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Still sore about their defeat in the French and Indian War, The French have been sending weapons to the Patriots.
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Genral William Howe and Admiral Richard Howe sail into New York Harbor with 32,000 soldiers, the largest British expeditionary force ever put together.
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Washington led 23,000 against 32,000 British, but to no avail. He was forced to retreat after suffering heavy casualties.
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By latefall of 1776, Washington was pushed back across the Delaware River. He only had about 8,000 men left, and their terms of enlistment were due to end on December 31st that year.
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On Christmas night, Washington leads 2,400 men across the icy Delaware river.
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Americans surprise Hessians in Trenton, killing 30 and taking 918 captive.
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Washington defeats 1,200 British soldiers in Princeton.
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In the spring of 1777, General Howe begins his campaign to sieze the capitol at Philadelphia. He and his troops land there in late August
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American troops force General Burgoyne to surrender. This caused a drastic turning point in the war. The British changed their war strategy. The Americans had a newfound confidence to defeat the British.
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Valley Forge is the campsite of the Continental Army
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Valley Forge serves as campsite of continental army
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America and France sign treaty of cooperation. The French have accepted Ameicas independence.
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Friedrich von Steuben volunnteers his services to Washington, in order to train the soldiers properly.
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British shift operations to the south in hopes of gaining loyalist support.
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There the British hoped to rally Loyalist support, and slowly fight their way up north again.
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British expedition easily takes Savannah, Georgia.
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Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat, volunteered to help America. He joined Washington in suffering through Valley Forge and in 1779, he lobbied for French reinforcements.
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By the Spring of 1779, a royal govenor commanded Georgia, due to British expeditions.
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In 1780, Henry Clinton had replaced Howe in New York, and General Charles Cornwallis sailed south with 8,500 men,
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6,000 French Troops land in Newport, Rhode Island
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Angered by his defeat at Cowpens, Cornwallis went after Nathanial Greene at the Guilford Court House in North Carolina. However, the redcoats faced a setback of 93 deaths, 400 soldiers wounded, and 26 missing.
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The British captured Charlestown, South Carolina, and took 5,500 POW's
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...And within months, the British had established forts across the state of South Carolina,
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At Cowpens, South Carolina, The British army outnumbered the Americans and expected them to flee. However, the Americans fought back and forced the British to surrender.
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In 1781, Congress appointes Robert Morris as superintendent of finance.
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Due to Morris, and his partner Haym's work, the troops are paid in gold coin.
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The battle of Yorktown, which lasted about 2-3 weeks is finally over. The redcoats were outnumbered almost 2 to 1, resulting in British defeat
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Colonel William Fontaine stood with American and French armies to witness a formal British surrender. The Americans had won!
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America, France, Great Britain and Spain begin negotiating peace, but only for their own benefits.
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This treaty confirms US independence and sets boundaries of the new nation.
