America Goes to War: A Social History of the Continental Army

Image Plates

I. Guilford Court House, 15 March '781, courtesy of the Center of Military History, Department of the Army. The illustration depicts the veteran First Maryland Regiment about to repulse a British attack with bayonets. 2. Trenton, 26 December '776, courtesy of the Center of Military History, Department of the Army. The illustration depicts the surprise attack on the Hessians at Trenton on the day after Christmas, '776. The ragged American continentals overwhelmed Colonel Johann Rail's defenses at a dead run and forced the Hessians to surrender. The American success at Trenton and a later victory at Princeton ensured the survival of the army and the Revolution. 3. The Battle of Yorktown, by Howard Pyle, courtesy of the Wilmington Society of Fine Arts, Delaware Art Center. The scene depicts the American continentals storming British redoubts at Yorktown. 4. Battle ofBunker's Hill, 1775, by John Trumbull, courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery. The illustration depicts the British final assault on Bunker's Hill. Note the African American soldier at the extreme right of the picture. 5. On the Road to Valley Forge, by William Trego, courtesy of the Valley Forge Historical Society. The illustration depicts the longsuffering and ragged continental soldiery on their way to winter quarters at Valley Forge in December 1776. ...