War of Independence Links

Lee Resolution: Declaring the Thirteen Colonies Free Jessie Kratz

• https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2024/06/27/lee-resolution-declaring-the-thirteen-colonies-free Jun 27, 2024 "On June 21, 2024, the exhibition Road to Revolution opened in the National Archives Building. The series features National Archives records that tell the story from colonial resistance to American independence and the diverse experiences of the nation’s founding generation. Today’s post from Mary Ryan on the Lee Resolution is an update of her 2002 Prologue magazine article.... The call for independence—a radical, treasonous move—stated: 'Resolved, that these United Colonies are, and of a right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.'" National Archives Pieces of History

Discovered: First Maps of the American Revolution Edwin S. Grosvenor

• https://www.americanheritage.com/discovered-first-maps-american-revolution Mar 20, 2025 "Previously unknown, a map drawn by Lord Percy, the British commander at Lexington, sheds new light on the perilous retreat to Boston 250 years ago this month.... On that morning in 1775, General Percy rushed with his reinforcements from Boston to support the King’s beleaguered troops who had marched to Concord in the middle of the night to destroy Colonial military supplies and, if possible, capture Sam Adams and John Hancock. General Thomas Gage, Royal governor of Massachusetts and commander of British forces in the colonies, had issued his top secret orders after receiving instructions from the King and Prime Minister Lord North to be more firm with the colonials after the Boston Tea Party." American Heritage

After Yorktown: 1781-1783

• https://www.nps.gov/york/learn/historyculture/after-yorktown.htm explains what happened between the last major land battle and the ratification of the Treaty of Paris of 1783.

Collection George Washington Papers

• https://www.loc.gov/collections/george-washington-papers/articles-and-essays/timeline/the-american-revolution contains a variety of papers of army officer and first U.S. president George Washington.

Faces of the men who won America's independence

• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2356524/Faces-American-revolution-Amazing-early-photographs-document-heroes-War-Independence-later-years.html presents photos and descriptions of veterans from the War of Independence in their old age.

The British surrendering their arms to Gen. Washington after their defeat at YorkTown in Virginia October 1781

• https://www.loc.gov/resource/pga.02820/ is an engraving from the Library of Congress that provides a good summary of this major event.

Continental army's "sumptuous" Thanksgiving of 1777 Patricia Bixler Reber

• http://researchingfoodhistory.blogspot.com/2014/11/continental-armys-sumptuous.html Nov 24, 2014 "After having no rations for 2-3 days, Congress "opened her sympathizing heart" and provided ..... 1/4 cup rice and 1T of vinegar.....to eat with "a leg of nothing and no turnips." Researching Food History

Yorktown Battlefield Revolutionary War Artillery

https://www.nps.gov/york/learn/historyculture/revolutionary-war-artillery.htm Feb 26, 2015 "Cannon, mortars and howitzers made up the three types of artillery used at Yorktown by the Americans, French and British. Cannon included both field guns, which were lightweight, mobile pieces and heavy siege guns which had limited mobility. Field guns, firing solid shot, grapeshot and canister in a fairly flat trajectory, could tear large holes in the enemy’s infantry ranks. Siege cannon fired solid shot, destroying fortifications and buildings. Against ships, cannon crews utilized hot shot, a superheated cannon ball that could set a ship on fire; and bar shot and chain shot, (two halves of a cannon ball attached by either a bar or chain) that could pull down a ship’s mast and rigging." Yorktown Battlefield Part of Colonial National Historical Park Virginia