Battles Timeline 1775-1783
Timeline from left to right.
The first battle that started the Revolution was the Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775. The Battle of Lexington was fought at Lexington. The Battle was fought against the Americans and Great Britain. The British troops heard that the colonists were harboring guns. Loyalists said the Partriots were harboring guns at Concord. The British troops had to march thought Lexington to get to Concord. Paul Revere, a local silversmith, rode on his horse through the night to warn the Patriots.The Patriots went to the area were they had their guns and grabbed a gun. They all went to Lexington, waiting for the British troops to arrive.
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The Battle of Concord, April 19, 1775, was an American Victory. This battle was right after the Battle of Lexington. Thomas Gage received instructions to take the rebels weapons away and capture the Patriot leaders. At this battle, the militia outnumbered the British 2:1.
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Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold relized that Fort Ticonderoga would be an easy target. Early in the morning, the rebels launched an ambush. They demanded the sleeping British troops to surrender. They surrendered without a fight. No one got hurt or killed.
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Isreal Putnum led about few hundred men up the two hills. The rebels built a crude fort at the top of Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill. This was a smart way to fight becuase the rebels would have an advantage of being so high up. Putnam ordered the men, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." Once the British neared the top of the hill, the rebels began to fire. The rebels didn't have enough gunpowder to continue so they had to retreat, making this a British Victory.
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The British army and their fleet launched an attach on Charleston. They tried to take Fort Moultrie. The Americans were firing from the sandycoast of the island. Suddenly, the water deepened. The British had to retreat or they would drown.
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Washington and his troops walked through the freezing cold and ice to attak the Hessians. When the Hessians were resting, Washington ambushed them. The Hessians that tried to escape were killed or captured. This was an easy defeat of the Hessian Army.
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Washington was able to attack the British at nighttime and exited before Cornwallis could come and attack. British lost control of New Jersey and they retreated to New York. Since the Americans also won the Battle of Trenton, They had more faith that they could win the war.
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The Battle of Saratoga, October 17, 1777, Was the turning point in the American Revolution. The Battle of Saratoga was fought south of the town Saratoga. Burgoyne and his troops trekked through tangled forestry. This was tough for them. They carried about 30 wagons and had their troops and servants. They could only walk through the forest for a mile each day. If he carried on like this, Burgoyne wouldn't reach his destination fast enough. The Americans forced Burgoyne's troops into the town of Saratoga.
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The American troops were able to catch Howe by surprise. They formed fourcoulumns of troops. The Americans started to advance on the British and all seemed well. When one coulumn was lost, the other coulumns began to function not as well. The Americans were able to inflict some damage before they were forced to retreat to Valley Forge.
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At this time, Sir Henry Clinton replaced General How as the Commander of the British Forces. George Washington followed the British troops as they were retreating to Monmouth, New Jersey. Washington launched an attack on them. The battle was a tie, but the Americans took the land.
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The Battle of Yorktown, September 28, 1781, was fought in Virignia. General George Washington had about 17,000 French and Continental troops. This battle was against Cornwallis who had an army of about 9,000 troops. Cornwallis stopped in Yorktown and George Washington decided to trap him. Washington order Marquis de Lafayette and an army of about 5,000 troops to blockade any escape routes on land. A French naval fleet blockaded any escape routes on water. They also blocked any help that was coming for Corwallis. Washington had him encirled with troops and the only thing that Cornwallis could do, is to surrender. After three weeks of firing cannons and guns, Cornwallis finally surrendered. This battle was the ending point of the American Revolution. There was a surrendering ceremony at Yorktown. Many colonists came to watch the British surrender. The Brtish had to walk down a pathway made by Washington's army. This spread humiliation through the British. Cornwallis didn't attend. He faked sickness so he wouldn't have to humiliate himself infront of the Americans.
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