United States, French Combatants in the Revolutionary War - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States France

What is in This Collection?
Name index to the published roster of French soldiers and sailors serving in the French military forces in America during the Revolutionary War.

 FamilySearch Catalog  Internet Archive 
 * Les combattants français de la guerre américaine, 1778-1783 : listes établies d'après les documents authentiques déposés aux Archives Nationales et aux Archives du Ministère de la Guerre. Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office, 1905. Digital Folder Number 7722294 Images 00281-00518; Name Index Images 00471-00518.
 * Combattants francais de la guerre americaine 1778-1783; listes establies d'apres les documents authentiques d'eposes aux Archives nationales et aux Archives du Ministere de la guerre

General Information about Revolutionary War Records
After the French and Indian war ended 1773, the British Parliament imposed a series of taxes on their American colonies in an attempt to recover some of the cost of the war, to have the colonies pay for their own defense, and to assert authority over the colonies. The taxes were not well received by the colonists, who felt that as they lacked representation in the Parliament, their rights as Englishmen were being violated and the taxes were unlawful. The colonists attempted to gain representation in the British Parliament without success. When gaining representation failed each colony began to form their own parliaments or governments. These colonial government bodies would then overturn British laws that they felt were unlawful and created an undue burden. In response, Britain sent in more soldiers, and the colonies were occupied by a standing army. The already overburdened colonists were required to feed and clothe the army. This series of events lead to the outbreak of war on April 19, 1775. The colonists’ original aim was to restore their rights as Englishmen; however, by early 1776 the idea that the American Revolution was a bid for independence began to form and take root, and by July the Colonists had declared their independence from the rule of the British Empire.

In 1775, when war seemed like a possibility, a congress was formed with delegates from all 13 original colonies. This congress, the Continental Congress, was a loose confederation of the colonies soon to become states. As part of their duties, the Continental Congress formed an army originally of enlisted men of short duration, but over the course of the war became a standing army of both enlisted men and conscripts, soldiers who were drafted into service. In addition to the Continental Army formed by the Congress, states, counties, and towns formed militias who fought and protected around their local area or for with the Continental Army. Revolutionary War records are the enlistment or muster roles both for the local militias and the Continental Army, pension files, and bounty land warrants. These records may include information on leave, mustering out or separation from the army, and any pension or benefits received as part of service or upon separation from the army or the militia. Military Rosters and Enlistment or Muster Rolls provide a record of when a soldier or sailor served, where they served, and for how long. They also provide details of who they served under, rank, promotion, leave information, and when their service ended. These records tell where a soldier or sailor lived and where the enlisted which were not always the same place.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Information found in this collection may include name, rank, and military unit.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * If available, check the image for additional information
 * Analyze the entry to see if it provides additional clues to find other records of the person or their family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try searching by surname only
 * The person may be recorded with an abbreviated or variant form of their name
 * Remember that spelling was generally not standardized until the early part of the 20th century

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the United States.
 * US Military Basic Search Strategies
 * Beginning Research in United States Military Records
 * United States Guided Research
 * United States Record Finder
 * United States Research Tips and Strategies
 * France Genealogy
 * France Record Finder
 * France Research Tips and Strategies
 * France Military Records
 * Revolutionary War, 1775 to 1783

Family History Library Holdings

 * Captain Joachim ''Soldiers and Sailors of France in the American War for Independence, 1776-1783. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1920. FHL Digital Book
 * Bodinier, Gilbert. Dictionnaire des officiers de l'armée royale qui ont combattu aux Etats-Unis pendant la guerre d'Indépendance 1776-1783 (Officers in the Royal French Army who fought in the United States during the American War for Independence, 1776-1783). Vincennes, France: Service historique de l'armée de terre, 1983. (Family History Library book ; not on microfilm.)
 * Lee Kennett The French forces in America,1780-1783 Westport, Connecticut : Greenwood Press, 1977 FHL 973 M2ken
 * Pierre Margry Letter to Mr. Williams B. Reed and muster rolls of the French Army which served in the Revolutionary War of the United States : as given the names and rank of the commissioned officers

Citing This Collection
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Estados Unidos, Combatentes Franceses na Guerra Revolucionária (Registros Históricos do FamilySearch)