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The Battles of Lexington and Concord
Hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord in order to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the Redcoat column. A confrontation on the Lexington town green started off the fighting, and soon the British were hastily retreating under intense fire. Many more battles followed, and in 1783 the colonists formally won their independence. -
The Winter at Valley Forge
The particularly severe winter of 1777-1778 proved to be a great trial for the American army, and of the 11,000 soldiers stationed at Valley Forge, hundreds died from diseases. However, the suffering troops were held together by loyalty to the Patriot cause and to General Washington, who stayed with his men. As the winter stretched on, Prussian military adviser Frederick kept the soldiers busy with drills and training in modern military strategy. -
Benedict Arnold turns traitor
Arnold played a crucial role in bringing about the surrender of British General John Burgoyne’s army at Saratoga. He felt that he never received the recognition he deserved. In 1779, he entered into secret negotiations with the British, agreeing to turn over the U.S. post at West Point in return for money and a command in the British army. His name has since become synonymous with the word “traitor.” -
The Battle of Cowpens
Tarleton’s men attacked, and Morgan instructed the militia to skirmish with them but to leave the front line after firing two rounds. The British mistook the repositioning of the Americans as a route and ran into an unexpected volley of concentrated rifle fire coupled with a cavalry charge and followed by the return of the militia. Tarleton escaped, but Morgan’s troops decimated his army. -
The USS Constitution defeats the HMS Guerriere
USS Constitution met and defeated HMS Guerriere, a 38-gun British frigate under the command of Captain James Richard Dacres. While relatively inconsequential in strategic terms for the War of 1812, the stunning victory provided a much-needed morale boost for the American public. Constitution‘s success burnished the reputation of her officers and proved that the fledgling U.S. Navy was every bit as professional and competent as Britain’s mighty Royal Navy. -
The Battle of Baltimore
Sea/land battle that Americans forced repulsed sea and land invasions off the port city of Baltimore, Maryland. The combatants first met at the Battle of North Point. Though the Americans retreated, the battle was a successful delaying action that inflicted heavy casualties on the British, halted their advance, and consequently, allowed the defenders at Baltimore to prepare for an attack. -
The Battle of New Orleans
A small force was charged with crossing to the west bank of the Mississippi and seizing an American battery. Once in possession of the guns, they were to turn them on the Americans and catch Jackson in a punishing crossfire. At the same time, a larger contingent of some 5,000 men would charge forward in two columns and crush the main American line at the Rodriguez Canal. -
The Election of Andrew Jackson
In the end, with 178 electoral votes to Adams's 83, Jackson became the first president to gain office by a direct appeal to the mass of voters rather than through the support of a recognized political organization. -
The Battle of the Alamo
Texas’ war for independence from Mexico, a group of Texan (or Texian) volunteers led by George Collinsworth and Benjamin Milam overwhelmed the Mexican garrison at the Alamo and captured the fort, seizing control of San Antonio. By mid-February 1836, Colonel James Bowie and Lieutenant Colonel William B. Travis had taken command of Texan forces in San Antonio. -
Mexico loses California, New Mexico, and Arizona
Mexico was racked by financial instability as the war began in 1846. Treaty, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war between the United States and Mexico. By its terms, Mexico ceded 55 percent of its territory, including the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
Elected the 16th president of the United States over a deeply divided Democratic Party, becoming the first Republican to win the presidency. Lincoln received only 40 percent of the popular vote but handily defeated the three other candidates. For preserving the Union and bringing an end to slavery, and for his unique character and powerful oratory, Lincoln is hailed as one of the greatest American presidents. -
South Carolina secedes from the United States
The escalating controversy over the expansion of slavery into the territory acquired from Mexico prompted South Carolina's secession crisis. When Abraham Lincoln, a known opponent of slavery, was elected president, the South Carolina legislature perceived a threat. Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state of South Carolina from the union known as the United States of America. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg marked the turning point of the Civil War. With more than 50,000 estimated casualties, the three-day engagement was the bloodiest single battle of the conflict. Union victory. Gettysburg ended Confederate general Robert E. Lee’s ambitious second quest to invade the North and bring the Civil War to a swift end. The loss there dashed the hopes of the Confederate States of America to become an independent nation. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
Marked the first major land battle of the American Civil War. On July 21, 1861, Union and Confederate armies clashed near Manassas Junction, Virginia. The engagement began when about 35,000 Union troops marched from the federal capital in Washington, D.C. to strike a Confederate force of 20,000 along a river known as Bull Run. The Confederate victory gave the South a surge of confidence and shocked many in the North, who realized the war would not be won as easily as they had hoped. -
The Treaty at Appomattox Courthouse
Fought near the town of Virginia, and led to Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender of his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses. Lee had abandoned the Confederate capital of Richmond and the city of Petersburg. His goal was to rally the remnants of his difficult troops, meet Confederate reinforcements in North Carolina and resume fighting. But the resulting Battle of Appomattox Courthouse, which lasted only a few hours, effectively brought the four-year Civil War to an end. -
The sinking of the USS Maine
An explosion of unknown origin sank the battleship U.S.S. Maine in the Havana, Cuba harbor, killing 266 of the 354 crew members. The sinking of the Maine incited United States' passions against Spain, eventually leading to a naval blockade of Cuba and a declaration of war. -
The Adoption of the Star Spangled Banner as the National Anthem
Francis Scott Key pens a poem which is later set to music and in 1931 becomes America's national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The poem, originally titled “The Defence of Fort M'Henry,” was written after Key witnessed the Maryland fort being bombarded by the British during the War of 1812. -
Battle of the Philippines
Naval battle of World War II between the Japanese Combined Fleet and the U.S. Fifth Fleet. Known as “the greatest carrier battle of the war,” it accompanied the U.S. landing on Saipan and ended in a complete U.S. victory. Prevented the use of the Philippines as an advance base of operations by American forces. To acquire staging areas and supply bases to enhance operations against the Dutch East Indies and Guam.
