September 9, 2015

 Time period of war  1783 – Treaty of Paris is signed The United States military leaders -Commander and General George Washington -General Benedict Arnold (traitor) - General Nathanael Greene -General Daniel Morgan The British military leaders -Commander and General Charles Cornwallis -General William Howe – One of Britain’s best, also fought in French and Indian War -General John Burgoyne -General Barry St. Leger - Benedict Arnold

 In the beginning of the war 34,000 troops and 10,000 sailors from Britain arrived in Long Island and Britain quickly took control of New York  Washington and his 20,000 troops and no navy were no match to Britain in the Battle of Long Island. Washington and the Continental Army retreated into New Jersey.

 Washington moved his troops to Trenton, NJ to surprise attack the Hessians (German mercenaries) fighting for Britain.  On December 25, 1776, he and his men traveled across the icy Delaware River from Pennsylvania to New Jersey to attack the Hessian-held town of Trenton.  On December 26, 1776 the Battle of Trenton - Washington and the Continental Army attacked and defeated the Hessians.  An American summed up the battle: “Hessian population of Trenton at 8 am – 1,408 men and officers, Hessian population at 9 am – 0.”

 Cornwallis set out to recapture Trenton. He thought he had Washington in his midst because he saw the lights of his campfires.  Washington left the fires burning to trick Cornwallis into thinking the Continental Army was still in Trenton.  Washington snuck behind enemy lines to attack Britain troops on route from Princeton  The Battle of Princeton was another Continental victory and gave Americans new hope.

 British General Burgoyne planned to cut off the flow of supplies and soldiers to the New England colonies in order to stop the Continental Army.  General Howe and Burgoyne set the Continental Army back by defeating them in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown and the British took control Philadelphia.  Britain had gained many alliances from Native Americans to help fight throughout the colonies and in the West. Native American allies raided American villages and gave geographical knowledge to the British.

 For the winter of , Washington and his men resided in Valley Forge, PA. “The bleakest hour” – Washington  Hardships of Valley Forge: Cold, disease, frostbite, no shoes and few warm clothes, shelter, and food  Women help the soldiers at Valley Forge: Collected food and cooked, collected warm clothes and made more clothes and blankets, brought medicines and ammunition.  Some women like Martha Washington went to Valley Forge and stayed to help the sick and wounded.

 The Green Mountain Boys rushed into New York to help the Americans defeated by the British. American forces surrounded the British and defeated them in the Battle of Saratoga. Burgoyne surrendered his entire army to the Americans on October 17,  This victory ended the British threat to New England and boosted American spirits.  It also convinced France to be a US ally and officially join the war – France declared war on Britain  Netherlands and Spain provided loans to the U.S. for the war.  By 1776 more than half a million African Americans lived in the colonies. George Washington asked Congress to allow free African Americans to enlist  About 5,000 African Americans served in the army and 2,000 served in the navy.

 Americans gained another alliance, New Spain.  Bernardo de Galvez the governor of New Spain’s Louisiana secretly gave supplies, medicines, cloth, muskets, and gun powder and attacked British forts on MS River.  The British blockaded American ports  The Patriots turned colonial merchant ships into fighting machines by arming them with cannons.  The French supplied war ships, soldiers trained to fight on the waters, and challenged British blockades

 Most Loyalists lived in the Southern states and backcountry. Patriots and Loyalists made vicious raids against one another. They killed civilians, burned down farms, and destroyed homes.  British attacks became crueler too and consequently more settlers sided with the Patriots.  In the South, American Generals Greene and Morgan joined forces and helped each other defeat the British at the Battle of Cowpens in SC  Morgan and Greene combined forces and fought the bloody Battle of Guilford Courthouse in NC against Cornwallis.  The Patriots fine tuned guerilla war tactics and utilized them throughout the south.  These included hit and run tactics, snipping the enemy out, hiding out, and surprise attacks

 Britain is now fighting too many fronts – at sea with the French, in the SW with Spain, in the North with Washington, in the South with Greene and Morgan  Cornwallis hoped to have victory in New York He lead his troops to NY and retreated to the Yorktown peninsula.  Washington and French General, Marquis de Lafayette surrounded Yorktown and fought the Battle of Yorktown.  The French came by sea and Washington and his men by land. 16,000 American and French troops surrounded the 8,000 British and the battle was a huge victory for the Americans.  Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1781.

 In 1783, the Treaty of Paris is signed by the United States and Britain.  Terms and effect of Treaty: Britain recognized the United States as an independent government and nation. The U.S. owns and governs all lands from Atlantic Ocean to the MS River and France received British lands in the west and Canada.