Battles of Lexington and Concord April 1775
First battles of the Revolutionary War, fought outside of Boston. The colonial militia successfully defended their stores of munitions, forcing the British to retreat to Boston.
Battles of Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point May 1775
Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold took a large amount of the Brits weapons, Ethan Allen lead the Green Mountain Boys here and the British commander surrendered Ticonderoga.,
Battle of Bunker Hill June 1775
This Revolutionary War battle took place shortly after Lexington and Concord. It was the first major battle of the war. Although the British gained their objective, they paid dearly in lives lost and colonists only had to retreat because they ran low on g
Invasion of Canada
U.S. General Richard Montgomery forced the British to evacuate Montreal in 1775 and invade Canada. A second force led by Benedict Arnold invaded the land by combining an attack on Quebec; however, it was a failure and Montgomery was killed, Benedict was s
Evacuation Day March 1776
British forced to evacuate Boston.
Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge February 1776
Southern victory for the colonists in North Carolina.
Battle of Charleston Harbor June 1776
Colonial victory against invading British naval fleet.
Battle of Long Island summer and fall 1776
American defeat but Washington managed to escape with his troops across the Hudson and Delaware Rivers. Thousands of Americans taken prisoner and placed on prison ships where they were tortured, starved and many died.
Battle of Trenton December 26, 1776
American victory that saw Washington and his troops surprise the Hessian troops after crossing the Delaware overnight.
Battle of Princeton January 1777
American victory after Washington recrossed the Delaware River and defeated British troops in Princeton.
Arnold's Naval Battle 1776
Despite being counted as an American defeat, this American general (and future traitor) was able to gain valuable time for the American troops as the British were forced to return to Canada for the winter. British General Burgoyne's invasion the following
British Strategy New England
The plan was for the British to divide New England from the rest of the colonies and paralyze the American cause. The main British force, under General John Burgoyne would push down the Lake Champlain route from Canada. British General Howe was to move hi
General Howe's actions 1777
Instead of moving up the Hudson River to meet Burgoyne, he decided to take his troops to Philadelphia in an attempt to destroy Washington's army. After defeating Washington at Brandywine and Germantown, he settled into Philadelphia for the winter leaving
Valley Forge Winter 1777-1778
Washington's troops winter here where they suffer hunger, lack of supplies, a small pox epidemic, but gain valuable training from a Prussian military officer - Fredrich von Steuben.
Battle of Saratoga October 1777
Turning point in the war. Gen. Horatio Gates (American) defeated Gen. Burgoyne (British). One of the most decisive battles in American and world history because it convinced the French to join with the Americans to defeat the British.
British Strategy 1778
Because of the threat of the French fleet in North American waters, they evacuated Philadelphia and concentrated their forces in New York City.
Battle of Monmouth June 1778
Indecisive engagement that resulted in the British escaping to New York with about 1/3 of the Hessians deserting and Washington remaining in New York to keep the British hemmed in there until the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.
British Southern Strategy beginning 1778
to roll up the colonies, beginning in the South where the numbers of Loyalists who could be counted on to help was larger.
Battle of Charleston, S.C. 1780
American defeat that resulted in the heaviest losses of the entire war - 5,000 men and 400 cannon captured by the British.
Battles of King's Mountain and Cowpens 1780-1781
American riflemen, using guerrilla warfare tactics, wiped out British forces using General Nathaniel Greene's strategy of delay - standing and retreating repeatedly to exhaust British under General Cornwallis. By losing battles but winning campaigns, Gree
bloody year" 1777
Indian allies of the British were attacking up and down the western frontier - killing, burning, scalping. Senecas, Mohawks, Cayugas, and Onondagas joined the British urged on by Mohawk chief Joseph Brant in the belief that if the British won, they would
George Rogers Clark's Frontier Campaign 1778-17779
175 Americans take 3 British forts along the Ohio River. The victory resulted in the British giving up their land north of the Ohio River in the peace agreement that ended the war.
Battle of Yorktown 1781
Due to a combination of American spying, French planning and the joint efforts of the American and French armies, and the French navy, British forces under General Cornwallis are surrounded at Yorktown where he was ordered to withdraw to so that he could