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Pivotal battles of the American Revolution
Events leading to revolutionary war essay
Events leading to revolutionary war essay
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During the Revolutionary War, there were many battles that were fought, but there were a few that changed the result of the war. The battles of Trenton and Princeton were fought strategically. During both of the battles, Washington made bold moves that later impacted the army’s success. Another battle that was fought was the Battle of Saratoga, and before this battle, the Continental Army did not have a strong chance of winning because they were facing the powerful and well equipped British army. The Battle of Saratoga was the battle that completely changed the tide of the war. The Battle of Yorktown was the last land battle fought of the Revolutionary War. It was also the battle where the British surrendered to the Americans and won their freedom. The most influential battles of the American Revolution were the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, Saratoga, and Yorktown.
After many defeats in New York, George Washington decided to escape, fled to New Jersey, and crossed the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. General Charles Cornwallis followed him, but did not cross the river because General Howe had ordered for Cornwallis' army to stay in winter quarters near Trenton and Princeton. It was custom for European soldiers to stop fighting during the winter, and to continue fighting again in the spring.
Then, on December 25, 1776, George Washington made a bold plan. His army would cross the Delaware River at night, march to Trenton in the morning, and launch a surprise attack on the Hessians, who would still be asleep from the Christmas celebrations the night before. Washington knew that he had to use the element of surprise in order to defeat the powerful and well-trained Hessians. At first, the idea of transporting 2,400 troops and a...
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...f Yorktown." About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2013. .
Lass, Cody. "Battle of Trenton." George Washington's Mount Vernon. Oxford University Press, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .
"The Tide Turns." The American Revolution. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Gale U.S. History in Context. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. .
Vierow, Wendy. The Battle of Trenton. New York: PowerKids, 2003. Print.
Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center for Military History. Rhodes, J. d. 1899. -. The Battle of Gettysburg. The American Historical Review, 4(4), 665-677.
...ropriately name The Darkest Hour. This chapter follows up on the final two months of 1776. This was when the American Revolution looked to be almost lost. The American Army was in New Jersey severely undermanned and lacking supplies. McCullough is able to capture the struggles of the Americans retreat in New Jersey. As it progressively got worse, the British decided to go for a different look. General Clinton was order to go to New Port with six thousand troops. The American capital was beginning to feel the pressure of the British moving in on them. In New Jersey, Washington was losing troops; loyalist were more common in New Jersey than anywhere else. The winter of 1776 was miserable compared to the year before with the exclusion of one event. On Christmas Eve of 1776, Washington crossed his army through the Delaware River and attacked a camp of Hessian soldiers.
• New York and New Jersey Campaign common name for a series of battles between the British and Americans in the American Revolution
In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.
Although unknown to the Congress when they appointed Washington to lead the colonies, he would prove to be a great military genius. Washington was simply selected because he was a rich Virginian with everything to lose. In 1776 at the Battle of Long Island, Washington proved that he was a great military leader. Washington narrowly escaped to Manhattan Island, crossed the Hudson and finally reached the Delaware Rive with the British on his tale. Washington was known as a " sly fox" because of his tricky maneuvers to get his troops out of dangerous situations. A few weeks later Washington showed his sly ways once again when he captured a thousand Hessians the day after Christmas. Without Washington's amazing military mind, and his sly maneuvers the Americans never would have defeated the British.
Weigley, Russel F. History of the United States Army. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1st Edition, 1984.
Revolutionary War: The Battles of Lexington and Concord The battles of Lexington and Concord were neccessary battles to the American Revolutionary War because they started the very thing that made our country free. Many people have always wondered how the historic American Revolutionary War got started. Sure, they have heard the stories of Paul Revere and the Midnight Ride: There was even a poem written about his ride, but Paul Revere didn’t start the war.
Washington's military experience started when he was selected by Governor Dinwiddie, of Virginia, to travel to the Ohio Valley to tell the French to leave. He was only twenty-two years old, inexperienced, and naive. When Washington got there, the French claimed that they owned the land and refused to give it up. Washington reported this to Governor Dinwiddie, and was ordered to go back and construct a fort so they could defend their territory if their was a war against the French. While constructing a fort, named Fort Necessity, Washington and his men shot a small group of French men, because they would not leave the area. It turned out that they had shot French spies. A few days later, the French attacked the unfinished fort which resulted in Washington losing a third of his army. He surrendered and was allowed to return back to Virginia. This foolish mistake made by Washington started the French and Indian War. This was one of the few mistakes George Washington made during his military career.
Washington understood that what lies ahead would be difficult, considering he would be facing the most powerful country in the world. But he probably didn't expect his worst problems to come from his own army, which was an undisciplined and untrained group that would eventually tamper with his great patience. Through it all, he would stay determined and always try to stay one step ahead of the enemy. In the summer of 1775, the Americans prepared to attack the British in Boston. But Washington was informed that they were shorthanded on gunpowder.
Crowley, James. The Old Albany County and American Revolution: Troy, New York, Historian Publishing Company, 1979
During the American Revolution, Washington and his men were experiencing a series of defeat. In order to bring about great pride and patriotism of an American, they sought to plan a sneak attack on the opposite force. On December 25, Washington and 5,400 troops began crossing the Delaware River to the Hessian stronghold. At this point in time, the Hessians were celebrating Christmas; this was a perfect time for an attack. When Washington and his men arrived, they started attacking the unsuspected Hessians; nearly 1,000 Hessians were captured. Even though the attack was not significant, it raised American spirit. In 1851, Emanuel Leutze created the image of Washington Crossing the Delaware; the painting was later destroyed, but restored by another artist. The mood of the painting can be described as intense and patriotic. Later, a poem called “Washington Crossing the Delaware” was written by David Shulman. The mood of the poem
On October 9, 1781, General George Washington surrounded General Lord Charles Cornwallis at the Virginia port city of Yorktown with 8,500 American soldiers and around 10,000 French soldiers. The bruised up British army contained only around 8,000 soldiers. The Siege of Yorktown lasted eight days, and Cornwallis had to surrender to American forces. The British loss crushed their southern army and forced them to give up on the war. The surrender of Yorktown could easily be one of the greatest moments in American history. Not only did the surrender signal the end of the war, but it also signaled that independence had been won by the colonies. No longer would the colonies have to answer to Great Britain and the tyrants that ruled it.
The American Revolution: the war for our independence. This revolution opened the door to our liberty, freedom, and basically what America is now. Most Americans have heard the stories of famous battles, important people (George Washington for instance), and everything in between. However, this was only for our side of the American Revolution and a small fraction of people have been told of Britain’s campaign of the revolution. The only thing people have been told was the Britain lost the war. What of Britain’s triumphs, strategies, and everything that happened in the span of a few years? Not many people know it, but the British struck a major blow against the Patriots in the last few years of the war. Even though the United States won the American Revolution, Britain struck a major blow against the colonists when the British successfully and brutally took the town of Charleston, South Carolina.
"Battles of the Civil War". Civil War. 2013. Civil War Trust. Web. 9 Dec 2013.
The Revolutionary War was a war between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain from 1775-1783 during the American Revolution. The American colonists fought the British in hope of freedom and separation from Great Britain. “This was the completion stage of the political American Revolution whereas the colonists had denied the rights of the Parliament of Great Britain in governing them without any representation,” ("American Revolutionary War."). The Revolutionary War consisted of many different bloody battles on American soil. The war resulted in an American victory because of many historical reasons. The factors that contributed to an American victory of the Revolutionary War are British debt, distance between America and Great Britain, war tactics, French involvement, and important battles.