The Revolutionary War Soldier’s Load: Profiles of an Army

American Soldiers at Yorktown in 1781 as depicted by Jean-Baptiste-Antoine deVerger. Brown University.

How to register:
We offer two field trip scheduling options:

• Select a field trip from the Museum’s public event schedule
• Request to schedule a field trip time that meets your group’s schedule

Audience:
All audiences. Content appropriate for Grades 6-12.

Goal:
Learn how the Continental Army, through the lens of three individuals, united around a common cause during the Revolutionary War.

Program Description:
Over 200,000 Americans served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. These diverse individuals came together to eventually form a functioning and professional Army. Join us to explore how American patriots worked together to create the Continental Army by examining the uniforms, equipment, and weapons of Revolutionary War Soldiers.

Objective: At the end of the lesson, students will be better able to:

• Identify uniforms, weapons, and equipment used by Revolutionary War Soldiers and describe their functions.
• Describe how Soldiers using the objects carried out the Continental Army’s mission
• Summarize how Soldiers endured hardships and overcame challenges.
• List examples of non-traditional social groups that contributed to the creation of the Continental Army and ultimately American independence.

Guiding Questions:

What are the origins of the United States Army?

How did the items that Soldiers carried during the Revolutionary War help carry out the Continental Army’s mission?

Curriculum Connections

Common Core Standards

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2

Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

Hisory and Social Science Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools

VS.5. – The student will demonstrate an understanding of the role of Virginia in the American Revolution by

• identifying the reasons why the colonies went to war with Great Britain, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence;
• identifying the various roles of American Indians, whites, enslaved African Americans, and free African Americans in the Revolutionary War era, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, the Marquis de Lafayette, and James Lafayette;
• identifying the importance of the American victory at Yorktown;