American Revolution and Valley Forge Vocabulary

8th grade American History

Casualties

Casualties• Someone who is either killed, wounded, or

missing in action during the war

Casualties

• When we talk about casualties in the unit we are talking about how many soldiers on either or both sides either died, were wounded or missing.

Guerilla Warfare

Guerilla Warfare

• Use of hit and run tactics by small groups of soldiers to attach enemy forces unexpectedly

Guerilla Warfare

• The colonial militias learned this fighting technique from the Indians during the French and Indian War

Sanitation

• Sanitation was a huge concern for the soldiers at Valley Forge. Those who worked hard at keeping clean stayed healthier than those that didn’t. Many even died from not paying mind to sanitation.

Sanitation

Soldiers tried to keep things clean of infection and disease.

Desert

Desert refers to leaving the military permanently without permission

In our studies of the American Revolution, General Washington and

the Continental Army had a tough time dealing with short enlistment periods

and bouts of desertion.

Continental Army

The American regular army was made up of soldiers from the colonies

The Continental Army was led by General George Washington and was the first real official army the colonies

ever had besides the local militias.

Morale

The confidence of a group of people at a particular time

Morale was an important part of the success and failure of the Continental Army during the

American Revolution

Rations

Rations referred to a set amount of food and supplies to be used by the soldiers to conserve their supplies

Rationing by the Continental Army was a necessity many times because of the constant shortages of food, clothing,

and ammunition.

Mercenaries

Mercenaries were foreign soldiers hired and paid to fight in the war

In our studies of the American Revolution, the British did use

Hessians (from Germany) as hired mercenaries to help fight the

Continental Army.

Quartering

Quartering was providing adequate housing or shelter for the soldiers

Quartering of soldiers during the period leading up to the revolution

angered many colonists greatly.

Wintering

Wintering took place during the coldest months of the year when the

armies would settle into camp and not fight

Enlistment

Enlistment meant to sign up for duty in the military

The enlistment time in the Continental Army was very short at first. Then the

term of service was lengthened because they needed soldiers.