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Battle of Lexington and Concord
70 minutemen waited for the British to come. When facig them, they were terrified. A shot then came out of nowhere. After the battle, 8 minutemen lay dead in Lexington. In Concord, the British took heavy losses. 174 were wounded, 73 dead. 60 years later, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote The Concord Hymn," in which he wrote about "the shot heard 'round the world." -
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
The American army sent 400 soldiers to seize Fort Ticonderoga, which was rich in military supplies. Ethan Allen planned to attack the fort with his army, the Green Mountain Boys. Fort Ticonderoga surrendered on May 10, 1775. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
THe AMerican militia numbered about 20,000 on June 16, 1775. The general shouted, "Don't fire until you can see the whites of their eyes!" The British retreated, then twice more attacked. THe Americans ran out of ammunition and had to withdraw. The British had 1000 dead and wounded. They realized defeating the Americans would neither be quick nor easy. -
Battle of Long Island
The British badly defeated the Americans. Nathan Hale, a Patriot, disguised himself as a Dutch schoolteacher and went to spy on the British. He got hung as punishment. The Patriots fought long and hard, but couldn't overcome the larger and stronger British army. Many Patriots weren't wearing socks, shoes, or jackets. The battle ended on August 29. -
Battle of Trenton
The Americans caught the British by surprise at their campsite in Pennsylvania. 2400 American troops fought. They escaped. Princeton was fought on January 3, 1777. -
Battle of Saratoga
General Burgoyne was alone and surrounded by American forces in Pennsylvania.The Patriots held firm. On October 17, Burgoyne surrended. The British had failed. They turned in their weapons. This changed the course of the war. The French decided to join the American cause. -
Battle of Cowpens
One American section beat the British. This was a turning point in the southern campaign. South Carolina is where this took place. -
Battle of Yorktown
This battle was the last major battle of the war. A trap was set. Americans blocked British supply from the waters. They couldn't escape. They were outnumbered. The Americans took nearly 8,000 prisoners of 8,000 soldiers. They took around 200 guns. Cornwallis, the general, surrendered to Washington.