Lexington and Concord Fort Ticonderoga Battle of Bunker Hill Battles that got it Started

I.Lexington A.British Soldiers go to Lexington to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams B.Paul Revere and William Dawes alert the men gathered in a tavern that the British are coming C.Captain Parker & 77 Minutemen gathered on the village green in Lexington D.Captain Parker said, "Stand your ground; don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here."

Lexington cont. 1)The British ordered the colonists to throw down their guns and disperse. 2)A shot was fired — its source is unknown. 3) Other shots quickly followed E. In the end Eight Americans lay dead and 10 were wounded One British soldier was slightly wounded.

Lexington

Response Take 2 minutes to talk to the person behind you. Discuss and answer with them the following questions. 1.Who Fired the first shots at Lexington? 2.How many men were killed or wounded on each side in this battle? 3.What drew the British to this little town?

II. Concord A.British heard Concord had a stash of guns and other weapons, so from Lexington the soldiers went onto Concord. 1)Colonial militia of more than 400 men gathered on a hill above Concord B.British entered Concord and found some weapons and destroyed them (burned them) C.The Militia on the hill saw smoke from Concord and assumed that their homes were being torched. 1) The militia left the hilltop and moved toward town to confront the British

Concord cont. D. The militia encountered a small group of British soldiers at the Old North Bridge near the Concord River 1)Shots were fired. 2 Americans were killed E. Increasing numbers of farmers and merchants joined the militia and lined the road leading from Concord to Boston 1)Colonists opened fire from hidden positions along the road as the British retreated back to Boston. 2)The British soldiers were routed F. Lexington and Concord are the places where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired

Concord

Response Take 2 minutes to talk to the person on your left. Discuss and answer with them the following questions. 1.Why did the British go to Concord? 2.Explain why the American militia started going back to Concord. 3.Describe how the colonists fought in this battle.

III. Fort Ticonderoga A.Ethan Allen led the Green Mountain Boys B.Benedict Arnold, a great military leader, raised and led a militia of 400 men, 1) Together these two men launched a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga, which was controlled by the British. 2)Allen, Arnold, and the Green Mountain Boys were astounded to see the gate open and the sentry guarding it asleep.

Fort Ticonderoga cont. C. No shots were fired during the attack D. The 42 British soldiers defending the fort surrendered without a fight E. Allen, Arnold and the Green Mountain boys also captured with the fort six mortars, three howitzers, 78 cannon and large supplies of cannon balls, powder and flints. 1.) Ethan Allen took all the credit for capturing Fort Ticonderoga Arnold was outraged.

Response Who were the main men that conducted this attack? List the significance of this victory for the Americans. ( What was gained why was it important) Why was this a bloodless battle?

IV. Battle of Bunker Hill

Battle of Bunker Hill A.Colonel William Prescott lead the American forces at Bunker Hill B.The Americans worked through the night constructing earthworks fortifications on Breed’s Hill.

Battle of Bunker Hill cont. C.General William Howe led a force of 3,000 British soldiers 1)The redcoats launched two uphill assaults against the entrenched colonists. 2)During these two assaults Colonel Prescott cautioned his men not to fire until they saw the whites of the redcoats’ eyes. 3)Both assaults were repulsed by Prescott and the colonial militia and resulted in very heavy losses for the British. D. Howe charged his men up the hill one last time. 1)the third charge found the Americans running low on gun powder and balls 2)Prescott gave the order to retreat.

Battle of Bunker Hill cont. E.The fighting on Breed’s hill resulted in 1,054 British casualties, which was close to 1/2 of their force F. The Americans suffered 441 casualties G.This was a moral victory for the American’s even though they lost the ground they were fighting to control.

Response Answer the following questions about the Battle of Bunker Hill. –Who where the main generals on both sides in this battle. –How many times did the British march up Breeds hill before they finally capture it? –Why was this battle considered a moral victory for the Americans? –What was this battle considered in respect to the whole American revolution?