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Battle of Bunker Hill
After Lexington and Concord, British commander, Thomas Gage, decided that the British needed to take Bunker Hill, Breed's Hill, and Dorchester Heights. The patriots got wind of the coming attack and positioned themselves on Bunker Hill on June 16th. On June 17th, 1,500 Birtish soldiers, led by William Howe stormed Bunker Hill. They were met by about 2,500-4,000 colonial soldiers. The British only won because the Colonials ran out of gunpowder and had to retreat. -
Battle of Bunker Hill (cont.)
The patriots had a total of 140 men killed and 271 wounded, which wasn't much compared to the British loses. The British lost 226 men and had 826 wounded. Because of how many soldiers were killed, William Howe decided not to press forward and take Dochester Heights. Since the patriots pretty much decimated the British without a structured militia, they still didn't think they needed a militia. -
Battle of Long Island
After abandoning Boston the British commander in cheif, William Howe, decided to take New York. He brought approx. 32,000 troops and had ships control the waters around Long Island and Manhattan. Opposing the British was the colonial army, led by George Washington, with approx. 19,000 men. Unfortunately for them the local commanders didn't know the land. They ended up having about 1,000 casulties. The British ended up taking Long Island, and only suffering 400 casualties. -
Battle of Trenton
After recivening news that William Howe had moved most of his regulars to New York, leaving his Hessians (German mercenaries) in Trenton under the command of Colonel Johann Gottlieb Rall, George Washington decided to attack the isolated base. Not thinking they would be attacked in such snowy weather, the British forces weren't ready. Due to good strategy, the patriots took Trenton with 2,400 men with only 5 casualties. -
Battle of Brandywine
To keep William Howe and his army from intruding Philedelphia (where the American government was set up), George Washington and his troops went to defend their position in Brandywine Creek. During the battle, one division of Washington's troops became separated and when the British came with bayonetttes they began to scatter. The rest of the divisions eventually retreated, giving Howe the victory. Howe stormed Philedelphia on Sep. 27th. -
Battle of Saratoga
General John Burgoyne from Britian created a plan to sweep in from Canada and New Jersey and cut off New England from the rest of the colonies. So General Horatio Gates potioned himself between Burgoyne and Albany. When the two armies clashed, the Americans crushed the British With the amazing American victory, the French were convinced to help the colonies as an ally. -
Battle of Monmouth
On June 28, 1778, George Washington set out with Major General Charles Lee and 5,000 men to attack the British stationed near the Monmouth Courthouse in New Jersey. The British were led by General Sir Henry Clinton. During the battle, Lee was forced to retreat but Washington stepped in and the battle eventually concluded in a draw. -
Capture of Savannah
British troops of between 2,500 and 3,600 men launched a surpirse attack, led by Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell, on the colonial forces protecting Savannah, Georgia. With only 650-900 men on his side, American Major General Robert Howe was greatly outnumbered. The patriots lost 83 men and 483 were captured, but the British only lost 3 men with another 10 wounded. Needless to say, the British won. -
Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens is considered the turning point of the American Revolution. When British forces (led by General Charles Cornwallis) attempted to take the south they were met met by Major General Nathanael Greene and his colonial militiamen. The patriots decimated the British. This boosted American morale and they won the Battle of Yorktown (the last battle of the war) a couple of months after. -
Battle of Guilford Court House
1,900 British soilders led by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis stormed the court house on March 15 against Major General Nathanael Greene's 4,500 colonial troops. Even though they were severly outnumbered, the British won the battle. It wasn't much of a win though, for their numbers were diminshed greatly. -
Battle of Yorktown
The Battle of Yorktown is the final battle of the American revolution. The battle consisted of American forces (led by George Washington) and French forces (led by General Comte de Rochambeau) against British forces (led by General Lord Corwallis). Corwallis had retreated to the Yorktown peninsula, so the American and French forces boxed him in by way of water. Three days after they attacked on land (Oct. 14) Corwallis surrendered. Peace negotiations began shortly after.
