Generals

British & Germans

Continental Army, Militia & French

  • William Alexander, Lord StirlingContinental Army general — one of Washington’s best
  • Benedict ArnoldTalented Continental Army general who defected to the British
  • Horatio GatesContinental Army general, won the Battles of Saratoga
  • Henry KnoxContinental Army general, chief artillery officer, first Secretary of War
  • Tadeusz KosciuszkoPolish patriot, fought seven years in the American Revolution
  • Marquis de LafayetteFrench aristocrat, Continental Army officer, like a son to Washington
  • Charles LeeContinental Army general, formerly a British officer
  • Richard MontgomeryIrish-born Continental Army general, formerly a British officer
  • Daniel MorganMilitia soldier, military tactician, Continental Army general
  • Israel PutnamMilitia general, fought with distinction at the British at Bunker Hill
  • comte de RochambeauCommander-in-chief of French forces
  • Philip SchuylerContinental Army general, U.S. Senator for NY
  • Arthur St. ClairContinental Army general, surrendered Fort Ticonderoga to the British
  • Baron von SteubenContinental Army general from Prussia, drilled the troops at Valley Forge
  • John SullivanContinental Army general, Continental Congress delegate, NH governor
  • George WashingtonCommander-in-chief of the Continental Army; first President
  • Anthony WayneContinental Army general, defeated the British at Stony Point

Greene, Nathanael

  • Nathanael GreeneContinental Army general; key to winning the war in the South

Lafayette’s years in America had given him the most glorious career it was possible for a youth of his disposition to imagine. He had fought for a noble cause, and won the love of a nation. George Washington sent him admiring and heart-sore letters after the marquis returned to France; the state of Virginia presented a bust of him to the city of Paris; the island of Nantucket sent him a 500-pound cheese. Lafayette cherished the love he had earned overseas, and never let the French forget it. When his first two children were born, he named the boy George Washington and the girl Virginia. At his Paris household, his family spoke English, and his messenger was dressed as an American Indian.

Richard Brookhiser
Gentleman Revolutionary: Gouverneur Morris, the Rake Who Wrote the Constitution (2003)