AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
History:
The American War of Independence, also known as the American Revolution, was a conflict that took place between 1775 and 1783 in the Thirteen Colonies in North America, which were under the control of Great Britain at the time. The conflict arose due to several factors, including rising tensions between the colonists and the British government over issues such as taxation and representation.
The war began on April 19, 1775, when British troops clashed with colonial militiamen at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. The fighting continued for several years, with battles taking place in various parts of the colonies. The colonists were initially at a disadvantage, as the British army was well-trained and well-equipped, but the colonists eventually gained the support of other European powers, such as France and Spain, which helped to turn the tide of the war.
One of the key turning points in the war was the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777, which was a major victory for the colonists and helped to convince France to formally ally with them against Great Britain. The war continued for several more years, with the final major battle taking place at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. The British army surrendered, and the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, which officially recognized the United States as an independent nation.
The American War of Independence had a profound impact on the world, as it marked the first time that a European power had been defeated by a colonial army. The war also had significant social and political consequences within the United States, as it helped to establish the principles of democracy and individual liberty that continue to shape the country’s identity today.
When did the American Revolution begin?
Though preceded by years of unrest and periodic violence, the Revolutionary War began in earnest on April 19, 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord. The conflict lasted a total of seven years, with the major American victory at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781 marking the end of hostilities, although some fighting took place through the fall of 1783.
When did the American Revolution end?
The Treaty of Paris was signed two years later, on September 3rd, 1783, by representatives of King George III including David Hartley and Richard Oswald, and the United States including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay, officially ending the conflict. The treaty was ratified by the US Congress of the Confederation on January 14th, 1784.
What were the causes of the Revolution?
Through aiding the American colonists during the French and Indian War, the British government amassed an enormous debt thanks to the cost of raising, supplying, and funding an army on foreign soil. Expecting the Americans to shoulder some of the financial burdens, Parliament levied several acts of taxation as a means to soften the blow.
The Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1765), and the Townshend Acts (1767) were merely some of the unpopular pieces of legislation placed upon the American colonies for the purpose of raising funds to pay the French and Indian War debt.
Years of unrest and discord followed. The Americans maintained that Parliament could make laws, but insisted only their elected representatives could tax them. The English felt that Parliament had supreme authority over the colonies.
The Americans formed Committees of Correspondence, and later, a Continental Congress, to find solutions, but could not find common ground with the English. When fighting broke out in 1775, American revolutionaries determined that separation was the only means of obtaining liberty and justice.
The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th, 1776, formally dissolving the colonies’ relationship with their mother country, and plunging the continent into war.
What are patriots?
The colonists living in the British North American colonies who rebelled against the authority of the crown were known as patriots, revolutionaries, continentals, colonials, rebels, Yankees, or Whigs.
What are loyalists?
Those who lived in the colonies and remained faithful to the Crown were known as loyalists, Royalists, King’s Men, or Tories
What were British soldiers called?
British authority and soldiers likewise acquired several monikers throughout the course of the war and were synonymously referred to as the British, the Crown, Great Britain, lobster backs, and regulars.
What were the populations of the two sides?
Great Britain had 8 million residents in 1775, and the 13 colonies had about 2.5 million (of which half a million were slaves).
The largest cities in the colonies were Philadelphia, Pa, (43,000), New York, N.Y. (25,000), Boston, MA (16,000), Charleston, S.C. (12,000), and Newport, R.I. (11,000)
The four largest American colonies were Virginia (447,016), Pennsylvania (240,057), Massachusetts (235,308), and Maryland (202,599).
Where were the battles fought?
The majority of the war was fought in New York, New Jersey, and South Carolina, with more than 200 separate skirmishes and battles occurring in each of these three colonies. However, engagements were fought in every one of the original thirteen colonies, with additional military actions taking place in the modern-day states of Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Alabama, and Florida.
How much territory did the British control during the war?
Though difficult to quantify with numbers and acreage, there can be little doubt that the British forces occupied geographically and geopolitically important areas throughout the course of the war. They held several important Canadian forts and cities in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and New Brunswick; remaining in control of these areas even following the American Revolution.
The British also controlled many key cities within the American colonies, with New York serving as its major base of operations for the duration of the war. They also temporarily possessed the cities of Boston and Philadelphia and held Savannah and Charleston until 1782.
While the British held several key urban centers, it’s important to understand that 90% of the colonial population lived in the rural countryside outside of British control and influence. So, in essence, the British were only able to maintain power in areas with a strong military presence, i.e. the colonial cities.
Role of the Army in the American independence war
The role of the army was crucial in the American War of Independence. The colonial armies made up of volunteer soldiers from the Thirteen Colonies, played a key role in the success of the revolution by fighting against the British army.
The Continental Army was formed in 1775 and was led by General George Washington. The army initially consisted of a small number of poorly trained and ill-equipped soldiers, but it grew over time as more men volunteered to fight. The Continental Army fought in numerous battles throughout the war, including the Battles of Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Yorktown.
The army faced many challenges during the war, including shortages of food, clothing, and supplies. However, the soldiers were highly motivated by a strong sense of patriotism and a belief in the cause of American independence. They were also aided by military leaders who were able to adapt to changing circumstances and develop innovative tactics.
One example of this was the use of guerrilla warfare by colonial forces, which involved small, mobile units attacking larger British forces. This tactic helped to wear down the British army and was a key factor in the eventual American victory.
In addition to the Continental Army, there were also state militias that played a role in the war effort. These militias were made up of volunteer soldiers from individual colonies and were often used to defend against British attacks on local communities.
Overall, the army played a crucial role in the American War of Independence by fighting against the British and helping to secure American independence. Without the courage and dedication of the soldiers who fought in the war, it is unlikely that the United States would exist as it does today.
Washington takes command
On July 3 Washington assumed command of the American forces at Cambridge. Not only did he have to contain the British in Boston, but he also had to recruit a Continental army. During the winter of 1775–76, recruitment lagged so badly that fresh drafts of militia were called up to help maintain the siege. The balance shifted in late winter when Gen. Henry Knox arrived with artillery from Fort Ticonderoga in New York. The British fort, which occupied a strategic point between Lake George and Lake Champlain, had been surprised and taken on May 10, 1775, by the Green Mountain Boys, a Vermont militia group under the command of Col. Ethan Allen. The cannons from Ticonderoga were mounted on Dorchester Heights, above Boston. The guns forced Howe, who had replaced Gage in command in October 1775, to evacuate the city on March 17, 1776. Howe then repaired to Halifax to prepare for an invasion of New York, and Washington moved units southward for its defense.
Meanwhile, action flared in the North. In the fall of 1775, the Americans invaded Canada. One force under Gen. Richard Montgomery captured Montreal on November 13. Another under Benedict Arnold made a remarkable march through the Maine wilderness to Quebec. Unable to take the city, Arnold was joined by Montgomery, many of whose troops had gone home because their enlistments had expired. An attack on the city on the last day of the year failed, Montgomery was killed, and many troops were captured. The Americans maintained a siege of the city but withdrew with the arrival of British reinforcements in the spring. Pursued by the British and decimated by smallpox, the Americans fell back to Ticonderoga. British Gen. Guy Carleton’s hopes of moving quickly down Lake Champlain, however, were frustrated by Arnold’s construction of a fighting fleet. Forced to build one of his own, Carleton destroyed most of the American fleet in October 1776 but considered the season too advanced to bring Ticonderoga under siege.
As the Americans suffered defeat in Canada, so did the British in the South. North Carolina patriots trounced a body of loyalists at Moore’s Creek Bridge on February 27, 1776. Charleston, South Carolina, was successfully defended against a British assault by the sea in June.
The surrender at Saratoga and French involvement
Britain’s strategy in 1777 aimed at driving a wedge between New England and the other colonies. An army under Gen. John Burgoyne was to march south from Canada and join forces with Howe on the Hudson. But Howe seems to have concluded that Burgoyne was strong enough to operate on his own and left New York in the summer, taking his army by sea to the head of Chesapeake Bay. Once ashore, he defeated Washington badly but not decisively at Brandywine Creek on September 11. Then, feinting westward, he entered Philadelphia, the American capital, on September 25. The Continental Congress fled to York. Washington struck back at Germantown on October 4 but, compelled to withdraw, went into winter quarters at Valley Forge.
In the North the story was different. Burgoyne was to move south to Albany with a force of about 9,000 British, Germans, Indians, and American loyalists; a smaller force under Lieut. Col. Barry St. Leger was to converge on Albany through the Mohawk valley. Burgoyne took Ticonderoga handily on July 5 and then, instead of using Lake George, chose a southward route by land. Slowed by the rugged terrain, strewn with trees cut down by American axmen under Gen. Philip Schuyler, and needing horses, Burgoyne sent a force of Germans to collect them at Bennington, Vermont. The Germans were nearly wiped out on August 16 by New Englanders under Gen. John Stark and Col. Seth Warner. Meanwhile, St. Leger besieged Fort Schuyler (present-day Rome, New York), and ambushed a relief column of American militia at Oriskany on August 6, but retreated as his Indians gave up the siege and an American force under Arnold approached. Burgoyne himself reached the Hudson, but the Americans, now under Gen. Horatio Gates, checked him at Freeman’s Farm on September 19 and, thanks to Arnold’s battlefield leadership, decisively defeated him at Bemis Heights on October 7. Ten days later, unable to get help from New York, Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga.