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American Revolution Battles
American Revolution Battles -
The Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on in the towns of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The night of April 18, 1775, hundreds of British troops came to Concord in order to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the Redcoats. The town of Lexington was used as a distraction to the redcoats, to let the people in Concord get away. -
The Siege of Fort Ticonderoga
The Siege of Fort Ticonderoga was fought in Fort Ticonderoga, New York. Benedict Arnold of Massachusetts (American Military officer) joined the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont in planning to attack the fort, surprising and capturing the sleeping British garrison. The Battle of Fort Ticonderoga was an American victory of the Revolutionary War and would give the Continental Army much-needed artillery to be used in future battles. -
The Battle of Chelsea Creek
The Battle of Chelsea Creek happened in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. It ended in victory for the American's, it was also the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Chelsea Creek is also known as the Battle of Noddle's Island and the Battle of Hog Island. The battle started when American militiamen, led by Colonel John Stark, raided Chelsea, on the northern shore of Boston Harbor, for livestock and any other supplies and to burn hay the British needed to feed their animals. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on Breeds Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts. This battle was commonly referred to as the Battle of Bunker Hill, even though it was fought on nearby Breed’s Hill. During this battle, the British defeated the Americans. Despite the Americans loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them with an important confidence boost. -
The Battle of Quebec
The Battle of Quebec was fought in Quebec City in the Providence of Quebec. Patriot forces under Colonel Benedict Arnold and General Richard Montgomery attempted to capture the British-occupied city of Quebec and with it win support for the American cause in Canada. The attack failed, and the effort cost Montgomery his life. The Battle of Quebec was the first major defeat of the Revolutionary War for the Americans. -
The Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island was fought in (Brooklyn Heights) Long Island, New York. During this battle, British Army successfully moved against the American Continental Army led by George Washington. The battle was part of a British campaign to seize control of New York and thereby isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. Washington’s defeat could have led to the surrender of his entire force, but his ingenuity instead allowed him to escape and continue the fight. -
The Battle of White Plains
The Battle of White Plains was fought in White Plains, New York. During this battle, the British and American forces met in battle at the village of White Plains under General Howe and General George Washington. The British and the Hessians were against the Americans. The Americans were camped north of the village of White Plains with hills at their rear if a retreat became necessary. The British were successful in forcing an American retreat from White Plain village. -
The Battle of Fort Washington
The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York. During the Battle of Fort Washington was a military conflict between Great Britain and the Americans. The Battle of Fort Washington ended in victory for the British. The American forces suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of British General Howe with over 3000 casualties and the loss of cannons and thousands of military supplies and were forced to retreat toward the Delaware River. -
The Battle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was fought in Trenton, New Jersey. In the Battle of Trenton, Washington defeated a formidable garrison of Hessian mercenaries before withdrawing. The Hessian forces at Trenton were under the leadership of Colonel Johann Rall. Although Rall had received warnings of colonial movements, his men were exhausted and unprepared for Washington’s attack—though rumors that they were drunk from Christmas celebrations are unfounded. -
The Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was fought in Princeton, New Jersy. During the battle, Washington sent a small force under General Hugh Mercer to destroy a bridge. Mercer’s men encountered Redcoats under Lt. Col. Charles Mawhood and Mercer was killed in the fighting. Arriving militiamen under Col. Cadwalader had little effect. Then Washington arrived, riding between the firing lines until his terrified horse refused to go on. The Americans rallied and broke through Mercer’s lines. -
The Battle of Oriskany
The Battle of Oriskany was fought Oriskany, New York. During this battle,The British, under the overall command of General John Burgoyne, planned to move south from Quebec and capture Fort Ticonderoga and Albany. British General William Howe was to march north from New York and rendezvous with Burgoyne at Albany, effectively severing New England from the rest of the colonies. -
The Battle of Bennington
The Battle of Bennington was fought in Bennington, New York. During this battle, Gen. John Burgoyne’s army moved south from Canada as part of the overall British strategy to divide New England from the rest of the rebellious American colonies. The British commander’s army was slowed by poor roads as well as trees and other obstacles strewn along the route by the Americans. Burgoyne’s supply line was stretched thin, forcing the general to explore opportunities to replenish his forces. -
The Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine was fought near Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. During this battle, Howe and Cornwallis spilt their British troops into two separate divisions, with Howe leading an attack from the front and Cornwallis circling around and attacking from the right flank. The British troops with cover from a dense fog, so Washington was unaware the British had split into two divisions and was caught off guard by the oncoming British attack. -
The Battle of Saratoga (Freeman's Farm)
The Battle of Saratoga was fought on Freeman's Farm in Saratoga County, New York. During this battle, The British were dependent on the river to transport supplies, but with Lincoln behind and patriot fortifications and cannons ahead. There, at the farm of one John Freeman, they ran into American troops under the control of General Horatio Gates. This battle was a victory for the British, despite being held to a standstill and being picked off by American sharpshooters. -
The Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown was fought in Germantown, Pennsylvania. During this battle, Washington launched a surprise attack on the poorly defended British camp, but his army failed to pull off his complex battle plan. The British drove away from the Americans, inflicting twice as many casualties as they suffered. However, despite the losses, many of his soldiers had performed well and showed that Washington’s once-unskilled army was becoming the well-trained force that could win. -
The Battle of Saratoga (Bemis Heights)
The Battle of Saratoga was fought at Bemis Heights in Saratoga County, New York. During this battle, Scouts brought news of the British approach to Gates, who dispatched a brigade of soldiers to attack the British left. The forces met at Bemis Heights, a densely wooded plateau south of Saratoga. Arnold played a major role in the attack, charging to the front and leading the American forces in battle. They drove the British forces back to their camp, again inflicting heavy losses. -
The Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was fought in Monmouth, New Jersey. During this battle, Washington had sent Lee with a small force ahead of the main body of the Continental Army to harass the British army under General Sir Henry Clinton. Lee was ordered to engage the redcoats until Washington could bring the rest of the army from Valley Forge where they had spent the past winter and spring. But after many hours of fighting, and with the main army nowhere in sight, Lee retreated from the battlefield. -
The Capture of Savannah
The Capture of Savannah took place in Savannah, Georgia. During this, the American Major General Robert Howe and his force of men were severely outnumbered. Campbell also outflanked the Continental forces by locating a path through the swamp to the right of the American position. Howe ordered the city to be evacuated and the army to withdraw from combat. During the process, the Georgia Brigade took heavy losses when it was cut off from Howe’s other forces. -
The Siege of Charleston
The Siege of Charleston was fought in Charleston, South Carolina. Americans suffer their worst defeat of the revolution on this day, with the unconditional surrender of Major General Benjamin Lincoln to British Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton and his army at Charleston, South Carolina. With the victory, the British captured more than 3,000 Patriots and a great number of munitions and equipment, losing only 250 killed and wounded in the process. -
The Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was fought North of Camden, South Carolina. This battle was, was a lopsided victory for the British during the American Revolutionary War. Despite the proliferation of dysentery among his men, Continental General Horatio Gates chose to engage British General Charles Cornwallis’s force. The illness depleted the Patriot advantage in troop numbers, and the British pressed forward aggressively as the sole side in possession of bayonets. -
The Battle of King's Mountain
The Battle of King's Mountain was fought near Blackburn, SC and King's Mountain, NC. During this battle, One thousand American frontiersmen under Colonel Campbell of Virginia gathered in the backcountry to resist Ferguson’s advance. Pursued by the Patriots, Ferguson positioned his Tory force in defense of a rocky, treeless ridge named King’s Mountain. The Patriots charged the hillside multiple times, demonstrating lethal marksmanship against the surrounded Loyalists. -
The Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens was fought in Cowpens, South Carolina. During this battle, Tarleton’s men attacked, Morgan instructed the militia to skirmish with them but to leave the front line after firing two rounds. The British mistook the repositioning of the Americans as a rout and ran into an unexpected volley of concentrated rifle fire coupled with a cavalry charge and followed by the return of the militia. Tarleton escaped, but Morgan’s troops decimated his army. -
The Battle of Guilford Courthouse
The Battle of Guilford Courthouse was fought in Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina. The battle raged for around two hours before Greene ordered his troops to retreat, giving the British a tactical victory but enabling Greene’s army to remain mostly intact. More than 25 percent of Cornwallis’s men were killed, wounded or captured during the battle. -
The Battle of Eutaw Springs
The Battle of Eutaw Springs was fought near present-day Eutawville, South Carolina. Greene commanded men against the British soldiers commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Stewart. Unbeknownst to most of the Patriots, however, British Major John Majoribanks had managed to secure his unit in a stone house, impervious to Patriot Lieutenant Colonel William Washington’s cavalry attack. When Patriot soldiers took over the British camp and began to devour the abandoned breakfast. -
The Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown was fought in Yorktown, Virginia. During this battle, Washington had completely encircled Cornwallis and Yorktown with the combined forces of Continental and French troops. After three weeks of non-stop bombardment, both day and night, from cannon and artillery, Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in the field at Yorktown on October 17, 1781, effectively ending the War for Independence.
