Blog #4: Revolution Article

 

The violent Battle of Saratoga

1. A little more than 1% of the American population died in the American Revolution (30,000 out of 2.5 million), about 1 in 4 who fought in the Continental Army. 50,000 British soldiers died, about 1 in 4 who fought.

2. There are many misconceptions about historical events because someone influential remembered it a certain way, influencing others to believe they remembered it that way as well. For example, many believe that Washington "won the war single-handedly."

3. Most people remember it as a revolution and not as a war. They probably wouldn't be able to name any soldiers aside from Washington and a couple others. None of seven famous paintings of the Revolution depict a battle scene. It has been downplayed because it lies between the Revolution/Declaration of Independence and the signing of the Constitution.

4. In the Revolutionary War, weapons were less effective than in the Civil War, so battles were close-range and sometimes led to bayonet charges and close combat rather than just using guns. The casualties were great as they shot from small distances.

5. 0.5% of civilians died because of the war in both the Revolutionary and the Civil War. Loyalists were punished greatly, having their possessions and property taken and sold, and 100,000 went into exile.