Mr. Clifford
US 1
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Thomas Paine captured the feeling
and sentiments of the Continental
Army when he wrote, “These are the
times that try men’s souls”.
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Britain’s tactic for winning the war: isolate New
England from the rest of the colonies.
General William Howe and his brother Admiral
Richard Howe sailed into New York harbor in the
summer of 1776 with 32,000 soldiers and thousands
of German (Hessian) mercenaries.
British wanted to intimidate Washington & the
Continental Army into surrender & put an end to the
uprising.
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General Washington rallied 23,000 troops.
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Most of Washington’s troops were untrained recruits with
poor equipment.
The battle for New York ended in late August with
heavy losses and an American retreat.
The British pushed Washington’s army into
Pennsylvania.
Fewer than 8,000 men remained in Washington’s
army.
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Enlistment terms for the Continental Army
would end on December 31, 1776.
Washington led 2,400 men across the Delaware
River on December 25, 1776 into New Jersey.
By 8 am on December 26th, Washington’s army
had marched 9 miles to Trenton and attacked a
garrison of Hessian mercenaries.
Continental Army had killed 30 and took 918
captives and 6 Hessian cannons.
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6 days later, Washington’s army would
defeat 1,200 British soldiers at
Princeton.
These two victories inspired almost all
of Washington’s soldiers to re-enlist.
Washington’s men would set camp in
Morristown, NJ for the winter of 1777.
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Spring 1777; General Howe planned to
seize the American capital
Philadelphia.
The 2nd Continental Congress fled to
Baltimore to escape capture.
General Howe invaded Philadelphia
aided by colonial loyalists.
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General ‘Gentleman’ John Burgoyne persuaded
Parliament to let him lead an army from Canada
to New York.
Burgoyne’s regiment would move south down
the Hudson River to meet with General Howe’s
army traveling north.
Burgoyne had to lead 4,000 redcoats, 3,000
mercenaries, 1,000 Mohawks and 30 wagons
filled with artillery through forested wilderness
in upstate NY.
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Continental soldiers & militia soon
surrounded Burgoyne’s army at Saratoga.
Burgoyne surrendered his battered army to
General Horatio Gates on October 17, 1777.
British would change war strategy & focus on
the southern colonies where they was
apparently more Loyalist support.
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Americans now believed the British could be
defeated
British realized they could lose
France saw opportunity to avenge their defeat from
the French and Indian War. (France had been secretly
sending weapons & ammo to US)
France now openly supported American
independence & agreed to NOT make peace with
Britain unless Britain recognized American
independence.
Valley Forge: 20 miles west of
Philadelphia.
 2nd Continental Congress had little
money for supplies which
Washington had desperately pled
for.
 10,000 Continental soldiers braved
wind, snow, and ice with tattered
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Continental Soldiers:
made makeshift wood huts which housed
12 men.
 slept on straw and lived on ‘fire cakes’ (flour
& water cooked over open fire).
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More than 2,000 soldiers died of disease,
malnutrition, & cold.
During that winter, the British controlled
New York, part of New England, and
Philadelphia.
The Revolutionary War
would affect the life of every
American. The war upset the
economy and forced people
into new ways of living.
2nd Continental Congress began
printing paper money called,
‘Continentals’ to pay soldiers &
purchase supplies.
 An increase in printed money
eventually caused ‘inflation’.
 Price of supplies would skyrocket.
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2nd Continental Congress had difficulty supplying
Continental Army with weapons/provision.
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British naval blockade intercepted supplies sent by France.
Corrupt government officials engaged in ‘profiteering’.
Goods like gunpowder would be ‘hoard’ and sold at
increased prices in order to make huge profits.
Shopkeepers would sell ‘shoddy’ (spoiled/cheap) goods to
make a quick profit.
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1781: the 2nd Continental Congress appointed
Robert Morris & Haym Salomon to fix their
financial problems.
Morris & Saloman begged & borrowed money on
their personal credit.
funds from Philadelphia’s wealthy Quakers and Jews
were lent to Morris and Salomon to help finance the war
effort.
 Morris & Salomon were credited with saving the
Continental Army and establishing American currency.
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Wives of American soldiers had to take care of
the home, farm, and businesses.
Women like Abigail Adams made
ammunition from household silver & founded
organizations so other women could help
troops.
Hundreds of women followed their husbands
into battle. (washed, mended, & cooked for
the troops)