Continental Army Archives

Determined to defend the Mohawk Valley, patriots under General Nicholas Herkimer fight back at Indians and Tories ambushing them in the wilderness. The wounded Herkimer commanded from under a tree as the battle raged hour after hour.

Continental Army

The Battle of Oriskany: Into the Trap

By Donald Roberts II

The year 1776 ended on a high note for Washington’s Continental Army despite its earlier devastating defeats on Long Island and Manhattan. Read more

Continental Army

Monmouth: Longest Battle of the American Revolution

By Eric Niderost

On June 19, 1778, Continental soldiers marched out of Valley Forge, happy to leave the rough wooden cabins where they had spent a miserable winter; cold, hunger, and disease had been their constant companions. Read more

Colonial troops under Lord Stirling retreat across Gowanus Creek after holding off the British long enough for Washington’s army to regroup along Brooklyn Heights.

Continental Army

William Alexander: Hero of the American Revolution

By William Be. Allmon

Of all the generals who fought on the Patriot side during the American Revolution, none was more renowned than New York City native William Alexander, better known to his contemporaries as “Lord Stirling.” Read more

A hard-bitten Prussian recruiting officer dragoons a reluctant peasant into the service in Louis Joseph Watteau’s 1770 painting, The Unwilling Recruit.

Continental Army

To Field an Army: A Short History of the Draft

By Mike Haskew

The call of a nation on its civilian population either to create a military force or to augment a standing army is virtually as old as civilization itself. Read more

Continental Army

The Brooklyn Campaign: The Battle of Long Island

By James E. Held

For General Washington and his Continental Army the situation had become desperate. The ink had hardly dried on the Declaration of Independence when 30 British warships and 400 transports under Admiral Lord Richard Howe sailed unchallenged past the Sandy Hook lighthouse to the Tory stronghold of Staten Island. Read more

Benedict Arnold tells British Major André to hide military papers in his boot. Washington’s spy ring helped foil the pair’s plot to capture West Point.

Continental Army

The Culper Spy Ring: The American Revolution’s Great Secret

By Peter Kross

The American Revolution was a proving ground for American spy operations. General George Washington’s use of deception, covert activities, secret inks, and informers was a model for future spymasters. Read more

Continental Army

Rogers’ Rangers and the Battle of LaBarbue Creek

By John Mancini

In the fall of 1755, England and France were again at war for control of North America. The French believed that New France extended from Canada to Louisiana. Read more

Continental Army

George Washington and Lord Cornwallis at Germantown

By Eric Niderost

On a gloomy Friday morning, September 26, 1777, an advance party of the British Army marched into Philadelphia to take possession of the city. Read more

Continental Army

Benedict Arnold’s Invasion of Canada

By Earl Echelberry

Fresh from his capture of Fort Ticonderoga, Colonel Benedict Arnold in the summer of 1775 lobbied hard to the Continental Congress for authorization to lead an expedition to the lower St. Read more

One of the many female Revolutionary War heroes who has been shrouded in myth and legend, the story of Deborah Sampson sticks out as one of the more interesting.

Continental Army

Female Revolutionary War Heroes: Deborah Sampson

Deborah Sampson was born in Plympton Massachusessts in December 1760. The oldest of seven children, she grew up poor, and after being abandoned by her father, she became an indentured servant. Read more

Seymour entered into the war as a slave owned by the brother of Aaron Burr. By the end of the war, he would earn his freedom.

Continental Army

African American Revolutionary War Heroes: Seymour Burr

There were several African American Revolutionary War heroes that made major contributions on and off the battlefield, but not all of them fought for the Colonists. Read more

Margaret Corbin quickly took over loading and firing her husband's cannon after he was shot and killed at Fort Washington.

Continental Army

Female Revolutionary War Heroes: Margaret Corbin

One of the more prominent female Revolutionary War heroes was Margaret Corbin.

Corbin’s parents were both killed by Indian raiders when she was only five. Read more

By the beginning of 1777, it had become more apparent to His Majesty’s army that a more coordinated effort would be needed to defeat the American military.

Continental Army

General Howe and General Burgoyne’s Two-Pronged Attack in 1777

by Donald Roberts II

The year 1776 ended on a high note for George Washington’s Continental Army despite its earlier devastating defeats on Long Island and Manhattan. Read more

In addition to the Founding Fathers, there were numerous female Revolutionary War heroes who contributed substantially to the fight for independence, like Martha Washington.

Continental Army

Female Revolutionary War Heroes: the Front Lines and at Home

by Mike Haskew Martha Custis Washington: General’s Wife and First Lady

Martha Custis Washington, wife of General George Washington, came to the winter quarters of her husband’s army each winter of the Revolutionary War. Read more

Whereas European warfare depending increasingly on professional armies, the Colonial American military relied heavily on “citizen-soldiers”, or militia.

Continental Army

The Citizen-Soldier: Militia in Early America

by Donald Roberts II

British colonization of the New World transplanted many British institutions to America. Besides the political and social beliefs seeded in the colonies, military ideals were also implemented. Read more

One regiment that stands out for its number of African American Revolutionary War heroes is the 1st Rhode Island regiment, colloquially referred to as the "black regiment."

Continental Army

African American Revolutionary War Heroes: Boston to Yorktown

by Mike Haskew

Although a large number of colonial slaves fled their condition of involuntary servitude seeking freedom through service to the British Army, an estimated 5,000 African Americans served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Read more

Continental Army

Greene’s Gamble at Hobkirk’s Hill

By Daniel Murphy

In late March 1781, American Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene sought to make the best of a bad situation. Read more

Continental Army

Slugfest at Eutaw Springs

By John Pezzola

In the early morning hours of September 8, 1781, drums rolled and fifes played in Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene’s camp in the High Hills of southeastern South Carolina. Read more