Revolution

1. Revolution The Quick and Dirty to the British Civil War in the Colonies.

2. Some things you should know… • After the Battle of Breed’s Hill, the colonists continued to blockade Boston. General Gage finally had enough and removed his troops from Boston. He sent them to New York and to Nova Scotia. • Around the same time, George Washington, who had been a member of the first two Congresses, was appointed by Congress to be the commanding general of the colonial armies. • This caused a few problems, as he was promoted over the Artemas Ward, who had been in charge of the troops at Boston and took the credit for Breed’s Hill

3. George and the Giant Task • Despite the British “defeat,” the colonial army struggled from a lack of supplies, man power, and experienced generals. • Unlike the British army, the colonial army was made up of volunteers who felt as though they could go home when ever they felt they had done enough (or people started to die!) • Colonial officers were inexperienced, not only in the art of fighting in organized groups, but in the training, organization, and care of troops. • There just wasn’t enough stuff to go around. The British had the advantage of nearly limitless funds to pay for the food, uniforms, weapons, and ammunition for the soldiers. The Continential Congress had no ability to tax its people, therefore no way to supply its troops!

4. Early Battles • Battles of Fort Washington and Fort Lee –November, 1776 • British overwhelm the colonists on Long Island, capturing or killing over 2900 colonial soldiers and their supplies, including the many cannon that had been taken from the British at Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. • Nathan Howe is a colonial school teacher captured as a spy and hung in New York • “I only regret I have but one life to lose for my country.” • Washington is forced to retreat over the Delaware and into Pennsylvania. • General Howe doesn’t pursue the colonists when he could have completely destroyed Washington’s army.

5. Turning points • Battles of Trenton and Princeton - 1777 • After the defeats in New England and the fall of the Colonial capital in Philadelphia, the American army retreated to the far banks of the Delaware River. • The British troops retreated for the winter and to make their winter quarters. Only the German Hessians were left to face the Americans. • Washington crossed the Delaware River at night and surprised the German mercenaries on Christmas Eve • Washington took a risk; there was a storm that evening, which broke as Washington’s men prepared for battle. • The battle proved to be the victory Washington needed to rejuvenate his troops, despite the fact that the American’s outnumbered the Germans. • German General Rahl was killed in the Battle. • Washington quickly followed up with an attack on the British at Princeton • The victories helped to improve colonial moral and to convince France and Spain that the United States could win against the British.

6. The Americans at Trenton

7. Not From The North • The British tried to distract the Americans by invading from the north. • Led by General Burgoyne, the British retook Fort Ticonderoga and came in through Vermont. • British met the American force at Bennington on August 16,1777 • British lost nearly 900 soldiers to the American 70. • Again, boosted lagging moral and showed the world that the Americans could defeat the British • British General Gage refused to send reinforcements up to meet Burgoyne, instead moving them towards Philadelphia. • American’s waged total war on the British, destroying all the supplies that British desperately needed. • After a bloody battle at Saratoga, Burgoyne was forced to surrender nearly 3500 soldiers, almost half of the force that had invaded from the north. • Prompted France and Spain to enter the war, after seeing how well the colonists could fight.

8. A Couple of other things • Valley Forge: Washington camps his army in Pennsylvania during the winter of 1777-78. The troops are barely fed and clothed, many of them simple desert and return home. Washington relies on news from the North to help keep the moral up. The British do not take the opportunity to destroy Washington’s force. They winter in Philadelphia. • Benedict Arnold had been a very successful member of the American military during the Battles of Fort Ticonderoga and Saratoga. He did not feel that he had been given the credit he deserved. He had also been court martialed for corruption and he was in debt. He planned to give the British the fort at West Point and actually got Washington to put him charge of the fort. He was discovered when his British contact, Colonel Andre was caught. Andre was executed, Benedict escaped to the British.

9. Yes, we had a Navy • About 40 ships in the American Navy during the Revolution. • John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor serving in the American “navy” • Advised Congress to build small fast ships to out maneuver the larger man o’ wars. • British considered them pirates • 1779 – Jones’ ship the Bonhomme Richard fought the larger British ship, the Serapis. • Famous for declaring “I have not yet begun to fight when asked for his surrender.” • Jones and his men fought despite the fact their ship was sinking beneath them. • Forced the British to surrender. Jones took over the British Serapis after his ship sank.

11. The war in the southern colonies had been reduced to stalemate. Both sides were acting with ruthlessness and utilizing guerilla warfare tactics. Both sides fought with ferocious brutatity, including the execution of surrendering soldiers. American General Morgan out maneuvered the British calvary officer Colonel Tarelton, The battle was relatively small, but had huge effects for American moral. The British lost 100 soldiers and officers with 830 captured. The Americans had 12 killed, 60 wounded. The Americans captured much of the British supplies Despite the victory, the Americans retreated into North Carolina, but the British General Cornwallis eventually had to give up the chase. Cowpens, South Carolina -1781

12. The End…. Sort of • After chasing Washington’s troops across the Carolinas, Cornwallis returned to Virginia, where he captured Yorktown and Gloucester in September of 1781. • By this point, the French had entered the war and were providing much needed troops and materials. • When Cornwallis took Yorktown, he was surrounded by the American and French forces, numbering over 16,000 men. • Cornwallis expected the British commanding General to provide reinforcements. Cornwallis for some reason removed his troops from the trenches that defended Yorktown. • After a month of constant bombardment and failed attempts to evacuate the fort, Cornwallis surrendered. • Cornwallis tried to surrender to the French first, as he did not want to surrender to the Americans. He tried to send his second in command, Charles O’Hara, but Washington had O’Hara surrender to his second in command, Benjamin Lincoln. • The British band played a song titled, The World Turned Upside Down. • Signified the end of the fighting of the Revolution.