4 Revolutionary Figures You Might Not Have Heard Of
Highlighting the diverse voices and personal sacrifices of the revolutionary generation
Pulling Down the Statue of King George III, New York City (1852–1853) by Johannes Adam Simon Oertel The New York Historical
The Revolutionary War touched every aspect of American society and brought a broad spectrum of people to the front lines. In this story, we go behind the grand maps and military strategies to meet the people who lived the American Revolution.
Using rare letters and personal stories, we see the war through the eyes of the people who lived it. This is the story of a generation that risked everything to build a country of their own.
1. Sarah Osborn
While women were officially barred from military service, thousands served the military by cleaning, cooking, and caring for soldiers. During the war, like most Army women, Sarah Osborn traveled with Continental troops for financial reasons and to remain close to enlisted male kin.
While carrying provisions to the frontline in the Battle of Yorktown, General George Washington asked her, "Are you not afraid of the cannonballs?" Osborn replied, "It would not do for the men to fight and starve, too."
2. John Lines
Here we can see a letter from Private John Lines to his "deer [sic] and loving wife" Judith and is one of the few Revolutionary War letters by a Black soldier that is known to exist. Lines's letter documents the "hard times" of life in the Continental Army.
John's plea to Judith for news about their farm also reveals the economic partnership at the heart of many Revolutionary-era marriages. While men fought at war, women found the means to support their households and protect their families.
3. Elizabeth Palmer
While male family members went to war, many wives, daughters, and mothers took command of households. They managed farms, businesses, and finances, often making critical decisions to keep families and local economies running during the upheaval of the American Revolution.
The Struggle at Concord Bridge, April 1775. (circa 1859) by W. J. Edwards after Alonzo Chappel U.S. National Archives
This statement recounts Elizabeth Palmer's anxiety as her husband and father rode off to Lexington and Concord, and a terrifying encounter the night of the Boston Tea Party.
Pension Application file for Joseph Pearce Palmer (Elizabeth) U.S. National Archives
At home with her baby, Palmer heard a noise outside. She screamed after coming face-to-face with three "Indians" until she "recognized [her] husband's voice, saying, 'Don't be frightened...we have only been making a little salt-watertea.'"
4. Daniel Bissell
Sergeant Daniel Bissell was the last of three soldiers known to be awarded the Badge of Military Merit by General George Washington. In 1781, Washington selected Bissell to spy on the British. He passed intelligence from behind enemy lines for 13 months.
Bissell lost his military citation in a fire, but reproduced it nearly exactly in his 1820 pension application. The Military Badge of Merit was renamed the Purple Heart in honor of Washington's 200th birthday.
We’ve used private letters and firsthand accounts to tell the stories of selected individuals from the Revolutionary era. By looking at their lives, we can understand how an entire generation gave up everything - from their homes to their safety - to create a new, free America.
Road to Revolution is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation, through the generous support of Comcast Corporation, Microsoft, and Procter & Gamble.
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