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Battle of Lexington and Concord
1st official battle of the war, know as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World." British victory at Lexington and Patriot victory at Concord. -
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American Revolutionary War
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Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
Benedict Arnold, Ethan Allen, and the Green Mountain Boys take the fort and needed supplies. The fort will later be recaptured by British. -
Second Continental Congress meets
The Second Continental Congress was called into session as the British stormed Boston in an attempt to arrest the patriots that publicly voiced their grievances against the crown. With the bloody fights at Concord and Lexington fresh in their minds, the delegates of twelve of the thirteen Colonies came together in Philadelphia to draw up a statement of positions in regards to the actions of the British Parliament. Georgia did not send a delegate until later. -
George Washington appointed commander-in-chief
On this day in 1775, George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.
John Hancock had expected to be nominated but was disappointed when his fellow Massachusetts delegate, John Adams, suggested George Washington instead as commander. -
Bunker Hill
The British defeated the Americans at the Battle of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts. Despite their loss, the inexperienced colonial forces inflicted significant casualties against the enemy, and the battle provided them with an important confidence boost. Although referred to as the Battle of Bunker Hill, most of the fighting occurred near Breed’s Hill. -
British evacuate Boston
British forces evacuated Boston following General Washington's fortifications on Dorchester Heights. On March 4, American General John Thomas secretly led 800 soldiers and 1,200 workers to Dorchester Heights and began fortifying the area. British General Howe hoped to use British ships to destroy the American position, but a storm set in, giving the Americans time to complete the fortifications. Realizing their position, 11,000 British troops and 1,000 Loyalists departed Boston March 17. -
Declaration of Independence issued
When conflict first began, the Americans were fighting only for their rights as subjects of the British crown.By the following summer, the movement for independence from Britain had grown. A five-man committee including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin was tasked with drafting a formal statement of the colonies' intentions. The Congress finally adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, a date now celebrated as the birth of American independence. -
Battle of Long Island
The 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. -
British occupy New york
In June 1776, when General William Howe arrived off Sandy Hook, General Washington had 19,000 troops in New York, but many were inexpirienced. Admiral Richard Howe arrived July 12, with 150 more ships. On August 12, General Henry Clinton returned from a failed Charleston Expedition. Howe began operations Agust 12, 1776. On September 15, 1776, Howe landed at Kip's Bay and entered New York. In November, he would pursue Washington out of New York and across New Jersey. -
Battle of Brandywine
Generals Howe and Cornwallis launched an attack on General Washington at Brandywine Creek. Howe and Cornwallis split their 18,000 troops into two separate divisions. Howe lead an attack from the front and Cornwallis attacked from the right. Fog provided the British troops with a cover, so Washington was caught off guard by the British attacks. The one-day battle at Brandywine cost the Americans more than 1,100 men killed or captured while the British lost approximately 600 men. -
British occupy Philadelphia
British General William Howe, after unsuccessfully attempting to draw Continental Army General George Washington into a battle in New Jersey advanced to Philadelphia. Washington prepared defenses against Howe's movements at Brandywine, but was beaten in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777. Howe was able to enter and occupy Philadelphia. Although he successfully captured the American capital of Philadelphia, he proceeded slowly and resigned during the occupation of Philadelphia. -
Battle of Saratoga
The two battles of Saratoga were a turning point in the American Revolution. On September 19, British General John Burgoyne achieved a small, but costly victory over American forces led by Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold. Burgoyne again attacked the Americans at Bemis Heights on October 7, but was defeated and forced to retreat. He surrendered ten days later, and the American victory convinced the French government to formally recognize the colonist's cause and enter the war as their ally. -
Articles of Confederation adopted
The articles were written to give the colonies a sense of a unified government. Once the thirteen colonies became thirteen states, each one began to act alone in its own best interest. The Articles of Confederation became effective on March 1, 1781. The Articles made the states and legislature supreme, there was no executive branch. The resulting government was weak. A convention called in May 1787 to re-write the Articles decided to draft an entirely new Constitution. -
Winter at Valley Forge
Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 during the American Revolutionary War. It is approximately 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Starvation, disease, and exposure killed nearly 2,500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778. -
Alliance with France
In the American Revolutionary War, France fought alongside the United States, against Britain. French money, munitions, soldiers and naval forces proved essential to America's victory over the Crown, but France gained little except large debts. Benjamin Franklin served as the American ambassador to France from 1776 to 1783. -
Battle of Montmouth Courthouse
The Battle of Monmouth was a battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court House. It is known as the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse. -
Fall of Savannah
The Capture of Savannah, or the First Battle of Savannah (because of a siege in 1779), was an American Revolutionary War battle fought between local American Patriot militia and Continental Army units holding the city and a British invasion force under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell. It was the opening move in the British strategy to regain control of the rebellious southern provinces by appealing to the strong Loyalist sentiment believed to be there. -
Spain enters the War
Spain supported the Thirteen Colonies throughout the American Revolutionary War, beginning in 1776 by funding Roderigue Hortalez and Company, a trading company that provids military supplies, through financing the final Siege of Yorktown in 1781. Spain was allied with France through the Bourbon Family Compact, and also viewed the Revolution as an opportunity to weaken the British Empire, which had caused Spain substantial losses during the Seven Years' War. -
Siege of Charleston
The Battle 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. -
Benedict Arnold's treason discovered
American General Benedict Arnold met with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British, for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, on September 21 of that year, met with Andre and made a pact. The conspiracy was uncovered and Andre was executed. Arnold, fled and lead British troops in Virginia and Connecticut. He later moved to England, though he never received all of what he'd been promised. -
French and British battle in Chesapeake Bay
The Battle of the Chesapeake, was a crucial naval battle in the American War of Independence that took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, between a British fleet led by Admiral Sir Thomas Graves and a French fleet led by Admiral Francois Joseph Paul. The battle was tactically inconclusive but strategically a major defeat for the British, since it prevented the Royal Navy from reinforcing or evacuating the blockaded forces of Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. -
Cornwallis surrenders
British General Charles Cornwallis formally surrendered 8,000 British soldiers and seamen to a French and American force at Yorktown, Virginia, bringing the American Revolution to a close. -
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, was a decisive victory by a combined force of the American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by British Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis. The siege proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War, as the surrender by Cornwallis, and the capture of both him and his army, prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict.
