Revolutionary War
A coin honoring the Revolutionary War (1775–1783) that gave birth to the United States.
Among the five 2026 quarters commemorating the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, the second theme is the “Revolutionary War.” It deals with the most grueling and decisive time the nation called America had to endure in order to actually be born.
The reverse of the coin shows a single Continental Army soldier wearing a tricorn hat and shouldering a rifle and a pack, and behind him is visible an encampment lined with barracks built of logs. Beside him are inscribed the words “LIBERTY” and “REVOLUTIONARY WAR.”
The log barracks in the background call to mind the weary camp life of Continental Army soldiers, who had to hold out enduring a harsh winter. Rather than a scene of glorious victory, this coin’s distinctive feature is that it puts forward the figure of an ordinary soldier who held his post even amid cold and hunger.
The Revolutionary War lasted from 1775 to 1783. It was a war in which the thirteen colonies, only just banded together, fought for their freedom against Britain, then the most powerful nation in the world. By winning this war, America was at last recognized as an independent nation.
This quarter, capturing the weary yet firm expression of a single soldier, gently conveys that a nation’s freedom was not given for free, but was won through the sacrifice of nameless people.