The American Revolution
4.3 -Turning Points of the War
Focus Question?
o What factors helped the Patriots win the war?
The Opposing Sides
o Britain seemed to have great advantages over the colonies at the start of the war.
o
The Patriots needed to overcome a powerful empire with nearly four times their
population. (The Colonists were: 20% Loyalists plus 20% slaves plus many who
remained neutral)
Odds Were Against the Patriots
Britain was :
o Well-organized, long established government.
o Produced many more ships and weapons.
o British troops were well trained and supplied
Colonists:
o Continental Congress just starting out.
o The Continental Congress had neither money nor authority to tax.
o Continental soldiers were cold, hungry, and poorly equipped
The British Make Mistakes
o In 1775, the British did not take the Patriots seriously.
o The British battle tactics were unsuited for fighting in America.
o The hiring of brutal Hessian mercenaries angered colonists.
o The British failed to see that the real struggle was for the hearts and minds of the
citizens.
Battle of Bunker Hill
o British Commander William Howe made a costly mistake at Bunker Hill.
o To show British invincibility he ordered a frontal assault up a hill on the Patriots.
o The Redcoats first two charges failed but eventually they took the hill, but they
suffered heavy casualties.(2-1)
o The Patriots won a psychological victory.
o In January 1776, Colonel Henry Knox arrived with cannons to reinforce the
Patriots in Boston.
o His men hauled the cannons 100 miles from upstate NY where Ethan Allen’s men
captured them at Fort Ticonderoga
o Patriots shelled both Boston & the Harbor, forcing the British to leave the city.
British Misunderstood the Conflict
o The British thought they were fighting a traditional European War.
o They believe the Patriots would surrender if Lord Howe could defeat the
Continental Army & capture major seaports, including Philadelphia.
o The British actually accomplished these goals but still lost the war.
The Patriot’s Strength
o George Washington didn’t win many battles but he kept the Continental Army
intact.
o He only fought when conditions were favorable.
o He inspired his men despite extreme hardship.
o His small but committed Army hung together despite casualties, hunger, &
disease.
o Washington's Continental Army allowed local militia’s to suppress Loyalists in
the countryside.
Colonists Endure Hard Times
o The Continental Congress could only pay farmers and soldiers with paper money
(continentals), causing inflation.
o The British blockade meant shortages of goods. Some profiteers sold items at
inflated prices.
o Washington’s troops spent the cold winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. There was
disease and hunger; a third of the men were without shoes or coats.
The War Shifts
o The British under the command of General Howe capture NYC in Sept. of 1776.
o 30,000 British & German troops devastated the continental army.
o On Christmas night, Washington crossed the Delaware River surprising 1,000
German mercenaries at the Battle of Trenton.
o This modest victory raised the spirits of the Patriots and kept the revolution going.
Military Turning Points
o At the Battle of Princeton ( 1777), Gen. Washington defeated Gen. Charles
Cornwallis.
o However, Washington suffered more defeats than victories in 1777 and eventually
lost Philadelphia.
o British General Burgoyne marched the British army from Canada into the Hudson
Valley.
o Falling into a Patriot trap at Saratoga, Burgoyne surrendered.
o This victory suggested that the American’s might actually win the war.
o This victory also helped to secure European allies.
European Allies
o Benjamin Franklin persuaded France to send supplies and, after Saratoga, troops
and a navy.
o French nobleman Marquis de Lafayette volunteered to help Washington.
o Baron Von Steuben, a German, volunteered to train and drill Washington’s men
in 1777.
o The Spanish in New Orleans kept the British from entering the Mississippi
River in 1779.
Women Play an Important Role
o Wives and daughters made blankets, clothing, and shoes for soldiers.
o Some wives followed the men into battle, cooking, washing clothes, and
maintaining the camp.
o At Monmouth, Mary Hayes, known as “Molly Pitcher,” was said to have replaced
her fallen husband at a cannon
Continental Army Faces Challenges
o During the winter of 1777, Washington's army survived horrible conditions
outside Philadelphia in a camp in Valley Forge.
o The soldiers suffered from a lack of supplies and food. Reports claim nearly
10,000 soldiers had no coats or shoes.
Valley Forge
o Despite the hardships, the soldiers improved from careful drilling by German
volunteer, Baron Von Steuben.
The Frontier War
o Most Native American sided with the British who did not want their land, this
made the war very difficult for the Patriots.
o Colonel George Rogers Clark led a Patriot militia of roughly 175 men and French
Allies took several British posts in the Northwest.
o In 1779, the British and the Iroquois attacked outposts in northern New York. In
1779, the British and the Iroquois attacked outposts in northern New York.