Lexington and Concord: April 1775
In this first battle of the American Revolution, Massachusetts colonists defied British authority, outnumbered and outfought the Redcoats, and embarked on a lengthy war to earn their independence.
It ended with an American victory. The British marched into Lexington and Concord intending to suppress the possibility of rebellion by seizing weapons from the colonists. Instead, their actions sparked the first battle of the Revolutionary War. The colonists’ intricate alarm system summoned local militia companies, enabling them to successfully counter the British threat.
Read more at American Battlefield Trust
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga: May 1775
Literally overnight, the capture of Fort Ticonderoga changed the course of the Revolutionary War. The seizure of the British fort was the first victory of the American Revolution, opened a new front to the conflict, and also laid bare the challenges the revolutionaries faced, long before independence.
It took a week for the 2nd Continental Congress to learn of the capture. Presented with a dramatic offensive across colonial borders, threateningly close to a large British-controlled Province to the north, Congress was forced to act. In days and weeks that followed colonists looked for direction from the Continental Congress, but their response required caution.
Read more at Fort Ticonderoga
Siege of Boston: April 1775 - March 1776
From April 1775 to March 1776, in the opening stage of the American Revolutionary War (1775-83), colonial militiamen, who later became part of the Continental army, successfully laid siege to British-held Boston, Massachusetts. The siege included the June 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill, in which the British defeated an inexperienced colonial force that nevertheless managed to inflict heavy casualties. In July 1775, General George Washington arrived in the Boston area to take charge of the newly established Continental army. In early March 1776, Washington’s men fortified Dorchester Heights, an elevated position just outside of Boston. Realizing Boston was indefensible to the American positions, the British evacuated the town on March 17 and the siege came to an end.
Read more at History.com
Battle of Bunker Hill: June 1775
The Battle of Bunker Hill was one of the early major conflicts of the American Revolution, fought on June 17, 1775, in Charlestown, Massachusetts.
The British Army won the battle, but the American Patriots put up a strong fight, proving that the colonial militias were a force to be reckoned with.
As the sun rose on June 17, British ships in Boston Harbor noticed the newly built fortifications, and began firing on the colonial forces.
However, the ships had difficulty aiming, and the cannons did little to affect the fort, though the artillery fire caused minor damage and a handful of casualties.
The British met to discuss their options, and in the afternoon, sent approximately 2,300 troops to land on the peninsula from Boston, under the command of General William Howe.
Read more at AmericanRevolution.org
Battle of Quebec: December 1775
The Battle of Quebec was an important battle that took place during the first few months of the American Revolution. Occurring in December, 1775, the battle saw American Patriot forces make an ill-fated attempt to capture the Province of Quebec, a fortified British territory (present-day Canada). The Continental Congress of America hoped to gain the support of the province; thus, they wanted Quebec to become the 14th colony to rebel against Great Britain.
In the end, the two-pronged American force, which were under the leadership of General Richard Montgomery and General Benedict Arnold, were resoundingly repelled by a very a capable British force led by General Sir Guy Carleton. The casualties on the American side were far greater than the ones in the British camp. The biggest loss to the Americans had to be the death of seasoned commander General Montgomery, who was killed in action.
Read more at World History EDU
Battle of Trenton: December 1776
The Battle of Trenton was fought between the United States and Hessian mercenaries fighting for Great Britain on December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After retreating from New Jersey to Pennsylvania, the situation was bleak for George Washington, the Continental Army, and the American cause. Many Americans who supported the Patriot Cause believed it was lost and the war would be over soon, including Washington. However, American reinforcements joined Washington in Pennsylvania, and British forces decided to take shelter for the winter, establishing a series of outposts throughout New Jersey. The outposts along the Delaware River were garrisoned primarily by Hessians. At Trenton, Colonel Johann Rall believed Washington was in no condition to launch an attack and refused to strengthen the town’s defenses. Washington saw there was a chance — although a slim one — to attack the Hessian garrison at Trenton.
Read more at American History Central
Battle of Saratoga: September - October 1777
The Battle of Saratoga fought in two stages on September 19 and October 7, 1777, proved to be a turning point in the American struggle for independence. It also had a direct impact on the career of General George Washington. Without the victory at Saratoga, American forces would likely not have received critical assistance from the French, and faith in the war effort would have been weakened. But the victory of General Horatio Gates at Saratoga also led to a serious but ultimately unsuccessful effort to replace Washington with Gates as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
The battle of Saratoga took place on the fields of upstate New York, nine miles south of the town of Saratoga. In accordance with British plans, General John Burgoyne was attempting to invade New England from Canada with the goal of isolating New England from the rest of the United States. Burgoyne had under his command an army of 7,200 troops with which he hoped to establish British dominance throughout the state of New York. Opposing Burgoyne was General Horatio Gates with a force of 9,000 soldiers, later joined by 2,000 additional troops. The ensuing battle was divided into two encounters, the first on September 19 and the second on October 7.
Read more at George Washington's Mount * Vernon
Battle of Rhode Island: August 1778
On August 9, the Battle of Rhode Island began with the crossing at Howland’s Ferry of 11,000 Continental line troops and militia. The French navy blocked Narragansett Bay, forcing the British to scuttle their small naval force.
The American army, under Sullivan, landed at Rhode Island and forced the smaller British/German force to withdraw behind fortifications built around the town of Newport.
Within a few days, a large British naval force arrived to challenge the French fleet. The French fleet sailed out of the bay to do battle in the open ocean. As the two fleets maneuvered, preparing for battle, a hurricane came upon them and scattered the fleets from August 13-14, causing severe damage to both sides.
For the land forces, the high winds and rain also did great damage to both sides, but the British defenders faired better because they were behind prepared positions and in a town. For the next week, elements of the scattered French fleet returned to the bay.
Read more at RevolutionaryWar.us
Battle of Charleston: April - May 1780
After American and French forces failed to capture Savannah, Georgia, in October 1779, the Americans retreated to Charleston, South Carolina. Under the command of General Benjamin Lincoln, the Americans fortified the city and prepared for a British attack.
British forces under the command of General Henry Clinton landed in South Carolina and started to build siege lines on April 1. For the next six weeks, the two sides bombarded each other.
While the British slowly moved closer to Charleston, the Americans, who were greatly outnumbered, gradually ran out of food. By May 11, Lincoln and other American leaders, including Christopher Gadsden, knew the city could not hold out.
Lincoln was forced to submit to harsh terms of surrender, and more than 5,000 American troops were taken as prisoners. It was the most significant defeat suffered by American forces during the American Revolutionary War and a major turning point in the conflict.
Read more at American History Central
Battle of Kings Mountain: October 1780
The Revolutionary War battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina proved to be a stinging defeat in the British attempt to secure control of the Southern colonies.
The fierce firefight at Kings Mountain pitted Loyalist militia elements under the command of British major Patrick Ferguson against 900 patriots. The British effort to secure Loyalist support in the South was a failure. Thomas Jefferson called the battle "The turn of the tide of success."
On October 7, 1780, Ferguson and the Overmountain men met in a small but significant battle in the War for Independence. It took place on a rocky hilltop in Western South Carolina called Kings Mountain. The rout of the Loyalists there was the first major setback for Britain's southern strategy and started a chain of events that culminated in Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown.
Read more at American Battlefield Trust
Battle of Cowpens: January 1781
The Battle of Cowpens, January 17, 1781, took place in the latter part of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution and of the Revolution itself. It became known as the turning point of the war in the South, part of a chain of events leading to Patriot victory at Yorktown2 The Cowpens victory was won over a crack British regular army3 and brought together strong armies and leaders who made their mark on history.
Beginning with the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, the British had made early and mostly futile efforts in the South, including a failed naval expedition to take Charleston in 1776. Such victories boosted Patriot morale and blunted British efforts, but by 1779-80, with stalemate in the North, British strategists again looked south. They came south for a number of reasons, primarily to assist Southern Loyalists and help them regain control of colonial governments, and then push north, to crush the rebellion6. They estimated that many of the population would rally to the Crown.
Read more at National Park Service
Battle of Yorktown: September - October 1781
When British General Lord Charles Cornwallis and his army surrendered to General George Washington’s American force and its French allies at the Battle of Yorktown on October 19, 1781, it was more than just a military win. The outcome in Yorktown, Virginia marked the conclusion of the last major battle of the American Revolution and the start of a new nation's independence. It also cemented Washington’s reputation as a great leader and eventual election as first president of the United States.
“Washington’s fame grew to international proportions having wrested such an impossible victory,” according to the Washington Library, “interrupting his much desired Mount Vernon retirement with greater calls to public service.”
Read more at History.com
