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About the author
Edward A. St. Germain created AmericanRevolution.org in 1996. He was an avid historian with a keen interest in the Revolutionary War and American culture and society in the 18th century. On this website, he created and collated a huge collection of articles, images, and other media pertaining to the American Revolution. Edward was also a Vietnam veteran, and his investigative skills led to a career as a private detective in later life.
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The following are estimated numbers of deaths and other casualties sustained by the major fighting forces of the Revolutionary War.
American casualties
- Killed in action: 6,800
- Wounded: approximately 7,000
- Captured: 18,000-20,000 (approximately 12,000 died while prisoners of war due to diseases such as dysentery)
- Total deaths, including from illness: 25,000
British casualties
- Killed in action: 8,500
- Wounded: approximately 5,000-10,000
- Captured: approximately 17,500
- Total deaths, including from illness: 43,633
Loyalist casualties
- Killed in action: 1,700
- Wounded: approximately 3,000-5,000
- Captured: unknown
- Total deaths, including from illness: 7,000
Hessian (German) casualties
- Killed in action: 1,800
- Wounded: unknown
- Captured: unknown
- Total deaths, including from illness: 7,774
French casualties
- Killed in action: approximately 500-1,000
- Wounded: approximately 8,000-10,000
- Captured: unknown
- Total deaths, including from illness: 2,112
This excludes French deaths at sea, which contribute an extra 2,500 killed in action, 5,000 wounded, and likely 10,000-15,000 total deaths including from illness.
Native American casualties
Little information is available on Native American casualties during the American Revolution.
It is estimated that among tribes that fought for the British, 500 warriors were killed.
It is therefore likely that accounting for tribes that remained neutral and those that allied with the American side, at least 1,000 to 2,000 Native Americans were killed in action during the Revolutionary War.
Many thousands more Native American warriors died from diseases such as smallpox during the war, as well as more than a hundred thousand civilians.
