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Revolutionary War
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From Boston to Middle States
The British had previously retreated from Boston in March of 1776, moving the war to the Middle states. This bold move was to ensure the plan that the British had made to stop the rebellion by isolating New England would succeed, when heading to New York. -
Siege of New York
General William Howe, and brother, Admiral Richard Howe, joined forces on Staten Island and sailed to New York harbor in the summer of 1776 wiht the largest British expeditionary force assembled - 32,000 men, including German mercenaries. -
New York Falls
Washington assembled an army of 23,000 men to New York's defense, but was clearly outnumbered. The battle for New York ended in late August with an American retreat, followed by a heavy loss. -
Siege of Trenton Begins...
Christmas evening, 1776, Washington had led a small arsenal of men, abrouptly 2,400, to cross the Delaware River. -
Battle of Trenton
About 8 o'clock the following morning, Washington and his mini militia walk 9 miles, torwards Trenton to ambush Hessian soldiers posted at there. Washington ended up taking over the fort and capturing about 900 men and 6 cannons... The flame was reignited! -
Time is Ticking
Washington is only left with 8,000 of his 23,000 men after the loss at New York, and the men's enlistment was due to end the 31st of December... He needed to spark a cause with the little flame of hope that was left in them to stop them from abandoning the army, and the war. -
Rumble Over Princeton
Eight days later after the victory at Trenton... Washington and his men defeat 1,200 British Redcoats stationed at Princeton. -
The Fight For Philly
As the battlefield begins to dry out in the spring of 1777, General Howe began his campaign to siege the American capital of Philadelhpia. He saild from New York to Chesapeake Bay in late August. Washington's troops unsuccessfully stopped the Redcoats from taking over, causing the Continental Congress to flee from Philly, and Howe to take over. -
Success at Saratoga
Massive amount of American troops suround Burgoyne at Saratoga, where he willingly surrendered his army to General Gates of the Continental Army. All 4,000 redcoats, 3,000 mercenaries, and 1,000 Mohawk Indians. This harsh loss also forced Britain to rethink their battle strategies and tactics. -
Valley Forge
A harsh and miserable experience for Washington and his Continental Army. Settled outside of Philadelphia at a camp, Valley Forge, for the winter of 1777 to 1778. They had scarce supplies and no shoes. The weather was worse than their spirit. -
Aiding the Cause
Since early 1776, the French had secretly been supplying the Patriots of the Continental Army. After the astounding victory at Saratoga, all proof was giving to the French that the colonies wanted this independence, and they wanted it bad. the treaty of cooperation was formed, declaring American and French alliances during the Revolutionary War. -
Minuteboys Become Minutemen
In February of 1778, Fredrich von Steuben, a Prussian captain, volunteers his services to General Washington at Valley Forge to train the soldiers to become more experienced and more prepaired on the battlefield. He taught them how to stand at attention, execute field manuevers, fire and reload quickly, and how to wield bayonets. This turn of events will cause the Continental Army to become a serious fighting force. -
British Become Sly
After the devistating defeat at Saratoga, the British had rethought their military strategy; they began s\to shift their operations to the South during the summer of 1778, where they hoped to gather Loyalist support, reclaim former colonies, and then slowly fight their way back north. -
Georgia Falls
With the British expedition to the South, Savannah, Georgia, was easily captured, -
Lafayette's Assistance
Marquis de Lafayette, a brave, idealistic French aristocrat offered his assistance to Washington at Valley Forge also, around the same time as Steuben. He joined Washington's staff and bore the misery at Valley Forge, lobbied for French reinforcements in France in 1779. He led a command in Virginia for the last few years of the war. -
Georgia is British Governed
A royal governer is once again commanded Georgia. -
Clinton and Cornwallis' Expedition
In 1780, General Henry Clinton, who replaced General Howe in New York, along with General Charles Cornwallis, sailed south with 8,500 men. -
British Begin a Slow Downfall
Washington ordered his most ablest general, Nathanael Greene, to march south and harass Cornwallis as he retreated back to South Carolina. Greene divided his troops into two groups, sending 600 soldiers under the command of General Daniel Morgan to South Carlonia. Aware of this, Cornwallis sends Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton to persue Morgan's soldiers in return. -
South Carolina - Home of the Redcoats
Cornwallis' army eventually exilesthe last of the American forces in South Carolina, allowing him to build forts across the state. However, when him and his forces attempted to advance into North Carlonia, Patriot bands coninuously harrassed the British forces, disruption Birtish communication lines, causing them to retreat back to South Carolina. -
The South Falls
In May of 1780, Cornwallis and Clinton have their biggest victory of the war, capturing Charles Town, South Carolina, sending 5,500 Americans off as prisoners of war. Clinton then left for New York, leaving Cornwallis to command the British in the South, and to then conquer the South and North Carolina. -
Cowpens
When the two forces finally met in January 1781 at Cowpens, South Carolina, Cornwallis expected the outnumbered Americans to flee; but the Continental Army fought back and surprisingly won, forcing the redcoats to surrender. -
A Victory, But At A Large Cost
Angered at the defeat in Cownpens, Cornwalls attacked Greene two months later at Guilford Court House in North Carolina. Even though Cornwallis may had won this battle, it cost him almost a fourth of his army. 93 were killed, over 400 injured, and 26 were missing. -
A Desire For Help
Although Greene had weakened the British forces in the South, he worried about the fight for the South. On April 3, 1781, Greene wrote a letter to Lafayette, asking for help. -
War Summons Finacial Issues
In 1781, Congress appointed a rich Philadelphian merchant, Robert Morris as superintendent of finance, with his associate, Haym Salomon. They were in charge of all finacial decisions, and ways to gather money for the salaries of the men serving in the Continental Army. -
It's All About The Timing...
In 1780, a French army of 6,000 had landed in Newport, Rhode Island, after the British had abandoned it to focus on the South. The French had stationed there a fleet and were operation another in the West Indies. When news of Cornwallis' plan reached Marquis de Lafayette, he suggested that the two armies, American and French, join forces with the two French fleets and attack the British at Yorktown. -
Payday
Finally after a few long months of effort, Morris and Salomon developed enough money for the soldier's salaries and were paid in gold coin. -
Victory at Yorktown
Following Lafayette's plan to intercept the British, American and French forces closed in on Cornwallis. A French naval force defeated a British fleet and then blocked the Chesapeake Bay to prevent British help from sea. Meanwhile about 17,000 men surounded the British at the Yorktown peninsula and bombarded them day and night for three weeks. On October 17, 1781, with an army outnumbered about two to one, and exhaustion from constant bombing, Cornwallis decided to surrender at Yorktown. -
Yorktown Is Colonial
On October 19th, 1781, Washington, the French generals, and their troops assembled to accept the British surrender. Colonel William Fontaine of the Virginia militia also stood with the American and French armies to witness the surrender of Yorktown from British officials. After General Charles O'Hara, who represented Cornwallis, handed over his sword, the British troops laid down their weapons. -
Peace At Last
There is talk of peace in Paris in 1782. Four representatives from each nation - the United States, Great Britain, France, and Spain - joined in negotiations with each looking out for its own self interests. Britiain had hoped to avoid giving America full independence. While France supported American independence, but feared of how its becoming to be a major in power. And Spain was only intereseted the land between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains. -
The Treaty of Paris
In September 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed by each delagate, confirming U.S. indepence and boundaries set for the nation. It stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from Canada to the Florida border. Britain made no attempt to protect the land interests of their Native American allies. All in all, most terms that were established were met to the fullest, until later when the state governments failed to honor a few.
