-
Battles of Lexington and Concord
On April 19,1995 the Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements that signaled the start of the American Revolutionary War. The battles took place in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge -
Meeting of the Second Continental Congress
On May 10, 1775 the Second Continental Congress first met in Philadelphia, PA to decide how they would meet the British's military threat among other war related issues. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
On June 17, 1775 the Battle of Bunker Hill took place in Charleston, Massachusetts. The British managed to defeat the Americans, leaving them in control of Charleston but besieged in Boston. -
Failed Seizure of Quebec under Benedict Arnold
On September 11, 1775 General Benedict Arnold led a group of about 1100 Continental Army troops on an expedition from Cambridge to Quebec. They crossed the Saint Lawrence on November 13 & 14 assisted by an Indian chief who gave him and his troops canoes and about 50 men to guide them. -
Common Sense Published
On January 10, 1776 Thomas Paine published the pamphlet he had been writing. It challenged the authority of the British government and supported independence from Great Britain to the thirteen colonies. -
Adoption of the Declaration of Independence
On July 4, 1776 the 13 American Colonies severed ties with Great Britain with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which was largely written by Thomas Jefferson. -
Battle of Trenton
On December 26, 1776 in Trenton, New Jersey the Americans defeated a garrison of Hessian mercenaries. -
First Battle of Saratoga
On September 19, 1777 General John Burgoyne engaged in combat with the continental forces at Freeman's Farm, the First Battle of Saratoga. -
Paoli Massacre
On September 20, 1777 at 10 pm, British troops under Major General Charles Grey surprise attacked a group of unsuspecting American Troops. -
Second Battle of Saratoga
On October 7, 1777 General John Burgoyne decided to launch another attack without waiting for reinforcements at Bemis Heights. On October 8, 1777 Burgoyne began to retreat but was surrounded at Saratoga. On October 17, 1777 Burgoyne surrendered his troops. -
Period: to
Washington’s Encampment at Valley Forge
From December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778 about 12000 Continentals along small groups of African American and Native American soldiers and a number of women and children, including officers' wives had to endure 6 months of suffering not only from cold, disease, hunger, and fatigue but from low morale from the disastrous Philadelphia Campaign. Nearly two-thirds of these people died.