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Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. British troops are sent to confiscate colonial weapons, they run into an untrained and angry militia. This ragtag army defeats 700 British soldiers and the surprise victory bolsters their confidence for the war ahead. -
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Fort Ticonderoga
a small force of Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold overcame a small British garrison at the fort and looted the personal belongings of the garrison. It impeded communication between northern and southern units of the British Army, and gave the nascent Continental Army a staging ground for the invasion of Quebec later in 1775 -
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Bunker (Breed's) Hill
It was the original objective of both the colonial and British troops, though the majority of combat took place on the adjacent Breed's Hill. The battle was a tactical victory for the British, but it proved to be a sobering experience for them, involving many more casualties than the Americans had incurred, including a large number of officers. The battle had demonstrated that inexperienced militia were able to stand up to regular army troops in battle. -
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Trenton/Princeton (NJ Campaign)
Washington’s men marched to Morristown, in northern New Jersey, where they established winter quarters, safe from British incursions. The Continental Army basked in its achievements—at Princeton they had defeated a regular British army in the field. Moreover, Washington had shown that he could unite soldiers from all the colonies into an effective national force. -
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Saratoga (Bemis heights, the second battle)
Burgoyne's failed campaign, as may be seen by the titles of some of the books that cover it in detail, marked a major turning point in the war. After the battle, he withdrew his men 10–15 miles north, near present day Schuylerville, New York. General Burgoyne returned to England and was never given another commanding position in the British Army. -
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Siege of Charleston
Americans suffer their worst defeat of the revolution on this day in 1780, with the unconditional surrender of Major General Benjamin Lincoln to British Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton and his army of 10,000 at Charleston, South Carolina. -
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King's Mountain
Both victors and captives came near to starvation on the march due to a lack of supplies in the hastily organized Patriot army. the surprising, decisive victory at Kings Mountain was a great boost to Patriot morale. The Tories of the Carolina back country were broken as a military force. -
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Yorktown
It was a Decisive American and French victory, and it was also the End of major land operations in North America. This marked the beginning of peace negotiations.