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As Commander in Chief, Washington relied on a number of officers to help him win the war.
Some had little previous military experience; others were veteran soldiers. These are some of the most important men who guided the Continental Army and its allies during the Revolutionary War.
Known as “the fighting Quaker,” Greene came into the war with very little military experience. He advanced rapidly through the ranks, gained a field command, served as quartermaster general, and replaced Benedict Arnold as commander in the Hudson highlands. He is best known for his brilliant southern campaign that helped turn the tide of the war in favor of the Americans.
A self-taught pupil of military history, Knox possessed a keen understanding of martial strategy. Washington entrusted one of war’s most important and jeopardous missions to Knox – the stealing of artillery at Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain and transporting them to Dorchester Heights resulting in the British abandoning Boston.
Enamored of the American Revolution, Lafayette sailed from France to the United States in 1777, with hopes of joining Washington’s army. Within months of his arrival, the nineteen-year-old had befriended the American Commander in Chief and fought with him at Brandywine. He continued his close relationship with Washington, serving with distinction at Valley Forge, Monmouth, and Yorktown.
In 1780, King Louis XVI of France sent Lieutenant General Rochambeau along with 5,500 regular troops to the United States to aid the American cause. A year later Rochambeau and Washington marched together from New York to Virginia, leading to British General Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown and the end of the war.
Known as “Mad Anthony” for his fiery battlefield temperament, Wayne began the Revolutionary War as a colonel and was promoted to Brigadier General in 1777. He fought at Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth, but won his greatest victory at Stony Point along the Hudson River in 1779, where he captured a vital British fort during a nighttime raid.
A successful merchant before the war, Benedict Arnold built an impressive resume fighting for the Americans and became one of Washington’s most trusted generals. But in 1779, Arnold began bargaining with the British to turn over West Point. The plot was foiled, and Arnold barely escaped with his life. He led two battles against the Americans before leaving the country.
In February 1778, the Baron de Steuben arrived at Valley Forge and offered to train Washington’s troops. In the midst of a bitter winter, the former Prussian army officer transformed the rag tag group of soldiers into a cohesive fighting force. Impressed by the Baron de Steuben’s accomplishment, the Continental Congress appointed him Inspector General of the Continental Army.
In 1781, the French promoted de Grasse to Rear Admiral and sent him to the West Indies with orders to provide the Americans with much needed naval support. Later that summer, he sailed north to the mouth of the Chesapeake River and blockaded British troops encamped at Yorktown, while Washington and French General Rochambeau closed the trap by land, leading to an eventual British surrender.
A planter and Indian fighter before the war, Marion organized guerilla troops after the British captured Charleston in 1780. His partisan forces harassed southern loyalists and launched surprise attacks against British regulars. Marion’s hit-and-run tactics earned him the nickname, Swamp Fox, because of his ability to disappear into swamp country in order to evade British capture.
Dedicated to the ideals of liberty, Kosciuszko came to the United States in 1776 and volunteered his services as a military engineer to the Continental Army. His major contributions included the fortifications at Saratoga and West Point. He also accompanied American General Nathanael Greene, serving as cavalry leader during the Southern Campaign.
This French and Indian War veteran distinguished himself during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He took over for a wounded Benedict Arnold during the March to Quebec and fought valiantly at the Battles of Saratoga in 1777. Three years later, he transferred to the American Southern Army to lead an elite corps.
Major General François Jean de Beauvoir, Marquis de Chastellux, was a French officer in Lieutenant General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau's expeditionary force sent to North America during the War of Independence.
Because of his strong knowledge of the English language, he served as an important liaison between Rochambeau and Washington. In this position, he became a close lifelong friend of Washington.
Tallmadge was appointed director of military intelligence by George Washington, with the objective of securing information on the British in New York City. Tallmadge created a system in which numbers were substituted for common words, names, and places to encode messages, and provided a key to Washington, Woodhull, and Robert Townsend, another member of the Culper spy ring.
Hamilton became an early supporter of the American Revolution and joined a militia company in New York City where he met General Nathanael Greene who recommended the the join Washington's command. Hamilton's major victory was at Yorktown when he led the charge against the last British redoubt securing victory over the British.
Moultrie likely came to George Washington’s attention for the first time in mid-1776 when Washington learned of Colonel Moultrie’s brave and dramatic June 28 defense of a small fort constructed of sand and palmetto logs on Sullivan’s Island at the entrance to Charleston harbor. Through holding off the British naval attack against Charleston it temporarily prevented the establishment of a British foothold in the south.
During the war, Laurens devised a plan to recruit slaves from the southern states into regiments for the Continental Army and emancipate them in return for their military service. Laurens was selected to serve as an aide to Washington due to his fluency in French. During the years that followed, Laurens developed close relationships with the other members of Washington's military inner circle, including Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette.
The officers leading the King’s troops in the colonies were some of the most experienced leaders the country had to offer. Learn more about those who opposed George Washington's Continental Army.
Learn more about General Washington's role in securing victory in the American Revolution.
Learn more about Washington's 1781 Yorktown Campaign - the last major battle of the American Revolution.
