Chapter 4
Section 4: Fighting for
Independence
The Siege of Boston
• May 1775- Vermont militia under
Colonel Ethan Allen crossed Lake
Champlain & surprised the British
at Fort Ticonderoga in northern NY
• 20,000 Patriots at Boston kept the
British at bay
The Battle of Bunker Hill
• June 17, 1775
• British troops marched up Breed’s Hill
• 1,600 Patriots poured musket fire into
their ranks
• Third time General Gage succeeded
taking Breed’s Hill
• Patriots used all of their ammunition &
forced to retreat
• Overran the Patriots to the
second hill- Bunker Hill
• Nearly 1,100 of 2,400 British
were killed or wounded
–Patriots fewer than 400
The British leave Boston
• Gage remained in Boston for 9 more
months
• July 1775- Washington came to
Philadelphia & was named
commanding General of the Patriot
forces
• Worked the militia into the Continental
Army
• Colonel Henry Knox brought cannons
from Fort Ticonderoga to Dorchester
Heights (south of Boston) Jan. 1776
• Could shell the British in the city & the
ships in the harbor
• British abandoned Boston Mar. 1776
–Moved north to Halifax, Canada
–Took 1,000 loyalists (some fled to
England, West Indies, or Canada)
Strengths & Weaknesses
• According to John Adams
–One third of the colonists were
Patriots
–One third were loyalists or Tories
–One third were neutral
The British
• Strengths
–Well equipped, disciplined & trained
army
• Navy was the world’s finest
–Received help from various sources
• 50,000 loyalists
• Slaves (promised freedom)
• Native Americans
• 30,000 mercenaries “Hessians”
• Weaknesses
–War wasn’t popular at home
•Citizens resented paying taxes
to fight the war
–Soldiers fought in hostile territory
–Commanders resisted adapting
their tactics
The Americans
• Strengths
–Fighting on their own territory
–Officers were familiar with their
tactics used during the French &
Indian War
•George Washington
–African American soldiers
• Weaknesses
–Lacked a well supplied,
stable, & effective military
–Lack of planned strategy
•Never knew the number of
troops that would show up
Fighting in the North
• Summer 1776 Howe appeared off NY
–Battle of Long Island- Britain battered
the Patriots
• Patriot Nathan Hale volunteered to cross
enemy lines & obtain information on the
British position
–Disguised as a Dutch schoolmaster,
succeeded & returned back on Sept
21, caught & hung
Retreat from New York
• Oct- Britain captured NYC & drove the
Continental Army to PA
–Many troops deserted Washington
–Continental Congress fled
Philadelphia
• Dec 1776- Thomas Paine wrote “The
Crisis”
Trenton & Princeton
• Washington had to be innovative
since he lacked adequate financial
support, supporters, & experienced
troops
• Crossed the Delaware River Dec. 25th
–In the morning surprised 1,400
Hessians troops
–Battle of Trenton
• A few days later, made a similar
attack on Princeton
–Cornwallis saw them & attacked
• American troops drove them back,
inflicted heavy losses on the
British & captured the town
• These victories boosted the Patriot
morale & convinced more Americans
to join the cause
Victory at Saratoga
• July 1777- General Howe moved his
15,000 member army from NY to attack
Philadelphia
• Washington was defeated at
Brandywine Creek outside of
Philadelphia in September
• Britain occupied Philadelphia
• Patriots tried to force them out but lost
at the Battle of Germantown
A British Attack from the North
• General Burgoyne moved in northern
NY to cut off New England
–Quickly recaptured Fort
Ticonderoga
–Americans destroyed everything in
their path on their retreat
• Mid Sept. American led by General
Horatio Gates attacked Burgoyne’s
forces
• Battle of Saratoga
• Oct. 17, 1777 Burgoyne surrendered
• Turning point in the war
–Brought power to aid the
Americans
Help from Abroad
• France was giving us secret aid
• We wanted an open ally
• Feb. 6, 1778 France & US signed a
treaty of alliance
• More supplies, money, troops, & a navy
• Britain had to defend itself in Europe
• 1779- Spain joins the war as France’s
ally & Netherlands in 1780