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Battles of the North
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The Battles of Lexington and Concord
British General Gage ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith to lead about 900 soldiers to obtain weapons that the colonists were supposed to be hiding in Concord, Massachusets. The colonists had heard that they knew about the weapons, so they had moved them from Concord. Going through Lexington, the British forced them militia to retreat. They got back at them when they were going into Concord. They inflicted a lot of harm and made Smith's mission fail because they had to retreat to Boston. -
The Battle of Bunker Hill
The British outnumbered the colonists nearly two to one, but at the Battle of Bunker Hill (which actually occurred on Breeds Hill), the colonists fought them back twice. The third time that the British attacked, they won because the colonists ran out of ammunition to attack the British. -
Capture of Montreal
While the British were to busy dealing with Boston, the Continental Congress formed an army under George Washington. The colonists were hoping to take advantage of the British by capturing Canada and inspiring Canadians to rebel against the British.
General Richard Montgomery started to lead colonists to Fort Ticonderoga in the beginning of September and reached Montreal by early November. The soldiers found very little resistance and then moved to the capital of British Canada, Quebec. -
Assault on Quebec
Two colonists forces came together to attack Quebec. Men came with General Montgomery from Montreal and men under General Benedict Arnold had marched from Boston.
After one failed attempt on the city, the forces tried to capture it again. The British held them off and the snowstorm that was simultaneously made the weapons useless. Montgomery was killed, Arnold wounded, and half the Americans were captured. British reenforcements came and the Americans retreated Fort Ticonderoga -
British Leave Boston
The British finally leave Boston and head north to Nova Scotia. -
British arrive in New York
The British decided to focus on New York more. The British, lead by the two Howe brothers, made a huge invasion of the New York coast. Their orders were to gain control of New York City and then move north to meet British forces coming from Canada. General Howe used Staten Island to launch the attack on New York on July 3. -
Independence Day
The Second Continental Congress signs the Declaration of Independence. -
The Battle of Long Island
The next few weeks saw quite a few battles on Long Island. George Washington saw that the colonists could not hold back the British and ordered them to retreat. The colonists were pushed out to New Jersey. The British were able to remain control of New York City until the end of the Revolution. -
The Battle of White Plains
Since they had abandoned New York City, Washington set up shop in White Plains. General Howe attacked the Continental Army and took control of the hills that they were on. He could have finally destroyed Washington's army, but he stopped where they were and ordered the construction of weapons. Washington then had the chance to retreat north with his men and recover. -
Washington Writes to Spencer
Washington wrote a letter to General Spencer asking for help with getting supplies for his army. This was because they were running low on them, and without them, then they would no longer be able to fight. -
"The American Crisis" is published by Thomas Paine
This is published by Paine to revive the revolutionary spirit in the colonists during a time of losses in battles. -
The Battle of Trenton
After Howe had ordered his army to stop operations for the winter, the Continental Army crept across the Delaware River from Valley Forge and were able to take the British by surprise the next morning. The Americans had won the fight with very few losses by 9:30 a.m. They took about 900 prisoners. The Continental Army then retreated back into Pennsylvania with the captured supplies and prisoners. -
The Battle of Princeton
Washington followed up his vctory at Trenton by going to Princton before stopping for the winter. After almost being trapped at Trenton by General Cornwallis, Washington avoided him by moving north to Princeton. He met another British force, but defeated them as well. Washington and his troops had cleared southern New Jersey of British troops. These victories inspired more colonists to join the army and support the Revolution in the next few months. -
Continental Congress Committee Report on the Enemy
This was about how everyone that has come in contact with the British army has complained of their treatment. The army is also said to be cruel and greedy, just like the men of higher ranks in Britain. -
The Battle of Ticonderoga
The British were still controlling the northern colonies. The next big thing that stood in their way was Fort Ticonderoga, which had once been their own fort. The colonists thought that they would not have it taken from them, but the British were about to blast it with cannons from the mountains. The colonist in charge ordered everyone to evacuate. -
The Siege of Fort Stanwix
British and Native-American troops led by General Barry St. Leger surrounded Fort Stanwix and attacked 800 militia that were coming to relieve the fort. The colonists in the fort still refused to surrender, and as time went on, the Indians helping the British deserted them. General Benedict Arnold tried to get a relief force together, and when he couldn't, he spread a rumor that he would soon be arriving with a huge force at Fort Stanwix. St. Leger believed this, so he fled back to Canada. -
The Battle of Brandywine
Washington used the time that the British took unloading their shipsto prepare for a battle. Howe split his forces instead of having a direct attack. This surprised the Continental Army, and combined with the fog, it forced Washington to retreat. Both sides had substantial losses. This provided for there to be absolutely nothing between Howe and Philadelphia, which he hoped to control. The Congress fled to York, PA and on September 26, the British walked into Philadelphia. -
The Battle of Saratoga
This battle was actually two, and they were about three weeks apart. Benedict Arnold fought to hold off the British in the Battle of Freeman's Farm, When he was hoping to get reinforcements from New York, Burgoyne dug some trenches. In the Battle of Bemis Heights the British attacked and the Americans came back with a counterattack. This counterattack is what drove Burgoyne and his army from the field. -
Albigence Waldo's Diary
This surgeon at Valley Forge wrote about the sicknesses, complaints and people that came during the winter. He also says that these people support the army when they are winning, but are the first to put it down when they start to lose. -
Washington Writes to the Continental Congress
This letter to Congress tells them that the Continental Army is in great need of supplies. He says that if they do not receive those supplies, then the army will cease to exist because they will not be able to fight because of lack of soldiers. -
Washington Writes to John Banister
This says that the sight of men without supplies is unbearable and that interest is the real reason that people fight and without it they wouldn't have an army. -
The Battle of Monmouth
When the British were trying to get back to New York, Washington and his army attacked them near Monmouth. After almost retreating, Washington rallied the troops to rebel against the two British counterattacks. Both sides lost as many to heat stroke as to the fighting. It was a very inconclusive battle, but the British lost a lot more men. This battke was the largest in the Revolution.