George Washington

George Washington (1732–1799) - On June 15, 1775, after a unanimous vote in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall, George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the newly formed Continental Army. After his army suffered a series of defeats in New York and New Jersey in 1776, Washington with about 2,000 troops crossed the Delaware River on December 26, 1776 in a treacherous storm and defeated a garrison of Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. The victory set the stage for another success at Princeton a week later and boosted the morale of the American troops. In August, 1777 the British, led by their commander General William Howe, landed in Maryland to begin their campaign to capture Philadelphia, the Colonial Capitol. Washington tasked BG William Maxwell to fight a delaying action against the British which resulted in the Battle of Cooch's Bridge in Delaware on September 3, 1777. The Council of War took place at the Hale Byrnes House the following day.

Remember officers and Soldiers, that you are Freemen, fighting for the blessings of Liberty - that slavery will be your portion, and that of your posterity, if you do not acquit yourselves like men. Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!

George Washington

Major General William Alexander, Lord Stirling

William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (December 27, 1725[1] – January 15, 1783) was a Continental Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War, commanding the 5th Division of the Continental Army. He held a claim to be the male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirling through Scottish lineage (being the senior male descendant of the paternal grandfather of the 1st Earl of Stirling, who had died in 1640), and he sought the title sometime after 1756. His claim was initially granted by a Scottish court in 1759; however, the House of Lords ultimately overruled the court and denied the title in 1762. He continued to hold himself out as "Lord Stirling" regardless.[2]

Brigadier General Thomas Conway

Thomas Conway (February 27, 1735 – March 1795) was an Irish-born army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of French India from 1787 to 1789. Over the course of his military career, he served in the French Royal Army, Continental Army and British Army and fought in the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars. During the American Revolutionary War, Conway was involved with the alleged Conway Cabal, a loose political effort by a group of Continental Army officers, including Horatio Gates, and members of Congress to replace General George Washington as commander-in-chief during the American Revolution, His involvement resulted in his dismissal from the Continental Army

Major General Nathanael Greene

Nathanael Greene (1742–1786) was a highly respected and talented general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Nicknamed "The Fighting Quaker," he is widely considered to be second only to George Washington in his military contributions to the American cause. He commanded the 1st Division of the Continental Army at the Battle of the Brandywine at the center of the American line, but the British launched a flanking maneuver. Greene's division helped prevent the envelopment of American forces and allowed for a safe retreat. The British captured Philadelphia shortly after the Battle of the Brandywine, but Washington launched a surprise attack on a British force at the October 1777 Battle of Germantown. Greene's detachment arrived late to the battle, which ended in another American defeat. In December, Greene joined with the rest of Washington's army in establishing a camp at Valley Forge, located twenty-five miles northwest of Philadelphia.[35]

Lt. Colonel Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757[a] – July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 under the presidency of George Washington. He served as an artillery officer in the American Revolutionary War, where he saw military action against the British Army in the New York and New Jersey campaign, served for four years as aide-de-camp to Continental Army commander in chief George Washington, and fought under Washington's command in the war's climactic battle, the Siege of Yorktown, which secured American victory in the war and with it the independence of the United States.

Brigadier General Henry Knox

Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806) was an American military officer, politician, bookseller, and a Founding Father of the United States. Henry Knox was a Revolutionary War general, the youngest American to become a Major General, and the first U.S. Secretary of War. He is most famous for his pivotal role in the American victory at the Siege of Boston, which he secured by leading the daring winter transport of 60 tons of artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to the siege lines. His accomplishments also include serving on George Washington's presidential cabinet, directing the crossing of the Delaware River, and helping to establish the nation's first arsenal and military academy at West Point.

Marquis de Lafayette

Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834) was a French aristocrat and military officer who became known as the "Hero of Two Worlds" for his crucial role in both the American and French Revolutions. Lafayette first saw combat in the Revolution at the Battle of Brandywine near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, on 11 September 1777.After the British outflanked the Americans, Washington sent Lafayette to join General John Sullivan. Upon his arrival, Lafayette went with the Third Pennsylvania Brigade, under Brigadier Thomas Conway, and attempted to rally the unit to face the attack. British and Hessian troops continued to advance with their superior numbers, and Lafayette was shot in the leg. During the American retreat, Lafayette rallied the troops, allowing a more orderly pullback, before being treated for his wound. After the battle, Washington cited him for "bravery and military ardour" and recommended him for the command of a division in a letter to Congress.

John Laurens

John Laurens (October 28, 1754 – August 27, 1782) was an American soldier and statesman from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his efforts to help recruit slaves to fight for their freedom as U.S. soldiers. He was the son of Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress. One of Washington's favorites, Laurens became close friends with two of his fellow aides-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette. He quickly became known for his reckless courage upon first seeing combat on September 11, 1777, at the Battle of Brandywine. Lafayette observed, "It was not his fault that he was not killed or wounded [at Brandywine,] he did everything that was necessary to procure one or t'other." Laurens behaved with similar recklessness at the Battle of Germantown, in which he was wounded on October 4, 1777. Laurens was killed in the Battle of the Combahee River in August 1782.

Brigadier General William Maxwell

William Maxwell (1733-1796) was an Irish-born brigadier general in the Continental Army who commanded the New Jersey Continental Line during the American Revolutionary War. Known by the nickname "Scotch Willie," he was a highly experienced officer who fought in numerous major campaigns. In August 1777, Gen. George Washington assigned Maxwell, then commanding the New Jersey Brigade in the Main Army, to organize and command a provisional Corps of Light Infantry, culling 100 of the best troops from each of the army's ten brigades. This force formed the advanced skirmish line in the defense of Philadelphia and fought the delaying action against the British at the Battle of Cooch's Bridge in Delaware on September 3, 1777.

Major General Thomas Mifflin

Thomas Mifflin (January 10, 1744 – January 20, 1800) was an American merchant, soldier, and politician from Pennsylvania. At the time of the Council of War at the Hale-Byrnes House Mifflin was the Quartermaster General for the Continental Army. However, during his tenure as Quartermaster General, Mifflin came under intense scrutiny for his poor handling of the Department, particularly its financial affairs. He also became involved in the Conway Cabal, an effort to replace General George Washington as commander-in-chief during the American Revolution. On June 11, 1778, a letter from the President of the Continental Congress directed an inquiry into Mifflin's conduct and Washington allowed Mifflin to leave the Army to attend to his defense. After the war, Mifflin signed the United States Constitution, was the first governor of Pennsylvania, serving from 1790 to 1799 and was also the state's last president, succeeding Benjamin Franklin in 1788.

Brigadier General Peter Muhlenberg

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (October 1, 1746 – October 1, 1807) was an American clergyman and military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He commanded the 1st Virginia Brigade in Nathanael Green's 1st Division. A member of Pennsylvania's prominent Muhlenberg family political dynasty, he became a respected figure in the newly independent United States as a Lutheran minister and member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate.

Brigadier General Francis Nash

Francis Nash ( c. 1742 – October 7, 1777) was a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

The unfortunate Francis Nash was leading a delaying action at Germantown when a musket ball struck him in the head and a British cannon round struck him in the hip and killed his horse. (The same artillery round killed Maj. Gen. James Witherspoon whose father John was a signer of the Declaration of Independence.) Thomas Paine, the author of the influential pamphlet Common Sense, was present at the time and wrote that after his injuries the North Carolinian was no longer recognizable. Nash lingered for three days (while bleeding profusely) before Succumbing. He was 35.

Michael Harris, Brandywine: A Military History of the Battle that Lost Philadelphia but Saved America, September 11, 1777

Colonel Timothy Pickering

Timothy Pickering (July 17, 1745 – January 29, 1829) was the third United States Secretary of State, serving under Presidents George Washington and John Adams. He also became an officer in the colonial militia and served in the siege of Boston during the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. General George Washington took notice of Pickering and offered him the position of adjutant general of the Continental Army in 1777 with the rank of colonel. In this capacity he oversaw the building of the Great chain which was forged at the Stirling Iron Works. The chain blocked the Royal Navy from proceeding up the Hudson River past West Point and protected that important fort from attack for the duration of the conflict. He was widely praised for his work in supplying the troops during the remainder of the conflict. In August 1780, the Continental Congress elected Pickering Quartermaster General

Casimir Pulaski

Kazimierz Michał Władysław Wiktor Pułaski (March 4 or 6, 1745 – October 11, 1779), anglicized as Casimir Pulaski was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called "The Father of American cavalry" or "The Soldier of Liberty". Following a recommendation by Benjamin Franklin, Pulaski traveled to North America to help in the American Revolutionary War. Pulaski became a general in the Continental Army, and he and his friend, the Hungary-born colonel commandant Michael Kovats, raised Pulaski's Legion and reformed the American cavalry as a whole. At the siege of Savannah, while leading a cavalry charge against British forces, he was fatally wounded by grapeshot and died shortly after.

Major General Adam Stephen

Adam Stephen ( c. 1718 – 16 July 1791) When the American Revolutionary War broke out, Stephen offered his services to the Continental Army, again serving under Washington. He was with the army during the New York and New Jersey campaigns of 1776 and early 1777, and as a major general he was given command of the 2nd Division in Washington's army during the defense of Philadelphia. In the October 1777 Battle of Germantown, Stephen's men fought in the fog with troops led by General Anthony Wayne. Stephen was accused of being drunk during the battle, and after being convicted in a court martial, he was stripped of his command and cashiered out of the army, making him the only Continental Army general court-martialed and immediately dismissed from the service during the war.

Major General John Sullivan

John Sullivan (1740–1795) was a Major General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He commanded the 3rd Division of the Continental Army, which included the 1st Delaware Regiment. He participated in several key events of the conflict, most notably George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River. He was captured by the British at the Battle of Long Island. He was released in a prisoner exchange (for captured British officer Richard Prescott) in time to rejoin Washington before the Battle of Trenton in 1776. There his division secured the important bridge over the Assunpink Creek to the south of the town which prevented escape and ensured the high number of Hessian prisoners captured. In January 1777, Sullivan also performed well in the Battle of Princeton.

Lt. Colonel Tench Tilghman

Tench Tilghman (December 25, 1744 – April 18, 1786) was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He served as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel. Tilghman served Washington as secretary until the end of the war, mostly without pay. Before Colonel Alexander Hamilton (then a young artillery officer) joined Washington's staff, Tilghman was the only aide-de-camp to Washington who was conversant in the French language, a critical skill given the many French military men who had joined the revolutionary cause. During the Battle of Monmouth in 1778 and afterwards, Tilghman interpreted written and verbal communications between Washington, Lafayette, Von Steuben, and commanders of the Continental Army's French allies.

Brigadier General "Mad" Anthony Wayne

Anthony Wayne (1745–1796) was born in Chester County, PA. He commanded the 4th Division of the Continental Army at the Battle of the Brandywine. On September 11, 1777, Wayne's division held off Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen troops in order to protect the American right flank. The two forces fought for three hours until the American line withdrew and Wayne was ordered to retreat. He was then ordered to harass the British rear in order to slow General William Howe's advance towards Pennsylvania. Wayne's camp was attacked on the night of September 20–21 in the Battle of Paoli. General Charles Grey had ordered his men to remove their flints and attack with bayonets in order to keep their assault secret. The battle earned Grey the sobriquet of "General Flint", but Wayne's own reputation was tarnished by the significant American losses, and he demanded a formal inquiry in order to clear his name. In July 1779, Washington named Wayne to command the Corps of Light Infantry. His successful attack on British positions in the Battle of Stony Point was the highlight of his Revolutionary War service. On July 16, 1779, he replicated the bold attack used against him at Paoli and personally led a nighttime bayonet attack lasting 30 minutes. His three columns of about 1,500 light infantry stormed and captured British fortifications at Stony Point, a cliff-side redoubt commanding the southern Hudson River. The battle ended with around 550 prisoners taken, with fewer than 100 casualties for Wayne's forces. Wayne was wounded during the attack when an enemy musket ball gashed his scalp.