Revolutionary Tales - Book Three Quiz

Answer: False

The colonies of Pennsylvania and South Carolina initially opposed separation. John Dickinson of Pennsylvania was a critic of separation in 1776. He hoped for reconciliation, not revolution. When reconciliation was deemed impossible, he joined the cause. South Carolina did not want to lose its booming trade with Britain. Both colonies eventually changed their minds. New York initially abstained briefly before approving. So, by July the colonies were unanimous.

But many people of the new states still strongly opposed independence.

It became a challenge for the new state governments to govern a partially disloyal populace.

Answer: Battle of Cowpens

The Battle of Cowpens took place on a muddy cow pasture near Chesnee, South Carolina, on January 17, 1781. It pitted British troops under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton and American troops under General Daniel Morgan. Tarleton had developed a reputation as a ruthless commander, earning the nickname "Bloody Ban".

The opposing forces were about equal in number. General Morgan developed a battlefield plan that resulted in urging the tired and hungry British troops to chase after routed militia only to be confronted on two sides by Continental Troops. Morgan then sent in his calvary and, as he said to a friend, "I have given him (Tarleton) a devil of a whipping".

Answer: The Battle of Guilford Courthouse

The Battle of Guilford Courthouse was fought in March 1781. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, which Cornwallis technically won while losing another quarter of his army. Nathaniel Greene was able to field around 4500 troops, more than half of which were militia. Cornwallis was only able to field about 2100 troops.

When the sides clashed, the militia ran and never came back. The outnumbered British just kept charging, falling back and then charging again. Finally, Greene retreated and left Cornwallis holding an empty field. With his losses at Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse, Cornwallis could no longer threaten the southern colonies.

He had no choice but to fall back to Yorktown.

Answer: No American forces were involved

The Battle of the Chesapeake occurred on September 8, 1781. The British force of 19 warships was commanded by Admiral Thomas Graves. The opposing force was a French Fleet under Admiral Francois Joseph Paul, Compte de Grasse, with 24 ships of the line.

Therefore, no American forces were involved. Neither side "struck their colors", but Graves had to withdraw to New York. The result was that the French now controlled the Chesapeake Bay which meant that Cornwallis at Yorktown could not be resupplied, reinforced or retreat.

He was trapped. The siege of Yorktown followed.

Answer: Robert Morris

Robert Morris of Pennsylvania was known as the "financier of the American Revolution". Morris served in the Second Continental Congress, and he and Roger Sherman were the only two men to sign The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution. Morris was initially chosen by President Washington to be the first Secretary of the Treasury.

He declined and recommended Alexander Hamilton. The Bank of North America was the first chartered bank in U.S. history.

Answer: Sierra Leone

The British surrender at Yorktown put almost 100,000 British Loyalists, both black and white, in an untenable position - stay in America and face possible retribution or join the mass migration north to Nova Scotia. Black Loyalists were promised land grants, but many of those promises were broken. Almost 10 years later in January 1792, approximately 2,000 Black Loyalists departed Halifax, Nova Scotia, for Sierra Leone.

There they faced more broken promises of land, freedom, and economic security. Those who remained in Nova Scotia formed Shelbourne, the largest free Black community outside of Africa.

Answer: The Crawford Expedition

Like the Sullivan Expedition before it, the Crawford Expedition was named for its commander Colonel William Crawford. Also, like the Sullivan Expedition, it was ordered by General Washington to stop Native American raids on frontier settlements along the Sandusky River in Ohio Country. Unlike Sullivan, Crawford did not fare well.

The Native Americans, armed with Crawford's plans, ambushed the party. Crawford was captured. After being tortured, he was burned alive. Frontier fighting continued for decades in the Ohio River Valley.

Answer: Fort Henry

The Siege of Fort Henry occurred when less than 50 militia tried to defend a frontier settlement threatened by a combined force of over 200 Native Americans. After several days of attacks the militia miraculously held their ground and the warriors withdrew.

This, one of the last significant battles of the Revolutionary War, helped secure the Ohio Valley for future settlement. Fort Henry was near present-day Wheeling, West Virginia.

Answer: Hotel d'York

The Hotel d'York was the residence of the British signer, David Hartley. Hartley was a diplomat and a member of Parliament. He was perhaps chosen by King George III because he harbored anti-war views, which were prevalent in England at the time, and he was a friend to Ben Franklin. Signing for the Americans were Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay. The most significant sentence of the Treaty was, "His Britannic Majesty acknowledges the United States of America to be free, sovereign and independent."

The Hotel d'York no longer exists. The only symbol of the historical event that occurred there is a marble plaque, written in French.

Answer: Mercy Otis Warren

Mercy Otis Warren had no formal education, but she was sister to James Otis, the fiery lawyer who first stated, "no taxation without representation". She is known today as the "Conscience of the Revolution". She hosted protest meetings and helped form the Committees of Correspondence. She wrote satirical plays that condemned British rule. Perhaps most importantly, she was the first American to write and have published a history of the Revolution in 1805.

Abigail Adams also wrote of and voiced her patriotism, but her writings were in private letters to her husband.