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Lexington and Concord
Colonists: Col. John Barrett, Maj. John Buttrick, Lt. Col. John Robinson, Capt. John Parker British: Capt. Walter Laurie, Col. Francis Smith, Maj. John Pitcarin This battle was important because it was the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. Since Paul Revere was able to warn the colonists ahead of time, they were able to be prepared for the attempted seizure of munitions by John Pitcarin. The deaths of minutemen sparked other colonists to join the resistance. -
Fort Ticonderoga
Colonists: Gen. Artemas Ward, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold British: Lt. Jocelyn Feltham, Capt. William De la Place Sneaking in with almost no casualties and seizing the British arms allowed the colonists to gain a foothold to stand against the British. The weapons were taken to Boston where they would later be used to drive out the British. -
Bunker (Breed's Hill)
Colonists: George Washington, Maj. Charles Lee, Col. William Prescott, Brig. Gen. Israel Putnam British: Gen. William Howe, Gen. John Stark Colonists had a higher ground advantage, but ran out of ammunition and had to fall back. Almost three to four times as many British soldiers were killed compared to the Colonists, which gave reasonable hope to defeat the British. -
Trenton/Princeton (The New Jersey Campaign)
Colonists: Gen. George Washington British: Gen. William Howe, Col. Charles Mahwood, Lord Cornwallis George Washington crossed the Delaware in the middle of winter to launch a surprise attack on Howe and his troops. Washington captured Trenton, which drove the British out of New Jersey allowing the Colonists to further root themselves in resistance. -
Saratoga (Bemis Heights, the Second Battle)
Colonists: Benedict Arnold British: Gen. John Burgoyne Benedict Arnold surrounded John Burgoyne and forced him to surrender. The winning of this battle caused the French to directly aid the Colonists in the war. -
Siege of Charleston
Colonists: Gen. Benjamin Lincoln British: Gen. Sir Henry Clinton, Admiral Arbuthnot, Lord Cornwallis The Colonists were defeated, which lowered morale and caused 5,000 to be taken as prisoner. South Carolina was now under British control. -
King's Mountain
Colonists: Col. Isaac Shelby, Col. William Campbell British: Maj. Patrick Ferguson, Lord Cornwallis The Colonists had caused severe damage to the Loyalists, which caused them to stop fighting for Cornwallis and the British. This weakened British support as Cornwallis fled and set up for winter. -
Yorktown
Colonists: George Washington, Gen. Benjamin Lincoln British: Gen. Charles O'Hara, Lord Cornwallis The British surrendered to the Colonists, causing the war to die down as America grew to be its own country.
