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In early 1776, The French secretly sent weapons to the Patriots due to their bitter defeat by the British in the French and Indian War.
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By isolating New England to stop the rebellion and seizing New York, the British made a plan and retreated from Boston.
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William and Richard Howe sailed into NY harbor on Staten Island with 32,000 British soldiers and German mercenaries or Hessians
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The battle for New York ended with heavy losses of the American retreat.
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In the late autumn of 1776, George Washington's army was pushed across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania by the British.
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George Washington had lead 2,400 men in small rowboats across the icy Delaware River during a stormy night.
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At 8am, through the sleet and snow, the men marched nine miles to Trenton, NJ. The Americans killed 30 British soldiers, took 918 captives, and six Hessian canons in a sneak attack.
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George Washington had 8,000 men under his command in which their enlistment were due to end.
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The Americans were victorious against 1,200 British stationed in Princeton.
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In the spring of 1777, the campaign to seize the American capital in Philadelphia was began by General William Howe.
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John Burgoyne surrendered his army to General Horatto Gates when American troops surrounded Burgoyne. From that point on, the British had changed their strategy.
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Valley Forge was a continental Army Camp during the winter, located outside of Philadelphia.
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The French signed the treaty of cooperation and made alliances with the Americans.
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The Continental Army became an effective fighting force when Friedrich von Steuben taught the soldiers to stand at attention, execute field maneuvers, fire and reload quickly, and wield bayonets.
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The British change their military strategy and decided to rally Loyalist support to reclaim former colonies in the south then fight their way back to the north slowly.
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In the end of 1778, with the new British strategy, the British expedition lead them to easily take Savannah, Georgia.
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In the spring of 1779, the British royal governor commanded Georgia once again.
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In France 1779, Marquis de Lafayette joined George Washington's staff and spoke for French Reinforcements.
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The British captured Charlestown, South Carolina and marched 5,500 American Soldiers off as war prisoners in their greatest victory of the war.
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In 1780, General Henry Clinton and General Charles Cornwallis sailed south with 8,500 men.
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Cornwallis's army defeated American forces at Camden, South Carolina, and within 3 months, forts were created across the state by the British.
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After the British left the city to pay more attention to the south, a French army of 6,000 landed in Newport, Rhode Island.
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The British expected the Americans to flee but the colonial army fought back and the British surrendered when forces met at Cowpens, South Carolina.
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Cornwallis attacked Nathaniel Greene at the Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina.
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Nathaniel Greene wrote a letter to Lafayette asking for help when he weakened the British.
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In 1781, congress appointed Robert Morris, a rich Philadelphia merchant as superintendent of finance.
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American troops were finally paid in gold coins thanks to Robert Morris and Haym Salomon.
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Cornwallis finally surrendered after his troops were outnumbered.
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To witness the formal British surrender, Colonel Fontaine of Virginia militia stood with American and French armies on the road in Yorktown, Virginia.
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The French troops and generals accepted Britain's surrender.
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The delegates of the negotiators chosen by the Continental Congress signed the Treaty of Paris to confirm American Independence and set boundaries as a new nation.
