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American Revolution Battles
American Revolution Battles -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
On the night of April 18, 1775, British troops began to march towards the town of Concord to seize a colonists arms cache. Paul Revere and other riders rode ahead of these troops and warned the colonists of the British plan. On April 19, patriots ambushed the British at the town of Lexington but were forced to retreat to Concord where the arms had been moved and more patriots waited. The British were forced to retreat and on the way patriots, using gorilla warfare tactics continued attacking. -
The Siege of Fort Ticonderoga
In the morning of March 10, 1775, Benedict Arnold teamed up with Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain boys. They surprised the sleeping British troops and while the conflict itself wasn't that big it was the first American victory and gave the continental army artillery for future battles. -
The Battle of Chelsea Creek
The Battle of Chelsea Creek was 2 raids on the islands of Noddle and Hogg. The British in Boston still had access to supplies so on March 27, 1775, General Artemis Ward launched an attack to capture the supplies the British were using. After the first raid the British were in trouble when their armored schooner ran ashore, then the second raid lead by Israel Putnam secured the supplies. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
On June 16, 1775, in Charlestown Massachusetts more than 1000 militia men fortified the hills surrounding Boston. Most of the fighting took place on the nearby Breeds Hill. Under the command of William Prescott they successfully fended off 2 British attacks before being pushed off the hill dew to lack of ammunition. While considered to be a British victory they suffered many more casualties than the colonists. Over 1000 British soldiers died to the colonists loss of roughly 200. -
The Battle of Quebec
On December 31 in Quebec City Colonel Benedict Arnold and General Richard Montgomery attempted the capture of the British occupied city of Quebec. They were forced to attack before the end of the year because of the troop enlistment period so under the cover of snowfall they attacked. However the British were ready for them with strong fortifications, Montgomery was killed in the first attack and after a short fight they were forced the retreat. This was the first major defeat for the Americans. -
The Battle of Long Island
General George Washington positioned 10,000 men in fortifications on Long Island expecting an attack from General William Howe to capture New York. On August 27, 1776 British troops were able to get behind the Americans on a road north of the fortifications and they attacked from the left and the rear while Germans attacked the front. The Americans were forced to retreat suffering many losses, Washington could have lost most of his force and the war could have been lost. -
The Battle of White Plains
After the loss on Long Island Washington had marched his force back to the supply base in White Plains, New York. General Howe backed by Hessian reinforcements prepared an attack on the base. Howe march between 10,000- 15,000 troops toward the base but was met with a small group of skirmishers who eventually fell back to the main line. After the British had reformed they attacked the line at Chatterton Hill that exposed the American right flank. Forcing Washington to retreat to North Castle. -
The Battle of Fort Washington
Not wanted to surrender Manhattan completely Washington left a force of around 3000 men under the command of Nathaniel Greene to occupy Fort Washington. They had wrought havoc on British ships attempting to sail up the Hudson, but General Howe saw that it was all alone and planned an attack on the fort. Howe marched 8000 troops to the fort, the Americans were able to repel 2 attacks before the outer defenses were breached and Greene was forced to surrender 2800 troops and the Fort. -
The Battle of Trenton
Washington knew without a victory the army would begin falling apart so he planned an attack on Trenton, New Jersey. On Christmas Washington crossed the Delaware River and marched his 2400 men 19 miles to Trenton. The Hessian force occupying Trenton were completely caught off guard and unprepared fro an attack and after a short battle they surrendered Trenton. The Americans suffered 2 casualties from the cold and 5 were wounded but they captured 918 Hessian soldiers. -
The Battle of Princeton
Concerned by Washington's victory at Trenton General Cornwallis marched 8000 troops to take it back. Cornwallis knew Washington would attempt to escape and guarded the Delaware River thinking that he would just reverse the route he used in his attack. However Washington marched north sneaking around British camps. At around dawn Washington met a British rear guard that he outnumber 5 to 1 at Princeton, New Jersey. In the ensuing battle 275 British troops were killed and Howe left New Jersey. -
The Battle of Oriskany
800 American troops under the command of General Herkimer marched to Fort Stanwix to help relieve the siege. St. Johnson got wind of this and planned an ambush with 100 Loyalists and 400 Mohawk Indians. As Herkimer marched through a ravine into the ambush some Mohawks fired prematurely allowing some of Herkimer's forces to get away. He lost almost half of his force and his life while the British lost only 7 with 21 wounded. -
The Battle of Bennington
John Burgoyne's army march south from Canada as a plan to cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. His supplies were stretched thin so he moved some of his troops to gather supplies from the town of Bennington Vermont. American General John Stark learned of this and rallied his troops to defend. Burgoyne's army fortified a hill just outside Bennington, when Gen. Stark attacked his army of over a 1000 were able to break through their defenses and beat part of Burgoyne's army. -
The Battle of Brandywine
Washington was determined to hold Philadelphia and created a line alone the Brandywine River. Under the cover of fog General Howe's army of 15,500 troops split some attacking head on at Chadds Ford while the bulk of his forces moved around Washington's right flank. His lines broke and was forced to retreat, to stop the defeat to turn into a disaster he ordered General Greene to act as a rear guard, the British took Philadelphia but most of the continental army survived. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The British planned a 3- pronged attack on the New York city of Albany. General Burgoyne coming down from Canada came face to face with American General Gates who commanded an army of 8,500 to his 7,500. Burgoyne sent Colonel Daniel Morgan to attack near Freeman Farm, after a rough day of fighting with the field changing hands multiple times the British took the field but their momentum had been stopped. In the counter attack the British took heavy causalities and Burgoyne had to surrender. -
The Battle of Germantown
After the capture of Pennsylvania Gen. Howe order 9000 troops to occupy Germantown, Pennsylvania. Washington, commanding 8000 troops, saw an opportunity and attacked, but was foiled by miscommunication and forced to retreat. Although the attack was a loss the battle impressed the French. -
The Battle of Saratoga
The British had fallen back to 2 different redoubts the stronger Balcarres Redoubt and the weaker Breymann Redoubt. The American army under the command of Benedict Arnold took Breymann Redoubt which gave them a position behind the British lines and forced them to retreat from Balcarres Redoubt. -
The Battle of Monmouth
Washington attack the rear guard of General Clinton's army. General Lee had no confidence in his men and almost caused a complete loss for the Americans. Washington removed him from command and rallied the troops forcing the British to retreat. -
The Capture of Savannah
Thinking they would receive more support in the south the British decided to attack Savannah Georgia. After capturing the city the Americans were determined to recapture it. However after a short battle they were unable to recapture the city. -
The Siege of Charleston
Lincoln's men had been surrounded in the town of Charlestown, South Carolina. Under the bombardment of the British Lincoln offered to surrender the city if his men could leave unharmed but he was refused. The Americans were forced to surrender after heavy bombardment and over 5000 men were captured. -
The Battle of Camden
General Gates marched his army of 5000 men into the south with the intent of liberating it from the British. When he got to Camden however, many of his men were in too bad of a condition to fight with only about 3000 men battle ready. When they were attack the new recruits instantly fled and the experience troops were cornered and either killed or captured. -
The Battle of King's Mountain
The "Over Mountain Men" attacked Ferguson in North Carolina. They had been occupying Kings Mountain so when Ferguson positioned his men near there on a hill they surrounded them. The loyalists quickly surrendered after Ferguson was fatally wounded. -
The Battle of Cowpens
Commander Morgan positioned his troops Broad and Pacolet Rivers to ensure that they would meet the British head on. The Americans were slightly outnumbered but the British took heavy causalities during their initial assault. The Americans were able to win with a small amount of casualties. -
The Battle of Guilford Courthouse
General Charles Cornwallis had a tactical victory at Guilford Courthouse over American forces under General Nathaniel Greene, the British suffered heavy troop losses during the battle. Afterward, Cornwallis abandoned his campaign for the Carolina's and instead took his army into Virginia. -
The Battle of Eutaw Springs
2200 American and 2000 British troops met head to head at Eutaw Springs. They had been fighting for the Carolina's for a while with both sides having harsh causalities. The battle resulted in a British victory but Greene's force remained strong. -
The Battle of Yorktown
General Washington and 17000 Continental and French troops cornered General Cornwallis and 9000 British troops. The battle saw the British finally surrender and end the war.
