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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.