Key
Battles/Events
of the American
Revolution
Advantages
• British:
1. Best army and navy in the
world
2. Well trained troops
3. Well supplied
4. More military experience
• American:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Better leadership
Foreign Aid
Knowledge of the land
Motivation=Independence
The Leaders:
• George WashingtonCommander of the
Continental Army
• General CornwallisCommander of the British
(Redcoat) Army
• King George III- King of
England
1. Lexington and Concord
• 1775
• 1st Shot in the
American Revolution
• “Shot heard ‘round
the world”
2. Battle of Bunker Hill
• 1775
• Though the colonist lost
they were able to hold
their own against the most
powerful army in the
world.
• Gave the colonists
confidence. They realized
the war may be long but
they could win.
– “Don’t shoot until you see
the whites of their eyes.”
3. The Crisis
• Thomas Paine-author
• Written to boost the
spirits of the
Continental Army
• Had suffered several loses
and were low on supplies
• Washington read the
pamphlet out loud to
his soldiers
“These are the times that try men’s
souls. The summer soldier and the
sunshine patriot will, this this crisis,
shrink from the service of their country;
but he that stands it now, deserves the
love and thanks of man and woman.”
- Thomas Paine, The American Crisis
Battle of Trenton
• Washington hoped a victory would encourage
his men.
– He also knew that he needed to attack quickly
before his most of his soldiers enlistments ended.
• December 25, 1776
– Crossed the Delaware River into Trenton, NJ
– An early morning surprise attack
– Killed or captured more than 900 British (Hessian)
soldiers and gained supplies
4. Battles of Saratoga
• 1777
– 2 battles fought 18
days apart
• Turning Point in the
American Revolution
• The victory helped
Franklin to convince
France to send aid
($$$) and troops
(Marquis de Lafayette)
5. Winter at Valley Forge
• Winter 1777-78
– A time of suffering
• Americans lost 2,000 due to disease, lack
of clothing, food, etc.
• 2,000 deserters
– A time for endurance/dedication
• Intense training, drilling
• Foreign Help
– Marquis de Lafayette
– Baron Von Steuben
Marquis de Lafayette
• 20 year old, wealthy French officer
• Inspired by the Patriot cause, he volunteered for the
Continental Army
– Requested no pay
• First arrived in June 1777, fought at Brandywine
• Would give $200,000 of his own to support army
• Would become close friends with Washington
– Washington thought of him like a son
• Would be promoted to Major General and play a large
part in the American army
The Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf
Gerhard Augustin von Steuben
• Baron Von Steuben
– Spoke no English
– Supposed high ranking Prussian
officer
– Offered his services for no pay
– Demanded respect; feared
– Washington made him Inspector
General of the Army
– In charge of training and sanitation
– Later found out to be a fake
• Didn’t matter
George Washington and Lafayette at
Valley Forge
by John Ward Dunsmore
6. Naval Battles
• Privateer-a privately
owned ship that a
wartime government
gives permission to
attack enemy ships.
• 1,000s of colonial
privateers
• Continental Navy
– John Paul Jones- naval
officer that defeated a
British naval ship.
• “I have not yet begun to
fight”
*
7. Battle of Yorktown
• 1781
• Last battle in the
American Revolution
– American and French
troops surrounded
the Redcoats.
– British (Cornwallis)
surrendered in 1781
to America
(Washington)
Other Key People:
• Bernardo de Galvez- Spanish governor of Louisiana that
helped the Patriots during the American Revolution
(Galveston is named after him)
• James Armistead- A spy who pretended to be a runaway
slave that gave Washington many British War secrets
• Haym Salomon- A Jewish immigrant who helped America
finance the American Revolution
• Wentworth Cheswell- African American who fought for
Independence and later became the 1st African American
elected to public office in America
Haym Salomon
Bernardo de Galvez
Wentworth Cheswell
James Armistead
8. Treaty of Pairs (1783)
• Official end to American
Revolution
• Terms of Treaty:
1. U.S. was independent
2. Set boundariesMississippi River(West);
Canada (North); Spanish
Florida (South)
3. All sides would repay
debts
9. Cost of War
• 25,700 Americans dead
and 1400 remained
missing
• 8,200 Americans
wounded
• 10,000 British deaths
• $27 million in war debt