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The Battles of Lexington and Concord
Massachusetts Bay: led by John Parker, James Barrett, John Buttrick, John Robinson, William Heath, Joseph Warren, Isaac Davis
Great Britain: led by Francis Smith, John Pitcairn, Hugh Percy The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in America. -
The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
Green Mountain Boys:led by Ethan Allen & Benedict Arnold Great Britain: led by William Delaplace. Ticonderoga and Crown Point were captured by New England militia. The capture impeded communication between northern and southern units of the British Army, and gave the nascent Continental Army a staging ground for the invasion of Quebec later in 1775. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
United Colonies: William Prescott, Israel Putnam, Joseph Warren, John Stark
Great Britain: William Howe, Thomas Gage, Sir Robert Pigot, James Abercrombie, Henry Clinton, Samuel Graves, John Pitcairn British won, but at a steep price. The battle had demonstrated that inexperienced militia were able to stand up to regular army troops in battle. Subsequently, the battle discouraged the British from any further frontal attacks against well defended front lines. -
The Battle of Trenton and Princeton
USA: George Washington, Nathanael Greene.
Hesse-Kassel: Johann Rall. The capture of Hessians and Trenton significantly boosted the Continental Army's morale and inspired reenlistments. With this victory, rebels were persuaded to stay/join the army. -
The Battle of Bemis Heights
United States: Horatio Gates, Benedict Arnold, Benjamin Lincoln, Enoch Poor, Ebenezer Learned, Daniel Morgan, James Livingston Great Britain: John Burgoyne, Simon Fraser, Baron Riedesel Also known as the turning point of the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Bemis Heights was a decisive American victory and led to the British surrendering to the Americans. Over 6,000 were captured, but the most important part was the fact that this was why France felt comfortable officially joining our side. -
The Siege of Charleston
United States/France: Benjamin Lincoln, William Moultrie, James Hogun, William Woodford, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Abraham Whipple, Louis Duportail Great Britain/Hesse: Sir Henry Clinton, Lord Cornwallis, Alexander Leslie, Mariot Arbuthnot From March 29, 1780- May 12, 1780, the Charleston garrison was under siege. Eventually, Lincoln surrendered his forces to the British, resulting in one of the worst American defeats of the war. The South was effectively left without an army. -
The Battle of King's Mountain
Patriot: William Campbell, James Johnston, John Sevier, Frederick Hambright, Joseph McDowell, Benjamin Cleveland, James Williams, Isaac Shelby, Joseph Winston, William Chronicle Loyalist: Patrick Ferguson, Abraham DePeyster This fight was between Patriots and Loyalists and was the war's largest all-American fight. The victory of the Patriots raised Southern Patriots' morale, as they had been repeatedly losing to Lord Cornwallis. -
The Siege of Yorktown
USA/France: George Washington
Great Britain: Lord Cornwallis Ending on October 19, 1781, this was the last major land battle of the war. The capture of Lord Cornwallis and his armies prompted Great Britain to open up peaceful talks with USA. The war boosted American/French morale and lowered British popular support.
