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Traders
Still bitter from their defeat by the British in the French and
Indian War, the French had secretly sent weapons to the Patriots -
British Migrate
The British had previously retreated from Boston, Moving the theater of war to the Middle states. -
British Sail into New York Harbor
General William Howe and Admiral Richard Howe, joined forces on Staten Island and sailed into New York harbor -
Withdraw
Michael Graham, a Continental Army volunteer, described the
chaotic withdrawal -
Delaware River into Pennsylvania
the British had pushed Washington’s army across the Delaware
River into Pennsylvania. -
Christmas Night
Washington resolved to risk everything on one bold
stroke set for Christmas night -
Trenton
By 8 o’clock the next morning, the men had marched nine miles through sleet and snow to Trenton, New Jersey, held by a garrison of Hessians -
Princeton
The Americans were rallied by another astonishing victory eight days later against 1,200 British stationed at Princeton -
Philadelphia
As the muddy fields dried out in the spring, General Howe began his campaign to seize the American capital at Philadelphia -
Victory at Saratoga
Massed American troops finally surrounded Burgoyne at Saratoga, where he surrendered his battered army to General Gates -
Period: to
Valley Forge
Served as the site of the Continental Army's camp -
Alliance with French
The French recognized American independence and signed an alliance, or treaty of cooperation, with the Americans -
Troop Transformation
In the midst of the frozen winter at Valley Forge, American troops began an amazing transformation -
Shift Operations to the South
After their devastating defeat at Saratoga, the British changed their military strategy and began to shift their operations to the South -
Savannah, Georgia
A British expedition easily took Savannah, Georgia -
Lafayette
The young Lafayette joined Washington’s staff and bore the misery of Valley Forge, lobbied for French reinforcements, and led a command in Virginia in the last years of the war. -
Commands Georgia
A royal governor once again commanded Georgia -
Sailed South
General Henry Clinton, who had replaced Howe in New York, along with the ambitious general Charles Cornwallis sailed south with 8,500 men -
Charles Town, South Carolina
In their greatest victory of the war, the British captured Charles Town, South Carolina, and marched 5,500 American soldiers off as prisoners of war -
Newport, Rhode Island
A French army of 6,000 had landed in Newport, Rhode Island, after the British left the city to focus on the South -
Camden, South Carolina
Cornwallis’s army smashed American forces at Camden, South Carolina, and within three months the British had established forts across the state -
Cowpens, South Carolina
When the forces met at Cowpens, South Carolina, the
British expected the outnumbered Americans to flee; but the Continental Army fought back, and forced the redcoats to surrender -
Guilford Court House
Angered by the defeat at Cowpens, Cornwallis attacked Greene at Guilford Court House, North Carolina -
Letter to Lafayette
Greene wrote a letter to Lafayette, asking for help. -
Superintendent of finance
The Congress appointed a rich Philadelphia merchant named Robert Morris as superintendent of finance -
Troops Were Paid
The troops were finally paid in specie, or gold coin -
Cornwallis Surrendered at Yorktown
With his troops outnumbered by more than two to one and
exhausted from constant shelling, Cornwallis finally raised
the white flag of surrender -
Yorktown
Colonel William Fontaine of the Virginia militia stood with the American and French armies lining a road near Yorktown, Virginia, to witness the formal British surrender -
Peace Talks
Peace talks began and representatives of four
nations the United States, Great Britain, France, and Spain joined the negotiations, with each nation looking out for its own interests -
Treaty of Paris
The delegates signed the Treaty of Paris, which confirmed U.S. independence and set the boundaries of the new nation
