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Josiah Bartlett was a New Hampshire physician, Patriot, and statesman who rose to prominence during the American Revolution. He is recognized as the first member of the Second Continental Congress to vote in favor of independence, and signed the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776, making him one of America’s Founding Fathers. He also signed the Articles of Confederation and served as the Governor of New Hampshire.

Clara Barton was an acclaimed humanitarian who is popularly known as the Angel of the Battlefield. She was the founder and first president of the American Red Cross, serving from 1881 to 1904.

William Barton was a soldier, politician, and hatter from Rhode Island. He is most famous for leading a daring raid that captured British General Richard Prescott in 1777. In his later years, Barton fell into financial difficulties and was given aid by the Marquis de Lafayette.

William Bayard, Sr. was a wealthy businessman from New York City. He participated in the Stamp Act Congress in 1765.

George Baylor was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is most famous for leading American troops who were attacked near Old Tappan, New York, in what is called the Baylor Massacre or Old Tappan Massacre. Baylor survived the attack but suffered a bayonet wound that eventually led to his death.

The Bayonne Decree, issued by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808, was a key policy of the Continental System. This Decree blocked American ships from accessing European ports controlled by France, increasing tensions, which eventually led to the War of 1812.

The Battle of Bean’s Station was fought on December 14, 1863, during the Knoxville Campaign. Confederate General James Longstreet attacked Union cavalry under General J.M. Shackelford and forced the Federals to retreat. The Confederate victory produced few lasting military gains and was the final major engagement of Longstreet’s Knoxville Campaign.

The Battle of Beaufort took place on February 3, 1779, on Port Royal Island in South Carolina. American forces were able to stop a British advance and force them to leave the island.

APUSH Definition — PGT Beauregard (1818–1893) was an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He served with distinction throughout the war and is most well-known for commanding Confederate forces that bombarded Fort Sumter in April 1861 during the first battle of the war.

Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard was an American military leader. As a general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, Beauregard served in the eastern and western theaters and was the victorious field commander at the First Battle of Bull Run near Manassas, Virginia on July 21, 1861.

The Battle of Beaver Dam Creek was fought on June 26, 1862, during the Peninsula Campaign and resulted in a tactical Union victory. Confederate General Robert E. Lee attempted to overwhelm Fitz John Porter’s isolated 5th Corps, but delays and poor coordination allowed Union forces to repulse repeated Confederate attacks. Despite the victory, George B. McClellan ordered Porter to withdraw and shifted his supply line to the James River, giving Lee an important strategic advantage. It was also part of the Seven Days Battles.

The Beaver Wars were a series of battles that were fought over control of the fur trade in colonial America. During the wars, the Iroquois Confederation took control of the fur trade, eliminated rival Native American Indian tribes, and terrorized French settlements. The French and their Indian allies responded with attacks on Iroquois villages and English settlements. The conflict lasted for nearly a century and ended with the Peace of Montreal in 1701.

James Beckwourth (c.1798–1866) was a famous Mountain Man — trapper, frontiersman, and guide — who is most well-known for being a successful black man in the first half of the 19th century and his reputation for exaggerating stories about his life.

Richard Bellingham served several terms as the Governor of Massachusetts in the middle part of the 17th century. He was the last living signer of the original charter of Massachusetts and Nathaniel Hawthorne included him as a character in “The Scarlet Letter.”

The Confederate Surrender at Bennett Place was negotiated by General William T. Sherman and General Joseph E. Johnston near Durham Station, North Carolina, in April 1865. Johnston surrendered 89,270 Confederate soldiers, making it the largest surrender by either side during the Civil War. The agreement ended hostilities in the East, although several Confederate forces remained in the field.

The Battle of Bennington was fought on August 16, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. It was part of the Saratoga Campaign and ended in an American victory that contributed to the British surrender at Saratoga.

Charles Bent was a fur trader, merchant, and politician who rose to prominence during the Fur Trade Era and became the first Governor of the New Mexico Territory. He is most well-known for his trade ties to Santa Fe and his death during the Taos Revolt.

William Bent was a fur trader, merchant, and frontiersman who rose to prominence during the Fur Trade Era. He is most well-known for building Bent’s Fort and his close ties to the Cheyenne.

The Battle of Bentonville was fought from March 19 through March 21, 1865, during General William T. Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign. General Joseph E. Johnston attacked General Henry W. Slocum’s left wing before Sherman could unite with General John M. Schofield at Goldsboro. The battle ended in a Union victory and became the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina. It was also the last major Confederate offensive of the Civil War.