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Time-span of the American Revolution
The Revolution took place from 1775-1781. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
In Lexington Massachusetts, the first shot was fired which created the revolution war. On April 18, 1775, British General Thomas Gage sent 700 soldiers to take and destroy guns and ammunition that the colonists were keeping in Concord. Also, they planned to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock, which were the two main leaders of the patriot movement. -
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
The fort was held by the British after the French and Indian War. In May 1775, Ethan Allen and Captain Benedict Arnold of the Connecticut militia led the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont on a raid of Fort Ticonderoga. The green boys captured the fort without a shot being fired. -
Second Continental Congress meets
Congress men met in the state of PA, in Philadelphia. This all started with the battle of Lexington and Concord to discuss their next steps. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
After George Washington was elected Commander in Chief, and after the battle of Lexington and Concord, and the Militia Patriots controlled bunker hill near Boston. Later they heard that the British were going to attack. Patriots set up fortifications on Breed’s hill but later had to retreat because the British army was stronger. The British gained control of Breed's Hill. -
Washington Named Commander in Chief
Washington was unanimously named Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.
He led them to significant victories such as the capture of Boston along with major defeats including the loss of New York City. After the winter at Valley Forge (1777), the French recognized American Independence. -
Battle of Quebec
General Richard Montgomery led a group of patriots in an attack on Canada. He hoped to force the British to defend Canada. In December, Benedict Arnold and his militia joined Montgomery for an attack on Quebec. The British army was too strong and the Americans were forced to retreat back to Canada. General Montgomery was killed in the battle, and Benedict Arnold was wounded. -
Brtish Withdraw From Boston
After the Battle of Bunker Hill the British remained in Boston, surrounded by an ever growing number of Continental soldiers. The Continental Congress appointed George Washington to command A. forces around Boston. The Americans occupied Dorchester Heights from where their guns could hit any British ship in the harbor. The British were forced to withdraw from Boston. -
Declaration of Independence issued
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North America sought independence in July of 1776. -
Battle of Long Island
British noticed that New York was a center for communication. Washington marched his troops from Boston to New York. The British attacked, forcing Washington to cross the East River into Manhattan. Washington left 3,000 men to defend Fort Washington, and then headed north. -
Battle of Trenton/ Crossing the Delaware
General George Washington led the main Continental Army across the river to surprise and virtually eliminate the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey -
Battle of Brandywine
Battle in the American Revolution. British Gen. William Howe attempted to remove Pennsylvania from the war by engaging troops under Gen. George Washington on Brandywine Creek, 25 mi from the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia. In the end, the British troops occupied the battlefield but failed to destroy Washington's army or cut it off from Philadelphia. -
British Occupy Philadelphia
In late July 1777, the British decided to invade and occupy Philadelphia. To that end, close to 16,500 troops boarded more than 250 ships and left New York City in route to a sea-born invasion of the rebel capital. The force was led by Admiral Lord Richard Howe, commander of the British navies in American waters, and his brother, General Sir William Howe, commander of the invading ground forces. -
Articles of Confederation issued
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States and specified how the Federal government was to operate, including adoption of an official name for the new nation, United States of America. The Articles were created by the representatives of the states in the Second Continental Congress out of a perceived need to have "a plan of confederacy for securing the freedom, sovereignty, and independence of the United States." It was capable of making war, negotiating diplo -
Encampment at Valley Forge
Early into the six-month encampment, there was hunger, disease, and despair. Raw weather stung and numbed the soldiers. Empty stomachs were common. The future promised only more desperation and starvation. Some couldn't take the cold, hunger, and uncertainty any longer. Though construction of more than a thousand huts provided shelter, it did little to offset the critical shortages that continually plagued the army. So severe were conditions at times that Washington despaired "that unless some g -
Battle of Monmouth Courthouse
Departing Valley Forge in June 1778, General George Washington moved his army across the Delaware River with goal of attacking General Sir Henry Clinton as his troops marched from Philadelphia to New York. On June 28, Washington dispatched General Charles Lee with 5,000 men to assault the British rear guard near Monmouth Court House, NJ. Lee mismanaged the fight and was forced to retreat with the British in pursuit. As Lee feel back, Washington advanced with the main army and rallied the troops. -
Fall of Savannah
Savannah was considered to be a key port by the British. In November, 1778 Henry Clinton sent 3500 regulars and Tories against Savannah. This port was to be a base where the British would have access to the southern American colonies as well as the West Indies. Savannah was defended by about, a thousand militia from Georgia and neighboring South Carolina. -
Seige of Charleston, SC
The Siege of Charleston was one of the major battles which took place towards the end of the American Revolutionary War, after the British began to shift their strategic focus towards the American Southern Colonies. After about six weeks of siege, Continental Army Major General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered forces numbering about 5,000 to the British. It was the biggest loss of troops suffered by the Continental Army in the war. -
French and British Battle in Chesapeake Bay
The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American War of Independence that took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, The major consequence of Cornwallis's surrender was the beginning of negotiations that eventually resulted in peace and British recognition of the independent United States of America -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown, although it did not end the war, was the last major battle of the war. Greene used hit-and-run tactics to inflict damage on the British. General Nathanael Greene replaced General Gates in October 1780. Rather than an all-out attack on Cornwallis, This guerilla warfare managed to drive the British towards the coast and back into Yorktown. -
Cornwallis Surrenders
French ships were blocking the bay, so that Cornwallis and the British there couldn't get supplies. Also the British couldn't escape from the bay.
And, Washington and his army where coming from land. So Cornwallis couldn't escape from any direction. Cornwallis was outnumbered as well, 19,300 soldiers (10,800 French 8,500 Americans) 24 French wars ships, and 375 guns to 7,500 British soldiers and 240 guns
