King Charles III of Spain Biography & Facts
Quick facts Charles III of Spain was born on January 20, 1716, in Madrid, Spain. He initiated the Bourbon Reforms in Spanish America and the Philippines to revitalize the empire.…
Leaders & Generals
Learn about the most important leaders and generals of the American Revolution, on the American, British, Native, and French sides of the conflict.
Wilhelm von Knyphausen Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 4 November 1716 at Lütetsburg in Hesse-Cassel. Wilhelm von Knyphausen was a German general serving under the British during the American Revolutionary War as part of the…
Marquis de Lafayette Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 6 September 1757 at the château de Chavaniac in the province of Auvergne, France. Lafayette joined the French army in 1771; he was 14 years old. Military…
François-Joseph Paul, comte de Grasse Biography
Quick facts Born: 13 September 1722 in Provence, France. François-Joseph Paul, comte de Grasse-Tilly, was a French admiral best known for his command of French naval forces during the American…
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d’Estaing Biography
Quick facts Born: 24 November 1729 in Auvergne, France. Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, also known as Comte d’Estaing, was a French general and admiral notable for his involvement in…
William Alexander, Lord Stirling Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 1726 in New York, New York. William Alexander married Sarah Livingston in 1748. She was the sister of Philip Livingston, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and of…
Thomas Jefferson Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 13 April 1743 at Shadwell, in Albermarle County, Virginia. Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United…
Roger Sherman Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 19 April 1721 in Newton, Massachusetts. Roger Sherman was a founding father of the United States, known for his significant contributions as a politician and lawyer. He…
Richard Montgomery Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 2 December 1738 in Swords, Ireland Richard Montgomery was an Irish-born soldier who played a prominent role in the American Revolutionary War as a major general in…
Philip Schuyler Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 20 November 1733 in Albany, New York Third generation, from a Dutch immigrant family, Philip Schuyler married well (to Catherine Van Rensselaer, 1755) and became one of…
Nathanael Greene Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 7 August 1742 in Warwick, Rhode Island. Nathanael Greene was a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, known for his successful military…
John Hancock Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 23 January 1737 in Braintree, Massachusetts. John Hancock was a prominent Patriot of the American Revolution, best known for his large and bold signature on the United…
James Monroe Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 28 April 1758 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States, serving two terms from 1817 to 1825, a period known…
James Madison Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 16 March 1751 at Belle Grove Plantation near Port Conway, Virginia. James Madison, known as the “Father of the Constitution,” was instrumental in drafting and promoting the…
Israel Putnam Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 17 January 1718 in Salem Village (now Danvers), Massachusetts. Beginning as a private during the French and Indian War (1754 – 1763), Israel Putnam became a major…
Horatio Gates Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 26 July 1727 in Maldon, Essex, England. Horatio Gates was a British-born military leader who served as a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary…
Henry Knox Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 25 July 1750 in Boston, Massachusetts. Henry Knox was a key figure in the American Revolutionary War, serving as the chief artillery officer of the Continental Army.…
George Washington Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 22 February 1732 at the family Pope Creek Estate (near present-day Colonial Beach, Virgina). George Washington served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797…
George Clinton Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 26 July 1739 in New Britain, New York. George Clinton was an American soldier and statesman, serving as the first Governor of New York from 1777 to…
Benjamin Franklin Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 17 January 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. Though associated with Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin was born and raised in Boston. He did not arrive in Philadelphia until he was…
Anthony Wayne Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 1 January 1745 in Easttown Township, Pennsylvani. Anthony Wayne was a United States Army officer, statesman, and member of the United States House of Representatives. He is…
Alexander Hamilton Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 11 January 1755 (or 1757) in Charlestown on the island of Nevis in the British West Indies. Hamilton was born on the West Indian Island of Nevis,…
John Quincy Adams Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 11 July 1767 in the north precinct of Braintree, Massachusetts (now Quincy). John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829, and was the…
John Adams Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 30 October 1735 in the north precinct of Braintree, Massachusetts (now Quincy). John Adams was the second President of the United States (1797–1801) and a leading advocate for American independence as…
Aaron Burr Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 6 February 1756 in Newark, New Jersey. Grandson of Congregationalist preacher and theologian Jonathan Edwards (1703—58). Prevented a duel between James Monroe and Alexander Hamilton, 1797. Nearly…
Thomas Gage Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: March 10, 1718 or 1719 in East Sussex, England. Thomas Gage was a British general best known for his role as the military governor of Massachusetts Bay…
King George III Pictures
King George III portrait by Allan Ramsay, c. 1761-62 Oil on canvas. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA. One of several copies of the 1760 Coronation portrait (in the Royal…
John Burgoyne Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 24 February 1722 in Sutton, Bedfordshire, England. John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician, and playwright who is best known for his role in the American…
Henry Clinton Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 16 April 1730 in Newfoundland. Henry Clinton was a British army officer and politician who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces during the American Revolutionary…
Charles Cornwallis Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 31 December 1738 in London, England. Charles Cornwallis was a British Army officer and colonial administrator, best known for his role in the American Revolutionary War as…
Richard Howe Biography & Facts
Quick facts Born: 8 March 1726 in London, England. Richard Howe, Earl Howe, was a British naval officer and admiral known for his command of the British fleet during the…
George Washington’s Teeth and Dental Problems
Contrary to American legend, George Washington never owned a set of wooden teeth – while he did own many sets of dentures, none were of wood construction. Through the letters,…
Major John Pitcairn | Biography
We do not tend to remember lost wars or their casualties. The American Revolution is a case in point. December 1997 marked the 275th anniversary of the birth of Major…
The Bizarre Story of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne’s Body
Despite serving throughout the Revolutionary War, General “Mad” Anthony Wayne never achieved the fame or notoriety to make his name truly memorable. He was a dedicated and courageous officer but…
Major Patrick Ferguson | 1744-1780
There has long been a story about a British Major of Sharp Shooters, Patrick Ferguson, and his having had a chance to shoot George Washington. A lot of circumstantial evidence…
The Story of Francois Joseph Paul (Compte de Grasse)
“ Editor’s note The following is an essay by Dr. Robert A. Selig, Visiting Professor of History and German at Hope College in Michigan, discussing how Francois Joseph Paul, Compte…
John Paul Jones’ Campaign Journals – 1785
“ Editor’s note The words you are about to read were created in 1785. I say “created” for two reasons. Firstly, there is at least one account that Jones wrote…