circa 1785: American turncoat Benedict Arnold (1741 - 1801) persuades Major Andre (1751 - 1780) to conceal papers, to be sent to the British to enable them to capture West Point, in his boot. Original Artwork: Print - C F Blauvelt and W Wellstood (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

General George Washington (1732 - 1799) stands in the prow of a rowing boat crossing the Delaware to seek safety in Pennysylvania after defeat by the British. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

18 April 1775: American patriot Paul Revere (1735 - 1818) rides to warn the people of Massachusetts that the British Army was on the move. Cassell's History Of The United States - Pursuit Of Paul Revere, The Scout - Vol II (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

17 October 1777: British General John Burgoyne, escorted by General Phillips, offers his sword in surrender to American General Gates, outside Gates' marquee at Saratoga, during the American War of Independence. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images)

1781: George Washington (1732 - 1799) (centre), Commander of the American Forces during the American Revolutionary War, and British General Charles Cornwallis (1738 - 1805). Cornwallis's subsequent surrender practically ended the American Revolutionary War. (Photo by Three Lions/Getty Images)