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The Charleston Tea Party
Alexander Curling brought a cargo of tea to the port in Charleston, but its collectors refused the delivery. On December 22, a committee of colonists told Curling to return the tea to England, but the captain resisted. -
Shots fired at Lexington and Concord
British troops were sent to take colonial weapons and they ran into an angry militia. This unorganized army defeated 700 British soldiers and the victory boosted their confidence for the war coming. This was the first thing that started the American Revolution. -
The Declaration of Independence was signed
The Continental Congress created this document which was signed on July 4, 1776. The 13 colonies cut all connections to Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence stated the colonists' motivations for seeking independence. -
The terrible winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
The Continental Army encamped at Valley Forge in the fall of 1777 with about 12,000 men. About a quarter of them died before spring arrived due to famine, no shelters and harsh weather. -
The Battle of Camden
The Continental forces had about 4,000 soldiers and General Charles Cornwallis’ had about 2,200 Redcoats. When the British charged with their bayonets, the militia who were apart of the Patriot front line, who did not have bayonets, ran. The remaining Continental soldiers fought bravely, but utterly failed to make any headway in the face of the British assault. -
The Battle of King’s Mountain
One thousand American frontiersmen under Colonel Campbell of Virginia gathered in the back country to resist Ferguson’s advance. Pursued by the Patriots, Ferguson positioned his Tory force in defense of a rocky, treeless ridge named King’s Mountain. The Patriots charged the hillside multiple times, demonstrating lethal marksmanship against the surrounded Loyalists. -
The Battle of Cowpens
American troops under General Daniel Morgan routed British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton. The Americans forced heavy catastrophes on the British, and the battle was a turning point in the war’s Southern campaign.This Patriot Victory pushed Britain out of South Carolina. -
The Battle of Eutaw Springs
This was the last major battle in the Carolina's. Gen. Nathaniel Greene attacked the British again and in the beginning was successful after a desperate conflict. The colonists failed to dislodge the British from a stone house which they held, and their loss in both fights was over 500 men. The British lost about 1,000, one-half of whom were prisoners.The British were cut off from their major cities and they couldn’t stop the movement of supplies. -
The Battle of Yorktown
American force of Colonial combined with French troops to defeat the British Army in Virginia. This fight was led by George Washington and French General Comte de Rochambeau. On October 14th, they captured two British defenses and leading to the surrender of British General Lord Corwallis and about 9,000 troops. Yorktown was the final battle of the American Revolution, and the British began peace negotiations shortly after the American victory. -
The Treaty of Paris was signed
The Treaty of Paris negotiated between the United States and Great Britain, ended the revolutionary war and recognized American independence.
