*Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784)*

    Following the American Revolution, the Confederation Congress needed money. The Articles of Confederation did not permit the government to easily tax its citizens. To raise funds to operate the government, the Confederation Congress hoped to sell land in the Ohio Country to the American people. Government officials realized that Native Americans controlled the land. Before any sales could take place, the United States would have to convince the natives to give up their claims on the land.

   An agreement was reached in 1784 with certain members of the Iroquois, who surrendered claims to lands in western Pennsylvania and Ohio. Other tribal members were critical of the treaty, claiming that it was concluded under duress and that those Indians who signed it did so without proper authorization. The inevitable result was continued warfare in the area. A final resolution was not reached until the tribes' power was broken during the War of 1812. The motives of the United States in the second Treaty of Fort Stanwix included more than simply answering the frontiersmen’s pleas for more land. Thomas Jefferson, who crafted American land policy during the mid-1780s, was attempting to fashion a revenue-generating procedure to fund pensions for the soldiers of the recently concluded war. If the government were to acquire lands in the Old Northwest, it was hoped that settlers would purchase tracts and provide a means to honor the nation's obligation to the veterans.

The United States of America give peace to the Senecas, Mohawks, Onondagas and Cayugas, and receive them into their protection upon the following conditions:

ARTICLE I.

Six hostages shall be immediately delivered to the commissioners by the said nations, to remain in possession of the United States, till ail the prisoners, white and black, which were taken by the said Senecas, Mohawks, Onondagas and Cayugas, or by any of them, in the late war, from among the people of the United States, shall be delivered up.

ARTICLE II.

The Oneida and Tuscarora nations shall be secured in the possession of the lands on which they are settled.

ARTICLE III.

A line shall be drawn, beginning at the mouth of a creek about four miles east of Niagara, called Oyonwavea, or Johnston's Landing-Place, upon the lake named by the Indians Oswego, and by us Ontario; from thence southerly in a direction always four miles east of the carrying-path, between Lake Erie and Ontario, to the mouth of Tehoseroron or Buffaloe Creek on Lake Erie; thence south to the north boundary of the state of Pennsylvania; thence west to the end of the said north boundary; thence south along the west boundary of the said state, to the river Ohio; the said line from the mouth of the Oyonwayea to the Ohio, shall be the western boundary of the lands of the Six Nations, so that the Six Nations shall and do yield to the United States, all claims to the country west of the said boundary, and then they shall be secured in the peaceful possession of the lands they inhabit east and north of the same, reserving only six miles square round the fort of Oswego, to the United States, for the support of the same.

ARTICLE IV.

The Commissioners of the United States, in consideration of the present circumstances of the Six Nations, and in execution of the humane and liberal views of the United States upon the signing of the above articles, will order goods to be delivered to the said Six Nations for their use and comfort

°Battle of The Cowpens°

   From his camp, eastward of the Pedee, Greene sent Morgan, with the Maryland regiment and Washington's dragoons of Lee's corps, across the Broad River, to operate on the British left and rear. Observing this, Cornwallis left his camp at Winnsborough, and pushed northward between the Broad River and the Catawba, interposing his force between Greene and Morgan. Aware of Tarleton's approach, Morgan retired behind the Pacolet intending to defend the ford, but Tarleton crossed 6 miles above when Morgan made a precipitate retreat. On his right was a hilly district, which might afford him protection, but rather than be overtaken in his flight, he prepared to fight on the ground of his own selection. He chose for that purpose the place known as “The Cowpens," about 30 miles west of King's Mountain.

   He arranged about 400 of his best men in battle order on a little rising ground. There were the Maryland light infantry composing the centre, under Lieut. John Eager Howard, and Virginia riflemen forming the wings. Col. William Washington with eighty dragoons were placed out of sight as a reserve, and about 400 Carolinians and Georgians, under Colonel Andrew Pickens, were in the advance to defend the approaches to the camp. North Carolina and Georgia sharpshooters acted as skirmishers on each flank. At eight o'clock on the morning of January 17, Tarleton with 1,100 troops rushed upon the republicans with loud shouts causing a furious battle. In a skilful movement, Morgan turned so suddenly upon his pursuers, who believed the victory was secured to them, that they wavered. Seeing this, Howard charged the British lines with bayonets, broke their ranks, and sent them flying in confusion. Washington's cavalry broke from their concealment, and made a successful charge upon Tarleton's horsemen. The British were completely routed, and were pursued about 20 miles. Seventy-two Americans were killed and wounded. The British lost over 300 killed and wounded, and nearly 500 made prisoners. The spoils were two cannon, 800 muskets, horses, and two standards. The cannon had been taken from the British at Saratoga, and retaken from Gates at Camden. The Congress gave Morgan the thanks of the nation and a gold medal, and to Howard and Washington each a silver medal.

Battle of King´s Mountain

   Soldiers in these opposing forces were irregulars and as such, many Revolutionaries from the frontier areas would have dressed as for a hunting expedition. The Loyalist militia were issued with muskets and bayonets and may well have worn red uniform coats, but probably wore civilian garb. The Revolutionaries brought with them their hunting weapons, in many cases small bore rifled muskets made by the German gunsmiths of Pennsylvania, which they used with devastating effect on the Tories.

   The winners in this battle were the Patriots, leaving the Loyalist force annihilated. In September 1780, Major General Lord Cornwallis, after beating Major General Gates and the American Revolutionary army at Camden, advanced north with the intention of invading North Carolina and Virginia. Major Ferguson occupied an outpost well to the West of the main British army with a small force of his own riflemen and a larger band of Loyalist militia. The militia on each side remained consistently unreliable in battle during the war. The one area in which the Loyalist militia excelled was in plundering their enemies. Ferguson had built for himself an unenviable reputation for ferocity against the rebels.

   Major Patrick Ferguson was sent by Lord Cornwallis to embody the Loyalist militia among the mountains west of the Broad River. A substantial Revolutionary force gathered against Ferguson from west of the mountains, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Many men with considerable skill joined his standard, armed with rifled weapons. They decided to cross the river at the Cherokee Ford, October 1, 1780 and encamped among the hills of King's Mountain. The Revolutionary force caught up with Ferguson encamped on the steep and wooded King’s Mountain, on 7th October 1780.

   The Revolutionaries surrounded the Loyalist on the top of the mountain and a classic battle between the bayonet and the rifle ensued. The Revolutionaries attacked with the battle cry of “Tarleton quarter”. The Loyalist militiamen, attempting to drive back the assaulting Revolutionaries at the point of the bayonet, were shot down until they were huddled in a confined group on the summit. Ferguson suppressed all attempts to surrender until he was shot from his horse and killed. The Loyalist threw down their weapons but the Revolutionaries continued to shoot, in spite of the efforts of their officers to bring about an end to the carnage. The battle exactly reflected the savagery of the war in the Southern Colonies. Finally, 300 Loyalist were killed or wounded. The spoils of victory were 800 prisoners and 1,500 stand of arms. Only a party that had been out foraging escaped to warn Cornwallis of the disaster. The defeat of the British changed the aspects of the war in the South; it awed the Loyalist and encouraged the Patriots.

Cornwallis Surrender

  The Battle of Yorktown in 1781 was the last major battle of the American Revolution. American forces led by General George Washington combined with French forces led by General Comte de Rochambeau to fight the British Army commanded by General Lord Cornwallis. The campaign plan first started in 1780 when General Comte de Rochambeau and 5,500 French soldiers landed in Rhode Island to help the Americans attack British-occupied New York City. The two armies met North of New York City in the summer of 1781. Rochambeau convinced Washington that an attack on New York City would be very difficult and may not succeed. He suggested it would be easier for the French Fleet to assist in an attack further south. They agreed to attack General Lord Cornwallis and his army of 9,000 men at Yorktown, Virginia. Washington decided to move his troops south. His plan was to trap Cornwallis in Yorktown, but for his plan to work timing was crucial. Washington, needed the warships fleet to arrive on time to prevent the British navy enter and provide them an exit. Although Washington thought the British were coming on his way, he wasn’t certain on the timing.

  

   In early September, the French fleet led by Comte de Grasse defeated a British Fleet sent to relieve Cornwallis. This blocked any escape by sea for Cornwallis. Marquis de Lafayette decided to contain Cornwallis in Yorktown until Washington and Rochambeau arrived with their troops. By late September, the American and French forces had Cornwallis surrounded and began an artillery bombardment with no way to escape. Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781. General Washington and his French allies had captured 8,000 British troops. This was a decisive victory for the American and French forces. The surrender of General Cornwallis and his army was the second major surrender of the war. This led the British to negotiate an end to the war, and the signing of the Treaty of Paris. 

°Battle of Bunker Hill°

    “Don't shoot until you see the whites of their eyes!” Colonel William Prescott, commander of the American force, shouted to his 1200 minutemen standing upon Breed's Hill. The Battle of Lexington and Concorde is the battle that kicked off the American Revolution, however the first large-scale engagement of the war and also one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution, was The Battle of Bunker Hill. The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 in Charlestown, Massachusetts across the Charles River from Boston and the Boston Harbor. Many people tend to call the battle, the Battle of Bunker Hill, but the fighting really took place on Breeds Hill, which was right next to Bunker Hill. 

    Five days before the battle at Breeds Hill, General Thomas Gage would declare martial law. Stating to give pardon to anyone who would lay down their arms and pledge himself to King George. He did this to avoid further uprisings and armed conflict. Unfortunately, this had the opposite effect and upset many of the colonists. On June 16, 1775 the Americans became aware of the British plan to take control of Bunker and Breed’s Hills, so the rebels decided to invade the area before the British in a hope to fortify it and be prepared for the Redcoats.

    Soon after the order was given by General Gage, the British started moving troops to the east of Breed's Hill from Boston. General Howe's men lead the attack with 5,000 troops up the hill, but they were not alone; cannon fire from British ships in the river also covered them. While this was going on, some of the British ships loaded their cannons with incendiary shells and destroyed completely Charlestown, where a fraction of American troops were shooting fire at the British soldiers on the battlefield. This first attack failed and the British retreated. The British attacked for a second time, but their second attempt to take the hill failed. The British attacked for a third time, and this time the British soldiers came as close as forty yards before the patriots opened fire.

    The effect of this battle was to electrify both sides of the Atlantic. The Yankee farmers had held their ground. They had been defeated, not by the professional soldiers drawn up against them, but by a lack of ammunition. Throughout the colonies, Americans began to believe that independence from Britain was not only desirable but possible. The official British report of the battle arrived almost two weeks after the American version and so dull that almost no one paid any attention to it.

*Battle of Saratoga*

 

War: American Revolutionary War

Date: 17^th October 1777

Place: Saratoga on the Hudson River in New York State

Combatants: British and German troops against the Americans

Generals: Major General John Burgoyne commanded the British and German force. Major General Horatio Gates and Brigadier Benedict Arnold commanded the American army

    Throughout the American Revolutionary war there were many key battles taking place. Each of the battles was important in their own aspects. Some of them prevented British troops from advancing while others pushed the British back and restored land previously lost. The Battle of Saratoga goes down in history as one of the most important battles of the war; considered by many to be the turning point of the American Revolution. It helped to prove to the world that the American army was a powerful fighting force capable of defeating the dominant British force in a major battle. The leader of the American force during this battle was Major General Horatio Gates and the leader for the British force was Major General John Burgoyne. As a result of this battle, European countries began to take interest in the Americans cause it proved that an American victory was possible.

    The Battle of Saratoga was a major victory for the American forces and a key turning point in the war. The effects of this battle were larger than either side could have imagined. One effect was that it was their first major victory against the British. It was a huge moral booster and it sent a message to other European powers that America could defeat Britain. Other countries soon began taking serious interest in what was going on over there. Once they heard about the victory, they declared war on Britain and finally officially joined the war. Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Portugal also entered the League of Armed Neutrality, so Britain was fighting most of the western world. The victory also made General Gates very popular and he became known as the “Hero of Saratoga.” The loss weakened the British government. It was the beginning of the end of the war for the British.

    As a result, the Battle of Saratoga became one of the most decisive victories in American history as well as world history.

The Battle of Bemis Heights in the second Battle of Freeman's Farm

”Fear to achieve discipline”

     Being a newcomer to the Revolutionary cause in America, Baron von Steuben was in a position to see many of the deficiencies in military discipline and their causes. The reasons for his unique insight may have been due to the fact that he was distanced from the revolutionary ideals in America. As a result, he was able to better observe and understand them; and use them to shape his new and successful form of discipline in the Continental Army.

     Most of the commanders of the Continental Army, had subscribed to the traditional European method that relied on fear to achieve discipline. This method of fear was probably not essential, and had little effect in the early days of the war because the soldiers were mostly fighting for their own ideologies. The soldiers were going to fight their own fight, and leave the battle when they felt it necessary. Soldiers saw themselves as volunteers; a citizen fighting in a group of citizens, and as a result it did not respond well to the traditional forms of discipline. They knew it wasn't necessary for them to serve, and knew they would not be looked down upon for not serving or leaving the army by his fellow revolutionaries. Every soldier had the freedom to choose how he wished to serve the revolution, and military service was not an obligation.

     One aspect of the traditional European system that Baron von Steuben felt needed change was the relationship between the officers and the soldiers. Officers in the Continental Army felt it was necessary to distance themselves from the common soldiers, as an officer had an obligation as a gentleman as well. This division was along social lines, and by separation, the officers felt the common soldiers would show even greater respect.

*Washington Crossing the Delaware*

The American Revolution?? XD

Women are NOT the weak, frail little flowers that they are advertised

       To succeed, the continental army needed the support of the civilian population. Throughout the war women took an active role. Most were the wives or daughters of officers or soldiers. These women, who maintained an almost constant presence in military camps, were known as "camp followers" or as "necessary nuisances." Their duties consisted primarily of cooking, mending, laundry, childcare, nursing the sick, and fabricating blankets and shoes for soldiers. As a camp follower a woman was paid a small wage and was supplied with a half ration of food for herself. Women joined up with army regiments for various reasons: fear of starvation, rape, loneliness, and imminent poverty either as a last resort or following their husbands.

      Woman found herself placed in extraordinary circumstances. Some even serve and dress up as soldiers and fired cannons. One of the most remarkable individuals of the Revolution was a young lady by the name of Deborah Sampson. It was her desire to avoid hard labor on the family farm that led her to impersonate a man and join the American army. Sampson first enlisted under the name Timothy Thayer, but her true identity was discovered. Later she participated in several battles, but shortly was honorably discharged from the army recieving a pension from the congress for her service.

      Mary Ludwig Hays, accompanied her husband John, into the Monmouth, New Jersey Campaign of 1778. During the battle she supplied water to the troops, thereby receiving the name "Molly Pitcher." When Mary's husband was wounded, she assumed his duties assisting the other artillerymen in the Company. Unlike Sampson, Mary never received a military pension.
      
     These accounts are only a few of the many examples of women who have served their country since its beginnings, something to be proudly remembered during History.

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living"

  Hi dear bloggers! it´s me Estefania, I'm back from a trip to Washington D.C. Amazing experience!! Can´t believe I had the opportunity to visit the Capital of the United States of America:) I met wonderful people and unforgettable sights. I'll post a few pictures for you to understand why I said this trip was amazing..                                   

Capitol Hill

The Lincoln Memorial

Iwo Jima Memorial

Georgetown University

Note: I´ll try to upload some more when I have time.

As a reaction for the hostile King of England, Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called “Common Sense”. In here, he wrote ideals for independence, the way colonists dreamed for living and union. Thomas Paine was an immigrant from Britain, who was a tax collector and artisan. He used a simple-forceful and direct language, which showed a radical course. He proposed mainly three things:

a.       Independence of Britain

b.      Republican State Government

c.       Union of the New States

In this document, Paine denounced the King and aristocrats of Britain as parasites and frauds. He wanted the common people to elect all representatives in the Government. He saw wrong that the just because you had a title and richness, you would take decisions for a nation. This people always tried to smother the common people. He argued that in a Republic, people would be reward of earned privileges instead of inheriting them. He saw the King as the main enemy and source of problems for the Colonists.  He said as well, that if they free from the English Empire, they could make business and trading with whoever they desired. These ideals with the influence of the Enlightenment thinkers’ ideals, built a movement for Independence in the America. All this ideals were the based for the Declaration of Independence.

He used a plain language that common people could read, his pamphlet was sold in America and Europe.

The Olive Branch Petition

The Second Continental Congress in May 1775, made the decision of sending the King a petition. In this petition they asked for reconciliation between the Colonies and Britain. They had the hope that the King was unaware of the suffering in the Colonies, and he would ally and defend them from the Parliament’s laws and abuses. They asked the King in this petition if he could abolish the Coercive Acts, taxation and send back to Britain the troops that were in Boston to avoid more wars. They wanted the King to consider peace with the Colonies and eventually, give them freedom and independence.  They had exposed their colonial problems and swore loyalty to the King. Continental Congress after 3 months of discussing the content in the petition they send it in July 1775. It’s named the Olive Branch Petition, because it is symbol of peace, and it was signed by 48 members of the Congress. It was given to Richard Penn from Pennsylvania, who delivered it to Arthur Lee, the agent in England for the Massachusetts Colony. A small fraction of the document said:

“Attached to your Majesty’s person, family, and Government, with all devotion that principle and affection can inspire; connected with Great Britain by the strongest ties that can unite societies, and deploring every event that tends in any degree to weaken them, we solemnly assure your Majesty, that we not only most ardently desire the former harmony between her and these Colonies may be restored, but that a concord may be established between them upon so firm a basis as to perpetuate its blessings, uninterrupted by any future dissensions, to succeeding generations in both countries, and to transmit your Majesty’s name to posterity, adorned with that signal and lasting glory that has attended the memory of those illustrious personages, whose virtues and abilities have extricated states from dangerous convulsions, and by securing the happiness to others, have erected the most noble and durable monuments to their own fame.”

                The letter was going to be given to Lord Darthmouth, the Secretary of State, but he didn’t receive it, neither the King. In August 23, the King rejected this petition and saw the colonists as rebellious. He send more troops to Boston: “to suppress such rebellion, and bring the traitors to justice.” The reaction of the King make a bigger desire for freedom in the Colonies.

The Beginning of the Continental Army

After the Lexington and Concord skirmishes in 1775, the colonists saw that they could have success fighting the British troops. The Massachusetts Committee sent a circular letter to the towns in the province, which said: " We conjure you, by all that is dear, by all that is sacred; we beg and entreat you, as you will answer it to your country, to your consciences, and, above all, to God himself, that you will hasten and arrange, by all possible means, the enlistment of men to form the army, and send them forward to headquarters at Cambridge with that expedition which the vast importance and instant urgency of the affair demands." The letter had a positive effect on the colonists; many volunteer men went to Boston as soon as they could. General Artemas Ward was the chief commander of the gathered volunteers which were like 20,000 men. Ward was a senior who took in charge the local militia and wanted to help with the volunteers for war, but he was aged and didn’t have the military ability or energy to be the chief commander.

The Provincial Congress of Massachusetts agreed that it would be the best for the organization and regulation of the volunteer men for war, if the Continental Congress assumed it. John Adams suggested that the troops had to be adopted and the rest of the Continental Congress accepted. They needed to choose a new chief commander for the troops, and Thomas Johnson, from Maryland, proposed George Washington, from Virginia, for chief commander. By unanimous vote he was chosen in June 15, 1775. Like this the Continental Army was formally formed. The president of the Congress, John Hancock, announced to Washington his new job. George accepted his new task. He formally assumed to be chief commander on July 2, in Boston. His assistants were: his assistants: Artemas Ward, Charles Lee, Philip Schuyler, and Israel Putnam, as major-generals. Seth Pomeroy, Richard Montgomery, David Wooster, William Heath, Joseph Spencer, John Thomas, John Sullivan, and Nathaniel Greene, as  brigadier-generals. Horatio Gates was appointed as adjutant-general.

Lexington and Concord

Patriots’ fight for freedom after the Coercive Acts was more drastic. John Hancock and Samuel Adams as leaders of the colonists, created a Provincial Congress were they gathered to govern Massachusetts without any British Government influence. They had also created a stockpile of fire arms and ammunitions. The British Government saw this as a threat. The Governor in Massachusetts during these events was Lt. General Thomas Gage. He was given with the order to arrest the leaders of the colonists John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Gage kept secret his plans of the capture of the leaders, even from the soldiers.  He also decided to destroy the stockpile of fire arms and ammunitions that was stored in Concord, Massachusetts.

John Hancock and Samuel Adams were told to leave Massachusetts one day before the order was given. They went to Reverend Clarke’s house in Lexington, Massachusetts. On April 18, 1775, by night Gage told his soldiers they were going to leave Boston to arrest the leaders of the Patriots. Half an hour later the secret was spread, colonists knew the plans. William Dawes and Paul Revere immediately make their way to Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams. When they arrived to Lexington, the colonists were warn and prepared to send the troops back to Boston. The militia of the Patriots, who were fulltime farmers and part-time soldiers got prepared.

When the British troops arrived to Lexington, a group of the militia was waiting for them at Lexington Green.  The British rather than fight they wanted to capture the militia and take their arms. Someone fired a shot and with this the British began shooting. Eight colonists were killed and ten wounded. 

The British were moving to Concord to destroy the weapons. When they approached, at the North Bridge in Concord, they found a group of armed militia. The colonist fought with the British troops and won the short but intensive war. They send the troops back to Boston. The victory of the colonists was called “The Shot Heard Round the World” throughout the world.