American Revolution generals decided more than battlefield formations. They held armies together, stretched thin supply lines, won foreign support and, in several cases, lost empires.
In recent years, the modern U.S. military has had hundreds of active-duty general and flag officers, a number that has led to concerns that the Pentagon is a bit “top-heavy.” That modern force includes roughly 1.35 million active-duty service members.
The Continental Army was a much smaller and more fragile fighting force. More than 231,000 men served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, but no more than 48,000 served at one time, and George Washington often had far fewer men under his direct command.
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The leadership was far smaller as well. The Continental Army had fewer than 100 commissioned general officers, and only a select handful can truly be described as the key generals of the American Revolution.
That smaller scale meant each general, Patriot or British, could have an outsized impact on the war’s outcome. What follows is our look at the American Revolution generals whose courage, judgment, ambition and mistakes helped decide the fate of a nation.
George Washington: The American Revolution General Who Held the Army Together
The most famous American general in history is often listed as the greatest, and for good reason. Although other men might have led the Continental Army to victory, it almost seems as if Washington was born for the task. It could also be said that it might have gone another way.
Washington’s military career spanned more than 45 years, and he originally fought for the British king. As a young man, he actively and even desperately sought a regular commission in the British Army, but was repeatedly snubbed. Historians have suggested that this contributed to his later shift toward the Patriot cause.
He was made an officer in the Virginia militia, eventually rising to the rank of colonel during the French and Indian War. However, he experienced multiple setbacks, including being forced to surrender the makeshift Fort Necessity to French forces in 1754. Then he was nearly killed at the Battle of Monongahela a year later.
An early Patriot, Washington was chosen to lead the Continental Army, and he was truly the best man for the job. His approach is often described as a “Fabian strategy,” avoiding direct, large-scale confrontations unless battle was necessary or advantageous. More importantly, he kept the army alive long enough to win support from France, which helped turn the war in America’s favor.
Nathanael Greene and the Southern Campaign
Washington kept the Continental Army together, but General Nathanael Greene was one of the commanders most responsible for turning the field war in the Patriots’ favor. It wasn’t easy.
Greene famously “lost battles but won the campaign,” largely by turning the ill-supplied Southern Army into a force that could survive, maneuver and bleed the British through attrition.
That included blending regular Continental troops with local militia and partisan forces, then carefully selecting the time and place to fight. Those efforts wore down the British forces, allowed the Patriots to reclaim much of the South and helped set the stage for final victory.
Benedict Arnold Before the Treason
Had history gone another way, schoolchildren might be bored senseless learning about the heroic deeds of General Benedict Arnold instead of his treason.
Before changing sides and going rogue, Arnold was considered a brilliant, brave battlefield commander and a true Patriot. He played a critical role in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and performed heroically during the pivotal American victory at Saratoga.
But he was also vain, bitter and deeply resentful when he believed he had been denied the credit he deserved. That resentment helped push him toward betrayal, and he is forever remembered as the traitor that he was.
Daniel Morgan and Henry Knox: Two Underrated American Revolution Generals
Two men who don’t always get the credit they deserve are Daniel Morgan and Henry Knox, each essential to the American victory in very different ways.
Morgan was a brilliant tactician. Knox was a logistics genius.
General Morgan was the hero of the Battle of Cowpens in 1781, a Continental victory often cited as one of the most brilliant tactical achievements of the entire conflict. He used terrain, deception and disciplined timing to turn the tide against the British in the South.
General Knox, meanwhile, was indispensable to the Continental Army as an artillery officer, organizer and administrator. He earned his reputation as the “Father of American Artillery” after helping transport nearly 60 tons of artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston in the winter of 1775-76, giving Washington the firepower needed to force the British evacuation of Boston.
Lafayette and von Steuben: Foreign Officers Who Changed the Continental Army
If it weren’t for a Frenchman and a Prussian, Americans would still be speaking English, but it might be the King’s English.
Those men included French aristocrat the Marquis de Lafayette, who served as a major general in the Continental Army and became a close confidant of Washington, and Baron Friedrich von Steuben, who helped transform the Continental Army into a more disciplined, professional fighting force.
Lafayette was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine while attempting to rally retreating troops. He recovered and later commanded troops during the decisive Yorktown campaign, the final major land battle of the war.
In addition to introducing standardized drill and military discipline, von Steuben created the “Blue Book,” the U.S. military’s first major training manual.
Sir Henry Clinton and the Limits of British Command
A highly intellectual and competent tactician, British General Sir Henry Clinton was also seen as overly cautious and often hesitant as a strategic commander.
He secured major victories, notably the 1780 siege of Charleston, but his indecisiveness, challenging personality and failure to provide timely support during the Yorktown campaign contributed to the British defeat and his own resignation.
John Burgoyne and the Disaster at Saratoga
Known as “Gentleman Johnny,” General John Burgoyne had proven to be a charismatic tactical leader during the Seven Years’ War. Yet, he is often remembered as a poor strategist during the American Revolution.
The troops adored Burgoyne because he introduced new ideas into training and emphasized better treatment of the men. He also encouraged independent thinking among his officers.
However, his reputation remains defined by his disastrous surrender at Saratoga in 1777, a major turning point that helped convince France to formally ally with the United States.
Guy Carleton and the Defense of Canada
An often-overlooked British general officer, Guy Carleton successfully defended Canada during the American invasion of 1775-76.
His leadership during the Siege of Quebec and the subsequent British counteroffensive forced American forces to abandon their campaign in Canada.
Lord Cornwallis: Britain’s Best Field General in America
With Washington at the beginning of this list, it is only fitting that Lord Charles Cornwallis is at its end. Despite his surrender at Yorktown, he is still considered one of the most effective British tactical field generals of the American Revolution.
He led the British redcoats to key victories at the Battle of Camden and Guilford Courthouse. Despite his defeat at Yorktown, Cornwallis remained in high favor in Britain and was regarded as a respected military leader. He was later appointed to lead British-occupied India and led British forces to victory in the Third Anglo-Mysore War.
The capital of the United States of America and a later state were named for General George Washington, but Cornwallis left his own mark on the map as well. Streets and pubs in Britain have carried his name, including The Marquis Cornwallis in London, where a traveler can still raise a pint to the generals of the American Revolution.
Editor's Note: This article is part of Hook & Barrel's special series on the American Revolution highlighting the firearms and people who made a real difference in the birth of the United States. Check out the rest of the series here:
- Guns of the American Revolution
- Soldiers of the American Revolution: What They Carried
- The Very First American Snipers
- Walk the Battlefields: Must-Visit Revolutionary War Sites
- How Guerrilla Warfare Tactics Helped Win the American Revolution
- Lesser Known Bloody Battles of the American Revolution
- How the American Revolution Created the Headless Horseman
- American Revolution: How Hunters Kept the Continental Army Fed
- Battlefield Songs: The Role of Music in the American Revolution
- Rogues of the American Revolution, from the Doan Gang to Franklin’s Son
- The Culper Spy Ring: George Washington’s Secret Weapon