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Battle of Lexington and Concord
Paul Revere warned the militia of the British coming in his midnight ride. They battled in Lexington in the morning and the first shots were fired. 10 American patriots were killed in the battle of Lexington and the militia retreated. Then the British searched Lexington for weapons at the same time as the American soldiers gather more than 1,000 colonists that go to Concord to fight for their towns. These colonists follow the British march back to Boston secretly and kill ⅓ of their soldiers. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
American soldiers led by William Prescott went to bunker hill in the early morning and waited for the British to come. When the first wave of British came the Americans took out many of them and the rest fled. The same happened with the second wave but by the third wave the Americans were running low on ammo and the British drove them of the hill. The British claimed victory even though the americans killed or wounded 1054 of the British troops. The Americans only had 450 killed or wounded. -
Second Continental Congress Meets
In the Meetings they decided to send an Olive Tree petition for peace to the king but he refused it. So they decided that they would try to break away from Britain. They also decided that they would make a big army for all the 13 colonies instead of having the militias. They put George Washington as the commander for the army. -
Crossing Delaware/Battle of Trenton
General George Washington decides to lead a bunch of troops to a Hessian base camp on Christmas day. On Christmas night they crossed the Delaware river in heavy snow. They then marched nine miles in deep snow to Trenton. Some of the men were barefoot and 2 froze to death. When the americans reach Trenton they surprise the Hessians and fight for less than an hour and the Americans win. They captured a lot of the Hessians and none of the Americans died in the battle. -
Battle of Saratoga
The British control newport Rhode Island, much of Canada, and some of New York. Now they want to control Albany. The American Patriots fight back in Saratoga on September 19th and the British don’t do so well. The British wait for reinforcements and they never come. The British start battle on the Americans on October 7th. By this time the Americans have gathered many troops and the British general Burgoyne decides to surrender. The battle is won by the Americans. -
Valley Forge
George Washington and his troops need a place to stay during the winter so they made camp at Valley Forge. They build 900 log huts in 40 days. Each hut held 12 men.It was one of the coldest winters on record and they were having trouble getting food. Many men starved to death. There was a smallpox epidemic but George Washington uses a trick and saves most of the men. Friedrich Von Steuben helps out with training the men. When the winter is over almost 4 thousand men are dead or to weak to fight. -
French Join the War
The French didn’t like the British because of the French and Indian War and after the Americans victory at Saratoga the French saw that they had a chance of winning and decided to ally them in the fight. The treaty of amity and commerce was formed between The colonies and France. They also made the treaty of alliance. Some Britain’s other enemies such as Spain and Holland joined the fight on the side of the Americans. -
Battle of Cowpen
Daniel Morgan came up with a plan to put three lines of troops for the British to penetrate. The plan worked and the Americans won. For more details click here. -
Battle of Guilford Courthouse
Nathanael Greene makes a plan similar to Morgans successful plan but wants to improve it. He adds an extra line of Militia and adds experienced Riflemen to the sides of the first line. But this time Cornwallis is in the battle too and there are more men on the British side then in the Battle of Cowpen and the lines of militia flee for real. The British win this one. -
Battle of Yorktown
French Commander Rochambeau and George Washington decide to do an attack on Yorktown by land and sea. At this point Yorktown is the headquarters for Cornwallis and several thousand of his troops. The French Navy and the American Patriots arrive at Yorktown at the same time. The French navy blocks off by the sea and the Americans surround by land. The British are trapped and can’t get any supplies. After weeks of being attacked they are forced to surrender. -
Treaty of Paris
After the British surrender the peace talks begin and it is one of the most stressful times of the war. They begin negotiations about the Treaty of Paris. The United States, Britain, France, and Spain met in paris in 1782. America sends John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay for the meeting. Each of the countries had their own ideas for what they wanted to happen and reasons for being there. On September 3, 1783 the Treaty of Paris is signed and it gives America full independence.