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Our French Allies
The French secretly sent weapons to the Patriots since early 1776 while the British were still weakened by the French and Indian War. -
Transformation
Friedrich von Steuben, a Prussian captain and talented drillmaster, began to train American troops the art of war. -
War to the Middle States
The British had retreated from Boston, moving the war to the Middle states. The British wanted to stop the rebellion by isolating New England. The British decided to take New York City. -
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Two Brothers at arms
General William Howe and Admiral Richard Howe, joined forces on Staten Island. They sailed to New York with the largest British expeditionary force ever assembled. -
Battle of New York
Washington and his 23,000 troops were forced out of New York following heavy loses after being outnumbered.. -
Michael Graham Describes Retreat
A man named, Michael Graham described the chaotic retreat from New York. -
Pushed Across the Delaware
Washington and his men were pushed across the Delaware River. Fewer then 8,000 men remained under his control -
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Winter at Valley Forge
Albigense Waldo Had been working as a surgeon at Valley Forge. American troops pushed out of Philadelphia by the British, had to occupy makeshift tents under freezing and harsh snowy whether, the camp was named Valley Forge -
Merry Christmas British
Washington sailed 2,400 of his men over the Delaware River. They marched mine miles to Trenton, New Jersey guarded by drunk Hessians. Washington surprised the enemy, killed 30 men, and captured 918. -
Princeton Victory
Washinton and his army rallied after their chrismas victory marched to Princeton and beat the 1,200 British stationed there. -
The Turning Point
Burgoyne surrounded by Gates he surrendered his weakened army at Saratoga -
American Independence Recognized
The French supported American Independence and signed a treaty of cooperation -
Marquis de Lafayette
a brave, idealistic 20-year-old French aristocrat, offered to help out in the war. He joined Washington’s staff, was at Valley Forge, lobbied for French reinforcements in France in 1779, and led a command in Virginia in the final years of the war -
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Defeat in Georgia
A British expedition easily took Savannah, Georgia -
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Clinton, Cornwallis, and 8,500 men headed south
In 1780, General Henry Clinton, who had replaced Howe in New York, with Charles Cornwallis sailed south with 8,500 men -
Charles Town Defeat
In their greatest victory of the war, the British captured Charles Town, South Carolina, in May 1780 and marched 5,500
American soldiers off as prisoners of war. -
Lose at Camden
Cornwallis’s army destroyed American forces at Camden, South Carolina -
Surprising Victory at Cowpens
Americans chased the British red-coats down the countryside and when the American troops met at Cowpens alothough the Americans were outnumbered the British were surprised that the American soldiers didn't back down and forced the British to surrender -
Guilford Court House "Victory"
Angry with defeat at Cowpens, Cornwallis attacked Greene at Guilford Court House, North Carolina. However, he lost a good chunk of his troops -
Lafayette We Need You
Greene feared losing the battle for the south so he wrote a letter to Lafayette for help -
Finally Paid
American troops were finally paid with the help of Morris and Salomon in specie, or gold coin -
Awaiting British Surrender
Colonel William Fontaine of the Virginia militia stood with both the
American and French armies on a road near Yorktown,
Virginia, to witness British surrender on the afternoon of October 19, 1781 -
Accepting surrender
Washington along with french generals assembled to accept British surrender -
White Flag
A defeated Cornwallis raised a white flag and surrendered -
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Peace talk
Talk of peace began in 1782. 4 nations were present, France, the United States, Spain, and Britain. France supported American independence, the United States wanted independence, Britain doesn't want to fully break away from the United States, and Spain wants land between the Appalachian mountains and Mississippi River. -
Independence is Won
Delegates signed the Treaty of Paris, which assured U.S. independence and set the boundaries of the new nation. The United States now stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from Canada to the Florida border. -
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Robert Morris
In 1781, the Congress appointed a rich Philadelphia merchant
named Robert Morris as superintendent of finance -
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General Howe's Campaign
In the spring 1777, General Howe began his campaign to seize the American capital at Philadelphia. -
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Changing Strategy
The British after defeat at Saratoga, switched battle strategy. They moved to the south in order to gain loyalist support and work their way back up north. -
Washington Needs a Victory
With Washington's army almost wiped out and the terms of their enlistment, Washington needed a victory to keep his men from going home.
