There were many individuals who played deciding roles in the Revolutionary War and its aftermath.
American Individuals Many Americans were very influential in the Revolutionary War. George Washington was probably one of if not the most influential individual in the American Revolution. Due to his previous military experience and several other appealing qualities, Washington was elected leader of the Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress. George Washington served his post well, rallying his troops when their spirits were down and leading them through several key battles during the war. Washington, realizing that his troops were not that well trained, made sure to recruit some people to train them. These factors and many others made Washington a key individual in the American Revolution and beyond into his presidency.
Thomas Paine, although not actually fighting, was also a very influential person in the American Revolution. Paine wrote many articles and pamphlets including "Common Sense" and "The Crisis". These pieces persuaded people to support the cause of revolution in any way they could. Paine and his writings were very influential especially in motivating many Patriots to stay in the army during the many hard ordeals they endured in Valley Forge and the rest of the war.
British Individuals There were also many influential British individuals during the American Revolution. A very influential British individual was William Howe. Howe led the British army in the Battle of Bunker Hill, a major early battle in the American Revolution however. Following the win however, Howe became somewhat discouraged because of the effort it took to win and was less prominent throughout the rest of the war. Another influential British person in the revolutionary war was Lord Charles Cornwallis is most known for his role as commander during the Battle of Yorktown. Cornwallis led the British in their final campaign across America starting in North Carolina and ending in Yorktown. Although his influence on the British army and navy was not a very good one, he was still a very influential person in the American Revolution.
Foreign Individuals Marquis de Lafayette was a French nobleman who came to America to serve the Continental Army. He gave clothing and raised morale for the Army. Washington and Lafayette became good friends with each other with Washington comparing Lafayette to a son. Obviously inspired and awed by the Americans, when Lafayette went back to France, he brought back enough American soil in which to be buried.
Baron von Steuben was a former Prussian soldier who along with raising morale, trained the Continental Army in many maneuvers and techniques. This training also raised morale among the soldiers. Von Steuben also developed a hygiene and camp layout program to cut down on disease and illness.