Revolutionary War, 1775 to 1783

News

The Revolutionary War pension files for all 80,000 pension and bounty-land warrant applications are now available online at Fold3.com ($). Fold3 is available free at some libraries.

Topics

African Americans American Indians Bounty Land Warrants Cemetery Records Census Records DAR and SAR Finding a Soldier Loyalist Records Pension Records Service Records Societies Unit Histories

Other Nations

British French Hessians Spanish

Did You Know?

In 1775, when the American Revolution began, there was no regular army. Instead each colony defended itself with a militia made up of local men. With few exceptions, any male 16 or older was expected to participate in the milita. By 1776 Washington had an army of 20,000 men. About one-third came from colonial militia groups, and two-thirds were regular army.

United States U.S. Military Revolutionary War

Washington at Princeton

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.

Original British Colonies

New England Connecticut Massachusetts New Hampshire Rhode Island

Middle Colonies Delaware New Jersey New York Pennslynvania

Southern Colonies Georgia Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Virginia

Canada Remained Loyal to Britain Province of Quebec (modern-day Ontario and Quebec)

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.

Alabama Arkansas District of Columbia Florida Illinois Indiana

Iowa Louisiana Kentucky Maine Michigan Mississippi

Missouri Ohio Tennessee Vermont West Virginia Wisconsin

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)

Websites

• Ancestry ($)
• Fold3 ($)

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