The Continental Army Disbands
Clip: Episode 6 | 2m 9sVideo has Closed Captions
The Continental Army was made up of ordinary Americans, like Joseph Plumb Martin.
Joseph Plumb Martin was one of the many ordinary Americans who made up the Continental Army. As they began to disband, George Washington again tried to persuade Congress to provide his men with back pay.
From
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and...
The Continental Army Disbands
Clip: Episode 6 | 2m 9sVideo has Closed Captions
Joseph Plumb Martin was one of the many ordinary Americans who made up the Continental Army. As they began to disband, George Washington again tried to persuade Congress to provide his men with back pay.
From
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch The American Revolution
The American Revolution is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ Voice: The unparalleled perseverance of the armies of the United States, through almost every possible suffering and discouragement for the space of 8 long years, was little short of a standing miracle.
George Washington.
Narrator: As the Continental Army began to disband, Washington tried again to persuade Congress to provide his men with at least 3 months' back pay in cash, but the best they could do was issue a blizzard of paper certificates, vaguely promising to redeem them one day.
♪ Voice: Some of the soldiers went off for home the same day their fetters were knocked off.
Others stayed and got their final settlement certificates, which they sold to procure decent clothing and money sufficient to enable them to pass with decency through the country and to appear something like themselves when they arrived among their friends.
I was among those.
♪ When the country had drained the last drop of service it could screw out of the poor soldiers, we returned to drift like old, worn-out horses.
Joseph Plumb Martin.
♪ Ellis: That group of people are ordinary Americans, below the level of ordinary, and they won the war because they never left.
They stayed.
That was it.
They refused to leave, and, um... um... you can sound pretty patriotic, but I don't think you can be patriotic enough about them.
♪ Voice: We had lived together as a family of brothers for several years--had shared with each other the hardships, dangers, and sufferings incident to a soldier's life; had sympathized with each other in trouble and sickness-- and now we were to be parted forever, as unconditionally separated as though the grave lay between us.
[Martin] ♪
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 6m 41s | Daniel Morgan leads the British into a trap, securing a crucial victory for the Patriots. (6m 41s)
The Battle of Yorktown & The End of the American Revolution
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 10m 44s | Outnumbered and surrounded, General Charles Cornwallis surrenders, ending the American Revolution. (10m 44s)
Benedict Arnold Turns Traitor and Defects to the British
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 6m 4s | George Washington discovers that Benedict Arnold has abandoned his post and defected to the British. (6m 4s)
Bernardo de Gálvez & His Big Ambitions
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 3m 20s | When Spain enters the war, the governor of Spanish Louisiana sees his chance to retake West Florida. (3m 20s)
The Constitution & The Formation of A More Perfect Union
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 7m 17s | The American Revolution is over, and delegates convene to create a new system of government. (7m 17s)
Elizabeth Freeman Successfully Sues for Her Freedom
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 1m 46s | Mumbet, later known as Elizabeth Freeman, would help bring an end to slavery in Massachusetts. (1m 46s)
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 3m 8s | The American Revolution is not just the start of a nation, but an event that will change the world. (3m 8s)
General Nathanael Greene in the South
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 2m 38s | London’s Southern strategy falls apart as Nathanael Greene takes British outposts one after another. (2m 38s)
George Washington Stops a Mutiny
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 3m 1s | George Washington takes action when an unsigned manifesto starts circulating among his officers. (3m 1s)
James Forten Becomes a Privateer
Video has Closed Captions
Clip: Ep6 | 2m 36s | James Forten was 14 when he signed onto a privateer to fight for his country. (2m 36s)
Preview: The Most Sacred Thing
Video has Closed Captions
Preview: Ep6 | 30s | Victory at Yorktown secures independence. Americans aspire for a more perfect union. (30s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Support for PBS provided by:
Episodes presented in 4K UHD on supported devices. Corporate funding for THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by The Better Angels Society and...