Revolutionary War: Key Events and Figures

previously on the revolution attempts to tax the American colonies set off violent uprisings the spirit is there's a strategy at work here to gradually erode American Liberties if you let them do this what will they try to do next 3,000 M away Benjamin Franklin was the toast of London he's absolutely in his element He rais these down as the happiest years of his life that is is until he was brought before the king's Council to answer for his country's sins Franklin stands stock still in this humiliating moment many people have dated that as the moment at which Franklin becomes a [Music] [Music] revolutionary fire spring 1775 Bloodshed at Lexington and conquered has inflamed the colonies the Continental Congress rushes back to Philadelphia to take up the growing conflict as militia units from all over New England pour into Massachusetts to back up their neighbors and the militias are certain that they can defeat the British army because they have this revolutionary fire and spirit and they argue that one man with that sort of spirit is worth a 100 British regulars one such man who comes to Massachusetts is a Fearless officer from Connecticut his name Benedict Arnold a man intent on doing great things in the coming War Arnold has a bold military plan for the Patriot cause when Benedict Arnold marched into the New England Camp outside Boston right after Lexington had conquered he was spit and polish and he made such a physical impression when he sat on a fine horse he was literally a commanding figure men men looked up to him Arnold has come by his Regal bearing the hard way born into a life of privilege his alcoholic father squandered the family's Fortune a traumatic turnabout that forced Benedict at 13 to Apprentice with an apothecary at 15 he ran away to fight with the Connecticut militia in the French and Indian war after the war he overcame his lowly circumstances to achieve wealth and success in business but the angry resentful youth has grown into a bitter and arrogant man whose contempt for British rule has made him a militant Patriot Arnold convinces the Massachusetts provincial Congress to send him on a mission that will grab personal glory for himself and desperately needed ammunition for for the rebels to capture the guns at Fort taond deroga the massive but Loosely guarded British Garrison in the upper reaches of New York Fort tyoga people referred to it as the Gibralter of North America it was by all standards the most spectacular Fortress in North America as Arnold sets out on his quest to capture the fort he hears that another soon to be famous name is driven by the same [Music] idea Ethan Allen a hard drinking hard- living Frontiersman from Connecticut couldn't be more different from Benedict arm Allen has been engaged by Connecticut's Congress to Rally his personal militia for its own mission to Fort taon deroga these are the notorious Green Mountain Boys who have been fighting their own War of Independence against New York settlers Ethan Allen their Colonel commandant organized about 2,000 armed frontiersmen in what is now Vermont who for 5 years had been fighting New Yorkers to keep them out of their Farms out of their new territory and they were willing to fight for their land and they could move very quickly the Green Mountain Boys jump at the opportunity to take on the British taking separate paths Allan and Arnold each with his own orders head towards Fort tyon dooga Arnold is alone expecting to recruit men along the way Allen and his men are already preparing the attack their paths cross 30 mi from their target Arnold presents Allen with his Massachusetts orders and assumes he will command the operation Allan full of swagger as always all but laughs in Arnold's face these really are very vain egotistical men two strong personalities very much interested in the accumulation of individual Glory the Green Mountain Boys were personally loyal to Allen which Benedict Donald found out to his Chagrin when he arrived and tried to take over the attack on taond deroga and they put down their guns and they said they were going to March home that they would only fight for Ethan Allen we don't even know Arnold grudgingly agrees to conduct The Raid with these men but finds himself relegated to second in command it is a humiliating confrontation in the pre-dawn hours of May 10th 8 3 Green Mountain Boys and 50 Massachusetts militia men sneak up on the British stronghold the 50 sleeping Red Coats inside have gone undisturbed in the wilderness for so long they are totally unprepared for what's about to hit them it's over in minutes the British soldiers surrender without a fight the fort's valuable artillery stores now belong to the rebels they essentially stole the fort from the British they were able to essentially walk in uh in a manner of speaking the the the British really left the keys in the door to Fort tyon deroga what happens next turns Arnold's stomach Allen's men find 90 gallons of rum go on a three-day binge and tear the place apart leaving Arnold to mop up after them but the worst insult comes when Allan writes to Arnold superiors in the Massachusetts Congress Allan brazenly takes complete credit for the operation he keeps all the glory for himself and purposely makes no mention of his rival Benedict Arnold for Arnold it's a wound more devastating than being shot for an officer's honor public recognition was key if you'd played an important role and you weren't mentioned that was very disrespectful so Arnold was justifiably offended the affront to his honor is the first of many slights that will dog Benedict Arnold throughout the war and ultimately drive him to infamy in Philadelphia the men of Continental Congress reconvene in the Pennsylvania state house which will later be named Independence Hall they greet the capture of Fort tyon oga with decidedly mixed feelings still hoping for peace they have refrained up till now from authorizing offensive actions against the British the capture of Fort taond deroga catches the Continental Congress largely off guard they had not anticipated this they did not desire this and it now has forced their hand they know that a military response is inevitable and they now must scramble to take action the time has come for the 13 colonies to become a United military as well as political force it issues currency against future tax collections from the colonies to raise and Supply an army their mission now is to conduct a war even while searching for a way to avoid it we ought immediately to adopt the Army as a continental army take upon ourselves the pay subsistence clothing armor and Munitions of the troops John Adams Adams urges the immediate appointment of a commander to head up this new Army his Massachusetts colleague John Hancock a vain ambitious man who has just been elected president of Congress assumes he will be offered this even more important role his friend Adams is about to nominate him or so he thinks and that is a gentleman Among Us and very well known to all of us a gentleman whose skill and experience as an officer whose independent Fortune great talents and excellent Universal Character would command the approbation of all the colonies better than any other person in the union that is the gentleman from Virginia Hancock is stunned Adams passes him over for a gentleman planter from Virginia George Washington the Continental Congress wanted a national Army not just a Massachusetts army or a New England Army army they thought that by getting a commander-in-chief from a different Colony would balance that so they cast a welcome iron Washington from [Music] Virginia at 6' 2 in and 215 lb George Washington Cuts an imposing figure prior to his nomination he spoke very little in session yet spoke volumes about his intentions by showing up every day dressed in a military uniform now here's a very impressive guy I mean he wears this military uniform with great dignity and of course he shows up making the point I have military experience I am a person who you can count on as your military commander so he has the image to do it he's got the experience he's from Virginia they make him the commander-in-chief and he he modestly says I'm I'm really not equal to the task and I'll just do my best but Le some unlucky event should happen unfavorable to my reputation I beg it may be remembered by every gentleman in the room that I this day declare with the utmost sincerity I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with George Washington his behavior seems somewhat disingenuous clearly he wanted it he he he was very ambitious he was particularly ambitious in military matters early on he realizes that the best way to be ambitious is to convince everyone else that you're not ambitious and he follows this through his entire life ambitious disingenuous modest who is this man George Washington the man appointed to construct a new continental army in 1775 he is hardly a household name he's one of the wealthiest men in in the country he's in his mid-40s and really should be in retirement at that time Washington is someone who has nothing to gain from participation in the revolution and everything to lose he wasn't born to wealth Washington's father was a Virginia farmer who died in 1743 when George was only 11 young George's circumstances were modest but his dreams were [Music] big but he envisioned himself dancing at the Grand balls in the huge homes of the rich he envisioned himself being a great land owner and these were dreams that he pursued constantly all of his young adult life as a teenager he immerses himself in the teachings of a book called The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior which instructs readers on proper manners social behavior and temperament he commits them to Memory in the presence of others sing not to yourself with a humming noise nor drum with your fingers of feet lift not one eyebrow higher than the other and beue no man's face with your spittle by approaching too near him when you speak George Washington himself was very anxious to Have All the Right Moves he's as anxious as anyone as a teenager to get them right at 16 with only an elementary school education he becomes a surveyor where where he learns how to navigate the Wilderness something that serves him well when he is appointed to the rank of major in the Virginia militia in 1754 he leads a company of men into a territorial Skirmish with French soldiers where someone in his regiment perhaps Washington himself kills a French diplomat many believe his poor judgment starts a chain of events it leads to the French and Indian War despite his inauspicious start Washington persists and eventually proves himself to be an exemplary officer after the war Good Fortune boosts Washington's [Music] Ambitions he marries a wealthy Widow named Martha custus and inherits his half brother's estate Mount Vernon which he goes on to build into a plantation with more than a 100 slaves as part of the land of gentry he goes into Virginia politics though he may Fain unworthiness there is no one in 1775 better equipped to take on the job of commander-in-chief very importantly he had been a political figure for 16 years he' been a state legislature so he was somebody who knew how to work with politicians could work with Congress and would not be a threat to Congress my dearest it has been determined in Congress that the whole Army raised for the defense of the American cause shall be put under my care curiously even when writing to Martha of his appointment Washington is still pretending he doesn't want the job you may believe me when I assure you in the most solemn manner that so far from seeking this appointment I have used every Endeavor in my power to avoid it what he can't avoid is Destiny he takes the job for no pay and prepares to leave for Boston to take on the strongest army in the world not yet knowing that all hell has already broken loose up there in a place called Bunker [Music] [Music] Hill May 1775 the rebels capture of Fort taond dooga turns up the pressure on the already beleaguered British commander Thomas Gage back in the French and Indian War 2,000 British soldiers lost their lives seizing Fort taond deroga and now Gage has lost it to the Americans in London King George is furious that Gage's Superior forces have failed to control the colonists I am of the opinion that when once these Rebels have felt a smart blow they will submit and no situation can change my fixed resolution either to bring the colonies to adue obedience or to cast them off King George III no more reasoning no more legislating the colonies will come to their senses or face a show of force unlike any they have ever seen Gage is dismissed he is too weak too tolerant to replace him the British command sends its three best generals to bring the colonies to heal these are England's best and brightest military men who become known as the triumvirate of reputation General Henry Clinton American boore a competent Soldier but socially inept a man referred to even by himself as a shy [ __ ] General John beroy Vain and ambitious one popular English writer gives him the nickname Julius Caesar beronius and General William how an experienced military man who came to appreciate America's British Colonials while fighting alongside them in the French and Indian War these three supporting generals were brought in essentially to supplant Gage and it became a a kind of personal contest between these three men as to who would take Gage's position as commanderin-chief in America how is the oddson favorite but an odd choice to take over the command in America a political liberal he opposes the king's policies in the colonies and had once vowed not to fight against his English countrymen there General William how was opposed to the war all they wanted was the Americans to submit to British laws and British taxes they didn't want to go fight them Boston June 16th in the months since Lexington had conquered Rebel militia in the hills around Boston have laid Siege to the city trapping the British and their loyalists inside now the British command is planning to break the rebel strangle hold with an overwhelming offensive up Bunker Hill to take The High Ground around Boston but the Colonials are a step ahead of the British spies have slipped the British plans to the rebels up in the hills regimental commanders from Connecticut and Massachusetts lead their men to fortify Bunker Hill then decide to move one Hill closer to Boston on breeds Hill there they dig in for a British attack [Music] midnight June 17th 1 1200 militia men race the clock to beat the sunrise before it reveals their position to the British below they must control The High Ground before the enemy makes its own move at Daybreak the sleeping British ships in Boston Harbor spot the militia position s and sound the alarm all of Boston awakens with a start the Patriots have beaten the British to the punch the First full battle of the revolution is joined as the red coats assembl for battle ships in the harbor try to pin down the militia with cannon fire under the command of General William how lines of British soldiers their bayonets at the ready climb the hill without any cover easy targets for a man and musket that can shoot straight the British are convinced that they can form up in line and despite taking casualties instill in the Patriots fear of a professional disciplined force of regulars and demonstrate to the Americans that this is madness trying to oppose this Army twice house men charge up breed's hill twice they are repelled by the militia from roofs and hilltops civilians come out to witness the Bloodshed it is War as spectator sport but many fear for their loved ones in the fight the rebel barrage goes on for 3 hours until they run out of ammunition despite their advantage the rebels have no choice but to retreat the British finally capture the hill on their third charge but the ground is strewn with red coated bodies the new Commander now realizes what no one in Far Away England could possibly understand this is not a rebellion This Is War When I Look to the consequences of it in the loss of so many Brave officers I do it with horror the success is too dearly bought British General William how the British pay a horrendous price for their victory at breeds Hill which erroneous ly but permanently becomes known as the Battle of Bunker Hill after the original Target 1,000 of the 2300 British soldiers nearly half are dead or wounded the Americans lose 271 men out of, 1600 in defeat the colonists have won a paradox that over the next 6 years will come to characterize the Americans bloody war for independence Bunker Hill is a defeat of course for these colonists but they inflicted such heavy losses on the British that it makes them a little cocky that was the best trained most professional Army on earth look at the damage we did to them it really gives them way too much confidence in the days following the Battle of Bunker Hill even as Congress begins to provide for a continental army the delegates make one last attempt at reconciliation with Britain they send the king what they call the Olive Branch Petition respectfully requesting that he Grant the North American colonies autonomy within the British Empire like all communication that crosses the Atlantic it will take months for an answer and General George Washington can't afford to wait to build his army he alone holds the keys to Liberty or to death [Music] June 1775 as word of the Valiant defense of Boston's Bunker Hill reaches Philadelphia General George Washington writes a new will and heads off to meet his Destiny whatever mortal fears Washington Harbors the people he meets on his way to Boston have no such misgivings about the man charged to defend them the appointment gives Universal satisfaction I was struck with General Washington dignity with ease and complacency the gentleman and Soldier look agreeably Blended in him Abigail [Music] Adams Cambridge Massachusetts Washington is in for a terrible surprise despite their Brave defense of breeds Hill the men he is coming to command fail even his worst expectations he really has a task that is is absolutely mindboggling we say that there was an Army around Boston there wasn't an army around Boston there was a gaggle these men are ragged disheveled getting drunk on duty no knowledge of how to handle a musket efficiently there was no discipline there was certainly no hygiene uh very little structure it was a [Music] mess these are what Washington's revolutionaries this is the Army he has to defend against the British Empire whatever Washington may think of his soldiers as men and as Citizens as soldiers they're not much used to him a dirty mercenary Spirit pervades the whole could I have foreseen what I have no consideration upon Earth should have induced me to accept this command and George Washington the general must start from scratch and personally attend to even the lowliest most rudimentary functions his first tasks are fundamentally administrative tasks his Junior officers have to be taught how to fill out a report how to count men how to purchase supplies how to buy tools where to dig latrine where to buter meat where to bury awful these are all things that amazingly enough Washington has to concern himself with so the task before him is immense and it's going to require a tremendous amount of energy to literally whip this Army into shap and the whip will come down hard every man will learn discipline by Washington's very strict code for Disobedience of orders and damning his officer to receive 30 lashes on his bare back for expressing himself disrespectfully to be stripped of his arms put in a horse cart with rope round his neck and drummed out of the army General George Washington the new Army is stitched together with widely different militias from very different colonies each is accustomed to its own command and its own way of doing things establishing a common culture is yet another overwhelming challenge there were so many different brands of fighting Traditions cultures and people Washington was very concerned that there were so many rivalries so much friction between members of his army one of the Army's most serious problems is the utter lack of ammunition and gunpowder when Washington is told that they only nine rounds of gunpowder per man he is inconsolable advertisements in colonial newspapers plead for local gunmakers to step up their production but to little Avail perhaps no commander in history has ever faced so many obstacles to putting together a fighting force and even if Washington succeeds the effort may still be doomed most men have signed up for just oneyear enlistments these men are serving for very short terms most of them their contracts expire either in November or December they're only going to be around for a few months so as soon as they become even remotely competent they're going to go home and he's going to have a new group to train again against these odds Washington has precious little time to turn this woefully undisciplined underprepared and undersupplied army into a force that will have to stand up against strongest army in the [Music] world fire Lexington conquered Bunker Hill all the skill and experience in the world can't help British forces tame the chaos in The Colony Thomas Gage now has only 7,000 soldiers surrounded by Washington's 16,000 the loss we have sustained is greater than we can bear small armies can't afford such losses the rebels number is great so many hands have been employed I wish this cursed place was burned Thomas Gage October 11th 1775 without Fanfare and without honors General Thomas Gage is relieved of his command once Britain's most powerful man in America he returns home alone and [Music] disgraced General William how steps into Gage's boots and is already kneee in the American [Music] Quagmire in London King George roundly rejects the Olive Branch Petition Continental congress's last grasp for peace EMP on October 26th in his annual speech to Parliament the king throws Down The Gauntlet it has now become the part of wisdom to put a speedy end to these disorders by the most decisive exertions King George III what the king wants is a military solution to a political problem but his called for war is anything but unanimous among Britain's people and politicians but when Parliament votes War carries the day the military is ordered to send thousands more troops and a full Armada to quell America's escalating Revolution reinforcements can't come too soon for General William how hemmed in by the rebel Siege he and his Army are virtual prisoners on the Boston Peninsula along with a thousand loyalists they're [Music] protecting with no access to the countryside they are unable to forage for food or wood supply ships from England have yet to arrive the people in Boston are running out of provisions and fuel across the river in Cambridge Washington is battling his own War of Attrition with the year about to come to an end so will many enlistments and short timers will soon be leaving in droves and now Congress is pushing him to let go of some of his most loyal soldiers African-Americans from the very beginning free Northern blacks have been serving well the Patriot cause with the same concerns as their white compatriots there was no militia unit that didn't have black men they were at Bunker Hill they were conquered and Lexington and everywhere else but recruiting black soldiers uh that he had trouble with because the Continental Congress had trouble with it now that the Army is a continental army not just a local Northern one armed blacks have created a loaded issue in Congress southern states are adamantly opposed to making soldiers out of them Washington is no different from any other Southern planter regarding blacks he sounds like the southern slaveholder he is when he issues his order Banning black recruits the rights of mankind and the freedom of America will have numbers sufficient to support them without resorting to such wretched assistance George Washington the great irony is that the one man closest to the general is a black man his slave Billy Lee for the seven years since Washington acquired him Lee has been his master's valot and constant companion Washington calls him my family Billy Lee was more than just a slave to George Washington he was his personal slave Billy Lee went with him every place George Washington was the best horseman in Virginia Billy Lee was the second best and he and Washington were horseback rid just about every day and so the two of them presented quite a picture a picture that was noticed over and over by people at the time who wrote about Washington and his male servant Billy Lee you could say that Billy Lee in fact was a close friend of George Washington even though he was a slave Washington and congress's decision to reject black soldiers plays perfectly into the enemy's hands the royal governor of Virginia Lord Dunmore issues a proclamation that welcomes blacks to the British side I do hearby declare all indentured servants Negroes or others that are able and willing to bear arms free they joining his Majesty's troops as soon as may be Lord Dunmore the Dunmore Proclamation WS Havoc throughout Virginia thousands of slaves flee their masters for this chance at Freedom if you have the opportunity to throw in your lot with people who are promising you a much better situation than you have had you'd be silly not to take that promise seriously it was the best opportunity for Freedom they had ever seen and they never knew whether such an opportunity would ever present itself again you know Thomas Jefferson estimates that in Virginia alone 30,000 African Americans walked off to Plantation and many of them became British soldiers so for the British this is wonderful they're not only sapping the Colonial economy by depriving it of slave labor but they've added to their Fighting Force free blacks travel secretly from Plantation to Plantation to embolden slaves to escape if they are caught they risk death or torture while the fight for liberty in the South threatens to blow the slave culture apart the approaching New Year threatens to dissolve Washington's Northern [Music] Army we are now without any money in our treasury powder in our magazines arms in our stores without a brigadier Engineers expresses by and by when we shall be called to on to take the field we shall not have a tent to lie in I have often thought how much happier I should have been If instead of accepting a command under such circumstances I had taken my musket upon my shoulders and entered the ranks or had retired to the back country and lived in a wigwam George Washington all seems lost even before it's begun until a former book seller has an idea that will change [Music] everything January 1st 1776 it's a new year for a new Army and General Washington raises a new flag to commemorate it the Grand Union with 13 stripes representing both the differences and common cause of the 13 colonies and with the British Union Jack in the upper left to acknowledge those colonial leaders hoping to salvage a relationship with England that same day the colonies get the news of the king's October proclamation to crush the Rebellion by any means necessary it's a stunning declaration by the king that roused Rebel IR more than ever but an army needs more than anger to fight a war with the onset of winter neither side has the supplies necessary to Brave the cold and snow the British hold up in Boston waiting for reinforcements and supplies from England while Washington uses the time to piece together an army short on everything from manpower to gunpowder but h help is on the [Music] way Henry Knox a 25-year-old Colonel and former Boston Book seller is leading a trek from Cambridge to Fort taond deroga on a quest for arms Knox has taken it upon himself to recover the artillery captured from the British at Fort tyon deroga for 2 months in the cold and wet he his men and teams of oxen haul 120,000 lb of artillery across 300 100 miles of Muddy Woods frozen rivers and steep icy slopes back to headquarters in Cambridge on January 25th Colonel Knox delivers all of the Weaponry to his commanderin-chief miraculously intact it is the best gift Washington could ever receive finally he has the Firepower he so badly needs Washington also has in Knox a valued new commander in charge of artillery Knox becomes part of Washington's Inner Circle of Junior officers whose Council he values enormously George Washington always had the ability to listen to many people particularly younger men he thinks everybody's view is important that it's a part of the puzzle that people know things that he doesn't know and if he can listen to enough opinions he'll know as much as they do a Hallmark of good leadership right away Washington's Brain Trust keeps him from making a fatal mistake as the spring thaw approaches Washington wants to send waves of foot soldiers down into Boston in a full frontal [Music] attack but his officers overrule him the British are too well fortified and the Continentals are still short of gunpowder they do however have nox's artillery they decide to take the highest ground Dorchester Heights and bombard the city March 2nd after months of waiting Washington and his men are more than eager to [Music] move the general is about to launch the first offensive of his command he sends a Stern warning to his troops our posterity depends upon the Vigor of our exertions If any man in action shall presume to skull hide himself or Retreat from the enemy without the orders of his commanding officer he will be instantly shot down as an example of cowardice General Washington the night of March 4th surprise will be the key from three points outside the city Cobble Hill leech Meir and Roxbury the Army Reigns light cannon fire down on Boston a decoy to misdirect the British while the rest of the army hauls nox's artillery over to Dorchester Heights through the night Washington's men build fortifications and drag Cannon up the Steep Frozen slope by morning everything is in place Daybreak March 5th on the 6th anniversary of the Boston Massacre the British awake to the sight of 20 Cannon pointed down on their ships in the harbor my God a shocked how exclaims these fellows have done more work in one night than I could make my Army do in 3 months it's not until after they see tyon deroga guns on Dorchester Heights that they realize they got to get the heck out of there the Continentals don't even need to fire a shot how issues autal order for his ship's Cannon to fire on the Continental position but Washington's guns sit just out of range luckily for how his ships are also out of Washington's range how and his army prepare to abandon the city and take thousands of loyalist citizens with them one loyalist would later write the necessary care of the women sick and wounded required every every assistance that could be given it was not like the breaking up of a camp where every man knows his duty it was like departing your country with your wives your servants your household furniture and all your encumbrances over the next 2 weeks the Continentals watch from above as all of Boston scrambles to evacuate taking everything with them that isn't nailed down it is a bitter exile for the Loyalists many of whose families had lived in b Boston for Generations by March 17th they are all gone 120 ships carry 9,000 Red Coats 2,000 Loyalists and as many of the city's usable Goods as possible out to an unknown fate the Patriots return to the city the Beloved birthplace of the rebellion and Washington enjoys the first victory of his command but it will be his last for the rest of a gruelling and humiliating year 1776 we'll see 33,000 British troops the largest contingent ever sent overseas head for America to grind the revolution into [Music] dust next time on the revolution a tiny pamphlet provides the recruit ining propaganda Washington's Army desperately needs Common Sense conjured up a vision of a very Democratic America still to be and Continental Congress drafts a stunning declaration Jefferson wasn't writing anything that was revolutionary in the eyes of his own people only in the rest of the world all of our founding fathers they think they're going to hang they are [Music] outlaws [Music]

previously on the revolution attempts to tax the American colonies set off violent uprisings the spirit is there's a strategy at work here to gradually erode American Liberties if you let them do this what will they try to do next 3,000 M away Benjamin Franklin was the toast of London he's absolutely in his element He rais these down as the happiest years of his life that is is until he was brought before the king's Council to answer for his country's sins Franklin stands stock still in this humiliating moment many people have dated that as the moment at which Franklin becomes a [Music] [Music] revolutionary fire spring 1775 Bloodshed at Lexington and conquered has inflamed the colonies the Continental Congress rushes back to Philadelphia to take up the growing conflict as militia units from all over New England pour into Massachusetts to back up their neighbors and the militias are certain that they can defeat the British army because they have this revolutionary fire and spirit and they argue that one man with that sort of spirit is worth a 100 British regulars one such man who comes to Massachusetts is a Fearless officer from Connecticut his name Benedict Arnold a man intent on doing great things in the coming War Arnold has a bold military plan for the Patriot cause when Benedict Arnold marched into the New England Camp outside Boston right after Lexington had conquered he was spit and polish and he made such a physical impression when he sat on a fine horse he was literally a commanding figure men men looked up to him Arnold has come by his Regal bearing the hard way born into a life of privilege his alcoholic father squandered the family's Fortune a traumatic turnabout that forced Benedict at 13 to Apprentice with an apothecary at 15 he ran away to fight with the Connecticut militia in the French and Indian war after the war he overcame his lowly circumstances to achieve wealth and success in business but the angry resentful youth has grown into a bitter and arrogant man whose contempt for British rule has made him a militant Patriot Arnold convinces the Massachusetts provincial Congress to send him on a mission that will grab personal glory for himself and desperately needed ammunition for for the rebels to capture the guns at Fort taond deroga the massive but Loosely guarded British Garrison in the upper reaches of New York Fort tyoga people referred to it as the Gibralter of North America it was by all standards the most spectacular Fortress in North America as Arnold sets out on his quest to capture the fort he hears that another soon to be famous name is driven by the same [Music] idea Ethan Allen a hard drinking hard- living Frontiersman from Connecticut couldn't be more different from Benedict arm Allen has been engaged by Connecticut's Congress to Rally his personal militia for its own mission to Fort taon deroga these are the notorious Green Mountain Boys who have been fighting their own War of Independence against New York settlers Ethan Allen their Colonel commandant organized about 2,000 armed frontiersmen in what is now Vermont who for 5 years had been fighting New Yorkers to keep them out of their Farms out of their new territory and they were willing to fight for their land and they could move very quickly the Green Mountain Boys jump at the opportunity to take on the British taking separate paths Allan and Arnold each with his own orders head towards Fort tyon dooga Arnold is alone expecting to recruit men along the way Allen and his men are already preparing the attack their paths cross 30 mi from their target Arnold presents Allen with his Massachusetts orders and assumes he will command the operation Allan full of swagger as always all but laughs in Arnold's face these really are very vain egotistical men two strong personalities very much interested in the accumulation of individual Glory the Green Mountain Boys were personally loyal to Allen which Benedict Donald found out to his Chagrin when he arrived and tried to take over the attack on taond deroga and they put down their guns and they said they were going to March home that they would only fight for Ethan Allen we don't even know Arnold grudgingly agrees to conduct The Raid with these men but finds himself relegated to second in command it is a humiliating confrontation in the pre-dawn hours of May 10th 8 3 Green Mountain Boys and 50 Massachusetts militia men sneak up on the British stronghold the 50 sleeping Red Coats inside have gone undisturbed in the wilderness for so long they are totally unprepared for what's about to hit them it's over in minutes the British soldiers surrender without a fight the fort's valuable artillery stores now belong to the rebels they essentially stole the fort from the British they were able to essentially walk in uh in a manner of speaking the the the British really left the keys in the door to Fort tyon deroga what happens next turns Arnold's stomach Allen's men find 90 gallons of rum go on a three-day binge and tear the place apart leaving Arnold to mop up after them but the worst insult comes when Allan writes to Arnold superiors in the Massachusetts Congress Allan brazenly takes complete credit for the operation he keeps all the glory for himself and purposely makes no mention of his rival Benedict Arnold for Arnold it's a wound more devastating than being shot for an officer's honor public recognition was key if you'd played an important role and you weren't mentioned that was very disrespectful so Arnold was justifiably offended the affront to his honor is the first of many slights that will dog Benedict Arnold throughout the war and ultimately drive him to infamy in Philadelphia the men of Continental Congress reconvene in the Pennsylvania state house which will later be named Independence Hall they greet the capture of Fort tyon oga with decidedly mixed feelings still hoping for peace they have refrained up till now from authorizing offensive actions against the British the capture of Fort taond deroga catches the Continental Congress largely off guard they had not anticipated this they did not desire this and it now has forced their hand they know that a military response is inevitable and they now must scramble to take action the time has come for the 13 colonies to become a United military as well as political force it issues currency against future tax collections from the colonies to raise and Supply an army their mission now is to conduct a war even while searching for a way to avoid it we ought immediately to adopt the Army as a continental army take upon ourselves the pay subsistence clothing armor and Munitions of the troops John Adams Adams urges the immediate appointment of a commander to head up this new Army his Massachusetts colleague John Hancock a vain ambitious man who has just been elected president of Congress assumes he will be offered this even more important role his friend Adams is about to nominate him or so he thinks and that is a gentleman Among Us and very well known to all of us a gentleman whose skill and experience as an officer whose independent Fortune great talents and excellent Universal Character would command the approbation of all the colonies better than any other person in the union that is the gentleman from Virginia Hancock is stunned Adams passes him over for a gentleman planter from Virginia George Washington the Continental Congress wanted a national Army not just a Massachusetts army or a New England Army army they thought that by getting a commander-in-chief from a different Colony would balance that so they cast a welcome iron Washington from [Music] Virginia at 6' 2 in and 215 lb George Washington Cuts an imposing figure prior to his nomination he spoke very little in session yet spoke volumes about his intentions by showing up every day dressed in a military uniform now here's a very impressive guy I mean he wears this military uniform with great dignity and of course he shows up making the point I have military experience I am a person who you can count on as your military commander so he has the image to do it he's got the experience he's from Virginia they make him the commander-in-chief and he he modestly says I'm I'm really not equal to the task and I'll just do my best but Le some unlucky event should happen unfavorable to my reputation I beg it may be remembered by every gentleman in the room that I this day declare with the utmost sincerity I do not think myself equal to the command I am honored with George Washington his behavior seems somewhat disingenuous clearly he wanted it he he he was very ambitious he was particularly ambitious in military matters early on he realizes that the best way to be ambitious is to convince everyone else that you're not ambitious and he follows this through his entire life ambitious disingenuous modest who is this man George Washington the man appointed to construct a new continental army in 1775 he is hardly a household name he's one of the wealthiest men in in the country he's in his mid-40s and really should be in retirement at that time Washington is someone who has nothing to gain from participation in the revolution and everything to lose he wasn't born to wealth Washington's father was a Virginia farmer who died in 1743 when George was only 11 young George's circumstances were modest but his dreams were [Music] big but he envisioned himself dancing at the Grand balls in the huge homes of the rich he envisioned himself being a great land owner and these were dreams that he pursued constantly all of his young adult life as a teenager he immerses himself in the teachings of a book called The Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior which instructs readers on proper manners social behavior and temperament he commits them to Memory in the presence of others sing not to yourself with a humming noise nor drum with your fingers of feet lift not one eyebrow higher than the other and beue no man's face with your spittle by approaching too near him when you speak George Washington himself was very anxious to Have All the Right Moves he's as anxious as anyone as a teenager to get them right at 16 with only an elementary school education he becomes a surveyor where where he learns how to navigate the Wilderness something that serves him well when he is appointed to the rank of major in the Virginia militia in 1754 he leads a company of men into a territorial Skirmish with French soldiers where someone in his regiment perhaps Washington himself kills a French diplomat many believe his poor judgment starts a chain of events it leads to the French and Indian War despite his inauspicious start Washington persists and eventually proves himself to be an exemplary officer after the war Good Fortune boosts Washington's [Music] Ambitions he marries a wealthy Widow named Martha custus and inherits his half brother's estate Mount Vernon which he goes on to build into a plantation with more than a 100 slaves as part of the land of gentry he goes into Virginia politics though he may Fain unworthiness there is no one in 1775 better equipped to take on the job of commander-in-chief very importantly he had been a political figure for 16 years he' been a state legislature so he was somebody who knew how to work with politicians could work with Congress and would not be a threat to Congress my dearest it has been determined in Congress that the whole Army raised for the defense of the American cause shall be put under my care curiously even when writing to Martha of his appointment Washington is still pretending he doesn't want the job you may believe me when I assure you in the most solemn manner that so far from seeking this appointment I have used every Endeavor in my power to avoid it what he can't avoid is Destiny he takes the job for no pay and prepares to leave for Boston to take on the strongest army in the world not yet knowing that all hell has already broken loose up there in a place called Bunker [Music] [Music] Hill May 1775 the rebels capture of Fort taond dooga turns up the pressure on the already beleaguered British commander Thomas Gage back in the French and Indian War 2,000 British soldiers lost their lives seizing Fort taond deroga and now Gage has lost it to the Americans in London King George is furious that Gage's Superior forces have failed to control the colonists I am of the opinion that when once these Rebels have felt a smart blow they will submit and no situation can change my fixed resolution either to bring the colonies to adue obedience or to cast them off King George III no more reasoning no more legislating the colonies will come to their senses or face a show of force unlike any they have ever seen Gage is dismissed he is too weak too tolerant to replace him the British command sends its three best generals to bring the colonies to heal these are England's best and brightest military men who become known as the triumvirate of reputation General Henry Clinton American boore a competent Soldier but socially inept a man referred to even by himself as a shy [ __ ] General John beroy Vain and ambitious one popular English writer gives him the nickname Julius Caesar beronius and General William how an experienced military man who came to appreciate America's British Colonials while fighting alongside them in the French and Indian War these three supporting generals were brought in essentially to supplant Gage and it became a a kind of personal contest between these three men as to who would take Gage's position as commanderin-chief in America how is the oddson favorite but an odd choice to take over the command in America a political liberal he opposes the king's policies in the colonies and had once vowed not to fight against his English countrymen there General William how was opposed to the war all they wanted was the Americans to submit to British laws and British taxes they didn't want to go fight them Boston June 16th in the months since Lexington had conquered Rebel militia in the hills around Boston have laid Siege to the city trapping the British and their loyalists inside now the British command is planning to break the rebel strangle hold with an overwhelming offensive up Bunker Hill to take The High Ground around Boston but the Colonials are a step ahead of the British spies have slipped the British plans to the rebels up in the hills regimental commanders from Connecticut and Massachusetts lead their men to fortify Bunker Hill then decide to move one Hill closer to Boston on breeds Hill there they dig in for a British attack [Music] midnight June 17th 1 1200 militia men race the clock to beat the sunrise before it reveals their position to the British below they must control The High Ground before the enemy makes its own move at Daybreak the sleeping British ships in Boston Harbor spot the militia position s and sound the alarm all of Boston awakens with a start the Patriots have beaten the British to the punch the First full battle of the revolution is joined as the red coats assembl for battle ships in the harbor try to pin down the militia with cannon fire under the command of General William how lines of British soldiers their bayonets at the ready climb the hill without any cover easy targets for a man and musket that can shoot straight the British are convinced that they can form up in line and despite taking casualties instill in the Patriots fear of a professional disciplined force of regulars and demonstrate to the Americans that this is madness trying to oppose this Army twice house men charge up breed's hill twice they are repelled by the militia from roofs and hilltops civilians come out to witness the Bloodshed it is War as spectator sport but many fear for their loved ones in the fight the rebel barrage goes on for 3 hours until they run out of ammunition despite their advantage the rebels have no choice but to retreat the British finally capture the hill on their third charge but the ground is strewn with red coated bodies the new Commander now realizes what no one in Far Away England could possibly understand this is not a rebellion This Is War When I Look to the consequences of it in the loss of so many Brave officers I do it with horror the success is too dearly bought British General William how the British pay a horrendous price for their victory at breeds Hill which erroneous ly but permanently becomes known as the Battle of Bunker Hill after the original Target 1,000 of the 2300 British soldiers nearly half are dead or wounded the Americans lose 271 men out of, 1600 in defeat the colonists have won a paradox that over the next 6 years will come to characterize the Americans bloody war for independence Bunker Hill is a defeat of course for these colonists but they inflicted such heavy losses on the British that it makes them a little cocky that was the best trained most professional Army on earth look at the damage we did to them it really gives them way too much confidence in the days following the Battle of Bunker Hill even as Congress begins to provide for a continental army the delegates make one last attempt at reconciliation with Britain they send the king what they call the Olive Branch Petition respectfully requesting that he Grant the North American colonies autonomy within the British Empire like all communication that crosses the Atlantic it will take months for an answer and General George Washington can't afford to wait to build his army he alone holds the keys to Liberty or to death [Music] June 1775 as word of the Valiant defense of Boston's Bunker Hill reaches Philadelphia General George Washington writes a new will and heads off to meet his Destiny whatever mortal fears Washington Harbors the people he meets on his way to Boston have no such misgivings about the man charged to defend them the appointment gives Universal satisfaction I was struck with General Washington dignity with ease and complacency the gentleman and Soldier look agreeably Blended in him Abigail [Music] Adams Cambridge Massachusetts Washington is in for a terrible surprise despite their Brave defense of breeds Hill the men he is coming to command fail even his worst expectations he really has a task that is is absolutely mindboggling we say that there was an Army around Boston there wasn't an army around Boston there was a gaggle these men are ragged disheveled getting drunk on duty no knowledge of how to handle a musket efficiently there was no discipline there was certainly no hygiene uh very little structure it was a [Music] mess these are what Washington's revolutionaries this is the Army he has to defend against the British Empire whatever Washington may think of his soldiers as men and as Citizens as soldiers they're not much used to him a dirty mercenary Spirit pervades the whole could I have foreseen what I have no consideration upon Earth should have induced me to accept this command and George Washington the general must start from scratch and personally attend to even the lowliest most rudimentary functions his first tasks are fundamentally administrative tasks his Junior officers have to be taught how to fill out a report how to count men how to purchase supplies how to buy tools where to dig latrine where to buter meat where to bury awful these are all things that amazingly enough Washington has to concern himself with so the task before him is immense and it's going to require a tremendous amount of energy to literally whip this Army into shap and the whip will come down hard every man will learn discipline by Washington's very strict code for Disobedience of orders and damning his officer to receive 30 lashes on his bare back for expressing himself disrespectfully to be stripped of his arms put in a horse cart with rope round his neck and drummed out of the army General George Washington the new Army is stitched together with widely different militias from very different colonies each is accustomed to its own command and its own way of doing things establishing a common culture is yet another overwhelming challenge there were so many different brands of fighting Traditions cultures and people Washington was very concerned that there were so many rivalries so much friction between members of his army one of the Army's most serious problems is the utter lack of ammunition and gunpowder when Washington is told that they only nine rounds of gunpowder per man he is inconsolable advertisements in colonial newspapers plead for local gunmakers to step up their production but to little Avail perhaps no commander in history has ever faced so many obstacles to putting together a fighting force and even if Washington succeeds the effort may still be doomed most men have signed up for just oneyear enlistments these men are serving for very short terms most of them their contracts expire either in November or December they're only going to be around for a few months so as soon as they become even remotely competent they're going to go home and he's going to have a new group to train again against these odds Washington has precious little time to turn this woefully undisciplined underprepared and undersupplied army into a force that will have to stand up against strongest army in the [Music] world fire Lexington conquered Bunker Hill all the skill and experience in the world can't help British forces tame the chaos in The Colony Thomas Gage now has only 7,000 soldiers surrounded by Washington's 16,000 the loss we have sustained is greater than we can bear small armies can't afford such losses the rebels number is great so many hands have been employed I wish this cursed place was burned Thomas Gage October 11th 1775 without Fanfare and without honors General Thomas Gage is relieved of his command once Britain's most powerful man in America he returns home alone and [Music] disgraced General William how steps into Gage's boots and is already kneee in the American [Music] Quagmire in London King George roundly rejects the Olive Branch Petition Continental congress's last grasp for peace EMP on October 26th in his annual speech to Parliament the king throws Down The Gauntlet it has now become the part of wisdom to put a speedy end to these disorders by the most decisive exertions King George III what the king wants is a military solution to a political problem but his called for war is anything but unanimous among Britain's people and politicians but when Parliament votes War carries the day the military is ordered to send thousands more troops and a full Armada to quell America's escalating Revolution reinforcements can't come too soon for General William how hemmed in by the rebel Siege he and his Army are virtual prisoners on the Boston Peninsula along with a thousand loyalists they're [Music] protecting with no access to the countryside they are unable to forage for food or wood supply ships from England have yet to arrive the people in Boston are running out of provisions and fuel across the river in Cambridge Washington is battling his own War of Attrition with the year about to come to an end so will many enlistments and short timers will soon be leaving in droves and now Congress is pushing him to let go of some of his most loyal soldiers African-Americans from the very beginning free Northern blacks have been serving well the Patriot cause with the same concerns as their white compatriots there was no militia unit that didn't have black men they were at Bunker Hill they were conquered and Lexington and everywhere else but recruiting black soldiers uh that he had trouble with because the Continental Congress had trouble with it now that the Army is a continental army not just a local Northern one armed blacks have created a loaded issue in Congress southern states are adamantly opposed to making soldiers out of them Washington is no different from any other Southern planter regarding blacks he sounds like the southern slaveholder he is when he issues his order Banning black recruits the rights of mankind and the freedom of America will have numbers sufficient to support them without resorting to such wretched assistance George Washington the great irony is that the one man closest to the general is a black man his slave Billy Lee for the seven years since Washington acquired him Lee has been his master's valot and constant companion Washington calls him my family Billy Lee was more than just a slave to George Washington he was his personal slave Billy Lee went with him every place George Washington was the best horseman in Virginia Billy Lee was the second best and he and Washington were horseback rid just about every day and so the two of them presented quite a picture a picture that was noticed over and over by people at the time who wrote about Washington and his male servant Billy Lee you could say that Billy Lee in fact was a close friend of George Washington even though he was a slave Washington and congress's decision to reject black soldiers plays perfectly into the enemy's hands the royal governor of Virginia Lord Dunmore issues a proclamation that welcomes blacks to the British side I do hearby declare all indentured servants Negroes or others that are able and willing to bear arms free they joining his Majesty's troops as soon as may be Lord Dunmore the Dunmore Proclamation WS Havoc throughout Virginia thousands of slaves flee their masters for this chance at Freedom if you have the opportunity to throw in your lot with people who are promising you a much better situation than you have had you'd be silly not to take that promise seriously it was the best opportunity for Freedom they had ever seen and they never knew whether such an opportunity would ever present itself again you know Thomas Jefferson estimates that in Virginia alone 30,000 African Americans walked off to Plantation and many of them became British soldiers so for the British this is wonderful they're not only sapping the Colonial economy by depriving it of slave labor but they've added to their Fighting Force free blacks travel secretly from Plantation to Plantation to embolden slaves to escape if they are caught they risk death or torture while the fight for liberty in the South threatens to blow the slave culture apart the approaching New Year threatens to dissolve Washington's Northern [Music] Army we are now without any money in our treasury powder in our magazines arms in our stores without a brigadier Engineers expresses by and by when we shall be called to on to take the field we shall not have a tent to lie in I have often thought how much happier I should have been If instead of accepting a command under such circumstances I had taken my musket upon my shoulders and entered the ranks or had retired to the back country and lived in a wigwam George Washington all seems lost even before it's begun until a former book seller has an idea that will change [Music] everything January 1st 1776 it's a new year for a new Army and General Washington raises a new flag to commemorate it the Grand Union with 13 stripes representing both the differences and common cause of the 13 colonies and with the British Union Jack in the upper left to acknowledge those colonial leaders hoping to salvage a relationship with England that same day the colonies get the news of the king's October proclamation to crush the Rebellion by any means necessary it's a stunning declaration by the king that roused Rebel IR more than ever but an army needs more than anger to fight a war with the onset of winter neither side has the supplies necessary to Brave the cold and snow the British hold up in Boston waiting for reinforcements and supplies from England while Washington uses the time to piece together an army short on everything from manpower to gunpowder but h help is on the [Music] way Henry Knox a 25-year-old Colonel and former Boston Book seller is leading a trek from Cambridge to Fort taond deroga on a quest for arms Knox has taken it upon himself to recover the artillery captured from the British at Fort tyon deroga for 2 months in the cold and wet he his men and teams of oxen haul 120,000 lb of artillery across 300 100 miles of Muddy Woods frozen rivers and steep icy slopes back to headquarters in Cambridge on January 25th Colonel Knox delivers all of the Weaponry to his commanderin-chief miraculously intact it is the best gift Washington could ever receive finally he has the Firepower he so badly needs Washington also has in Knox a valued new commander in charge of artillery Knox becomes part of Washington's Inner Circle of Junior officers whose Council he values enormously George Washington always had the ability to listen to many people particularly younger men he thinks everybody's view is important that it's a part of the puzzle that people know things that he doesn't know and if he can listen to enough opinions he'll know as much as they do a Hallmark of good leadership right away Washington's Brain Trust keeps him from making a fatal mistake as the spring thaw approaches Washington wants to send waves of foot soldiers down into Boston in a full frontal [Music] attack but his officers overrule him the British are too well fortified and the Continentals are still short of gunpowder they do however have nox's artillery they decide to take the highest ground Dorchester Heights and bombard the city March 2nd after months of waiting Washington and his men are more than eager to [Music] move the general is about to launch the first offensive of his command he sends a Stern warning to his troops our posterity depends upon the Vigor of our exertions If any man in action shall presume to skull hide himself or Retreat from the enemy without the orders of his commanding officer he will be instantly shot down as an example of cowardice General Washington the night of March 4th surprise will be the key from three points outside the city Cobble Hill leech Meir and Roxbury the Army Reigns light cannon fire down on Boston a decoy to misdirect the British while the rest of the army hauls nox's artillery over to Dorchester Heights through the night Washington's men build fortifications and drag Cannon up the Steep Frozen slope by morning everything is in place Daybreak March 5th on the 6th anniversary of the Boston Massacre the British awake to the sight of 20 Cannon pointed down on their ships in the harbor my God a shocked how exclaims these fellows have done more work in one night than I could make my Army do in 3 months it's not until after they see tyon deroga guns on Dorchester Heights that they realize they got to get the heck out of there the Continentals don't even need to fire a shot how issues autal order for his ship's Cannon to fire on the Continental position but Washington's guns sit just out of range luckily for how his ships are also out of Washington's range how and his army prepare to abandon the city and take thousands of loyalist citizens with them one loyalist would later write the necessary care of the women sick and wounded required every every assistance that could be given it was not like the breaking up of a camp where every man knows his duty it was like departing your country with your wives your servants your household furniture and all your encumbrances over the next 2 weeks the Continentals watch from above as all of Boston scrambles to evacuate taking everything with them that isn't nailed down it is a bitter exile for the Loyalists many of whose families had lived in b Boston for Generations by March 17th they are all gone 120 ships carry 9,000 Red Coats 2,000 Loyalists and as many of the city's usable Goods as possible out to an unknown fate the Patriots return to the city the Beloved birthplace of the rebellion and Washington enjoys the first victory of his command but it will be his last for the rest of a gruelling and humiliating year 1776 we'll see 33,000 British troops the largest contingent ever sent overseas head for America to grind the revolution into [Music] dust next time on the revolution a tiny pamphlet provides the recruit ining propaganda Washington's Army desperately needs Common Sense conjured up a vision of a very Democratic America still to be and Continental Congress drafts a stunning declaration Jefferson wasn't writing anything that was revolutionary in the eyes of his own people only in the rest of the world all of our founding fathers they think they're going to hang they are [Music] outlaws [Music]

Transcript for:Revolutionary War: Key Events and Figures

Transcript for:
Revolutionary War: Key Events and Figures