamed for a Seneca raid in which 30 civilians were killed in retaliation for an earlier patriot attack.

"The patriot press made the most of the ways that the British are mobilizing enslaved and Indigenous people during the war to paint a story of America under duress from these external forces," says Marsh. "Brant was nowhere near as bad as the patriot's portray, but was an effective leader of his people both during and after the war."

After the British surrender, Brant spent his remaining years trying to negotiate treaties with the British, Americans and Canadians to save tribal lands from white settlement.

6. Boston King

When the Revolution began, the British shrewdly recruited enslaved people to fight against their American masters. An estimated 12,000 slaves of African descent known as "Black Loyalists" took up arms for the British during the Revolutionary War and tens of thousands of others risked their lives to seek freedom behind the British lines.

Among them was Boston King, an enslaved man from South Carolina who survived smallpox and capture at sea to escape to safety in British-controlled New York. When the war ended, the British kept their word and negotiated "certificates of freedom" for 3,000 formerly enslaved people, including King and his wife Violet.

King and the other Black Loyalists were settled in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, where they suffered violence and famine, but survived to establish a community. We know King's story because he became a prominent preacher and wrote his memoirs, which describe his journey to Sierra Leone with a shipload of other Black religious pilgrims, and his education in England.

7. Jonathan Boucher

Loyalist preacher Jonathan Boucher dared to baptize and educate formerly enslaved Black people in Virginia and Maryland, which made him controversial from the start. But when he took to his pulpit to oppose patriot firebrands like Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry, he put a target on his back.

"Boucher ended up preaching in his church with two loaded pistols," says Marsh.

One day a patriot mob gathered outside the church and threatened that if Boucher stood up to preach they would drag him out. Ever defiant, Boucher shouted "God Save the King," grabbed a local patriot leader, put a pistol to his neck and escaped with his life.

Boucher, once a close friend of George Washington, fled to Britain in 1775 where he wrote one of the first histories of the American Revolution outside of the United States.

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7 Famous Loyalists of the Revolutionary War Era

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In a way, the American Revolution was also a civil war. By 1774, American colonists were divided into two camps: patriots and loyalists. Hotheaded patriots like the Sons of Liberty wanted to rid themselves of British rule at all costs. While the loyalists, either through stubborn loyalty to the crown or simple pragmatism, opposed all-out revolution.

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Loyalists were people in the Thirteen Colonies who opposed the American Revolutionary War. They were also called Tories. They fought with the British against the Continental Army and Continental Congress that they felt was oppressing them. In many areas, Loyalists were treated very roughly by revolutionaries (who often called themselves " Patriots"). Tory lands and other properties were taken away, and sometimes they were put into jail or even killed. Some formed militias, fighting along with the British Army against the rebels.

After the war, many Loyalists sought asylum in Canada to escape the new United States and to stay loyal to King George and the British Empire.

Loyalists came from all walks of life. The majority were small farmers, artisans and shopkeepers. Not surprisingly, most British officials remained loyal to the Crown. Wealthy merchants tended to remain loyal, as did Anglican ministers, especially in Puritan New England. Loyalists also included some blacks (to whom the British promised freedom), Indians, indentured servants and some German immigrants, who supported the Crown mainly because George III was of German origin.

The number of Loyalists in each colony varied. Recent estimates suggest that half the population of New York was Loyalist; it had an aristocratic culture and was occupied throughout the Revolution by the British. In the Carolinas, back-country farmers were Loyalist, whereas the Tidewater planters tended to support the Revolution.

During the Revolution, most Loyalists suffered little from their views. However, a minority, about 19,000 Loyalists, armed and supplied by the British, fought in the conflict.

The Paris Peace Treaty required Congress to restore property confiscated from Loyalists. The heirs of William Penn in Pennsylvania, for example, and those of George Calvert in Maryland received generous settlements. In the Carolinas, where enmity between rebels and Loyalists was especially strong, few of the latter regained their property. In New York and the Carolinas, the confiscations from Loyalists resulted in something of a social revolution as large estates were parceled out to yeoman farmers.

About 100,000 Loyalists left the country, including William Franklin, the son of Benjamin, and John Singleton Copley, the greatest American painter of the period. Most settled in Canada. Brantford, Ontario for example was started by Iroquois refugees. Some eventually returned, although several state governments excluded the Loyalists from holding public office. Most of the Black Loyalists left, as they faced re-enslavement if they remained in the USA. In the decades after the Revolution, Americans preferred to forget about the Loyalists. Apart from Copley, the Loyalists became nonpersons in American history.

Images for kids

Britannia offers solace and a promise of compensation for her exiled American-born Loyalists. (Reception of the American Loyalists by Great Britain in the Year 1783. Engraving by H. Moses after Benjamin West.)

Benjamin West's "John Eardley Wilmot"

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Loyalist (American Revolution) Facts for Kids

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Loyalists were people in the Thirteen Colonies who opposed the American Revolutionary War. They were also called Tories. They fought with the British against the Continental Army and Continental Congress that they felt was oppressing them. In many areas, Loyalists were treated very roughly by revolutionaries (who often called themselves " Patriots").

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Due to a growing rift between the ideals of Great Britain and the newly-established America, the potential for conflict was rapidly increasing during the late 1700s. The game-changing moment came in 1770, after British troops fired on colonists who had been throwing stones and sticks at the soldiers. The Boston Massacre sparked outrage amongst the colonists. Despite not having official independence from Britain, the 13 colonies formed their own Continental Congress, which fought to take power from British rule.

All this combined sparked the Revolutionary War. It was a hard-fought battle on both sides, with the new United States of America emerging victorious. Several leaders of this movement are remembered today as the leaders of the revolution, while others are lesser-known, but no less important. There are five of the most pivotal figures in the American Revolution.

Paul Revere

Paul Revere is most famous for his midnight ride to warn American troops in Concord of approaching British forces. Immediately, the American army began moving military supplies away from the town. A week later, received word that British soldiers were coming from Boston on boats. He and William Dawes were sent out to warn militia leaders in Lexington and Concord of the looming threat. This is where the legendary story of the lantern signal in the tower emerges. Revere instructed the sexton of Boston's North Church to place one lantern in the steeple if the British army was approaching by land, and two lanterns if they were approaching by water. He effectively warned every Patriot he saw, saving countless lives, and preparing the American army for what would become the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

Nathanael Greene

During the time of the Revolutionary War, Nathanael Greene was regarded as George Washington's most trusted general. He was actively resisting British rule early in the 1770s, and helped establish a state militia called the Kentish Guards. Greene was appointed a general in the Continental Army in 1776, and aided Washington during the , New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia Campaigns. By 1780, Washington had declared Greene as commander of the army in the southern theater. He worked effectively to deplete British presence in the American South. After his time serving in the Continental Army, Greene retired to a plantation in Georgia, where he lived out the rest of his life.

George Washington

When we consider heroes of the Revolutionary War, George Washington is often the first person that comes to mind. As the first President of the United States, general in the Continental Army, and a Founding Father, Washington left an unwavering mark on the history of the United States. Washington first experienced battle during the French and Indian War, and was later elected to the Continental Congress by his peers in . He was Commanding General for the Continental Army, where he was joined by French forces to defeat the British army. Once it was apparent America would win the war, Washington stepped down and focused his attention on politics. He was pivotal in establishing the Constitution, and was elected the first President by Electoral College. He built a strong government, and after two terms of service, stated he would not run for a third, setting the tone for Presidents to come.

Ethan Allen

Ethan Allen gained military praise after he fought in the French and Indian War. The state of is often attributed to him. He purchased the land, but disputes between New York and New Hampshire ensued when each state claimed it was theirs. To prevent either of these states from taking the land, Allen formed the Green Mountain Boys. When the Revolutionary War began, the group began fighting. Together, he joined Benedict Arnold, and led the Green Mountain Boys to seize Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775. He was later captured and sent to a British prison for two years. Upon returning to the United States after the war, he tried to have Vermont adopted as an official state. He was never successful. The state would be ratified two years after his death in 1789.

Crispus Attucks

Unlike most others on this list, Crispus Attucks did not serve in the Revolutionary War. Attucks was the first man killed in the Massacre, the attack that finally sparked the war for independence. As an African-America, he became a central figure in the anti-slavery movement. He was often considered a hero in United States history. On the day of the massacre, Attucks along with several other men, arrived at the Old State House carrying wooden clubs. They threw the wood, along with snowballs and other miscellaneous items, at the soldiers until one opened fire. Two stray bullets hit Attucks in the chest, making him the first victim of the Revolutionary War.

Whether they were soldiers or victims, every man on this list played an influential role in establishing the independence of America. We remember them today as heroes of the Revolutionary War and as men whose ideas and bravery led American troops to some of their greatest accomplishments.

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Due to a growing rift between the ideals of Great Britain and the newly-established America, the potential for conflict was rapidly increasing during the late 1700s. The game-changing moment came in 1770, after British troops fired on colonists who had been throwing stones and sticks at the soldiers.

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The Continental Army was established by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of hostilities at Lexington and Concord and predates George Washington's assumption of command outside of Boston in July 1775. Most men who served in the Continental Army were between the ages of 15 and 30. Those who served in the Army were merchants, mechanics, and farmers. By 1780, close to 30,000 men served in the Continental Army, which was dispersed throughout the new nation.

It is also important to note that each state raised militia units. The British government established state militias after the French and Indian War to alleviate the need to garrison expensive regular soldiers in the colonies. All military aged males, aged 16 to 45, were required to serve in the militia and maintain the necessary arms and equipment for military service. During the Revolution both Loyalist and Patriot militias were called out to supplement the regular forces of both sides.

Prior to 1777, enlistment in the Continental Army was of various durations but generally for a year of service. After 1778, Congress changed the rules and men served for either three years or the duration of the war. In some cases, bounties were paid to entice men to enlist or for men who chose to serve longer. Bounties could consist of additional money, additional clothing, or land west of the Ohio River, where many veterans would settle after the war. A private in the Continental Army earned $6.23 per month and pay would increase upon promotion of rank. Sometimes a promotion in rank brought an increase in food rations and in some cases more money in lieu of rations.

Life in the Continental Army was difficult. It was mundane and monotonous. Generally, when not engaged in combat, soldiers in the Continental Army served three duties: fatigue or manual labor, such as digging vaults (latrines), clearing fields, or erecting fortifications. They also served on guard duty and drilled daily with their musket and in marching formations.

Reveille was typically at daybreak and soldiers cooked one meal per day, generally around 3:00 pm. Whatever food was left over from the meal, soldiers divided and placed in their haversacks to be consumed as needed. Rations were determined by Congress. Each man received 1.5 pounds of meat per day, typically beef. Each hunk they received included not only the meat, but bone, fat, and gristle. They also received one pound of bread per day, which was baked daily inside the camp, or 1.5 pounds of flour to make firecakes. Firecakes were like pancakes. Soldiers heated a flat rock, then mixed the flour with water, meat, gristle, and poured the mixture on the heated rock, then would flip it over to cook the other side.

Soldiers also received two ounces of spirits a day to be added to the water in their canteens to kill vermin or bacteria (although at the time that term was not used) that could be found floating in the water.

Often joining men in the camps or on the march were women and children known as camp followers. The women were mostly the wives of the enlisted men, and George Washington prohibited women of questionable nature to accompany his army. Women and children were also doled out rations. Women received half of what a soldier got and children were give quarter rations. Depending upon the jobs women did while accompanying the army, they could receive more rations.

When on the march, the typical soldier in the Continental Army carried forty-five pounds of gear. This included, when he was properly supplied, his weapon, haversack, knapsack, and other accoutrements including a bayonet, tin cup, bowl, spoon, cartridge box, canteen, and if lucky an extra blanket, shirt, or writing paper and a pen. Men did keep in communication with family from home and would write letters if they could steal a moment to sit down and write to a loved one. Supply problems constantly plagued the Continental Army, and often men simply made do with whatever arms and equipment they could bring from home.

When drilling with the musket, men were pushed in training to fire four rounds per minute or one every 15 seconds. The best soldiers could squeeze off five rounds per minute. Drill with a musket lasted for eight hours a day. The best regiments to serve in the Continental Army were from Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. African Americans did serve in the ranks of the Continental Army and General James Mitchell Varnum petitioned Congress to permit integration. Thus some fighting units were integrated. This would not happen again until 1950, when the US Army fought in Korea. The First Rhode Island Infantry was an entirely African American regiment.

Punishment for infractions in the Continental Army was severe and ranged from receiving lashes to death. A soldier's execution could be delivered for desertion or for failing to use the vaults, slit trenches dug to hold human waste. Executions were done in public as a demonstration to other soldiers to keep them in line.

Sanitation was a significant concern in the Continental Army. Even though information about hygiene in the 18th century was limited compared to what we know today, the results of poor sanitation were well understood. For each soldier killed in combat, nine died of disease, mostly attributed to a lack of sanitation.

The biggest frustration for Continental Army soldiers was the ineffectiveness of Congress and the lack of support they received from the political body that espoused the same cause. Mutiny at times raised its head. This would play a role in the future of the nation after it was created, with those arguing for a strong central government, basing their arguments on the limited ability and lack of performance by Congress during the war.

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The Fighting Man of the Continental Army

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The Continental Army was established by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of hostilities at Lexington and Concord and predates George...

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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Revolutionary War British Soldier Camp Life

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4th Grade - Revolutionary War:  A Soldier's Life