Battles of the American Revolution

Francis Marion

"Swamp Fox"; key leader in southern battles; operated in the swamps of South Carolina; "the devil himself" couldn't catch the Swamp Fox

Battle of Lexington and Concord

1775; "The Shot Heard Round the World"- The battle that started the Revolution; British went to capture ammunition stored in Massachusetts; Paul Revere led the Midnight Ride to warn colonists; British defeated the minutemen and then moved on to take the weapons, but soon the colonists gathered more troops and fought off the British

Capture of Fort Ticonderoga

1775; An important battle that took place in northern New York. This fort was captured by colonists led by Benedict Arnold. It was important because it controlled the main route between Canada and the Hudson River and it held valuable weapons (especially cannons). First colonial victory!!!

Battle of Bunker Hill

1775; the first major battle of the American Revolution; Colonial militias set up on this hill; fired upon Redcoats when they ran up the mountian; ran out of ammunition; even though the colonists eventually lost it gave them confidence they could fight against the King's army

Battle of Saratoga

1777; battle that took place in New York where the Continental Army defeated the British. General Benedict Arnold took on the offensive for the win; It proved to be the turning point of the war; afterward French supported the Americans

Battle of Yorktown

1781; last battle of the revolution; colonists won because British were pinned in the town by Marquis de Lafayette, navy had the James River blockaded, Washington decides to launch an attack; British surrender, Colonies win the war

Marquis de Lafayette

French military leader the helped the colonists; helped with the ultimate defeat of the British at Yorktown

Hessians

German mercenaries (hired soldiers) that were fighting for the British

Valley Forge

Washington forced to set up camp here for the winter; starvation and disease harmed many soldiers; women moved him to help with food and take care of the sick; Friedrich von Steuben comes in to train soldiers

Battle of Trenton and Princeton

a 1776 battles in New Jersey in which George Washington's troops crossed the Delaware River and captured a Hessian (German mercenaries fighting for the British) encampment; Then Washington moves to the next city and takes British by surprise; Continental Army win both battles; gave soldiers confidence

loyalist

a colonist that sided with the British during the American Revolution

patriot

a colonist that wanted to fight for their independence

Friedrich von Steuben

a military leader from Prussia that trained the Continental Army during the winter at Valley Forge

Battle at King's Mountain

battle in South Carolina; mountain people joined militias, called themselves "Over the Mountain Men"; mountain people defeated British; helped win southern support for the Revolution

George Washington

general of the Continental Army during American Revolution

Benedict Arnold

general that helped defeat the British at Saratoga; eventually became a traitor and spied for the British

George Rogers Clark

man that helped win control of British forts in the Northwest Territory with very little violence; also helped convince Native Americans to stop raiding colonial settlements and stop fighting for the British