Strategy, Tactical, Leadership, and Technology

As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2026, it’s worth asking what American soldiers, sailors, Marines, and volunteers were doing on Independence Day during the country’s major wars. Rather than focusing on celebrations at home, this series examines what happened on July 4 over the course of more than two centuries of conflict.

On the cold night of March 16, 1776, thousands of Continental soldiers moved quietly across the frozen ground south of Boston. The war for American independence had been going on for almost a year, but around Boston, both sides were stuck in a tense standoff.

A one-of-a-kind Independence Day Experience