LOUIS LEBEQUE de PRESLE DUPORTAIL 1743-1802

The son of a French nobleman, Duportail began his military career as an engineer in 1762, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by 1777. He was one of four military engineers sent to America in response to a request from Benjamin Franklin. Duportail joined the army on February 13, 1777, and by July 1777, was appointed Colonel of Engineers. By November 17, 1777, he had risen to Brigadier General. He worked on the Delaware River defenses and fortified military encampments at Valley Forge and in the Hudson Highlands. He was sent to Charleston, South Carolina in 1780 where he was captured by the British. He was exchanged later that year, participated in the siege at Yorktown, and was promoted to Major General on November 16, 1781. He resigned his commission on October 18, 1783 in order to return to France and serve the King. The French Revolution forced him to flee. He returned to America in 1794, and remained here until he was given permission to return to France in 1802. Unfortunately, Duportail died on the return voyage to France.

JOHN GLOVER 1732-1797

Glover was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and moved to Marblehead as a boy. Glover worked his way up from shoemaker to become a wealthy ship owner and fisherman. He served as a militia officer from 1759-73. As a member of the Marblehead Committee of Correspondence, he became a Colonel of the 21st Massachusetts Regiment in 1775, in charge of 1,000 fishermen who manned armed ships on Massachusetts Bay. His regiment's designation changed to the 14th Continental Regiment, and as such participated in the defense of New York City in the summer of 1776. During this action, the men in Glover's command helped the Continental Army slip out from under a British siege by ferrying the troops across the East River. Glover's Marbleheaders also made possible Washington's famous crossing of the Delaware River in December of 1776. When their enlistment ended and the regiment disbanded, Glover returned home to care for his sick wife. After initially rejecting an appointment to Brigadier General in February 1777, a personal letter from General Washington persuaded him to serve. He then served with General Gates during the Saratoga campaign, and General Lafayette in the attack against Newport, Rhode Island. In the spring of 1779, he succeeded General Sullivan as Commander of Providence, Rhode Island, and remained in the Hudson Highlands during the Yorktown campaign. Suffering from poor health, Glover retired on half-pay on July 22, 1782. He was breveted a Major General on September 30, 1783.

NATHANAEL GREENE 1742-1786

ALEXANDER HAMILTON 1757-1804

Born on the island of St. Christopher, Hamilton attended college in the colony of New York. A brilliant student of government and emerging pamphleteer, Hamilton turned his attention to military affairs as the conflict heated up and raised a company of artillery in 1775. Hamilton and his men served at the Battles of Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, and Princeton. On March 1, 1777, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and appointed an aide to Washington. He served as an aide until July 1781 when he was given command of a regiment of Light Infantry, which he led as it stormed one of the British forts at Yorktown. He was breveted a Colonel on September 30, 1783, and retired in December 1783. Hamilton shepherded the finances of the new nation as Secretary of the Treasury, and championed the Federalist ideal of a strong central government. For various personal and political reasons, he was challenged to a duel by Aaron Burr and died from the resulting wound in July 1804.

JEDEDIAH HUNTINGTON 1743-1818

Born in Connecticut to an extremely wealthy family, Huntington graduated from Harvard in 1763 and entered his family's business as a merchant. He joined the Connecticut Militia and served at the Siege of Boston as Colonel of the Connecticut troops. Though rarely involved in combat, Huntington was a competent officer. He commanded a brigade during the encampment at Valley Forge, joining his command just before the encampment started, and transferring north just before they left camp. He was breveted a Major General September 30, 1783, and retired a short time later. He resumed his business affairs and was later appointed customs collector for the port of New London during President Washington's administration. He held this post for 26 years.

JOHANN de KALB 1721-1780

Born in Bavaria, he entered the French Army in September 1743 and served with great distinction rising to the rank of Brigadier General. He requested and received permission to go to America in 1777 in order to further his military career. He sailed with the Marquis de Lafayette, and after an initial disagreement with Congress over rank, he was promoted to Major General in September of 1777. He wintered at Valley Forge with the army, but was not given a command equal to his rank and talents for nearly two years. In 1780, he was sent south with the Maryland and Delaware troops to relieve Charleston, but arrived after the city had been surrendered. General Gates then arrived, took command of the southern army, and used de Kalb's troops to rebuild those forces. Gates then ignored de Kalb's sound council on how to conduct the campaign, an oversight which led to the American defeat at Camden on August 16, 1780. Wounded while valiantly attempting to charge the British at Camden, de Kalb died three days later. DeKalb led by personal example, marching by the side of his men and sleeping by the campfire with them. Unfortunately, the Continental Army never fully utilized this fine soldier's full talents.

HENRY KNOX 1750-1806

Born in Massachusetts, Knox immersed himself in the military literature that he sold in his Boston bookstore. Knox joined the militia at a young age and served as a volunteer at Bunker Hill. Knox impressed General Washington with his knowledge of artillery, and on November 17, 1775, Washington appointed him Colonel of the nascent Continental Artillery Regiment. Knox solidified his reputation as a man who could be counted on when he moved a large group of artillery pieces from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston during the middle of the winter. He participated in the Battle of Long Island and also at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. He was promoted to Brigadier General in late December 1776. He served at the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and was present for part of the Valley Forge encampment. By 1778, the Continental Artillery consisted of four regiments. Knox served at Monmouth and at Yorktown, and was promoted to Major General in the spring of 1782. In August 1782 he took command of West Point. From December 23, 1783 to June 20, 1784, Knox succeeded Washington as Commander-in-Chief. He retired, but was called back to serve as Secretary of War, a post he held until 1794.

Lafayette was left, through a series of deaths, the head of one of richest and most powerful families in France at the age of fourteen. He served as an officer in the French Army, but had little actual military experience. Young Lafayette became an impassioned believer in the American cause of independence. Against the order of the King, he sailed for America in 1777. While he was not initially well received by Congress, he smoothed out relations by offering to serve without pay. He was appointed a Major General in July 1777. He was wounded in the leg at the Battle of Brandywine, and rejoined the army after two months of recuperation. He was involved in the planning of an expedition into Canada during the winter of 1777-1778 conducted at Albany, New York, but returned to Valley Forge when the expedition failed to get off the ground. He ably commanded troops at Barren Hill, and at the Battle of Monmouth, and assisted at the Franco-American siege of New Port, Rhode Island. In January 1779, he returned to France to secure additional aid for the Americans. After succeeding at this task, he returned to America in 1780. In 1781, Lafayette served with distinction in the Virginia campaign and subsequent Siege of Yorktown. The Marquis returned to America in 1824 and received thanks and accolades from the citizens of the new republic at every stop on this triumphal tour.

JOHN LAURENS 1754-1782

Laurens was born into a wealthy and influential South Carolina family. He was educated in London and Geneva, and returned to the colonies in 1777. Laurens rendered valuable service to General Washington as a volunteer aide. He participated in the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown, and was stationed at Valley Forge during the encampment. He also fought in the Battle of Monmouth. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1779, he continued to serve as an aide until late 1779, when he returned to South Carolina. He served at Savannah and was captured at Charleston in 1780. He was exchanged in the spring of 1781, and sent to France by Congress to assist Benjamin Franklin. Laurens returned to America in time to participate in the Yorktown campaign. He met with a tragic end in 1782 when he was killed in an otherwise insignificant skirmish in South Carolina.

EBENEZER LEARNED 1728-1801

Born in Oxford, Massachusetts, Learned's pre-war career included services as a militia captain and delegate to the Provincial Congress. On April 19, 1775, he was commissioned a Colonel and served at Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. In April 1777, he was commissioned a Brigadier General in the Northern Department. He served at the Battle of Saratoga, and subsequently joined the army at Valley Forge. In March 1778, physical disabilities forced him to resign. Learned returned to Massachusetts and served in its legislature in 1783.

CHARLES LEE 1731-1782

Born in England, Lee began a career as a soldier of fortune in 1747. He served in the British and Polish armies before retiring to Virginia on half pay in 1773. He immediately became involved in the fight for independence and was appointed America's first Major General. He served at the Siege of Boston, and briefly commanded at New York City, before being transferred south. He successfully defended Charleston, South Carolina from a major British attack in 1776. Lee returned to New York and served at the Battle of White Plains. Lee was in command of troops in New York and Northern New Jersey when he was captured in December of 1776. While a prisoner of the British, Lee consorted with his former comrades and even devised a plan to help the English defeat the Patriots. He was exchanged in April 1778 and after briefly joining the American army at Valley Forge, traveled to York, Pennsylvania to complain to Congress about his lack of promotion. He rejoined the army in time to serve at the Battle of Monmouth. Lee's failure to attack as ordered at Monmouth and ensuing dishonorable behavior brought about a court-martial and three challenges to duels by Continental Army officers. Lee was convicted during his court-martial and given a one-year suspension. Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens wounded Lee severely enough in the first duel fought so that the other challenges were never taken up. Lee waited out his suspension in Virginia, but at the end of the year, offended Congress and was dismissed from the army. He spent his last years in Philadelphia. Lee remains one of the most enigmatic figures of the Revolutionary War, his early contributions to the patriot cause forever besmirched by his later conduct.

WILLIAM MAXWELL 1733-1796

Born in Ireland, Maxwell served in both the local militia and in regular British regiments for twenty years, rising to the rank of Colonel before retiring to New Jersey. In 1775, he was elected to the New Jersey Provincial Congress. In 1776 he was appointed Colonel of the Second New Jersey Regiment. He served on the ill-fated Canadian expedition, and a short time later was promoted to Brigadier General. Maxwell served at the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown. He commanded the New Jersey Brigade at Valley Forge and served at the Battle of Monmouth and on the Sullivan expedition. He resigned his commission in 1780. After the war, Maxwell was elected to the New Jersey legislature.

LACHLAN MCINTOSH 1725-1806

Born in Scotland, his family came to Georgia in 1736. About 1748 he moved to Charleston, South Carolina and became a clerk in the counting house of wealthy merchant Henry Laurens. In 1775, he served as a member of the Georgia Provincial Congress. On January 7, 1776 he was appointed Colonel of the Georgia Battalion, and in September of 1776 commissioned a Brigadier General. Wounded in a duel over local politics, McIntosh was tried, acquitted, and transferred north. He commanded the North Carolina Brigade at Valley Forge, and was later given command of the Western Department headquartered at Fort Pitt. In 1779 he was sent south where he participated in the attack on Savannah, Georgia. He was captured at the fall of Charleston, South Carolina in May 1780, and exchanged February 9, 1782. McIntosh returned to Georgia, was breveted a Major General in February 1784, and retired from public service.

THOMAS MIFFLIN 1744-1800

Born into a Philadelphia Quaker family Mifflin graduated from the College of Philadelphia in 1760. He served in the provincial assembly for two years. In 1774, he served in the Continental Congress, and in 1775 became a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. On July 4, 1775, he was appointed as an aide to General Washington. Mifflin rendered his most valuable service to the Revolution when he recruited large numbers of Pennsylvania militia during the winter crisis of 1776. By February of 1777 he was promoted to Major General. Shortly thereafter, relations between Mifflin and George Washington deteriorated. Mifflin's dissatisfaction with the army contributed to the disinterested discharge of his duties as the Quarter Master General. He resigned from the post of Quarter Master in November of 1777; his poor record of administration exacerbated the supply problems of the army at Valley Forge. Mifflin was deeply involved in the so-called Conway Cabal, and used his appointment to the Congressional Board of War to further his own programs. His influence waned, and he resigned this post and his military commission in February 1779. He remained relatively inactive until serving in the Continental Congress from 1782-1784 and later as President of that body for one year. He served as the Governor of Pennsylvania from 1790-1799, and commanded the Pennsylvania militia during the Whiskey Rebellion.

JOHN PETER GABRIEL MUHLENBERG 1746-1807

Muhlenberg was born in Pennsylvania, the son of a Lutheran missionary who came to the state in the 1740s. He was sent to Germany to be educated, but became enamored with military life and joined the Royal American Regiment of the British Army and served with them until 1767. He studied theology and became a pastor in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in 1772. In 1774 he served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and served on the local Committee of Safety. He was appointed a Colonel in the Virginia militia in 1775. In 1776, he became Colonel of the 8th Virginia Regiment or German Regiment composed of German Americans from Pennsylvania and Maryland. In February of 1777, he was promoted to Brigadier General and sent north where he showed excellent military ability and participated in most major actions. He commanded a Brigade at Valley Forge. In March of 1780, he was transferred to Virginia. He commanded a brigade of Light Infantry at Yorktown. He was breveted a Major General just before his retirement in November 1783. From 1785-1788, he was Vice-President of the State of Pennsylvania. He also served in the 1st, 3rd, and 6th Congresses.

JOHN PATTERSON 1744-1808

Patterson graduated from Yale and taught school in Connecticut until moving to Massachusetts where he established a law practice. He served in the Massachusetts Provincial Congress in 1774 and 1775, before being appointed a Colonel in May 1775. He and his regiment served at the Siege of Boston, and then took part in the Canadian expedition. He remained in the Northern Department until ordered south just in time to serve at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. Promoted to Brigadier General, he returned north to participate in the Battle of Saratoga, then rejoined Washington's forces for the Valley Forge encampment. Following the Battle of Monmouth, he was stationed in the Hudson Highlands. He was breveted a Major General before retiring in 1783. He resumed his law practice and in 1786 commanded militia troops in Shay's Rebellion. He moved to New York in 1791 and served in the legislature. In 1801, he attended the Constitutional Convention, and served in Congress from 1803 to 1805.

ENOCH POOR 1736-1780

Born in Massachusetts, he saw pre-war military experience as a member of the expedition to capture Acadia in 1755. In 1760 he moved to New Hampshire and became a wealthy shipbuilder. Poor held various public offices including service in the New Hampshire Provincial Congress. In May 1775 he was appointed Colonel of the 2nd New Hampshire Regiment and participated in the Siege of Boston. He also served in the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. After being commissioned a Brigadier General, he served at the Battle of Saratoga. Poor and his brigade then rejoined Washington's army at Valley Forge. Subsequently, he served at Barren Hill and the Battle of Monmouth. In 1779, he was sent west and served with merit on Sullivan's 1779 expedition. Poor, like so many other soldiers succumbed to camp fever and died in 1780.

CASIMIR PULASKI 1748-1779

Pulaski was a Polish nobleman who served in Poland's war against Russia, and was forced to flee after the defeat of Poland. In France he met Benjamin Franklin, who convinced him to go to America to serve in the Continental Army. He arrived in 1777, was accepted as a volunteer aide to Washington, and participated in the Battle of Brandywine. On September 15, 1777, he was appointed a Brigadier General and given command of the American cavalry. During most of the Valley Forge encampment, he was stationed at the Trenton, New Jersey foraging and training outpost. Pulaski, like some other foreign officers, had difficulties communicating with American officers, and he resigned his post. He recruited an independent legion of horse and infantry known as Pulaski's Legion. Pulaski was sent south in February 1779, and mortally wounded during the attack on Savannah, Georgia that same year.

CHARLES SCOTT 1739-1813

Scott was born in Virginia, and this frontiersman served as a non-commissioned officer on the Braddock campaign during the French and Indian War with George Washington. He raised a Virginia volunteer company in 1775. In February of 1776 he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Virginia Regiment and soon became a Colonel of the Virginia Line. Following his outstanding performance during the Trenton and Princeton campaign, he was promoted to Brigadier General. Scott and his brigade saw much action at Brandywine and Germantown before encamping at Valley Forge. He had a prominent role in the Monmouth campaign and after being sent south to support the American forces at Charleston, South Carolina, Scott was captured there in May 1780. He was not exchanged until the end of the war. He participated in many of the Indian War campaigns in the Northwest Territory following the Revolutionary War. In 1808 he was elected Governor of Kentucky, and served in this capacity for four one-year terms.

WILLIAM SMALLWOOD 1732-1792

Born in Maryland, Smallwood was a prosperous planter and a veteran of the French and Indian War. In 1761 he was elected to the Maryland Assembly. Smallwood took command of a Maryland Regiment, which joined the army at New York in 1776. Smallwood and his men served with distinction at the Battle of White Plains, and in October 1776 he was promoted to Brigadier General. He and his troops participated in the Philadelphia campaign, then were detached to occupy Wilmington, Delaware during the Valley Forge encampment. In 1780 he served under de Kalb in the southern theatre. He served at the Battle of Camden and took command of the division after de Kalb's death. He served three one-year terms as Governor of Maryland.

FRIEDRICH WILHELM AUGUSTUS VON STEUBEN 1730-1794

Born in the Kingdom of Prussia, von Steuben served in the Prussian Army during the Seven Year's War reaching the rank of Captain before being discharged. He then served in a variety of positions in one or more of the German principalities, where he may have obtained the title of Baron. In 1777, seeking military employment, he met Benjamin Franklin in Paris and volunteered for service in the Continental Army. He presented himself to Congress at York, Pennsylvania on February 5, 1778 and was sent to Valley Forge where he began the retraining of the Continental Army and the establishment of a standard drill. In May, on Washington's recommendation, he was appointed Inspector General with the rank of Major General. He served at the Battle of Monmouth and in some of the southern campaigns. During the winter of 1779-1780 he served as Washington's representative to Congress. He served at Yorktown in 1781 and helped Washington demobilize the army in 1783. Steuben's contributions to the war effort should not be underestimated; the professionalization of the Continental Army accomplished under his guidance was a key factor in the American victory. Discharged in March of 1784, he adopted New York as his home and retired there following the war.  

JOHN SULLIVAN 1740-1795

Born in what is now known as Maine, Sullivan moved to New Hampshire to establish a law practice. In 1772 he was a Major in the militia and in 1774 and 1775 he served in the Continental Congress. Appointed a Brigadier General in June 1775, he participated in the Siege of Boston and led a column of reinforcements in the ill-fated expedition to Canada. He was briefly placed in command of the Northern Department and then sent to Long Island to succeed General Greene, who was ill. He was captured during the Battle of Long Island in August of 1776, and exchanged a month later. He served at the Battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, and Germantown, commanding one wing of the Continental Army at those engagements. During the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge, he was detached northward to command troops in Rhode Island, taking part in the unsuccessful Franco-American attack on Newport. In 1779, he led a large operation against the Iroquois Indians, but in November, due to ill health, he resigned his commission. Sullivan was re-elected to the Continental Congress and then served in several positions in New Hampshire's state government. He was elected Attorney General and Speaker of the New Hampshire Assembly in 1785, and then served three terms as governor. Like many ex-Continental Army officers, he strongly supported the new federal constitution and, following its adoption, spent his last years as a federal judge.

JAMES MITCHELL VARNUM 1748-1789

Born in Massachusetts, into a prosperous farm family, Varnum was a member of the first graduating class of Rhode Island College in 1769. He was admitted to the bar in 1771. In 1774, he was commissioned a Colonel in the Rhode Island militia and served at the Siege of Boston. He was then appointed commander of the 1st Rhode Island Regiment and played a very active part in the Battle of Long Island. Promoted to Brigadier General in the Continental Army, Varnum spent the winter of 1776-1777 on recruiting duty in Rhode Island. During the first part of 1777, he and his brigade held several positions in New Jersey and New York, but had rejoined the main army by the time of the Valley Forge encampment. He served in the Monmouth campaign and at the Siege of Newport in 1778. In March 1779, he was forced to resign from the continental service due to financial problems and resumed his law practice. In April of that year, he was appointed a Major General of the Rhode Island militia. Elected to the Continental Congress in 1780, he served several years in that body. In 1787 he was appointed judge to the Northwest Territory, where he died two years later.

GEORGE WASHINGTON 1732-1799

Born in Virginia, Washington spent much of his early life under the influence and guidance of his elder half-brother, Lawrence. His formal schooling ended at the age of fifteen, and within two years Washington began working as a public surveyor. In 1751 he traveled to the West Indies with Lawrence hoping to improve Lawrence's failing health. Instead, Washington contracted small pox. Returning to Virginia, Lawrence died in 1752, making his brother George the residual heir to Mount Vernon. Washington took part in several phases of the French and Indian War, including serving in the Braddock Expedition. From 1755 to 1759 he commanded Virginia's militia, earning a strong reputation and gaining invaluable military experience. In 1759 Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis and for the next 15 years led the life of a colonial planter. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and in 1774 was a delegate to the First Continental Congress. As a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, he was selected as Commander-in-Chief of the American Army in June of 1775. He commanded the army throughout the eight years of the war participating in most of the major engagements. He resigned his commission on December 23, 1783 and returned to Mount Vernon. Recalled to public life to serve at the Constitutional Convention, Washington went on to serve two terms as President of the United States, 1789 to 1797.

ANTHONY WAYNE 1745-1796

Born in Pennsylvania, Wayne took up the trade of a tanner. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, and on the committee of safety. In 1776, he was appointed Colonel of the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion and sent on the ill-fated Canadian expedition. Because of his performance during this difficult campaign, he was promoted to Brigadier General and joined Washington at Morristown, New Jersey. Wayne fought at Brandywine and Germantown and requested a court-martial and was cleared of any wrong doing following the so-called Paoli Massacre. He commanded the Pennsylvania troops stationed at Valley Forge and served at the Battles of Monmouth and Stony Point. He helped suppress the mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line in 1781. He retired a Major General in 1783, but did not prosper during the next nine years. Re-appointed a Major General in March 1792, he was named Commander-in-Chief and commanded in a series of victories against Indians in the Northwest Territory. He died at Erie, Pennsylvania while serving in this capacity. Wayne was one of Washington's most aggressive subordinates. His nickname "Mad Anthony" is deceptive, for Wayne was not mentally unbalanced, but rather wanted always to be where the fight was.

GEORGE WEEDON 1730-1793

Born in Virginia, Weedon operated a tavern in Fredericksburg prior to the war. In 1776, he was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel of the 3rd Virginia Regiment. Later that year, he was promoted to full Colonel. He participated in the New York and New Jersey campaigns and in February 1777 was appointed Adjutant General to Washington and commissioned a Brigadier General. After a leave of absence he rejoined the army in time to serve at the Battles of Brandywine and Germantown. He served as a brigade commander at Valley Forge. In August of 1778, he requested a transfer to the inactive list, but later served in command of some Virginia militia during Yorktown campaign of 1781. He returned to his tavern after the war.

WILLIAM WOODFORD 1734-1780

Born in Virginia, he served as a militia officer during the French and Indian War. Later he served on a Virginia Committee of Correspondence. In August of 1775, he was commissioned a Colonel of the 3rd Virginia Regiment. During the early part of the war, he fought against Virginia loyalists who were under the command of former Royal Governor Lord Dunmore. In February of 1776, he was appointed Colonel of the 2nd Virginia Regiment and in 1777 he was promoted to Brigadier General. Wounded at the Battle of Brandywine, he rejoined the army before the Battle of Germantown. Following the Valley Forge encampment he served at the Battle of Monmouth. Early in 1780, Woodford and his Virginia brigade were sent south to help defend Charleston, South Carolina. Captured at Charleston, when the city fell to the British, he died in captivity on November 13, 1780.