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Battle of Lexington and Concord
Commanding Officers: General Thomas Gage, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith, Marine Major John Pitcairn, Lord Hugh Percy, Militia Captain John Parker.
Strategic Importance: Held British back, took a lot of them out, and was used as Propaganda (as only one third of the populations believed in breaking from the British). Also prevented the British from getting to an armory with a large cache of weapons, which the Militia and Minutemen then used. -
Fort Ticonderoga
Commanding Officers: Ethan Allen
Strategic Importance: First American victory of the revolutionary war (used as a morale boost among troops), provided the Continental Army with much needed artillery, such as cannons used in the Siege of Boston. -
Bunker (Breed's) Hill
Commanding Officers: Artemas Ward, Major General William Howe
Strategic Importance: Provided a huge confidence boost to the American troops (despite being defeated), as they were able to inflict heavy casualties among the British despite their lack of formal military training. -
Trenton/Princeton (NJ Campaign)
Commanding Officers: General George Washington
Strategic Importance: Greatly improved morale and confidence of American troops, and won back most of New Jersey. -
Saratoga (Bemis Heights, the second battle)
Commanding Officers: General Horatio Gates, Lieutenant General John Burgoyne
Strategic Importance: Overtook a well-armed British fort, and took a lot of ground from the British. It also stopped a British assault that could've caused the war to lean heavily in favor of the British. -
Siege of Charleston
Commanding Officers: Sir Henry Clinton, Benjamin Lincoln
Strategic Importance: The British gained control of South and the Americans lost many soldiers due to the surrender. -
King's Mountain
Commanding Officers: James Johnston, Patrick Ferguson
Strategic Importance: The battle was an overwhelming Patriot victory after a string of defeats. It greatly boosted the morale of the troops. With Ferguson dead and his Loyalist militia destroyed, Cornwallis was forced to abandon his plan to invade North Carolina and retreated into South Carolina. -
Yorktown
Commanding Officers: General George Washington, Lord Cornwallis
Strategic Importance: With no sign of Clinton’s relief and with inadequate supplies of artillery ammunition and food, on 19th October 1781 Cornwallis’ army marched out of Yorktown and surrendered.
