The American Revolutionary War, better known as the American Revolution began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies on the North American continent, and ended in a global war between several European powers. The war was the culmination of the struggle for indenpendence, whereby the colonists rejected the right of the Parliament of Great Britain to govern them without representation. On July 4, 1776, the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, in which the colonies declared their freedom from British rule.
Throughout the war, the British demonstrated their naval superiority, but control of the countryside became a task that would be elusive to their effort. French involvement proved decisive and in 1783, the Treaty of Paris ended the war and recognized the sovereignty of the United States over the territory bounded by what is now Canada to the north, Florida to the south, and the Mississippi River to the west.
About 250,000 men served as regulars or as militiamen for the Revolutionary cause in the eight years of the war. If you are researching a family member or other soldier, we can help you obtain the Compiled Service Records for almost all of these soldiers. Most of the pension records in the files are dated between 1800 and 1900. The available records include entire pension files for soldiers and sailors who served in the Revolutionary War. These records can help to add an emotionally detailed history of your Revolutionary War Soldier.
