Key Battles of the
Revolutionary War
Lexington and Concord
• British General Thomas Gage got word
that the colonists were storing weapons in
Concord, near Boston.
• He also heard that 2 of the Sons of Liberty,
John Hancock and Samuel Adams were
staying in the nearby village of Lexington.
So what did Gen. Gage do?
• He sent out British troops to find the
weapons in Concord
• Then go to Lexington to capture Hancock
and Adams.
So what happened when the British
got to Lexington?
• Paul Revere and William Dawes had gone
to Lexington the night before to warn
Hancock and Adams, so they were able to
escape.
• Then they rode to Concord and the
weapons were moved before the British
arrived.
Was there a battle?
• Yes, 4000 minutemen (colonists ready to
fight in a minutes notice) fought the 700
British soldiers.
• 74 British soldiers were killed and 174
wounded.
• 93 Minutemen died that day, but this was
seen as a victory for the Patriots.
• This battle happened in 1775 before the
Declaration of Independence was written.
So was this battle important?
• This event is sometimes referred to as the
“shot heard round the world” because of the
impact of the American revolutionary ideas on
other nations.
• The second Continental Congress met and
named George Washington Commander-inChief of the army that gathered around Boston
after Lexington and Concord.
The Battle of Bunker Hill
• Took place in Boston on June 17, 1775.
• Was one of the fiercest battles of the war.
• Both sides wanted this high ground. The
colonists needed it to help defend Boston.
• To save bullets, the colonists were told
“Don’t fire until you see the whites of their
eyes”
Who won the Battle of Bunker Hill?
• The British eventually took the Hill, but
they lost over 1000 soldiers that day.
Americans learned a lot from this
battle!
• The battle demonstrated the power of the
Americans fighting from behind trees and
rocks.
• Americans would need allies to supply
ammunition.
The Siege of Charleston
• The British attack on Charleston began
April 13, 1780.
• First attempt failed because of the tides
and the resilience of the palmetto log fort
that became known as Fort Moultrie.
• Peter Timothy stood watch in St. Michael’s
steeple in downtown Charleston.
• He watched the British who were on
James Island.
So who won Charleston?
• Charleston was attacked by blockading the
harbor and cutting off the supply lines.
• After 42 days of fighting, Charleston surrendered
to the British.
• The British occupied Charleston for 2 1/2 years .
• They took over such beautiful homes as the
Miles-Brewton House on King Street.
• Charleston people came to hate the British
armies’ cruel ways.
Battle of Charleston
What happened at Hudson Bay?
Battle of Saratoga
• This was the turning point of the war for the
American Patriots.
• American forces under the command of General
Gates defeated the British in their attempt to split
the colonies at the Hudson Bay.
• The French decided to join us and help beat the
British when they realized the colonists might
have a chance to win.
• The French gave us financial aid and the help of
the French navy.
Cowpens
• This was an important battle in South
Carolina and showed the cooperation of
the Continental Army and the irregular
partisan forces.
• The partisans led the attack and then fled
the field tricking the British into thinking
they had retreated. They lured them into
the range of the regular American army.
• The British were defeated and retreated
toward Virginia.
This was seen as a great victory in
the south!
Victory at Yorktown
• Yorktown was the final battle of the war!!
• The French navy assisted George Washington
and his army by blocking the harbor.
• The blockade prevented British ships from
entering the harbor and the British army,
camped in Virginia waiting for transport to winter
quarters, from escaping.
• Surrounded by American and French forces, the
British were defeated and surrendered.
Yorktown ended the war.
• Even though some fighting went on for a
few more years, the war was won at
Yorktown.
• The treaty of Paris was signed in April,
1782 officially ending the war. America
was a free, United States.
Cornwallis’s British Army
surrenders to George Washington
at Yorktown