Revolutionary War Important People
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10 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 George Washington | American; Commander in chief of the American army during Revolutionary War; credited with leadership skills, strategic planning, and charisma that helped win the war |
| Marquis de Lafayette | French-American; French national who sympathized with American cause; joined Washington's forces as a volunteer aide and went on to command a division; became one of Washington's most trusted comrades |
| Baron Friedrick von Steuben | Prussian officer who joined American forces in 1777; assisted George Washington in training troops at Valley Forge; major contributing force in drilling/disciplining U.S. troops |
| Nathan Hale | American; Often referred to as the leading spy during the Revolutionary War; caught by British and hanged, but not before uttering the famous quote, "I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." |
| John Paul Jones | American; Naval commander of American sea forces during the Revolutionary War; captained multiple ships and widely regarded as America's first naval hero; famous for his reply to a British officer's request for his surrender, "I have not yet begun to fight." |
| Nathaniel Greene | American; One of Washington's most trusted commanders; served in the north in the early part of the war; chosen to replace General Horatio Gates as commander of the southern army; he was credited with helping formulate a strategy to stall British troops in Virginia, which led the to surrender at Yorktown |
| Henry Clinton | British; Named Commander in chief of British forces in 1778 after his early successes in the war; resigned in 1781 before the British surrender |
| William Howe | British; In 1775, appointed commander of British forces in America; led British victories at Bunker Hill and Brandywine; replaced by Henry Clinton in 1778 |
| John Burgoyne | British; Lead invasion of British forces into America from Canada; captured Fort Ticonderoga from Americans; surrendered to Americans at Saratoga and went back to England, facing criticism for his actions |
| Lord Charles Cornwallis | British; Second in command of British forces under General Clinton; trapped by American forces and French navy in Yorktown and surrendered to the Americans in 1781, marking the end of the war |
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