Revolutionary War Battles

Lexington and Concord

April, 1775; Battles marked the outbreak of open armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in the mainland of British North America. Colonial victory; the British had 3 to 4 more casualties than the colonists. Much smaller than others

Long Island

August 1776; British recognized the strategic importance of New York as the focal point for communications between the northern and southern colonies. Washington escapes with army intact, after being cornered on all sides by British; they retreated down Manhattan, and into NJ

Quebec

December 1775; an attempt on December 31, 1775, by American colonial forces to capture the city of Quebec, drive the British military from the Province of Quebec, and win support from Canadians

Trenton

December 1776; Washington crossed the Delaware River north of Trenton on Dec. 26th. The heshsens were caught off guard due to poor scouting and lack of warning of Washington's attack. The Americans win the battle, and get army members to reenlist because of victory; George Washington crossed and re-crossed the Delaware River a total of four times in the waning days of 1776.

Treason of Benedict Arnold

December, 1780; Benedict Arnold was the commander of West Point; him and his wife decide to join the British nd he gives them the American plans to West Point; after his messenger is arrested and hanged, he escapes the Americans

Brandywine

September 1777; There was not much gained with a victory in a territorial sense but it was one of the many crucial moments in the American Revolution. This victory was crucial to give troops hope that a group of rag-tag soldiers could be victorious in the struggle for independence.

Saratoga

September, 1777;Part of the English right wing, under Burgoyne himself, and a strong body of the enemy, under Gates and Arnold; The British won but loss of men was nearly equal (from 500 to 600 men); Moral victory for the Americans; most important battle in war (major turning point)

Charleston

March 1780; The Brits intercepted a messenger and thus knew how th rebels were deployed; Very severe blow to colonies as it was the greatest loss of manpower and equipment and gave the Brits nearly complete control of the southern colonies

Washington's Retreat through NJ

November, 1776; Washington began to withdraw his army across New Jersey toward Philadelphia. About 5,000 Americans left Hackensack on November 21, 1776, and retired without casualties 100 miles to safety behind the Delaware River on December 7

Yorktown

October 1781; A decisive victory led by General George Washington and French forces led by General Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by General Lord Cornwallis; Proved to be the last major land battle of the American Revolutionary War, as the surrender of Cornwallis's army prompted the British government eventually to negotiate an end to the conflict

King's Mountain

October, 1780; "turning point in the South" in America's War for Independence The battle also effectively ended, at least temporarily, the British advance into North Carolina British General Henry Clinton called it "the first link of a chain of evils"

Princeton

January 1777;

Cowpens

January, 1781; The Battle of Cowpens (January 17, 1781) was a decisive victory by American Revolutionary forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan, in the Southern campaign of the American Revolutionary War It was a turning point in the reconquest of South Carolina from the British

Bunker Hill

June 1775; Battle made both sides realize that this was not going to be a matter decided on by one quick and decisive battle, moral victory for Americans, but strategic victory for British.

Valley Forge

June, 1778; 2,500 soldiers died in winter of 1777-78; as well as poor conditions, Valley Forge was a place of training for the troops, lead by Van Stueben, which transformd the Continental Army into a more porfessional army

Monmouth

June, 1778; Washington proved he could stand up to the regulars without the advantage of surprise The Americans won in open battle, but it was seen as a draw because the Brits were only dfeneding their baggage train; Molly Pitcher, husband of an artillery man, she supplied pitchers of water to soldiers, and she eventually steps in and loaads cannons and fires them at British (the only woman to do so in the Rev War)