1783

Dear Journal,
I am now on my way to the frontier, which was given to America on September 3, 1783. On that day America officially became its own country recognized by Great Britain. I hope to set up shop in one of the new towns springing up all over the area. The British Forces finally left New York City which they had occupied since the Battle of Long Island which was on August 27, 1776. My wife is also expecting a child, so I will be a father! How exciting. I hope my child enjoys this account of my life during the War for American Independence.
I hope my store in the west is successful, so my child can have the best life possible. Well, I must go now Good Bye!

1782

Dear Journal,
This has been a quiet year for the war. The British have been nearly pushed out of all major cities though. The British managed  in July to destroy a few towns in West Pennsylvania. I am thinking about moving out further west once America is independent to sell to the new frontiersmen. There will be little work for a Gunsmith in a large city that has no opposing force.
I hope America and Great Britain come to an agreement soon, so that I may set out on my new adventure. I hear that we may get the land all the way from the east coast to the great Mississippi river due to the Preliminary Articles of Peace which were signed on November 30th. I have heard that the river stretches from the top Earth to the bottom, cutting America in half. This is a wonderful time to be an American. Good bye for now Journal.

1781

Dear Journal,
I doubt there will be much more fighting in this war because the British Army is losing very poorly. In March they managed to win one battle, but by then in the south their control was weakening. Nathanael Greene also made an assault at Ninety Six in South Carolina. It failed miserably on June 18th and showed that England truly didn’t have enough resources to hang on to the south. General Cornwallis left Charleston in South Carolina and marched on to have a major defeat. It was on October 19, at Yorktown. He was surrounded by troops from American and French forces. There was also a fleet of French ships that defeated a British naval force in the nearby Chesapeake Bay.
Regarding my shop it is still thriving, and I have been paid back for a few of my weapons. I believe it may be worth giving away these weapons during this war for independence. When America wins we will have a country where anyone can do anything.

1780

Dear Journal,
I nearly gave up on the patriots since the last time I wrote. In mid-May of this year the British forces took over Charleston, SC and they still control it. Charleston is the capital and is a major military area in South Carolina. I, being quite far away from South Carolina, did not hear about it until later in April, but by then most of the south had been thrown into conflict. Yesterday, I heard of something that raised my hopes for American Independence again. A group of soldiers for America had surrounded a group of people who were still loyal to the king. All of the loyalists were killed, wounded, or captured in this battle.
Hopefully this event gives the patriots enough momentum to win the far. It still looks to be far from over though even if nearly all of the fighting has moved further south. Thanks to our French alliance we can now get more supplies into major ports, because we were running low on supplies, due to the lack of imports.

1779

Dear Journal,
The majority of the fighting as stopped up in the north where I am located. Most of it has moved further south than New York. I am growing slightly restless with the Americans though. I am still supplying many guns to them, but I am not getting paid back as quickly as I would like. Yes, they are going for the cause of liberty, but I can’t hand out free weapons. The most important battle recently is in the Natives land. There are six tribes in the Confederation and four of them sided with the British, and two of them sided with the Americans. The Americans won though, but at the death toll of the natives rising.
Before I leave, on a positive note on June 21, 1776 Spain declared war on Great Britain. They do not recognize us as a country, but they are helping to fight the English troops. There is no way that we can lose the war now

.

1778

Dear Journal,
The revolution is looking the most hopeful it ever has at the moment. At the beginning of the year the French decided to ally themselves with ‘The United States of America’. The agreement says that France must recognize the United States of America as a country and that France must help with the struggle. This obviously gives the Patriots- or the United States of America as it is now called, a new asset to use during the war. My shop has had more business recently than it ever has had in its existence.
The major point which led France to ally themselves with us was the Battle of Saratoga. The Americans are looking forward to a victory that I am sure will happen. At least I hope the victory happens, because if not the colonies shall be punished severely. Good bye for now Journal, I hope I have an opportunity to write to you again.

1777

Dear Journal,
Since my last entry my wife has returned and come back to Providence. I have decided who to side with in this war, and I decided to side with the patriots. I decided to side with them because after my last entry General Washington has led the patriot army to many victories. The first one since my last writing was when he crossed the Delaware River. He crossed the Delaware River in the late part of last year around Christmas, and he surprised a group of mercenaries that were hired by the British. He took a large group of them as prisoners, and it inspired great hope in the cause. It is a risky move for me to start supplying the patriots with guns, for if they lose the war, and I am caught I would be most certainly killed.
After the battle of Saratoga on October 17, 1777 I made my final decision to supply weapons. I have sent around a hundred muskets and several crates of musket balls to the patriots. I hope they have been putting them to good use. I doubt they are getting much use now though, with it being the winter and not much fighting going on.

1776

Dear Journal,
It is 1776 and a lot has happened since my last entry. America officially claimed independence from England on July 4th. I still have not decided who to supply guns to, but my time is running short. The war has picked up pace, so I do not think my business can survive without selling to one of the two sides. The Patriot army is decreasing in number, and I don’t know if they can continue fighting. It looks as though I may be forced to sell weapons to those who are my friends and neighbors.
More sad news has happened as I had been forced to send my wife further into the exterior of the continent. I did this soon after my last entry. I sent her away because I feared it was no longer safe for her this close to the fighting in Boston. I may ask for her to come back soon, because the patriots recaptured Boston on March17th, and I believe it is safe enough.

 

1775

Dear Journal,
This is the first entry into my journal on my life. I have decided to make this journal on my life because I have decided that my children, if I ever decide to have any, may be interested in my life. This is also an interesting time that should be documented. I am 23 years old, and my name is William Smith. I am married to Elizabeth Smith, and we have no children. I am a gunsmith in Providence, Rhode Island, and I do not know who to side with in this conflict. I believe that the British have unfairly taxed us with the Townshend Act in 1967 and the Stamp Act in 1965, but I do not know if it is worth fighting for.
If the fighting continues I do not think I will have a choice, but to choose between two sides. I will have to choose sides, not by my own choice, but because in order to make money, I have to sell guns to someone. The worsening conditions will also make it quite dangerous for me to supply weapons to both the British Army, and the Patriot Forces. Guns will be in high demand, so I should choose soon who I will trade with. In April the patriot forces looked like they would be a good choice, because the militia fought off the British Army late on April 18th and early on April 19th in Lexington and Concord. The British Army also won in the battle north of Boston, but they did have a lot of wounded men. I guess I will be forced to decide soon enough.