-
The French had sent weapons to the Patriots. The French agreed to support the Revolution
-
The British retreated from Boston, moving the theater of war to the middle states. As the British planned to stop the rebellion by isolating New England, they decided to seize New York City instead.
-
General William Howe and Admiral Richard Howe joined forces on Staten Islands and sailed into New York HArbor with the largest expeditionary force ever assembled with 32,000 soldiers, which included thousands of German mercenaries and soldiers who fight solely for money.
-
The battle for New York ended in late August with heavy loss. Washington rallied 23,000 men to New York's defense, but most of his troops were untrained with poor equiptment.
-
The British pushed Washington's Army across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania, although the majority of of Washington's men had been either deserted, killed, or captured. Washington's enlistment were due to end on December 31st and he had Less than 8,000 men remaining under his command. Washington desperately needed some kind of victory for his men to keep them from going home.
-
Christmas day1776; Battle of Trenton
During a fierce storm, Washington led 2,400 men in small rowboats across the ice- choked Delaware River to resolve everything in one bold stroke. -
Washington's men marched 9 miles through sleet and snow to reach their destination- Trenton, in which it was held by a garrison of Hessians. The Hessians were were still slept off after drinking so much rum that christmas night, The Americans killed 30 of the enemies, and took 918 captives along with 6 Hessian cannons.
-
jjj
-
General Howe wanted to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress, meanwhile Washington prepared defenses against Howe's movements at Brandywine Creek, As the British won the fight, they captured Phiadelphia.
-
Massed American troops finally surrounded Burgoyne at Saratoga where he surrendered his battered army to General Gates . From that time one British kept their troops around the coast
-
Albigense Waldo, a surgeon at Valley Forge, served as the site of the continental army's camp.
-
The British expedition easily took Savanna, Georgia.
-
The French recognized American independence and signed an alliance, or treaty of cooperation with the Americans.
-
American troops began a transformation. Friedrich Von Steuben volunteered his service to General Washington and went to work to make regular soldiers out of bumpkins.
-
The British changed their military strategy and began to shift their opperations to the south.
-
Lafayette joined Washington's staff and bore the misery of Valley Forge, lobbied for French reinforcements
-
A royal governor commanded Georgia.
-
General Henry Clinton sailed south with 8,500 men
-
The French army of 6,000 had landed in Newport, Rhode Island, after the British left the city to focus on the south.
-
Cornwallis succeeded. As the red coats advanced, they were joined by thousands of African Americans who had escaped from Patriot slave owners to join the British and win their freedom.
-
British captured Charles Town, South Carolina and marched 5,500 American soldiers off as prisoners of war
-
Cornwallisi's army smashed American forces in Camdan, South Carolina and within 3 months the British had established forts across the states.
-
Congress appointed a rich Philapelphia merchant named Robert Morris as superintendent of finance.
-
Morgan and his men led British on a grueling chase through rough country side when the forces met at Cowpens, South Carolina. The continental army faught back and forced the Red coats to surrender.
-
Angered by the defeat of Cowpens, Cornwallis attacked Greens 2 months later at Guilford Court House, North Carolina. Cornwallis won the battle, ut his victory cost him nearly a fourth of his troops- 93 were killed, over 400 wounded, and 26 missing.
-
Greene had weakend the British, but he worried for the fight of the south.
-
Due to the effort of Morris and Salomon, the troops were finally paid in gold coin.
-
With Cornwallis troops outnumbered by more than 2 to one and exhausted from constant shelling, Cornwallis finally raised the white flag to surrender.
-
Colonel William Fontaine of the Virginia militia stod with the American and French armies lining a rode near Yorktown, Virginia to witness the formal British surrender.
-
Washington, the French Generals, and their troops assembled to accept the Bitish surrender.
-
Representatives in the United States, Great Britain, France, and Spain joined the negotiations with each nation looking out for its own interest.
-
The delegates signed the Treaty of Paris which confirmed US independence and set the boundaries of the new nation. The United States now stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River,and from Canada to the Florida border.
