Revolutionary War, 1775 to 1783

United States U.S. Military  Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War was fought from 1775 to 1783. It was also known as the American War of Independence. The Revolutionary War began with the confrontation between British troops and local militia at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, on 19 April 1775. Throughout the war, state troops and local militias supplemented the Continental (Federal) Army. The total number of men who served is not known. Men between the ages of 16 and 60 may have served during the war in either the Continental Army, State Line Troops, or local militia mustered to help the Continental Troops.

State Revolutionary War Records
The Revolutionary War was fought before these states existed. However, many of these states have information specific to their area on individuals that served in the war and later lived in these states.

Getting Started

 * FamilySearch Research Classes Online
 * Military Records: Revolutionary War (34 minute online video)
 * Revolutionary War Genealogy Research. (23 minute online video)

Research Tools

 * Patriot Index (Daughters of the American Revolution)
 * Records of the British Colonial Office, Class 5, FamilySearch Catalog

Websites

 * 1775–1783 - at FamilySearch — images
 * Ancestry ($)
 * Fold3 ($)
 * American Wars
 * New Horizons Genealogy (free)
 * The George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, Time Line: The American Revolution

Sources for Further Reading


 * Alden, John Richard. The American Revolution: 1775-1783. New York: Harper &amp; Row, Publishers, 1954.
 * Bolton, Charles Knowles. The Private Soldier Under Washington. Port Washington, New York: Kenniket Press, Inc. 1964. reprint edition.
 * Berg, Fred Anderson. Encyclopedia of Continental Army Units: Battalions, Regiments and Independent Corps. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Stackpole Company, 1972.
 * Ferguson, E. James. The American Revolution: A General History, 1763-1790.
 * The Dorsey Series in American History. rev. ed. Homewood, Illinois: The Dorsey Press, 1979.
 * Gibson, Lawrence Henry. The Coming of the Revolution: 1763-1775. New York: Harper &amp; Row Publishers, 1954.
 * Jensen, Merrill. The Founding of a Nation: A History of the American Revolution 1763-1776. New York: Oxford University Press, 1968.
 * Lowell, Edward J. The Hessians In The Revolution: Williamstown, Massachusetts, Corner House Publishers. 1970. reprint edition.
 * Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution 1763-1789. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.
 * Miller, John C. Origins of The American Revolution. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1943.
 * Miller, John C. Triumph of Freedom: 1775-1783. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1948.
 * Morgan, Edmund S. The birth of the Republic: 1763-89. rev. ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1977.
 * Neagles, James C. and Neagles Lila L. Locating Your Revolutionary War Ancestor: A Guide to the military Records. Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, Inc., 1983.
 * Peckham, Howard. The War for Independence: A Military History. Chicago: University of CHicago Press, 1958.
 * Shy, John. A People Numerous and Armed: Reflections on the Military Struggle for American Independence. New York: Oxford University Press, 1976.
 * Schluz, Constance B. "Revolutionary War Pension Applications: A Neglected Source for Social and Family History." Prologue 15. (Summer 1983): 103-114.
 * Schweitzer, George K. Revolutionary War Genealogy. Knoxville, Tennessee: The author, 1982.
 * American Revolutionary War (1775-1783)