

REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



refill the ranks an rapidly as waa required. produced tin- Declaration, the home government had undertaken 

 mutiny in a portion of the aruiy, which. however, was by it.s army and navy to ent'oive it.- measures airl to 

 readily qneOad without resort to force and without any compel its subject.- in America to sulunit to its exactions. 

 advantage re.-ulting to the enemy therefrom. The This positive action was resisted by open force till all 

 depreciation of the I'ilU of eredit wliieli brought on the new States Ixrame united and put an army into the 

 the* difficulties at last caused their withdrawal from field, and MI the primary revolt DOOUM a "l ma fide 



revolution. The new army is u.-ually named the 

 American or Continental troops. The central supreme 

 authority was ve.-tcd in the general Congress. The 

 very existence of this Coninv" ua-. in ih,- e\cs of the 

 British Caliinei and Parliament a cause of war, and 

 continued so till at its close the independence of the 



currency. Relief came to the finances of the country 

 from its friendly relations with European powers. 

 loam ami other tran.-a.-t ions being made that brought 



gold and silver into the country. 

 taken of this circumstance to place 



Advantage was 

 the transactions 



of the government upon a coin basis, and this change, 

 with the accession of Robert Morris to the financial 

 management, gave partial relief to the overstrained 

 financial .-iliiation. The depreciated currency by com- 

 mon consent passed out of circulation without popu- 

 lar com motion, as an expression of the patriotic senti- 

 ment of the country. Before the close of the year 

 1781 the tide of military affairs had turned in favor of 

 the American arms, culminating in the surrender of 

 the British force under the command of Lord Corn- 

 wallis. at Yorktown. Oct. 19. 



In 1782 a pacific feeling developed not only in Great 

 Britain towards the States but among the European 

 belligerents involved in the American question. The 

 disposition to treat with the States on the basis of in- 

 dependence appeared in Parliament and a change of 

 ministry gave an impetus to the movement. Commis- 

 sioners were received from the American Congre and 

 negotiations entered upon. John Adams. Benjamin 

 Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens constituted 

 this commission. Provisional articles of peace were 

 agreed upon between -Great Britain and the United 

 States, to le inserted in the future treaty of peace. To 

 such treaty France was to be a practical party. By 

 these articles the independence of the United States 

 was fully recognized, with liberal boundaries, including 

 the east side of the Mississippi and both sides of the 

 Ohio, and a right of free fishery secured on the Banks 

 of New r'oundland. The treaty of peace following 

 the terms of the articles was concluded at Paris. Sept. 

 3, 1783, thus terminating the American Revolution, 

 and placing the United States in general recognition 

 as a sovereign national power. 



See Ramsay's, Hildreth's, and Bancroft's Hittorin of the 

 ' .<". For an outline of the war by which Ameri- 



can independence was achieved see the following article. 



(A. J. W.) 



REVOLUTIONARY WAR, AMERICAN. This 

 war began in a revolt of the American colonies of 

 Great Britain, which colonies soon after constituted 

 the thirteen United States. The first skirmish between 

 organized forces took place at Lexington. Ma.-s . . April 

 19, 1775. The preliminaries to peace were signed at 

 Paris, France, Nov. 30, 1782; so that a state of war 

 existed for seven years and seven months. 



The Causes. The Declaration of Independence, is- 

 sued by a Congress of Delegates July 4, 1776, explic- 

 itly sets forth the grounds of separation from Great 



States was acknowledged. 

 Pint 



1775. 



The people of Boston and the vicinity had been for- 

 ward and tiersistent in their opposition to the unfriendly 

 acts of the British government until, to withstand 

 them, several war measures were set on foot The first 

 showed itself in the action of Gen. Thomas Gage, the 

 royal governor of Massachusetts. He brought from 

 Halifax to Bewtoii two regiments of the line, and 

 promised his king "with five regiments to keep Boston 

 quiet!" Next came the proclamation and enforce- 

 ment by Gen. Gage of the Boston Port Bill, which 

 went into operation June 1 , 1774. and effectually cl< 

 the port. The custom-house was removed to Salem, 

 and the Bostonians were subjected to the hardships of 

 a regular blockade. About this time the British rein- 

 forcements called for came, raising the forces to up- 

 wards of 10,000 men, exclusive of the naval squadron 

 numerous enough for the work assigned to it. With 

 these troops appear the names of (ions. Howe, Bur- 

 L'livnc, Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Percy, and Lord Raw- 

 don ; names which in the war became famous as able 

 commanders. 



< leu. Gage began his operations as if to subdue and 

 control a riotous city. He encamped his artillery on 

 Boston Common, crowned Fort Hill with Welsh sol- 

 diers, and sent a field-battery to hold Boston Neck, the 

 only land entrance to the city. 



Affairs of Lexington and Concord. Next, in his 

 double capacity of governor and general, Gage directed 

 that all the munitions of war within his precincts be 

 brought forthwith to Boston. To make a beginning 

 he sent out two com panics which in the night removed 

 a large quantity of powder from Charlestown to the 

 city and deposited it in Castle William. This act ex- 

 cited indignation and alarm among the patriots in the 

 surrounding country, and they quickly armed them- 

 selves and ran together at their appointed rende/vous. 

 On April 1'.). ITT'i, NKI "loyalists." in two dctach- 

 couimanded by Lieut. -Col. Francis Smith and 

 Maj. Pitcairn, were marching toward Concord. 16 miles 

 from Boston, where they were to seize and destroy 

 sundry military stores which tlh spies had 



there found. At Lexington the advance was resisted 

 by about 70 militiamen under Capt. John Parker. 

 The British, after short parley, fired upon the patriots, 

 killing 8, including Capt. Parker, wounding '.I. and 



Britain, and these were substantially the causes of the scattering the remainder. In this encounter but one 



war. Two expressions therein appear to summarize 

 the views of those who n-i.-t. -d by arms the forces of 

 the mother-country. l-'irst. "When a long train of 

 abuses and usurpations, pur-uing invariably the same 

 object, evinces a design to reduce them (the people-) 

 under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their 

 duty to throw off such government and to provide new 

 guards for their future security." The second is 



loyalist ' ' was wounded. The patriots in greater num- 

 bers next gathered near Concord ; quite a battle took 

 place; ami the return march of the British, from the 

 incessant flanking and pursuit of their ever-increasing 

 foes, who had put themselves under the able (I en. 

 William Heath, beaUMtt annoying and finally a dis- 

 orderly retreat. On arrival in Boston they found that 

 they had lo.-t r,s killed, including Lieut -Col. Smith. 



'The history of the present king of Great Britain is a j 178 wounded, and LM missing The patriot loss was 

 history of repeated injuries and usurpations, ull having nil put /./.- ./. ,.- :li l.ii. Thus the campaign was 

 in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny opened. 

 over these States." Jteauhroga^ ('i-im-n F\M>U, tmdjbrt St. Johnt. 



Not only the claims of the tyrannous kiriff, but the Benedict Arnold, who came to Cambridge from Nw 

 Acts Of the British Parliament which sustajned him. Haven with a company, proposed plans to committees 

 were the grievances detailed in that Pcelaratiun. Tl ..... f safety of .Ma-saehn.-cus and Conneetii-ut for seizing 

 most vehement prote-t therein is against attempts Ticonderoga and other foils: having received authority 

 at taxation without rtprcueiitation. But long before and commission of colonel he began enlisting men. 



