Battle of Lexington
Fought on 19th of April 1775, the Battle of Lexington is significant because it kicked off the American Revolution. On the day before the battle, hundreds of British troops descended on Concord to Boston as they sought to capture arms from local militias. Horse riders from the local militiamen, led by Paul Revere, sounded the alarm, prompting other groups to mobilize in an attempt to intercept the army. A confrontation between the two sides occurred at Lexington, forcing the British troops to retreat under heavy fire. This, together with the Battle of Concord, marked the start of a series of battles that eventually led to the independence of the first 13 American states from Britain.
Battle of Concord
When the horse men identified the British troops moving from Boston to Concord to seize arms cheches there, confrontations also took place at Concord between the colonists militiamen and the British troops. When the troops arrived at Concord, they separated into different companies as they searched for supplies. Approximately 400 local militiamen engaged about 100 British troops at the North Bridge, Concord. The British troops were regulars and were overpowered, forcing them to retreat below the bridge and joining the rest of the forces back at Concord. This Battle, like the Lexington confrontation, marked the start of the series of battles over the next few years that eventually led to the independence of the new nation.
Battle of Yorktown
This battle was fought between September 28 and October 19, 1781 in Yorktown. The conflict marked the first time that the French joined forces with American colonists to fight the British Crown. It is worth noting that the French and the British were fighting over the control of the New World. When the American colonists rebelled against the Crown, the French found it necessary to help the colonists fight their competitors. In fact, the involvement of the French and the Spanish on the side of the colonists contributed to the eventual defeat of the British and independence of the first thirteen states.
Siege of Boston
The Siege o9f Boston is considered the opening phase of the revolution as it involved large scale confrontation between the British troops and the American colonists forces. Lasting between April 19, 1775 and March 17, 1776, the siege took almost a year and ended when the British, after running out of supplies, decided to abandon Boston. After the British left for Nova Scotia in Canada, the Colonists army claimed victory after fighting for 11 months. This battle is significant as it was the first time the local militias were organized into a force, thus marking the birth of the Continental Army that henceforth fought the British in the remaining period during the revolutionary years.
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought for a single day on 17th June, 1775 when Boston was still under siege. After the local militiamen who were besieging Boston realized that the British were sending more troops to attack them in the surrounding hills, they sent about 1,200 of their troops in response. Under the command of William Prescott, the colonists troops occupied the nearby Breed’s and Bunker hills. When the British realized this, they mounted heavy attacks. The colonists suffered massive losses, forcing them to retreat as the British captured Charlestown Peninsula. This battle was significant to both sides as the British realized that they were now dealing with an organized army and resulted to adopt more cautious and planned execution of power. On their side, the colonists became aware of the British potential and became even more organized into an army rather than separated militias.
Battle of Quebec
This was a one-day battle on December 31, 1775 and became the first major loss for the colonists. The American colonists had invaded Quebec City hoping to drive the British away and capture artillery and supplies there. However, the British defenders had an advantage as they had better trained troops and a large arms cache. In the battle, the colonists lost more than 400 militiamen who were taken prisoner. In addition, their leader Gen Richard Montgomery was killed and Benedict Arnold seriously wounded. Moreover, Daniel Morgan was taken prisoner along with the 400 of his men.
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island occurred on August 27 1776 at Long Island’s western edge in Brooklyn, New York. Here, the British defeated the colonists, gaining access to the Port of New York. This was the first major confrontation between the two side following the declaration of independence on July 4, 1776. It is the largest battle in the Revolutionary War and involved massive loses on both sides. The British had a large force of about 20,000 troops while the Americans brought about 10,000 men to fight the Crown out of the port. The confrontation was violent and Gen Washington had to evacuate his troops overnight. For the coming months, the Americans suffered massive defeat as the British forced them backwards towards Pennsylvania, where they remained for the rest of the war period.
Battle of Trenton
This battle was relatively small but very important in the revolutionary period as it boosted the waning morale of the Continental forces. It took place on December 26, 1776 in Trenton, New Jersey. When Washing and his army crossed the Delaware River near Trenton, he advanced towards Hessian garrisons at Trenton. After a short battle, he captured more than third of the troops there and only suffered negligible losses.
Battle of Princeton
This battle took place on January 3, 1777 near Princeton, New Jersey. General George Washington made a plan to attack the British troops in New Jersey in a surprise attack before they could attack him. He crossed the Delaware River before entering the NJ area. At Princeton, he met a small British force which he defeated. However, the he realized that General Cornwallis was sending a large number of troops and so he retreated back to Delaware. But this small victory motivated and inspired many colonists. In the coming months, many young colonists joined the Continental Army and the revolutionary cause, thus boosting the morale of the revolutionaries.
Battle of Fort Ticonderoga
On July 2nd, 1777 General John Burgoyne and his British troops planned an attack on Fort Ticonderoga, a fortification that the revolutionary Army had captured several months before as the war was starting. This fort was under the command of Ethan Allen and was situated an the confluence of Lake Champlain and Lake George. Therefore, it acted as a control site to access Hudson Valley and Canada. When Burgoyne realized that he could no longer defend the fort, he surrendered to the British forces, who destroyed the fortifications and the artillery there before they relocated to Canada.
Reference
Allison, A. K., & Ferreiro, L. D. (2018). The American Revolution: A world war. Smithsonian Institute.