Before the Revolution, most colonists and Europeans were subjects, ruled by a king or queen. Americans eventually formed their own government run by citizens, but it took a grueling struggle. The Revolutionary War was the longest conflict in American history until the 20th century, and it shaped all the nations involved.
Existing armies multiplied and expanded. New armies sprang up overnight. Thousands were called directly into military service. People on both sides of the Atlantic were forced to decide if, and when, to enter the military. And many millions of others had loved ones who served on one if not both sides of the conflict.
A person’s experience with the military service varied based on their location, culture, and politics. And the ways that service evolved during the war influenced how people look at military service even today.
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British Subjects
Exhibit Case
Before the war most Americans were British subjects. This meant they benefited from English rights and privileges. As Americans resisted colonial administrators in the 1760s and 70s, they claimed to do so in defense of British ideals. They supported British political figures that stood up for them against Parliament or the King.
Americans also shared a material world with their British cousins. The American colonies were a massive market for British goods. This tied the 2 places together in important ways that lasted even through the destructive war.
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Loyal Volunteers: The British Army
Exhibit Case
Britain had a complicated relationship with its army. They feared the military could become a threat to civil government. Parliament made sure to keep the British Army relatively small by European standards. Even then, by 1775 this army served widely across the British Empire. Most of the forces were in Ireland, England, and America. In addition, troops were stationed in Scotland, Gibraltar, Minorca, Jamaica, Antigua, and Western Africa.
Throughout the period men entered service voluntarily. Britain attempted to force some men into the military after the French declared war in 1778. But the measure was unsuccessful and cancelled less than 2 years later.
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Hessians?: Britain's German Auxiliaries
Exhibit Case
As the Revolution expanded in America, Britian faced a severe need for troops. They fell back on a tried-and-true solution: hiring forces from Europe. Since the late 17th century, the British had hired Dutch, Danish, and German troops to help them wage wars both abroad and at home. The Revolution continued this trend.
By the end of the war, the British forces consisted of nearly 40,000 German soldiers, who were commonly referred to as “Hessians.” They came from Hessen-Kassel, Hessen-Hanau, but also Brunswick, Anspach-Bayreuth, Waldeck, and Anhalt-Zerbst. These were not mercenaries. They served in the armies of their own rulers, and their service allowed the British to maintain their global war.
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His Most Christian Majesty: The Army of France
Exhibit Cases and Wall Mountings
The French military was one of the largest in Europe on the eve of the Revolutionary War. However, it had been mauled during the Seven Years’ War, leading to a profound loss of confidence. From the 1760s through the 1770s, the French military underwent massive change.
The many reforms of this period gave way to updated weapons, uniforms, and tactics. Despite some critical losses, the French were able to cut into Britain’s gains after they allied with the United States in February of 1778. With France’s entrance, the American Revolution turned into a global war.
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A Loyal Family: The Johnsons
Exhibit Cases and Wall Mountings
The Revolution had a dramatic effect on William Johnson’s family. He had amassed power, wealth, and land in New York’s Mohawk Valley. As Superintendent of Indian Affairs Johnson was trusted by the British colonial administration and Native American nations. Johnson died unexpectedly just before the Revolutionary War, leaving a vacuum of power. Johnson’s heirs remained loyal to the Crown, and in turn lost their homes and position in New York. Within less than a century, five generations of Johnsons served Britain all across the world.
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Citizens and Soldiers
Exhibit Case
Thousands of Americans faced the reality of war between 1775 and 1783. This meant raising military forces to fight the British and their allies. But service did not only mean enlisting in the Continental Army.
Militias and state forces offered opportunities to serve, often for short periods of time and closer to home. Many other Americans supported the war by supplying food, clothing, and other equipment. Some did not serve and tried simply to survive as war spread across the continent. And still others remained loyal to the British, tearing communities apart.
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Women and War
Exhibit Case and Wall Mountings
Women’s experiences in the Revolution cannot be neatly condensed into one narrative. Regulations and cultural norms prohibited women from serving in the military. Yet despite not being allowed to bear arms, women were not spared from conflict.
Thousands of women found their way onto battlefields and army camps during the Revolution. Women’s labor helped clothe, equip, nourish, and heal fighting men in every theater of the war. Their voice as wives, mothers, consumers, and producers informed public and military policy. Yet they were denied any official participation in government, even after the successful independence of the United States.
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Learning to be Soldiers
Exhibit Case
When the Revolutionary War began in 1775 America had no army. While militias existed in every colony but Pennsylvania, Americans were still primarily civilians. Americans learned what military skills they needed through a combination of training by former soldiers, British books, and practical experience. Military books were not big sellers in the colonies.
The opening of hostilities in 1775 thrust thousands of men into the field as soldiers for the first time. This prompted a wave of military publishing in America’s cities to meet the demand for the soldiers of this new war.
