American History Vocabulary Unit 5.2

Vicennes

The Siege of Fort Vincennes (better known as the Siege of Fort Sackville), was decisive victory on behalf of an Illinois patriot militia led by Revolutionary War commander Lt. Col. George Rogers Clark which included around half of French volunteers sympathetic to the American cause against a British garrison led by Henry Hamilton with armed support by various Native American allies. The siege lasted two days and ultimately led to the surrender of the British garrison and in a larger frame the Illinois territory.

Admiral D'Estaing

Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing (24 November 1729 - 28 April 1794) was a French general, and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the British during the Seven Years' War. Naval exploits during the latter war prompted him to change branches of service, and he transferred to the French Navy. Following France's entry into the American War of Independence in 1778, he led a fleet to aid the American rebels. He participated in a failed Franco-American siege of Newport, Rhode Island in 1778 and the equally unsuccessful 1779 Siege of Savannah before returning to France in 1780. His difficulties working with American counterparts are cited among the reasons these operations failed.

Johann de Kalb

Johann von Robais, Baron de Kalb (June 19, 1721 - August 19, 1780), born Johann Kalb, was a Bavarian-born French military officer who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and was killed in action while fighting the British Army during the Battle of Camden.

Major Andre Mutiny

John André (2 May 1750 - 2 October 1780) was a British Army officer hanged as a spy by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War for assisting Benedict Arnold's attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, New York to the British.

John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones (July 6, 1747 - July 18, 1792) was a Scottish American sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made both friends [1] and enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to this day. As such, he is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the United States Navy" (an epithet he shares with John Barry). He later served in the Imperial Russian Navy, subsequently obtaining the rank of rear admiral.

General Nathaniel Greene

Nathanael Greene (August 7 [O.S. July 27] 1742 - June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War, known for his successful command in the Southern Campaign, forcing British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis to abandon the Carolinas and head for Virginia. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United States are named for him. Greene suffered financial difficulties in the post-war years and died in 1786.

Paul Revere

Paul Revere (/rɪˈvɪər/; December 21, 1734 O.S. - May 10, 1818[N 1]) was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is best known for alerting the Colonial militia to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride".

Battle of Brandywine

(September 11, 1777- 1778) It was a battle of the Philadelphia campaign fought in the area surrounding Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and the Brandywine River. The battle, which was a firm victory for the British, left Philadelphia undefended and Washington lost.

Franco-American Alliance

1778. Specified that once France entered the American Revolutionary War, neither America nor France qould sign a separate peace without the "liberty, sovereignty, and independence" of the United States. In return, the Continental Congress agreed to recognize any French conquests in the West Indies.

Joseph Brant

A Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York. Was closely associated with Great Britain during and after the American Revolution. Probably best known American Indian of his generation to the American and British - met many significant people of the age, including George Washington and King George III. Led Mohawk and colonial Loyalists against the rebels on the New York frontier. Was falsely accused by the Americans of committing atrocities during the war. After the war, relocated with most of his people to the Six Nations Reserve in Canada.

Philadelphia

A city in Pennsylvania, on the Delaware River. Established as a Quaker colony by William Penn and others in 1681, it was the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the adoption of the Constitution in 1787. First capital of the U.S. until moved to Washington D.C. in 1800.

Battle of Guilford Courthouse

A fiercely fought Revolutionary War engagement that occurred March 15, 1781, near modern day Greensboro, North Carolina, in which British forces under Lord Cornwallis and General Nathanael Greene both sustained heavy losses. The British technically won but were forced to withdraw to Willmington, North Carolina.

Fort Stanwix

A fort in the Mohawk Valley of New York that was the site of a twenty-day siege by British forces during the Saratoga campaign in August 1777. The siege ended with the arrival of forces under the command of Benedict Arnold.

General Horatio Gates

A general for the American forces, he was able to slow the progress of Burgoyne's troops by falling trees in their path and raiding British supply lines to Canada. He later blocked Burgoyne's army in a series of skirmishes with the help of American militiamen.

Conway Cabal

A group people in late 1777 and early 1778 suggesting that George Washington be replaced as commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War; It was named after a brigadier general, whose letters criticizing Washington were forwarded to the Second Continental Congress; when this group's suggestion was made, supporters of George Washington mobilized to assist him

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757 - July 12, 1804) was a founding father of the United States, chief staff aide to General George Washington, one of the most influential interpreters and promoters of the U.S. Constitution, the founder of the nation's financial system, the founder of the Federalist Party, the world's first voter-based political party, and the Father of the United States Coast Guard. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, Hamilton was the primary author of the economic policies of the George Washington administration. Hamilton took the lead in the funding of the states' debts by the Federal government, the establishment of a national bank, a system of tariffs, and friendly trade relations with Britain. He led the Federalist Party, created largely in support of his views; he was opposed by the Democratic-Republican Party, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, which despised Britain and feared that Hamilton's policies of a strong central government would weaken the American commitment to Republicanism.

Battle of Cowpens

An overwhelming victory by American Revolutionary forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War. Considered by many the finest example of the use of linear tactics by American Forces.

Thaddeus Kosciusko

Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko (Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kościuszko;[note 1] February 4 or 12, 1746 - October 15, 1817) was a Polish military engineer and a military leader who became a national hero in Poland, Belarus, and the United States. He fought in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's struggles against Russia and Prussia, and on the American side in the American Revolutionary War. As Supreme Commander of the Polish National Armed Forces, he led the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising.

"Mad" Anthony Wayne

Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 - December 15, 1796) was a United States Army officer, statesman, and member of the United States House of Representatives. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him promotion to brigadier general and the sobriquet Mad Anthony. He later served as General in Chief of the Army and commanded the Legion of the United States.

Battle of Germantown

Battle that William Howe fought in his invasion of Philadelphia along with the Battle of Brandyvine Creek. In these battles, Howe defeated the Patriots, but was slowed down and unable to attack the Hudson River Valley

Benjamin West

Benjamin West PRA (October 10, 1738 - March 11, 1820) was an Anglo-American painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the American War of Independence. He was the second president of the Royal Academy in London, serving from 1792 to 1805 and 1806 to 1820. He was offered a knighthood by the British Crown, but declined it, believing that he should instead be made a peer.[1] He said that "Art is the representation of human beauty, ideally perfect in design, graceful and noble in attitude."[2]

Bernardo de Galvez

Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Viscount of Galveston and Count of Gálvez (Macharaviaya, Málaga, Spain July 23, 1746 - November 30, 1786) was a Spanish military leader and colonial administrator who served as colonial governor of Louisiana and Cuba, and later as Viceroy of New Spain. Gálvez aided the American Thirteen Colonies in their quest for independence and led Spanish forces against Britain in the Revolutionary War, defeating the British at the Siege of Pensacola (1781) and reconquering Florida for Spain. He spent the last two years of his life as Viceroy of New Spain, succeeding his father Matías de Gálvez y Gallardo. The city of Galveston, Texas, was named for him.

USS Bonhomme Richard

Bonhomme Richard, formerly Duc de Duras, was a warship in the Continental Navy. She was originally an East Indiaman, a merchant ship built in France for the French East India Company in 1765, for service between France and the Orient. She was placed at the disposal of John Paul Jones on 4 February 1779, by King Louis XVI of France as a result of a loan to the United States by French shipping magnate, Jacques-Donatien Le Ray.

General John Burgoyne

British general appointed by King George III to crush the rebel forces; 1777, subordinate of Howe, lead invading force down Hudson from Canada to Alabany; was present at the Battle of Saratoga and Battle of Yorktown

Battle of Freeman's Farm

By August 1777 Major General John Burgoyne's army had forced its way down the Lake Champlain route from Canada to Fort Edward on the Hudson River. General Schuyler lay with the American Army to the south, covering the New York State capital, Albany. Burgoyne's campaign to invade the American Colonies, which had seemed so promising when the army set out, was rapidly souring. The Brunswicker Colonel Baum's expedition to Bennington in search of supplies and horses had been a disaster. The Americans were greatly encouraged by the success of Brigadier Stark's New Hampshire Militia in that battle. Now the main American Northern Army lay north of the junction of the Mohawk on the Hudson Rivers, receiving a constant flow of reinforcements.

Charles Wilson Peale

Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 - February 22, 1827) was an American painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolution, as well as for establishing one of the first museums. He was one of the outstanding painters of the early American republic, and he painted more than a thousand portraits, mostly of American Revolution leaders. He founded the nation's first museum and first art school. His 1772 portrait of George Washington is recognized as the first authentic likeness of Washington. He continued to add paintings of national leaders like John Adams (1791-1794), Alexander Hamilton (1791), and James Madison (1792). His likenesses were realistic, accurate in detail, and sensitive to the sitter's personality.

Andrew Pickens

Cowpens, South Carolina: Jan. 17, 1781: At the Battle of Cowpens, Brig. General Daniel Morgan gave Pickens command of the militia, which played a key role in the battle. On the evening of January 16, Morgan personally instructed the militia to hold its ground while firing two rounds and then retreat. On the morning of January 17, Pickens and the militia carried out the plan perfectly, which led Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton and British to believe that the militia was fleeing. The British blindly charged ahead and were drawn into a double flanking and soundly defeated. Following Cowpens, South Carolina Governor John Rutledge promoted Pickens to brigadier general. He would also be awarded a sword by Congress.

Baron von Steubon

Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben; September 17, 1730 - November 28, 1794), also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian-born American military officer. He served as inspector general and Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is credited with being one of the fathers of the Continental Army in teaching them the essentials of military drills, tactics, and disciplines.[1] He wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, the book that served as the standard United States drill manual until the War of 1812. He served as General George Washington's chief of staff in the final years of the war.

Sir Banastre Tarleton

General Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB (21 August 1754 - 15 January 1833) was a British soldier and politician. He is today probably best remembered for his military service during the American War of Independence. He became the focal point of a propaganda campaign claiming that his men had slaughtered surrendering Continental Army troops at the Battle of Waxhaws also known as the Waxhaw Massacre. In the biography The Green Dragoon: The Lives of Banastre Tarleton and Mary Robinson by Robert D. Bass (published in 1952) he was given the sobriquet 'Bloody Ban' and 'The Butcher', which has carried over into popular culture as being his nickname of the day, a moniker given to him for rebel propaganda purposes.

Admiral George Rodney

George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB (bap. 13 February 1718 — 24 May 1792) was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. It is often claimed that he was the commander to have pioneered the tactic of "breaking the line".

George Rogers Clark

George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 - February 13, 1818) was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky (then part of Virginia) militia throughout much of the war. Clark is best known for his celebrated captures of Kaskaskia (1778) and Vincennes (1779) during the Illinois Campaign, which greatly weakened British influence in the Northwest Territory. Because the British ceded the entire Northwest Territory to the United States in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, Clark has often been hailed as the "Conqueror of the Old Northwest". Clark's military achievements all came before his 30th birthday. Afterwards he led militia in the opening engagements of the Northwest Indian War, but was accused of being drunk on duty. Despite his demand for a formal investigation into the accusations, he was disgraced and forced to resign. He left Kentucky to live on the Indiana frontier. Never fully reimbursed by Virginia for his wartime expenditures, Clark spent the final decades of his life evading creditors, and living in increasing poverty and obscurity. He was involved in two failed conspiracies to open the Spanish-controlled Mississippi River to American traffic. After suffering a stroke and the loss of his leg, Clark was aided in his final years by family members, including his younger brother William, one of the leaders of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Clark died of a stroke on February 13, 1818.

HMS Drake

HMS Drake was a 14-gun sloop-of-war of the British Royal Navy. Originally the merchantman Resolution, she was purchased in early 1777 and commissioned in April 1777, being fitted for RN service at Plymouth from 19 April to 24 May. She served in the American Revolutionary War, and on 24 April 1778, off Carrickfergus, Ireland, she fought the North Channel naval duel with the 18-gun sloop Ranger of the Continental Navy, commanded by Captain John Paul Jones. Five of Drake's crew, including her captain, George Burdon, were killed, and after an hour-long engagement, Drake surrendered to the Americans. Jones was able to evade capture and deliver Drake to Brest, France as his prize on 8 May 1778. This was the first, and most decisive, American victory over any Royal Navy vessel in British waters.[1][2]

HMS Serapis

HMS Serapis was a Royal Navy two-decked, Roebuck-class fifth rate. Randall & Brent built her at Greenland South Dockyard, Rotherhithe[2] and launched her in 1779. She was armed with 44 guns (twenty 18-pounders, twenty 9-pounders, and four 6-pounders). Serapis was named after the god Serapis in Greek and Egyptian mythology. The Americans captured her during the American Revolutionary War. They transferred her to the French, who commissioned her as a privateer. She was lost off Madagascar in 1781 to a fire.

Battle of Bemis Heights

In the fall of 1777, British troops commanded by General John Burgoyne were advancing south from Canada towards New York along the water route of Lake Champlain, Lake George and the Hudson River. They clashed with a larger force of American soldiers led by General Horatio Gates at Freeman's Farm on September 19 in the First Battle of Saratoga, but withdrew after failing to penetrate the American line. On October 7, Burgoyne's second attack met with a fierce American resistance, spearheaded by Major General Benedict Arnold, in the wooded area of Bemis Heights south of Saratoga. Known as the Battle of Bemis Heights, or the Second Battle of Saratoga, this American victory proved to be a major turning point in the Revolutionary War.

John Trumbull

John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 - November 10, 1843) was an American artist during the period of the American Revolutionary War and was notable for his historical paintings. His Declaration of Independence (1817) was used on the reverse of the two-dollar bill. As a soldier in the American Revolutionary War, Trumbull rendered a particular service at Boston by sketching plans of the British works. He witnessed the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was appointed second personal aide to General George Washington, and in June 1776, deputy adjutant-general to General Horatio Gates. He resigned from the army in 1777 after a dispute over the dating of his officer commission. In 1780 he traveled to London, where he studied under Benjamin West. At West's suggestion, Trumbull painted small pictures of the War of Independence and miniature portraits. He painted about 250 in his lifetime. On September 23, 1780, British agent Major John André was captured by Continental troops in North America; he was hanged as a spy on October 2, 1780. After news reached Great Britain, outrage flared and Trumbull was arrested, as having been an officer in the Continental Army of similar rank to André. He was imprisoned for seven months in London's Tothill Fields Bridewell.

Casimir Pulaski

Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski of Ślepowron coat of arms (Polish pronunciation: [kaˈʑimʲɛʂ puˈwaskʲi] ( listen); English: Casimir Pulaski; March 6, 1745[1] - October 11, 1779) was a Polish noblemanb, soldier and military commander who has been called with his fellow Hungarian friend Michael Kovats de Fabriczy "the fathers of the American cavalry". Born in Warsaw and following in his father's footsteps he became interested in politics at an early age and soon became involved in the military and the revolutionary affairs in Poland (the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth). Pulaski was one of the leading military commanders for the Bar Confederation and fought against Russian domination of the Commonwealth. When this uprising failed, he was driven into exile. Following a recommendation by Benjamin Franklin, Pulaski emigrated to North America to help in the cause of the American Revolutionary War. He distinguished himself throughout the revolution, most notably when he saved the life of George Washington. Pulaski became a general in the Continental Army, created the Pulaski Cavalry Legion and reformed the American cavalry as a whole. At the Battle of Savannah, while leading a daring charge against British forces, he was gravely wounded, and died shortly thereafter.

Battle of Monmouth Courthouse

Last major Revolutionary War engagement between the British and the American forces in the North; occurred on June 28, 1778, in central New Jersey as the British withdrew from Philadelphia toward their headquarters at New York City. The Americans under General George Washington and the British under Sir Henry Clinton each suffered about 350 casualties.

Admiral de Grasse

Lieutenant Général des Armées Navales François-Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse (13 September 1722 - 11 January 1788) was a French admiral. He is best known for his command of the French fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake, which led directly to the British surrender at Yorktown. De Grasse was defeated the following year by Admiral Rodney at the Battle of the Saintes, where he was captured. He was widely criticised for this. On his return to France, he demanded a court martial; he was acquitted of fault in his defeat.

Valley Forge

Location where General Washington stationed his troops for the winter of 1777 to 1778. Soldiers suffered hunger, cold, and disease: nearly 1300 deserted over the course of the winter. Morale of the remaining troops was raised by the drilling and discipline instilled by Baron von Steuben, a former Prussian officer who had volunteered to aid the colonial army.

Marquis de Lafayette

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette, Marquis de Lafayette (French pronunciation: ​[maʁki də la fajɛt]; 6 September 1757 - 20 May 1834), in the U.S. often known simply as Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer who fought for the United States in the American Revolutionary War. A close friend of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson, Lafayette was a key figure in the French Revolution of 1789 and the July Revolution of 1830.

Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau

Marshal Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (French pronunciation: ​[ʁɔʃɑ̃bo]; 1 July 1725 - 10 May 1807) was a French nobleman and general who played a major role in helping America win independence during the American Revolution. During this time, he served as commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force that embarked from France in order to help the American Continental Army fight against British forces.

Admiral Samuel Hood

Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (12 December 1724 - 27 January 1816) was a British admiral known particularly for his service in the American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary Wars. He acted as a mentor to Horatio Nelson. Further information: Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War In 1778, on the occasion of the King's visit to Portsmouth, Hood was made a baronet.[3] The war was deeply unpopular with much of the British public and navy. Many admirals had declined to serve under Lord Sandwich, the First Lord of the Admiralty. Admiral Rodney, who then commanded in the West Indies, had complained of a lack of proper support from his subordinates, whom he accused of disaffection. The Admiralty, anxious to secure the services of trustworthy flag officers, promoted Hood to rear-admiral on 26 September 1780, and sent him to the West Indies to act as second in command under Rodney, who knew him personally. He joined Rodney in January 1781 in his flagship Barfleur, and remained in the West Indies or on the coast of North America until the close of the American Revolutionary War.[3] The expectation that he would work harmoniously with Rodney was not entirely justified. Their correspondence shows that they were not on friendly terms; but Hood always did his duty, and he was so able that no question of removing him from the station ever arose. The unfortunate turn for the British taken by the campaign of 1781 was largely due to Rodney's neglect of Hood's advice.[3] Battle of the Chesapeake[edit] Further information: Battle of the Chesapeake When Rodney decided to return to Britain for the sake of his health in the autumn of 1781, Hood was ordered to take the bulk of the fleet to the North American coast during the hurricane months.[3] Hood joined Admiral Thomas Graves in the unsuccessful effort to relieve the army at Yorktown, when the British fleet was driven off by the French Admiral, the Comte de Grasse, at the Battle of the Chesapeake.[3] When he returned to the West Indies, he was for a time in independent command owing to Rodney's absence in England. De Grasse attacked the British islands of St Kitts and Nevis with a force much superior to Hood's squadron. Hood made an unsuccessful attempt in January 1782 to save them from capture, with 22 ships to 29, and the series of bold movements by which he first turned the French out of their anchorage at Basseterre of St Kitts and then beat off their attacks, were one of the best accomplishments of any British admiral during the war.[3]

Battle of King's Mountain

The Battle of Kings Mountain was a decisive victory in South Carolina for the Patriot militia over the Loyalist militia in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The battle took place on October 7, 1780, 9 miles (14 km) south of the present-day town of Kings Mountain, North Carolina in rural Cherokee County, South Carolina, where the Patriot militia defeated the Loyalist militia commanded by British Major Patrick Ferguson of the 71st Foot.

Yorktown Campaign

The Yorktown or Virginia campaign was a series of military maneuvers and battles during the American Revolutionary War that culminated in the decisive Siege of Yorktown in October 1781. The result of the campaign was the surrender of the British Army force of General Charles, Earl Cornwallis, an event that led directly to the beginning of serious peace negotiations and the eventual end of the war. The campaign was marked by disagreements, indecision, and miscommunication on the part of British leaders, and by a remarkable set of cooperative decisions, at times in violation of orders, by the French and Americans.

USS Ranger

The first USS Ranger was a sloop-of-war in the Continental Navy in active service in 1777-1780; she received the second salute to an American fighting vessel by a foreign power (the first salute was received by the USS Andrew Doria when on 16 November 1776 she arrived at St. Eustatius and the Dutch island returned her 11-gun salute). She was captured in 1780, and brought into the Royal Navy as HMS Halifax. She was decommissioned in 1781.

Mary Hays

The wife of a soldier, she earned this nickname "Molly Pitcher" by carrying pitchers of water to soldiers. When her husband was wounded, she took his place firing a cannon

Battle of Camden

This was the 1780 battle during the American Revolution in which the British forces, led by Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis soundly defeated the Continental armed forces led by General Horatio Gates; meant that royal forces soon controlled most of Georgia and South Carolina.

Admiral Thomas Graves

Thomas Graves, 1st Baron Graves KB (23 October 1725 - 9 February 1802) was a British Admiral and colonial official. During the American War of Independence, his fleet was defeated by the Comte de Grasse in the Battle of the Chesapeake at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781 leading to the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. In September 1782, a fleet under his command was caught in a violent storm off the banks of Newfoundland. The captured French ships, Ville de Paris (110 guns) and HMS Glorieux (74 guns) and the British ships HMS Ramillies (74 guns) and HMS Centaur (74 guns) foundered, along with other merchant ships, with the loss of 3,500 lives. In 1786 he became Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.

Thomas Sully

Thomas Sully (June 19, 1783 - November 5, 1872) was an American portrait painter, who was born in Britain but lived most of his life in Philadelphia. He painted in the style of Thomas Lawrence, and his subjects included Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and the Marquis de Lafayette, as well as many leading musicians and composers. He also painted landscapes and historical pieces such as Passage of the Delaware, and his work was used on United States coinage.

Battle of Bennington

took place on August 16, 1777, in Walloomsac, New York, about 10 miles from its namesake Bennington, Vermont. An American force of 2,000 men, led by General John Stark, and members of the Green Mountain Boys, decisively defeated a detachment of General John Burgoyne's army led by Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum. Baum was sent by Burgoyne to raid Bennington area for horses and other supplies. Believing the town to be only lightly defended, they were unaware that Stark and 1,500 militiamen were stationed there. After a rain-caused standoff, Stark's men enveloped Baum's position, taking many prisoners and killing Baum. Reinforcements for both sides arrived as Stark and his men were mopping up, and the battle restarted. The battle was an important victory for the American cause, as it reduced Burgoyne's army in size by almost 1,000 men, led his Indian support to largely abandon him, and deprived him of needed supplies, all factors that contributed to Burgoyne's eventual surrender at Saratoga.

Saratoga Campaign

turning point of the American Revolution. it was very important because it convinced the French to give US military support. It lifted American spirits, ended the British threat in New England by taking control of the Hudson River and most importantly showed the French that the Americans had the potential to beat their enemy great Britain, France and America became allies