Abstract

The American Revolution has been well studied, though conversations typically center around the “stars” of the era: George Washington, John Burgoyne, Alexander Hamilton, and more. But these men would not have risen to fame without the “common soldier” to stand on. Despite their importance, the daily lives and experiences of these private men have been largely forgotten and are under studied and under analyzed. Drawing from published and unpublished manuscripts, as well as numerous personal diaries and secondary scholarship, I rethink the typical narrative of the American Revolution in a way that seeks to include the struggles and experiences of the standard soldier. This project moved the focus from the “Glorious Cause”, the name used to describe the ideological background of the Revolution, to the suffering and hardship faced on the ground. To achieve this, I use a bottom-up historical approach applied to a case study of the 1779-1780 Winter Encampment in Morristown, New Jersey. This encampment illustrates the different experiences of soldiers, from Privates to Generals, as well as how the major sacrifices of the standard men has been largely lost in the shadow of key leadership figures.

Advisor

Biro Walters, Jordan

Department

History

Disciplines

Military History | United States History

Keywords

American Revolution, American History, Morristown

Publication Date

2025

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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