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Battles of Lexington and Concord
Commanding officers for Redcoats:
- Lieutenant General Hugh Percy
- Major John Pitcairn
- Major General Francis Smith Commanding officers for Colonists:
- Colonel James Barrett
- Colonel John Buttrick
- Doctor Joseph Warren
- John Parker
- William Heath Importance:
The battles of Lexington and Concord began the war. Tension had been building up for many years prior to the battles. -
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
Commanding officers of Redcoats:
- William Delaplace Commanding officers of Colonists:
- Ethan Allen
- Benedict Arnold Importance:
The fort provided heavy artillery that the colonists needed to bombard General Gage out of Boston -
Battle of Bunker Hill
Commanding officers for the Redcoats:
- William Howe
- Thomas Gage
- Sir Robert Pigot
- James Abercrombie Commanding officers for the Colonists:
- William Prescott
- Israel Putnam
- Joseph Warren
- John Stark Importance:
Colonists severely damaged the forces of the Redcoats, and the battle served as a confidence boost to them -
Battle of Trenton/Princeton
Commanding officers for redcoats:
- Johann Rall Commanding officers for colonists:
- George Washington
- Nathanael Greene Importance:
- Huge morale boost for colonists in the cold winter -
Battle of Saratoga
Commanding officers for redcoats:
- John Burgoyne
- Simon Fraser
- Baron Riedesel Commanding officers for colonists:
- Horatio Gates
- Benedict Arnold
- Benjamin Lincoln
- Enoch Poor
- Ebenezer Lerned
- Daniel Morgan
- James Livingston Importance:
- Major turning point in the war, in favor of the colonists. The British respected them after this battle -
Siege of Charleston
Commanding officers for redcoats:
- Henry Clinton
- Lord Cornwallis
- Alexander Leslie
- Mariot Arbuthnot Commanding officers for colonists:
- Benjamin Lincoln
- William Moultrie
- James Hogun
- William Woodford
- Charles Cotesworth Pinckney
- Abraham Whipple
- Louis Duportail Importance:
- Huge blow to Americans, as it was the largest surrender of arms in war -
Battle of King’s Mountain
Commanding officers for redcoats:
- Patrick Ferguson
- Abraham DePeyster Commanding officers for colonists:
- William Campbell
- James Johnston
- John Sevier
- Frederick Hambright
- Joseph McDowell
- Benjamin Cleveland
- James Williams
- Isaac Shelby
- Joseph Winston
- William Chronicle Importance:
- First major colonist victory post-Charleston. Major morale boost, momentum swing. -
Siege of Yorktown
Commanding officers for redcoats:
- Lord Cornwallis
- Charles O'Hara
- Banastre Tarleton
- Robert Abercromby
- Thomas Dundas
- Thomas Symonds
- Matthew Fuchs
- August Voight Commanding officers for colonists:
- George Washington
- Benjamin Lincoln
- Henry Knox
- Alexander Hamilton
- Marquis de Lafayette
- Baron von Steuben
- Thomas Nelson
- Moses Hazen
- Comte de Rochambeau
- Comte d'Aboville Importance:
- This battle ended the war. The British signed the treaty of Paris shortly after