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Fighting at Concord
The British arrived at Concord, where they found an empty arsenal. After a brief clash with the minutemen they lined up to march back to Boston. This march quickly became a slaughter, around 3,000 to 4,000 minutemen assembled to fire at the troop behind walls and trees. The remaining soldiers made their way back to Boston. By this point Colonists had become enemies of Britain and now held its encampment of British troops under siege. -
Fighting at Lexington
In Lexington, Massachusetts just 5 miles short from Concord on April 19, 1775. 70 minutemen lined up against British soldiers who demanded they drop their weapons and leave. Colonists began to move out with out laying their weapons resulting in British soldiers sending a volley of shots into the departing militia killing 8 minutemen and wounding 10 more, lasting only 15 minutes. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The British lead by General Thomas Cage decided to go against militia men on Breed's Hill, near Bunker Hill. he sent 2,400 British soldiers up the hill where colonists held their fire and began to mow down the advancing british troops. They cause over 1,000 casualties for the British troops while the colonists only had lost 450 men. This would prove to the deadliest battle of the war. -
New York under siege
Trying to stop the rebellion the British sent 32,000 soldiers to The city of New York sometime around the summer months. These men included German mercenaries, or hired soldiers, who were known as Hessians. -
Trenton
Trying to get an early victory Washington and his 2,400 troops marched on their objective to Trenton, New Jersey. They defeated garrison of Hessians in a surprise attack, but unfortunately the British regrouped and captured Philadelphia. -
Saratoga
In Saratoga American troops surrounded Burgoyne, who tried to fight off the colonists, after he was not aware that his fellow British officers were preoccupied holding Philadelphia. He surrendered in October 17, 1777. -
Valley Forge
While the French were signing an alliance with the Americans in February, Washington and the troops were fighting to stay alive with no food or supplies. 2,000 men had died yet the survivors did not desert their endurance and suffering filled Washington's letters to Congress. -
Marquis de Lafayette
MArquis de Lafayette was a French military leader who helped the americans during the war. He lobbied French reinforcements in 1779, and also he led a command in Virginia during the finally years of the war. -
British surrender at Yorktown
With the help of the French they were able to defeat the naval fleet and block the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay, not allowing them to use their routes to get into the bay. Around late September, about 17,000 French and American troops surrounded the British, bombarding them day and night. Finally on October 19, 1781 they surrendered. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1783 and confirmed U.S independence and set the boundaries of the new nation. The United States now stretched form the Atlantic to the mississippi.
