Download Lexington and Concord

Important Battles of the
American Revolution
Lexington and Concord
Definition: First shots fired between British and American troops on April 19, 1775. The
British chose to march to Concord because it was an arms depot. This meant that the
Americans had stockpiled weapons there. British troops had occupied Boston and were
marching on Concord as they passed through Lexington. No one is sure who fired first,
but it was the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World.” Both sides opened fire, and the
Americans were forced to withdraw. But they had slowed the British advance. By the
time the Redcoats (British) got to Concord, the Americans were waiting for them in
force. The weapons depot was saved, and the British were forced to retreat, harassed
by militiamen along the way back to Boston. The skirmishes were preceded by Paul
Revere’s famous ride, warning the countryside: “The British are coming!”
Lexington/Concord
In an effort to arrest rebel leaders and destroy the
supply warehouse, the British decided to march 20 miles
from Boston to Lexington, Massachusetts. The local
patriots got wind of the plan and sent riders, Paul Revere
and William Dawes into the night to warn of the
advancing British.
At dawn on April 19, 1775 the 700 British found
about 70 local Minute Men lined up on the Lexington
village green. British commander yelled, “Disperse, you
d@$$ rebels! You dogs, run!” The patriot leader, Captain
John Parker calmly responds, “Don’t fire unless fired
upon, but if they want a war let it begin here.” The British
soldiers shot at the Minute Men, and then charged with
bayonets, killing 8 and wounding another 10.
The British quickly reform and march down to
Concord, Massachusetts and the supply warehouse. In the
meantime American patriots were swarming over the
countryside. They were looking for revenge. At
Concord’s North Bridge, the patriots attack the British
redcoats. The attack lasts all the way back to Boston. By
nightfall the redcoat survivors were safe under the
protection of the fleet and army, having suffered over 250
killed or wounded. The Americans lost.
Bunker Hill
Definition: Two-day engagement between British forces under the command of General
William Howe and American forces under the command of Colonel William Prescott.
The Americans had occupied Breed’s Hill in Charlestown on June 16, 1775, in order to
protect the shipyard of nearby Boston. The next day, the British attacked. They took the
hill but suffered heavy losses. The Americans fired until they were out of ammunition,
and then quickly retreated. To conserve ammunition, Prescott told his men, “Don’t fire
until you see the whites of their eyes.” Even though the battle was fought on Breed’s
Hill, it has been remembered as the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Battle of Bunker Hill
(1775)
Poorly supplied Patriots kept the British pinned
down inside Boston. Although British leaders were
trying to form a battle plan, they awoke June 17 to a
stunning sight. The colonial forces had quietly dug
in at Breed’s Hill, a point overlooking north Boston.
The Redcoats would have to cross Boston Harbor
and fight their way uphill.
As the British force of 2,400 advanced, 1,600
militia members waited. Low on gunpowder, the
commander ordered his troops not to fire “until you
see the whites of their eyes.” As they (British)
climbed the exposed hillside with their heavy packs,
the British soldiers were cut down. Twice they
retreated. Stepping over the dead and wounded, they
returned for a third try. The colonists were now out
of ammunition, and eventually they had to retreat.
While the Patriots lost, they proved they could
take on the Redcoats. For the British, the battle was
a tragic victory. To win, they had sacrificed about
double the number of Patriot soldiers.
Battle of Long Island
General Washington moved his troops to New York expecting
British arrival. Sure enough, in June 1776, a fleet of British ships
approached New York Bay. Led by General William Howe, the British
forced the Continental Army off Long Island.
Howe’s 32,000 soldiers were much better equipped than Washington’s
23,000 men, most of who were militia. The Patriot general had to use
his skills just to save his army.
In a series of battles, Howe pounded the Continental Army, forcing
it to Retreat farther and farther. The Redcoats captured Patriots as well
as supplies. Eventually the British pushed Washington across the
Hudson River into New Jersey.
During this campaign a young Connecticut officer, Nathan Hale went
behind British lines to get secret information. Seized by the British with
documents hidden in the soles of his shoes, Hales was ordered to be
hanged. Before his execution, he is said to have declared, “I regret that I
have but one life to lose for my country.”
Trenton
Definition: Famous American victory that began with “Washington Crossing the
Delaware.” Actually, the whole army crossed the Delaware River, which was frozen in
places, on Christmas night, 1776, from Pennsylvania to the outskirts of Trenton, New
Jersey. There, the Americans surprised a drunken Hessian (German mercenaries) force
that celebrated the holiday a little too much. The battle lasted about 45 minutes and
resulted in 900 Hessian prisoners. The Americans then marched on Princeton and won
there, too. They were smashing victories for the weary Americans, and they were also
an opportunity to gain some badly needed guns and ammunition.
Trenton
General Howe, firmly and comfortably
based in New York (which the British help
throughout the war), followed conventional
practice and settled down with his army to
wait out the winter. But Washington was
not yet ready to hibernate; instead he
daringly seized the initiative. On Christmas
night 1776, he slipped across the Delaware
River with 2,400 men and near dawn at
Trenton surprised a garrison of 1,500
Hessians still befuddled from too much
holiday rum. It was a total rout from which
only 500 royal soldiers escaped death or
capture.
Washington’s men suffered six
wounded, one of which was Lt. James
Monroe, the future president.
Saratoga
Definition: Turning point of the Revolutionary War in that it convinced France to enter the war on
the side of the Americans. British General John Burgoyne came up with a brilliant plan to take
all of New York away from the Americans. His three-pronged attack called for a meeting of three
forces at Saratoga. Burgoyne would advance south from Canada and plan to meet at Albany
with Generals Barry St. Leger and William Howe. St. Leger was to move east from Fort
Oswego, on Lake Ontario; and Howe was to march north from Virginia. This was a brilliant plan,
Burgoyne thought, and he hoped to crush the American Northern Army. The trouble was, it
didn’t work. Howe never got the message and went to Philadelphia instead. Burgoyne himself
was stopped by American General Benedict Arnold at Saratoga. St. Leger made it to Albany
and had it all to himself. At the Battle of Saratoga (which was really a handful of battles),
Burgoyne surrendered almost his entire army to General Horatio Gates on October 17, 1777.
The American victory convinced France that America really did have a chance of winning. Soon
thereafter, French money and supplies (and eventually, troops and ships) were making their
way to America.
Battle of Saratoga 1777
British General Burgoyne decided to cut the
colonies in half by marching south from Canada
through New York and having General Howe sail
north though New York up the Hudson River. This
slow march allowed the Patriots to gather their
forces and surround the British Army as they
approach Saratoga. Although most historians and
American Revolutionary Soldier acknowledge
General Benedict Arnold as the true leader and hero
of this battle, General Gates was given credit for
leading this victory. This embittered Arnold and he
would eventually defect to the British. The Battle of
Saratoga is considered the turning point of the
American Revolutionary War. James Thatcher wrote
of this battle: “This event will make one of the most
brilliant pages of American history.”
Valley Forge
Definition: Pennsylvania encampment occupied by the American army from December 1777 to
June 1778. The winter was particularly harsh, and the army was short on food, clothing and
supplies. But they hung on. The leadership of Commander-In-Chief George Washington and
Baron von Steuben, the Prussian drill sergeant, kept the soldiers occupied and made them
better, tougher soldiers in the end. On June 19, 1778, the army set out for New Jersey, where
they fought the British to a stand-still just nine days later, at the Battle of Monmouth. Among the
soldiers who were encamped with Washington at Valley Forge were Generals Nathaniel Greene
and Benedict Arnold; Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s personal aide; the Marquis de
Lafayette; and a man named John Marshall, who would go on to become the first famous Chief
Justice of the United States.
Valley Forge
In December 1777, Washington settled his 12,000 men at
Valley Forge, about 20 miles north of Philadelphia. There they
suffered shortages of food and clothing.
To this day, the name Valley Forge brings to mind
suffering—and courage. Yet no battles took place at this
encampment. There was only one enemy: the brutal winter of
1777-1778.
Washington’s men lacked even the most basic
protections against shin deep snows. Over and over the general
sent letters, pleading for supplies. None came.
As winter roared in, soldiers quickly built crude
shelters that offered little protection against the weather. Some
soldiers had no shirts. Others had marched the shoes off their
feet. At their guard posts, they stood on their hats to keep their
feet from freezing to the ground.
During that terrible winter, some 2,000 soldiers died of
disease and malnutrition. Amazingly, the survivors not only
stayed—they drilled and marched to the orders of Baron von
Steuben, becoming better soldiers.
While the soldiers suffered through the winter at
Valley Forge, the British lived a life of luxury in Philadelphia.
Most of the Patriots had fled the city, leaving only Loyalists and
British soldiers. Together they enjoyed the city’s houses,
taverns, and theaters, and held parties and balls.
Yorktown
Definition: American victory that ended the Revolutionary War on October 20, 1781. British
General Charles Cornwallis had met defeat in the south, at Cowpens, and his force had been
continually weakened, especially by American General Nathaniel Greene at Guilford
Courthouse. Cornwallis left the Carolinas and proceeded north to Yorktown, Virginia, there to
await reinforcements from General Henry Clinton, who was occupied in the north. American
forces under Greene and Commander-In-Chief George Washington pursued Cornwallis by land
while French ships surrounded the bay of Yorktown. Faced with the prospect of no
reinforcements, Cornwallis stood and fought. But the Americans won the battle and the war. At
the surrender ceremony, Cornwallis’s sword was accepted by General Benjamin Lincoln while a
British band played “The World Turned Upside Down.” This was the last major battle of the war,
although some minor skirmishes took place for the next two years, until the Treaty of Paris
ended the war in 1783.
Battle of Yorktown
In 1781 the war was going badly for the Patriots. They were low
on money to pay soldiers and to buy supplies. The help of their foreign
allies had not brought the war to a quick end as they had hoped. The
British held most of the South, plus Philadelphia and New York City.
The Patriots’ morale took another blow when Benedict Arnold, one of
America’s most gifted officers turned traitor.
Regrouped under Nathanael Greene, the Continental army
began harassing British General Charles Cornwallis in the Carolinas.
Hoping to stay in communication with the British naval fleet, Cornwallis
moved his force of 7,200 men to Yorktown, Virginia. It was a fatal
mistake.
General Washington in New York saw a chance to trap
Cornwallis at Yorktown. He ordered the Marquis de Lafayette to block
Cornwallis’s escape by land. The he combined his 2,500 troops with the
4,000 French troops commanded by the Comte de Rochambeau.
Washington led the French-American force on a swift march to Virginia.
The Patriots surrounded Cornwallis with some 16,000 soldiers.
Meanwhile, a French naval fleet seized control of the Chesapeake Bay,
preventing British ships from rescuing Cornwallis’s stranded army.
The siege began. For weeks, the fighting steadily wore down
the British defenses. In early October, Washington prepared for a major
attack on the weakened British troops.
Facing certain defeat, on Oct. 19, 1781, Cornwallis sent a
drummer and a soldier with a white flag of surrender to Washington’s
camp. The Patriots took some 8,000 British prisoners—the largest
British Army in America.
The Battle of Yorktown was the last major battle of the
American Revolution.
Naval Battles
The entry of the French navy into the war greatly aided the
colonists. Many people had thought the mighty British navy would
crush the much smaller American fleet. However, the British failed
to use their powerful navy effectively during the war.
In the fall of 1775, the Continental Congress made plans to
build four American warships. Soon afterwards the Congress
formally established the marines and the Continental Navy. By
adapting merchant vessels, the navy had 8 fighting ships ready by
February 1776.
That month the tiny American navy launched a major offensive
to damage the operating ability of the British fleet located off the
Carolina coast. Rather than attack the fleet directly, the Patriots
went after the British supply base on Nassau, in the Bahamas.
The American troops seized the main supply fort on the island.
They then raised the newly created flag of the American Revolution
over Nassau. After that campaign, the American navy focused on
seizing British supply ships and weakening Britain’s naval forces in
the West Indies.
John Paul Jones fought one of the great naval battles of the
Revolution. The enemy was the Serapis, one of the British escorts of
a large convoy. In the battle, mostly fought in moonlight, the
Bonhomme Richard grappled with the Serapis. With the two vessels
lashed together, the British captain asked Jones if he wished to
surrender and received the famous reply, “I have not yet begun to
fight.” Indeed Jones had not, and when the night’s work was done,
he accepted the surrender of his enemy.
Treaty of Paris 1783
Definition: Treaty that officially ended the Revolutionary war on September 3, 1783. It was
signed in Paris by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay. Under the terms of the treaty,
Britain recognized the independent nation of the United States of America. Britain agreed to
remove all of its troops from the new nation. The treaty also set new borders for the United
States, including all land from the Great Lakes in the north to Florida in the south, and from the
Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. The United States agreed to allow British troops still in
America to leave and also agreed to pay all existing debts owed to Great Britain. The United
States also agreed not to persecute loyalists still in America and all those that left America to
return.