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Battle of Lexington and Concord
located in Lexington and Concord Massachusetts
~1st battles of the war
~Gen Gage learns of colonial weapons stored in Concord
~Gage marched with intentions to seize arms in Concord
~Sons of Liberty alert colonists of coming British
~700 British troops meet 70 minutemen in Lexington
~Shot heard round the world results in fighting/shots exchanged
~British troops continue to Concord minutemen retreat but send call for help
~British find no weapons in Concord but meet 300 minutemen
~guerilla warfare -
Battle of Bunker Hill
~British victory
~Located in Charleston, Massachusetts
~started when colonists found out about the British plan to occupy Dorchester Heights
~Americans fortified Breed's Hill to maintain high ground
~due to limited ammunition, they didn't fire until they saw "the whites of their eyes"
~British fell rapidly and were drawn back twice. The third time, they gained control of the fort
~British suffered too many casualties to benefit
~helped Americans prove they could stand up to the British -
Battle of Long Island
~located in Brooklyn Heights, Long Island
~first major battle after the declaration of independence was signed
~British victory
~british siege of boston
~soon after battle, fire broke out in New York and destroyed 3 buildings -
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Battle of Trenton and Princeton
~located in Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey
~the colonies organized a surprise attack on Christmas night 1776
~next day, they attacked the Hessians
~major inspirational win for the colonies -
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Battle of Saratoga
~located in Stillwater, New York
~major turning point in the war
~inspired France to agree to the Treaty of Alliance, which is negotiated by Benjamin Franklin
~American victory -
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Battle of Vincennes
~located in modern day Illinois
~began making renovations on the fort in late 1778
~despite large commotion, Hamilton didn't realize they were under attack until the fort came under fire
~a war party of natives and french-canadians entered the town. Clarke captured 6 and forced the rest to flee
~on February 25, Hamilton surrendered the fort
~American victory -
Battle of Bonhomme Richard vs. Serapis
~battle fought with navy
~John Paul Jones led the Bonhomme Richard to the British Isles where he met the British ship of Serapis
~battle lasted 3 hours and ended with a colonial victory
~after battle, Americans transferred to Serapis from the Bonhomme Richard, which sank the following day -
Battle of Charleston
~located in Charleston, South Carolina
~British began planning the capture of Charleston
~Colonial navy couldn't defend the entrance of Charleston harbor
~Whipple ordered the fleet to the entrance of the river, British fired only from Ft.Moultrie
~Col. Tarleton intercepted a letter to Lincoln and learned how many rebels were deployed
~Next day, British reached American post, catching them by surprise and quickly routing them
~British fanned out and cut off Charleston from outside support -
Battle of Guilford Courthouse
~located in Greensboro, North Carolina
~battle lasted about 2 hours before Greene ordered his troops to retreat, leaving him with most of his army intact
~although the British won the battle, there were to many casualties to benefit
~Charles James Fox said, "Another such victory would ruin the British army." -
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Battle of Yorktown
~located in Yorktown, Virginia
~Cornwallis moves his troops to Yorktown
~French Navy arrives for support in September
~in October, Cornwallis surrenders to the Continental Army
~America wins the war
