-
Battle of Lexington
April 19, 1775 Lexington Massachusetts,Within the towns of Lexington, and Concord. The redcoats reached Lexington, 5 miles from Concord.The commander ordered the minuteman to drop their weapons, the colonists moved without dropping their weapons. Someone shot their weapon and a battle broke out between the groups. It was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. -
Battle of Concord
The British moved onto Concord and found an empty arsenal. After some silence, the British decided to move to Boston. The move became violent quickly, as thousands of minutemen gathered and attacked troops from different spots. However, the battle kept proceeding forward to Boston. Colonists and Britain became enemies and had the British troops under siege -
Bunker Hill
In Boston, British General Thomas Gage decided to attack at Militia on Breed’s hill, North from a city, near Bunker Hill. On June 17,1775. 2,400 soldiers were sent up hill. They took down many advancing redcoats before retreating back. When the area was cleared, the colonists lost 450 men, and the British suffered 1,000 casualties. This battle was the most deadliest one of the war. -
Battle of New York
The British sailed to New York in the summer of 1776 with about 32,000 soldiers. They also had thousands of German mercenaries known as Hessians because they came from the German region of Hesse. With an attempt to take down New York, the Continental Army had to retreat due to untrained and poorly equipped troops. In the late Fall, the British pushed Washington’s toward the Delaware river in Pennsylvania. Washington striked on Christmas night, in 1776. -
Period: to
Trenton
On December 8 1776, Washington took boats across a river to end the British pursuit. Major General Charles Cornwallis was in charge in winter. He left 1,200 Hessians to Colonel Johann Rahi in the river town of Trenton to act as outpost. On the night of December 26, Washington's men crossed the river. When the Hessians found out about the attack, a battle occured. People were tired, Washington decided not to follow the enemy and hold Trenton, as well as return to the Pennsylvania Delaware River. -
Valley Forge
In September 1777, Washington and his troop were on food and supplies, struggling to stay alive in a winter camp in Valley Forge. Over 2,000 soldiers died, and the survivors give up. Their time of suffering and training filled Washington’s letters. -
Battle of Saratoga
General John Burgoyne took an army down the lakes from Canada to Albany,meeting British troops,coming from New York.Groups joined together in an attempt to isolate New England from colonies. As Burgoyne reached his destination,Continental Army gathered all over New York and New England.The battle was on, Burgoyne didn’t notice that the British was busy with holding down Philadelphia and didn’t come to meet him.American took over Burgoyne at Saratoga,John Burgoyne surrendered October 17, 1777. -
Period: to
Marquis De Lafayette
In February 1778, Friedrich Von Steuben trained the Continental Army. Other foreign military leaders, including Marquis De Lafayette offered to help in the training. Lafayette got French reinforcements in 1779, and commanded in Virginia in the last few years of war. Along with the help of European military leaders, the Continental Army became an fighting force to be wrecking with. -
Philadelphia
In 1781,Robert Morris was appointed superintendent of finance. Haym Salomon a jewish political was a refugee from Portland.They tried to raise money for salaries for the Continental Army. They raised money from Philadelphia’s Quakers and Jews. As the men went to war, the women had to fill their shoes.Some women followed their husbands into the battlefield to cook and clean for troops.The war allowed thousands of slaves to escape to freedom. About 5,000 of them served the Continental Army. -
Yorktown
After learning about Cornwallis’s plan, Lafayette and Washington armies moved South to Yorktown. At that time, a French naval defeated British fleet, blocking the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, getting in the way of British routes. By late September, about 17,000 French and American troops surrounded the British near Yorktown. Bombing them day and night. Not even a month passed, on October 19,1781, Cornwallis surrendered. The Americans shocked the World and finally defeated the British Army. -
Period: to
Treaty of Paris
Talk about peace started in Paris in 1782. The negotiating for Americans included John Adams, John Joy from New York, and Benjamin Franklin. In September 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, which established U.S. independence and build boundaries of the new nation. The United States extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from Canada to the Florida borders.
