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Leaving for Concord
On April 18, 1775, General Thomas Gage, commander of the British force in Boston, ordered, Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith, to lead a detachment of troops to the town of Concord. Gage had received word that arms, and ammunition, were being gathered in Concord for an uprising against the British Crown. Smith’s orders were to “seize and distroy all Artillery, Ammunition, Provisions, Tents, Small Arms, and all Military Stores whatever.” Photo:ed101.bu.edu -
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American Revolution
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Battle of Lexinton and Concord
Under orders from General Gage, Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith led a detachment of about 900 British soldiers to seize military supplies that were pulled together by the Militia in the town of Concord. However, the militia leaders had received word that the British were on their way, and they prepared an ambush. The British were fired at on Lexington Green but the Militia ran away. At the birdge in Concord the Militia shot at the Bristish from the hills and the British retreated. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Once Gage learned that new fortifications were going up, he ordered an assault against Bunker Hill as well as the nearby Breed’s Hill. The British launched two attacks, both of which were beaten by American fire. However, the British had nearly a two-to-one numerical advantage, and a third assault finally drove the rebels from the two hills. Yet the battle was extremely costly for the British; out of a total of about 2,600 engaged, more than a thousand were killed or wounded. Photo history2u. -
Capture of Montreal
In September 1775 an American force under the command of General Richard Montgomery marched northward from Fort Ticonderoga in New York. In early November they reached the city of Montreal, which fell with no resistance on November 13.
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Battle of Quebec
Two groups of Americans set out seige the city. One led by General Montgomery and the other led by General Arnold. Arnold's men got there first they attacked in early November but it went no were. So they waited for reinforcemnts Montgomery arrived in Quebec in December with the much needed supplies. On December 31 they attacked but a snowstorm came and Mongomery was killed and Arnold wounded. The British counter attack. resulted in half the Americans being captured.
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British arrive in New York City
Having abandoned Boston in March 1776, the British decided to focus their efforts on New York. This massive invasion force appeared off the coast of New York on June 29. The Howes’ orders were to take New York City, then proceed northward along the Hudson River, eventually meeting up with General Burgoyne’s force heading south from Canada.On July 3 General Howe and his men landed on Staten Island, which he planned to use as a base. Photo:theboweryboys.blogspot.com -
Battle of Long Island
The British began sending troops from Statan Island to Long Island. Washinton starting sending American troops to slow the British under control of General Putnam. In conflict 300 Americans were killed and another 1,400 captured or missing. Fewer than 400 British losses.
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Battle of White Plains
Having abandoned Manhattan to the British, Washington reestablished his lines on high ground, near the village of White Plains. On October 28 General Howe launched an attack which drove the Continental Army from the field at a cost of some 230 men. At this point Howe missed his best chance to destroy Washington’s army once and for all; instead of pursuing, he stopped and ordered construction of artillery batteries on the heights. This gave Washington the opportunity to retreat further north, -
Letter to Spence From Washington
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Excerpt from "The American Crisis"
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Battle of Treton
On Christmas Day he and his men quietly crossed the Delaware River and headed toward Trenton, where three regiments of Hessian mercenaries were stationed for the winter. On the morning of the 26th the Continental Army attacked, taking the enemy completely by surprise. By 9:30 am the fighting was over; roughly 100 Hessians had been killed, nearly 900 others captured, with only a handful of American losses. By noon Washington and his men had withdrawn back. Photo:electivedecisions.wordpress.com -
Battle of Princeton
On January 3 Washington skillfully eluded Cornwallis and headed north toward Princeton. There the Continental Army encountered a smaller British force, and inflicted 500 more casualties on the enemy. In a matter of days Washington managed to drive the British from much of southern New Jersey. More importantly his exploits reenergized the revolutionary cause, leading some 8,000 new recruits to join the Continental Army in the coming months.
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Report from the Continental Congress
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Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
the fort suffered from one major weakness—if an enemy held the heights of a nearby mountain called Sugar Loaf, he could pour cannon fire down on the interior of the fort. St. Clair had believed that Sugar Loaf was too high for the British to move cannon to its peak. He was wrong.The Americans inside Fort Ticonderoga awoke on the morning of July 5 to find the British already setting up their artillery on the heights of Sugar Loaf. The next morning they took the fort. Photo:qwickstep.com -
Battle of Fort Stanwix
On August 4 St. Leger’s troops surrounded Fort Stanwix, and two days later ambushed and destroyed a column of 800 local militia that were on their way to relieve the fort. Nevertheless, the defenders of Fort Stanwix refused to surrender, and as time passed St. Leger’s Indian warriors—unaccustomed to sitting around and waiting for the other side to give up—began to desert. It ended on the 23.
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Battle of Brandywine
Howe sent only 5,000 to advance toward Washington, while the rest of the British army moved toward the right flank of the Continental Army. A dense fog on the morning of September 11 helped to hide Howe’s movements, and in a matter of hours Washington was forced to retreat. Losses suffered at Brandywine were considerable—1,000 Americans killed or wounded, and another 400 captured, while the British sustained nearly 600 casualties. The British were left unaposed to march to the capital. -
Battle of Saratoga
what is usually called the “Battle of Saratoga” today actually consists of two separate battles, fought nearly three weeks apart. In the first—sometimes called the Battle of Freeman’s Farm—Benedict Arnold was able to hold off a British attack, but the result was otherwise inconclusive. Burgoyne’s troops then dug entrenchments, hoping that they would be joined by soldiers from New York City. When this relief failed to materialize, Burgoyne ordered one final attack.
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Diary of Albigence Waldo
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Letter from Washington to Congress
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Letter from Washinton to John Banister
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Battle of Monmouth
The battle nearly ended in disaster for the Continental Army when one general prematurely called a retreat. Washington, however, personally rallied the troops, inspiring them to repel two British counterattacks. In the end the battle was inconclusive, and both sides lost as many men to heat stroke (the temperature that day may have exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit) as to combat, but ultimately the British lost nearly 1200 soldiers, compared to fewer than 500 casualties on the American side.
