1781–1782: After the Surrender My Name is Wentworth Cheswell: Patriot, Teacher, and Servant of the People I was born in 1746 in Newmarket, New Hampshire, into a family that had known both bondage and freedom. My grandfather came to these shores as an enslaved man but earned his freedom through hard work and faith. My father, Hopestill Cheswell, became a respected landowner and craftsman—a rarity for a Black man in our time. From him, I learned that education, diligence, and i

My Name is Rochambeau (Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau): Commander of the French Army in America I was born in 1725 in Vendôme, France, into a noble family of warriors. My father, a devoted officer, taught me that honor and discipline were the lifeblood of a soldier. From the time I could walk, I dreamed not of courts or comforts, but of command—of earning my place through service rather than privilege. When I entered the French Army at seventeen, I carr

My Name is General Benjamin Lincoln: Commander of the Southern Campaigns I was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1733, into a family that valued faith, diligence, and service. My father was a farmer and deacon, and from him I learned the value of both duty and humility. As a young man, I entered local politics and served as town clerk, later rising to the rank of colonel in the Massachusetts militia. Before the Revolution, I was a loyal subject of the Crown, devoted to peace