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Battle of Lexington and Concord
The first battle of the American Revolution, in which the British attempted to capture an American arms depot in the town of Lexington. They were repulsed by a group of local millitia. -
Period: to
Revolutionary Period
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Capture of Fort Ticondaroga
The British Garrison at Fort Ticondaroga is caputred by the Ethan Allen, with Benedict Arnold acting as second in command. Supplied vital arms and heavy Artillery to the fledgling Continental Army. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Comgress meets in Philadelphia. This meeting was important to the creation of the Patriot cause, as it offically created the Continental Army under General George Washington. In addition, it allowed for the levying of taxes to pay said army, and in the process became a full governing body. This group also sent the Olive Branch petition to the British crown, as a concession to those delagates who still wanted a peaceful solution. -
The Generals Arrive
On this day, the British Generals Howe, Burgoyne, and Henry Clinton arrive in America. These generals will command British forces for most of the remainder of the war. -
George Washington takes command
On this date, General George Washington offically takes command of the Continental Army, a force that is at this time little more than an alliance of millitia. However, a unified leadership in Washington's person is an important first step to becoming an army that can stand up to the British. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
British Redcoats assualt an entrenched Colonial position overlooking their fleet in Boston harbor on Breed's Hill. A frontal attack on the position is attempted by Major General William Howe, but he is repulsed several times, taking heavy casualities. Americans eventually forced to retreat when they run out of ammo. This battle was a British victory, but at much higher cost than the supposedly defeated Patriots. -
General Gage recalled
Disgraced by his defeats at multiple engagements, including at Bunker Hill, General Thomas Gage is recalled to England, leaving command of the British Army to Sir William Howe. -
Loss at Quebec
Benedict Arnold retreats from Quebec after a disastrous failed attack on the city. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine publishes the pamphlet Common Sense, which popularizes the idea of independence. Raises patriot morale, causing a much needed morale boost for the hungry and cold Continentals. -
Evacuation of Boston
Threatened by Continentals, the British Army evacuates Boston. The British Navy leaves Boston harbor, and returns to Montreal, in Canada. As the British retreat, they take several thousand Bostonian Loyalists with them, who are afraid of the consequences of their loyalties. The occupation of Boston is lifted for the first time since the Boston Port Act. -
Jefferson Presents first draft of Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson presents the fist draft of the Declaration of Independence to Congress. While the initial draft has many differences from the final copy, it is the first offical document put out by Congress in support of independence. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, written in secret by Thomas Jefferson, is ratified by the Continental Congress. As of this moment, America is an independent state, and the war is a protest over taxes no longer. The Declaration also puts on paper the manifesto of the revolution- a republican government, where all men can live free. -
The Battle of Long Island
Washington loses the Battle of Long Island when British forces under General Howe and General Clinton flank his forces from three sides. This battle quickly becomes a rout, and Washington is barely able to keep his army from total destuction, thanks in part to a freak fog. New York is abandoned to the British, and the revolutionary's morale quickly plummets. -
Battle of Fort Washington
Fort Washington, the last major patriot outpost in New York, falls to British Hessian Mercenaries. The 2,000 Americans attempting to hold the fort surrender. -
Benjamin Franklin arrives in Paris
Benjamin Franklin, the most famous American in the world, arrives in Paris on the orders of the Continental Congress. Famous for his scientific advancements, including experiments with electricity, Franklin has been sent to attempt an American Alliance with the French crown. He is, for the moment, rebuked, however. -
Crossing the Delaware
Washingston, along with the rest of the defeated Continental army encamped along the Delaware river, makes a surprise attack on Christmas Eve against the Hessian occupied town of Trenton. The attack is resounding success, and results in another small patriot victory at Princeton. These victories boosted Patriot morale, and proved that with the right tactics, the Patriots could win against British forces. -
Ticondaroga Falls
Fort Ticonderoga, taken earlier in the war by Ethan Allen, falls to the British with hardly a shot fired once the British place cannon atop the nearby Mount Defiance. Nearly 2,00 Patriots surrender. -
The Battle of Brandywine
General Howe marches on the rebel capital of Philadelphia, where the Continental Congress has evacuated at the news of his coming. He is met by General Washington at Brandywine Creek, where the Patriots are able to hold off the British for severals hours, before being routed, again, by a flanking manuever. The Continentals take heavy losses, but even importantly, the rebel capital is occupied by the British. Washington retreats. -
The Battle of Freeman's Farm
Working his way down the Hudson River in an attempt to take it from the Patriots, General Burgoyne of the British Army is stopped by General Gates of the Continental Army at the Battle of Freeman's Farm. This was, in effect, the first engagement of the Battle of Saratoga. -
Surrender at Saratoga
British General Burgoyne surrenders to General Gates at the conclusion of the Battle of Saratoga. This proved to be the turning point of the war, and was final proof that this rebellion would not be crushed easily, if at all. Benedict Arnold was injured during the fighting. -
Valley Forge
Washington's Continental Army, exhausted after a long season of fighting, retire for the winter to Valley Forge, where they make camp. -
Baron von Steuben
Baron von Steuben, a drop out from the Prussian army, begins to train Washington's troops at Valley Forge, teaching them European-style drill tactics. The Army at last begins to look like something within shouting distance of a professional force, as opposed to a ragtag millitia group. -
The Treaty of Alliance
After months of petitoning the French crown for an audience, Bejamin Franklin at last signs the Treaty of Alliance with the French, cementing French support for the Patriot cause for the rest of the war. Arms shipments, French millitary units, and the all important French Navy all begin to move to America. -
General Howe is replaced
General Howe, disgraced at the multiple losses and strategic blunders during his tenure as Commander in Chief of the British Army in North America, including his refusal to send reinforcements to General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga, resigns. He is replaced by another British General, already in the colonies- Sir Henry Clinton. -
Battle of Monmouth
Fought in scorching heat, the Battle of Monmouth was an attack by Washington on the forces of the newly appointed General Henry Clinton as he retreated from Philadelphia to the British stronghold at New York. While the initial attack led by American General Charles Lee was disastrous, Washington rallied his troops, and fought the British to a standhill. After the battle, the British continued in their retreat to New York. -
Fall of Savannah
The British General Campell attacks and captures the American city of Savannah, Georgia. This was the opening move of the British Southern Strategy, by which the colonies would be deprived of their main supply centres in the south, and the British army would steadily move north from a strong foothold in the Southern Colonies. -
Spain Declares War
Spain declares war on Great Britain on the side of the Americans, hoping to regain Florida and the straights of Gibraltar. -
Washington Winters at Morristown
Once again, the Americans must lay down their arms for the winter. Unfortunantly, this winter, at Morristown, is among the harshest recorded in the 18th century. Serious supply problems are had. -
Period: to
Late and Post Revolutionary Periods
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British Take Charleston
Moving up the coast, a British Army, under Sir Henry Clinton, besieges and captures the major American port of Charleston, South Carolina. While a major blow militarily to the Americans (5,000 patriots surrendered), it was also a major economic blow, as Charleston was a port second only to Boston in size and Importance. Many French supplies came through Charleston, now blocked by British redcoats. -
French Troops Arrive
French Troops arrive in America, and land near Newport, Rhode Island, a position which threatened the British Stronghold at New York. -
Battle of Camden
In an attempt to stop the British advance from the south, Washington sends the Hero of Saratoga, General Gates, to deal with the problem. He at last meets wiith the British Southern Army, under General Charles Cornwallis, at Camden, South Carolina. Despite the fact that the Americans outnumbered the British almost 2-1, the battle was a disaster. Continental forces routed, taking heavy casualities. Gates was removed from command, replaced by General Greene. -
The Treason of Benedict Arnold
A British spy is captured, revealing the planned treason of General Benedict Arnold, one of the American's best generals. He was planning to give up Patriot plans, in return for an officer's commision in the British Army. However, he is forced to flee, eventually makng it behind British lines. -
General Greene takes command
General Nathaniel Greene, one of Washington's most trusted commanders, takes command of the American southern army, in an attempt to stop Britains advance there. -
The Battle of Cowpens
American southern forces, under General Daniel Morgan, rout a British force commanded by Colonel Tarlton. After his victory, Daniel Morgan meets up with General Greene, who is leading the main British Army on a wild goosechase across the southern countryside. A decisive victory for the Americans in this theater. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, the first Constitution of the United States, is adopted. While it is an important step towards governance, it gives far too little power to the Federal Government, with the states effectivly acting as small independent nations. -
Battle of Guilford Courthouse
General Greene's forces at last engage the main British army in the South under General Charles Cornwallis. While the British technically win the battle, they take heavy casualties in the process, and are forced to retreat into Virginia, at Yorktown. -
French Push British from Chesapeake
On this day, the French fleet, formerly anchored to the south, engage the British fleet in the Chesapeake Bay, destroying the British naval coverage of Yorktown, where General Cornwallis is entrenched with the last major British army in the South. Prevents British retreat from this area as American and French forces surround the city. -
Surrender at Yorktown
Washington, in a clever ploy, feigns an attack on the British stronghold in New York, while actually moving his army, along with French reinforcments, south to attack General Charles Cornwallis's army at Yorktown. After a lengthy siege, surrounded on all sides, Cornwallis surrenders, signalling the end of the last major engagement of the war. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris is signed by American and British diplomats, singalling the offical end of the war, and recognition of American independence. America is granted substantial concessions, including fishing rights off the coast of Canada. -
Last British Troops leave America
The last British troops leave New York. There are no British soldiers remaining in the American colonies. The war is, finally, won. -
Constitutional Convention begins
Frustated at the lack of power entrusted to the central government, and fearing that the current, decentralized system would be the doom of the fledgling nation, delagates from all the colonies meet in Philadelphia to discuss the creation of a new plan of government. Those who supported the creation of a new system of governance were known as Federalists, and they faced stiff opposition from those who simply wished to fix the Articles of Confederation. -
U.S Constituion is signed
The U.S Constitution is ratified by a threadbare margin after extensive debate, and multiple comprimises. After a Bill of Rights was passed shortly afterwards,t he U.S government had at last taken the shape that we know today, and was on track ot becoming a world power.
