Transcript Battles of The Revolutionary War

Battles of
The Revolutionary War
The British
The British were….
• Well trained
• Well equipped
• Well supported by the Royal Navy.
British forces
The British army had…
50,000 soldiers and 30,000 mercenaries
(hired soldiers from other countries)
400 British ships in the New York Harbor
The Colonists had…
• No more than 20,000 troops at any
one time.
• Shortages of supplies (guns, gunpowder,
food, uniforms)
The Revolutionary War
In face of such overwhelming force, the
colonial troops should have been easily
defeated.
British Victories
The American troops were far from home
and very cold.
During a fierce snow blizzard, the Americans
attacked Quebec City, but suffered a
crushing defeat.
The Patriots hopes of taking Canada soon
faded.
British Victories
In July 1776, General Washington had
moved his troops to New York.
Led by General Howe, the British drove the
Continental Army out of New York
The Patriots Gain New Hope
After his victory in New York, Howe thought
the war would be over soon.
He let his troops rest in New York and left
New Jersey in the hands of the Hessians.
The Battle of Trenton
• Washington quietly crossed the Delaware
on Christmas night. Early on December
26th, he attacked the sleeping Hessians,
and took 900 prisoners.
Battle of Princeton
A few days later, Washington had his troops
keep their campfires burning for the British
to see. They then surprised the British and
defeated them in Princeton.
Turning Point at Saratoga
• British General Howe decided to attack
Philadelphia. The two sides met at the
Battle of Brandywine Creek.
• The British won a convincing victory!
Saratoga
• By the time British
General Burgoyne
reached Saratoga, New
York, the area was
surrounded by Colonial
forces.
• The Battle of Saratoga,
New York, was the
turning point of the war.
Saratoga
• After the great victory at Saratoga,
France decided to enter the war on the
side of the Americans to fight against
the British.
Turning Point
Spain also entered the war against Britain.
• The American cause no longer looked
hopeless.
Winter at Valley Forge
• In December of 1777, Washington settled
his troops at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
Valley Forge
• They suffered shortages of food and
clothing. More than one fifth of the soldiers
died from disease and malnutrition.
The War in the South
After the American victory in
Saratoga, the British focused their
attention on the southern colonies.
The British strategy of freeing
slaves who joined them worked
well in the South.
The War in the South
• The British captured the port city of
Savannah.
• As the British marched through the South,
they destroyed property, burned crops and
killed farm animals.
The War in the South
• The Patriots switched to guerrilla warfareswift, hit-and-run surprise attacks.
Victory at Yorktown
• After repeated guerrilla attacks from the
militias in the south, General Cornwallis
moved his army to Yorktown, Virginia to
rest.
Victory at Yorktown
• As Cornwallis settled in Yorktown, France
sent nearly 8,000 troops and 29 war ships
to join General Washington.
• Washington secretly moved his army
south.
Victory at Yorktown
• The Americans and French surrounded
Yorktown on land with more than 16,000
troops.
• Meanwhile, the French navy sealed off the
entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.
Victory at Yorktown
When Cornwallis realized that the British
navy would not come to his rescue, he
agreed to surrender.
Yorktown
• Cornwallis did not take part in the
ceremony, saying he was ill.
• In reality, he could not bear to surrender
publicly to an army he looked down on as
a “contemptible and undisciplined mob”