Las Damas de la Havana, el Precursor, and Francisco de Saavedra: A Note on Spanish Participation in the Battle of Yorktown

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
American Revolution ◽  
George Washington ◽  
French Army ◽  
Continental Army ◽  
Foreign Intervention ◽  
English Colonies

As the American Revolution matured, foreign intervention on behalf of the Thirteen Colonies against Great Britain became increasingly important. Nowhere in that struggle was outside assistance more significant than at the seige of Yorktown during the autumn of 1781. It was here that a French army under the Count de Rochambeau and a French fleet under the Count de Grasse enabled George Washington to force the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. Historians have always recognized how crucial French participation was for this last important battle in the English colonies. Indeed, it would not have taken place without their aid. Yet there was another ally of the Continental army at Yorktown whose contribution has often been belittled or ignored. That ally was Spain.

Patriot vs. Patriot: Social Conflict in Virginia and the Origins of the American Revolution

2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-256
Author(s):  
MICHAEL A. McDONNELL ◽  
WOODY HOLTON
Keyword(s):  
American Revolution ◽  
North American ◽  
Social Conflict ◽  
George Washington ◽  
Social Consensus ◽  
Declaration Of Independence ◽  
War Of Independence ◽  
Mount Vernon ◽  
Widespread Agreement ◽  
Northern County

Virginia, Britain's most populous and arguably most important North American colony, once seemed the perfect fit for the “consensus” interpretation of the War of Independence. Indeed, the percentage of white colonists who became loyalists was probably lower in Virginia than in any other rebelling colony. The widespread agreement on secession from Britain should not, however, be mistaken for social consensus. The reality was that revolutionary Virginia was frequently in turmoil. One of the most intriguing of the local insurrections broke out in the northern county of Loudoun just five months before the Declaration of Independence. In February 1776, the county erupted into a heated confrontation pitting gentlemen against their less wealthy neighbours. Lund Washington, who was managing Mount Vernon, warned his cousin, General George Washington, who was outside Boston training his fledgeling patriot army, that the “first Battle we have in this part of the Country will be in Loudon” – not against British soldiers, but against fellow patriots. Within a week, the revolutionary government in Williamsburg, the Committee of Safety, felt compelled to send troops to quell the disturbances. Yet, for months afterwards, gentry Virginians worried that their effort to suppress the rebellion had failed. In mid-May, Andrew Leitch told Leven Powell of Loudoun, “I really lament the torn and distracted condition of your County.” The “troublesome times,” as another gentleman called them, were slow to abate.

The Academy Effect

2020 ◽  
pp. 31-48
Author(s):  
Mark Boonshoft
Keyword(s):  
British Empire ◽  
American Revolution ◽  
The Political ◽  
American Education ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Continental Army

This chapter traces how academies came to be seen as training grounds for political leaders. During the Seven Years’ War, academy teachers and trustees claimed their schools benefitted the British Empire. But when the Imperial Crisis hit, the political ambitions of academy students, which the British had stoked in the 1750s and early 1760s, became a liability. The academy generation became the revolutionary generation, and students and faculty streamed into the ranks of the Continental Army and state and national political offices. The American Revolution solidified the civic purposes of education, and academies in particular. But the war was also destructive to American education. As peace arrived in 1783, Americans, and especially academy alumni, began to think about how to rebuild American education.

2. Diplomacy of the American Revolution

2021 ◽  
pp. 11-31
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Siracusa
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
American Revolution ◽  
Foreign Minister ◽  
The United States ◽  
Benjamin Franklin ◽  
John Adams ◽  
The Us

‘Diplomacy of the American Revolution’ considers the United States' battle for independence and the diplomatic efforts required to reach agreement with Great Britain. In order to win independence, the United States had found it necessary to involve itself in the international rivalries and politics of Europe. The negotiations between the US peace commissioners — John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay — and the Comte de Vergennes, the French Foreign Minister, the Earl of Shelburne, Richard Oswald, and the Spanish are worth examining at this point. A number of key treaties were signed during the negotiations, including the 1778 Treaty of Amity and Commerce and Treaty of Alliance between America and France.

The Military Chartmaker

1977 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21
Author(s):  
Shannon D. Cramer
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Present State ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
The United States ◽  
George Washington ◽  
Continental Army ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
The Military

Like so many Americans in this Bicentennial Year I find myself reflecting more and more on our heritage, the present state of affairs and our future. As Director of the Defense Mapping Agency I am especially aware that I am in a line of succession that can be traced back to Robert Erskine, the first Geographer-Surveyor to the Continental Army under command of George Washington. This has naturally impressed upon me the more than 200-year service that my organization and its predecessors have rendered to the Armed Forces of the United States, and incidentally our maritime fleet.

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