American RevolutionBattles

There were 165 principal engagements during the American Revolution.

Click here to learn more about them.

Battles of Lexington & Concord (April 1775)

The British government miscalculated the determination of the 13 Colonies. All across the colonies, militias were preparing to fight. In New England, these volunteers were called Minutemen because of their ability to be ready to fight in a mere sixty seconds. In April 1775, the British learned that colonists were hiding supplies of gunpowder and weapons in a village near Concord. Hoping to catch the colonists by surprise, British troops departed Boston under cover of night on April 18. But the Sons of Liberty were watching. Armed with this knowledge, alarm riders like Paul Revere galloped through the countryside warning the residents that the “British Were Coming.” On April 19, the redcoats reached the village of Lexington (near Concord), where 70 Minutemen were waiting for them. Shots rang out and when the fighting was over, eight colonists lay dead and ten injured while the British suffered no losses and just one injury. The British then marched to Concord but found no weapons there and prepared to return to Boston. On a bridge outside of Concord, the British were met by 300 Minutemen and were eventually forced to retreat. The British lost 73 men and another 200 were wounded or missing. The “shot heard ‘round the world” demonstrated the colonists’ willingness to fight for their rights even if meant that some would have to pay with their lives. The American Revolution had begun.

Battles of Lexington & Concord (April 1775)Key Points & People:

● Armed confrontation between British Redcoats and minutemen● Paul Revere, King George III

Outcome:● First battle of the American Revolution● “Shot Heard Round the World”● British forced to retreat● Patriot victory

Battle of Saratoga (October 1777)Meanwhile, British General Burgoyne and his forces were slowly making their way to Albany, New York. The British moved slowly because of the supplies they had to transport and because of the Americans who made every effort to block their journey. While Burgoyne was able to easily recapture Fort Ticonderoga, he suffered heavy losses of men in Vermont. Then the American General Horatio Gates surrounded Burgoyne’s remaining forces at Saratoga, New York. On October 17, 1777 Burgoyne surrendered his entire army to the Americans. The threat to the New England colonies was over.

The American victory at Saratoga was a turning point in the war. Before Saratoga, the American cause looked hopeless but now they had proven themselves to the entire world. This victory convinced the French and the Spanish to enter into the war on the American side. The colonists could now count on two powerful allies.

Battle of Saratoga (October 1777)

Key Points & People:● Americans defeat forces at Saratoga, New York● General Burgoyne surrenders to General Horatio Gates

Outcome:● Turning point of the Revolution● Americans defeat Britain● France and Spain enter war on the American side● Patriot victory

Winter at Valley Forge (1777-1778)

Washington and his men made their way to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, for the long cold winter of 1777-1778. Conditions were severe. Washington’s troops were hungry and were in desperate need for warm clothing. Instead of supplying the Patriots with food, blankets, and uniforms, many Americans sold these items to the British. So bad were the conditions that French volunteer Marquis de Lafayette, one of the richest men in France, used his own money to buy the men the warm clothing they needed. Lafayette chose to face the same living conditions as his American comrades. Martha Washington did her part as well by tending to the sick and wounded. By comparison, Howe’s troops spent a rather comfortable winter in the heart of Philadelphia. When news spreads on the conditions at Valley Forge, fellow Americans sent food, clothing, and ammunition to the troops.

Valley ForgeWashington and his men made their way to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, for the long cold winter of 1777-1778. Conditions were severe. Washington’s troops were hungry and were in desperate need for warm clothing. Instead of supplying the Patriots with food, blankets, and uniforms, many Americans sold these items to the British. So bad were the conditions that French volunteer Marquis de Lafayette, one of the richest men in France, used his own money to buy the men the warm clothing they needed. Lafayette chose to face the same living conditions as his American comrades. Martha Washington did her part as well by tending to the sick and wounded. By comparison, Howe’s troops spent a rather comfortable winter in the heart of Philadelphia. When news spreads on the conditions at Valley Forge, fellow Americans sent food, clothing, and ammunition to the troops.

Winter at Valley Forge (Winter 1777-1778)Key Points & People:

● Washington and troops winter under severe conditions, no food, lack of supplies, no blankets or uniforms● British winter comfortably in Philadelphia● Marquis de Lafayette, George Washington, Baron Von Steuben

Outcome:● Donations of desperately needed supplies came from

volunteers, sending clothes, food, and ammunition to the troops

● Soldiers came out better trained and ready to fight

Battle of Yorktown (1781)

After some skirmishes with American troops, Cornwallis moved his men to the Virginia coast and set up camp at Yorktown, on Chesapeake Bay. The time was right for Washington to set the ultimate trap. After moving his troops down to Virginia, Washington’s forces combined with some French troops bringing their total to 16,000. Completely surrounded by American troops, Cornwallis’s only option was to board British ships in Chesapeake Bay. Before he could do so, the French fleet sailed into the bay and drove the British ships out. The British were trapped on the peninsula. After holding out for three weeks, Cornwallis surrendered on October 17, 1781. Cornwallis’s defeat removed any remaining support for the war by the British public. The British had to acknowledge that the Americans had won their independence. It was time to talk peace.

YorktownAfter some skirmishes with American troops, Cornwallis moved his men to the Virginia coast and set up camp at Yorktown, on Chesapeake Bay. The time was right for Washington to set the ultimate trap. After moving his troops down to Virginia, Washington’s forces combined with some French troops bringing their total to 16,000. Completely surrounded by American troops, Cornwallis’s only option was to board British ships in Chesapeake Bay. Before he could do so, the French fleet sailed into the bay and drove the British ships out. The British were trapped on the peninsula. After holding out for three weeks, Cornwallis surrendered on October 17, 1781. Cornwallis’s defeat removed any remaining support for the war by the British public. The British had to acknowledge that the Americans had won their independence. It was time to talk peace.

Battle of Yorktown (October 1781)Key Points & People:

● Washington and French troops trap British troops in Virginia while French ships attack from the Chesapeake Bay

● General Cornwallis, General Washington

Outcome:● British are defeated● British support for the war ends● Last major battle of the American Revolution● Patriot victory

Treaty of Paris 1783

In early 1783, representatives from the United States and Great Britain signed a peace treaty in Paris. Under the Treaty of Paris (1783), Great Britain recognized the United States as an independent nation. Britain also gave up its claims to all lands between the Atlantic and the Mississippi River from Canada to Florida. The United States agreed to return all rights and property taken from Loyalists (American colonists who supported the British government) during the war.

The war was over but it came at a high price. At least 6200 Americans were killed in combat while another 10,000 died in camps of diseases. With this victory, the Americans could truly understand the “High Price of Freedom.

Treaty of Paris 1783Key Points & People:

● Representatives from the United States and Great Britain meet in Paris

Outcome:● U.S. recognized as an independent nation● Great Britain gives up claims to land between the

Atlantic and Mississippi River

Events of the American Revolution- ExtensionFacts About the American Revolution

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