Americans Win the Revolution
The War Begins
The British population was 4x larger than the 2.5 million people in the colonies (including the 1/5 that were Loyalists, 1/5 that were slaves)
Britain seemed to have the advantages: they were leaders in manufacturing (ships & weapons), had an established government, and lacked money (inflated the dollar, which damaged economy).
The British Underestimate Patriot Resistance
The British didn’t take the Patriots seriously as an enemy in 1775, and repeated their mistake twice (one at Concord, and at the Battle of Bunker Hill). William Howe commanded the British soldiers to retake the hill, only to be met with gunfire by the Patriots
Howe failed twice to capture the hill, only winning the third because the Patriots ran out of ammunition, giving the Patriots the psychological victory.
Colonel Henry Knox arrived with cannons to reinforce the Patriots outside Boston, which had been hauled from upstate New York (captured from Fort Ticonderoga). This led to the British abandoning the city in March
A Flawed Strategy
British soldiers thought that if they could defeat the Continental Army and capture major seaports, that they would win. The British never understood that they were fighting a revolutionary war.
Paine also write a series of inspirational essays, and the British hired Hessians (German mercenaries), who had a brutal reputation
The Patriots’ Strengths
Washington recognized the importance of preserving the Continental Army from destruction. Washington lost most of the battles, but skillful retreats saved his army to fight for another day.
By preoccupying the British army, Washington’s Continental Army freed local militias to suppress Loyalists in the countryside
Civilian Support Proves Invaluable
The Continental Army need aid and support from their civilian population, which included the need for women to work to replace positions their husbands would take
British navy blocked ports, which drove up prices of items. Few colonists took advantage with their monopoly. Inflation, along with the fact that if the colonists lost, also played a role in economics
Women followed their husbands into the army, by assisting with camps. Some women even helped on the battlefield. Deborah Sampson won military pension from Congress because of her actions.
The War in the Middle States and Frontier
The British decide to attack New York City in early 1776, after their loss in Boston. Howe captures the city on September 15, where 30,000 British and German troops crush the Continentals. Washington saves his army by retreated across to New Jersey and by counter attacking.
The Patriots See Military Success
Washington inflicts heavy casualties on General Charles Cornwallis’s troops at the Battle of Princeton. However,, during the rest of 1777, Washington suffered more losses
The British begin to invade New York’s Hudson Valley, where they meet the Patriots trap at Saratoga.
Allies Assist the Patriot’s Cause
Victory at Saratoga was important as it encouraged France to recognize American independence and to enter the war. France wanted the opportunity to weaken an old enemy, and assisted the Patriots by secretly shipping arms and ammunition as well as military expertise
After Saratoga, French formed an open alliance with the United States, along with the diplomat Benjamin Franklin. This allowed the alliance to produce the biggest victory of the war in 1781
Soon, the Spanish from Spain assist the French, by sending money and supplies as well as preventing the British ships from entering the Mississippi at New Orleans
The Continental Army Faces Struggles
Washington’s army spent the winter at Valley Forge, where 1/3 of his army did not have the properly clothing to deal with the cold.
Soldiers improved from careful drilling supervised by a German volunteer, Baron Von Steuben, who had come to help the Patriots. the British evacuate Philadelphia in 1778, and the Patriots fought them as they were leaving
The Frontier War
Colonists defy the Proclamation of 1763, and colonists began to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains in the early 1770s, leading to war between the British and American Indians
American Indians sided with the British, causing the Indians to attack colonial settlements in 1777. White settlers increasingly attacked and killed neutral Indians and disregarded truces.
The War in the West
Colonel George Rogers Clark led the militia in the fight against the British in the Northwest, taking settlements of Kaskaskia and Cahokia in the spring of 1778m where Clark’s 175 soldiers and his allies captured all British posts in modern day Indiana and Illinois
British and Indians responded a few months later, causing Clark’s men to quicky rally. In late February 1779, they convinced many Indians to abandon their British allies, allowing for the British to retake the fort
Indians and British attacked frontier outposts in 1779, and the Patriots burned 40 Iroquois towns, destroying the power of the Iroquois Federation in response. Indians continued to attack settlers with deadly effect, forcing them to return east
The War in the South
British expected Loyalist support in the South, but the British wasted the support with their poor strategy. They did not support Loyalist militias, but continued to wage a conventional war
Initial British Victories
British won most of the battles and captured the leading seaports in the South, seizing Savannah, Charleston, and Camden.
Spanish forces under Bernardo de Galvez made key attacks on British forts in the Gulf Coast region, capturing forts at Mobile and Pensacola (capital of British West Florida).
The Patriot Cause Gains Support
British failed to control the southern countryside, where the Revolution became a brutal civil war.
Patriots crush a Loyalist militia and executed many of the prisoners at Kings Mountain, and blamed the British for bringing chaos.
Cornwallis becomes frustrated, as the Continental Army was led by two superb commanders: Nathanael Greene and Daniel Morgan, who inflicted heavy losses on the British a the battles of Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse. Cornwallis, then decided to go north to Virginia, where he led his troops directly into a trap
The War Comes to a Conclusion
As unlikely as it seemed, Washington led the Patriots to victory
The Surrender at Yorktown
Washington marches to Yorktown, where he traps Cornwallis’s army. He needed the French to trap the British into the Chesapeake Bay. This caused Cornwallis to surrender his army of 8,000 at Yorktown.