On August 27, 1776, the British handed the Continental Army a decisive defeat at the Battle of Long Island, effectively forcing General George Washington and his troops out of New York City until the end of the war. Of the approximately 10,000 Americans who fought in the two-day battle, more than 1,000 were captured. It was a monumental victory for the British, but it posed one problem—where would they keep all of their prisoners?

The John Stark House in Manchester, New Hampshire, catalogs the legacy of General John Stark and his wife Molly, who lived there from 1760-1765. General Stark, a hero of the Revolution, was a veteran of battles like Bunker Hill and Bennington. The Molly Stark Chapter of DAR, named in honor of his brave wife, maintains the restored home today to showcase 1700s living to the public.

British-born officer Horatio Gates, a veteran of the French and Indian Wars, moved to the colonies at the eve of the Revolution. He quickly rose up the ranks to become a major general and led his troops to major victories at Saratoga and other battles. Conflicts with George Washington and subsequent defeats led him to be relieved of command in 1780. Later, he served in the New York legislature.

A Scottish immigrant to the Colonies in 1750, Hugh Mercer served as a commander in the French and Indian War and then led the 3rd Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army in the Revolution. Merecr was also a physician who treated members of George Washington’s family. He died of bayonet injuries sustained in battle in 1777.

Louis Cook, born Nia-man-rigounant to an African father and a Abenaki mother, was a Commissioned Officer in the Continental army. While living in Quebec, he offered his services to General Washington in 1775, and became the highest ranking officer of Black and American Indian descent in the war when he made Lieutenant Colonel in 1779.

The first woman to receive a military pension, Margaret Corbin or “Captain Molly” as she was known went from widow to soldier at the Battle of Fort Washington. There, she took over a cannon previously manned by her husband, who earlier perished in the fight, and sustained injuries from grapeshot in the process. She was the only woman to serve as a guard in West Point’s Corps of Invalids.

 The military leadership of Isaac Shelby led to the triumph of the Continental Army at King’s Mountain, North Carolina in 1780, a serious blow to the British hold on the South. Following the Revolution, Shelby helped secure statehood for Kentucky and became its first governor.