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The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The first battles of the American Revolutionary War were the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The British were heading to Concord to capture a collection of weapons the colonists had stockpiled, when Paul Revere, among other riders, saw the British and went to warn Concord and the minutemen. After beating the minutemen in Lexington, the British continued to Concord only to find the weapons had been moved. They were then attacked by colonists and fled the battle. This was the start of the war. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The fight occured on June 17th, when 2,200 British soldiers marched towards Breed's Hill which was fortified by 1,000 colonial soldiers. Because of a lack of amunition, American general, William Prescott told his men not to "shoot till you see the whites of their eyes". The British won but suffered many casualities. This battle showed that the unexperienced Americans had a chance to win and would fight until they had nothing left. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Revolutionary War had started a year before in April of 1775, so the Continental Congress was forced to group together in Philidelphia and talk about independence. The delagates choose five men to create a formal writing to explain their break from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence and the Congress joined back together on July first. They edited it until July fourth when they all agreed on and signed it. It was a first step toward independence. -
The Battle of Long Island
Washington's army controlled New York City. British General Howe planned to take over New York City so Washington sent half of his men to defend Brooklyn. Howe sent 88 ships to attack Brooklyn, surrounding the colonists without them knowing. 1,200 Americans died in the small battles it took to surround the Americans. Washington secretly escaped that night instead of surrendering, which would have ended the war. The British took over New York City for the rest of the war. -
The Battle of Trenton
Washington planned to get in a last battle before his army evaporated at the end of the year by attaking the German Hessian army in New Jersey. Washington and his army crossed the Deleware River on Christmas night. He launched a surprise attack on an unprepared army resulting in an American win. General Washington convinced his men to continue fighting through the New Year and won at Princeton a few days later. -
The Battle of Saratoga
Generals Burgoyne and Howe of the British Army planned to join in Albany, New York and cut off New England form the rest of the colonies. Burgoyne was outnumbered, and his reinforcements never came after 2 weeks so he had to surrender. His surrender was a turning point in the war because France decided to help the Americans fight against the British with the help of their powerful navy. -
The Winter in Valley Forge
After Washington convinced his men to stay the end of the year, they camped through the winter in Valley Forge. The conditions were very harsh. Most men did not have shoes. Their clothes were thin and useless. They did not have enough food or clean water. Then came Von Steuben who renewed hygiene in the camp and taught the men to fight. -
The Battle of Yorktown
Washington decided to surround British General Cornwallis's army, who were waiting in Yorktown for supplies, with the help of the French Navy. Cornwallis attempted to fight the French Navy for several days, but failed to make progress. Claiming to be sick, he sent his second in comand to surrender to General Rochambeau only to be directed to Washington. In turn, Washington sent his second in command to recieve Cornwallis's sword, formally ending the American Revolutionary War for independence.
