Chapter 6 Section 1 The Early Years

The War Begins After the signing of the Declaration of Independence all hopes of peace were gone. Both sides expected a short war.

Patriots believed the British would give up after losing one or two battles The British believed they could easily crush the rebellion

British Advantages The British had overwhelming advantages in the war. The strongest navy in the world An experienced well trained army Wealth of a worldwide empire A population almost 4 times greater than the colonies

Patriot Disadvantages The Patriots had serious disadvantages. No navy No regular trained army Short supply of weapons and ammunition Not all Americans supported the Patriot cause (estimated that 1 in every 5 Americans was a Loyalists)

Patriot Advantages Fighting on their own ground, they were familiar with the terrain Fighting with a determination to save their home.

British Disadvantages Had to wage a war thousands of miles across an ocean. Much of the British military was made up of mercenaries (hired soldiers) who fought for money not for an ideal.

Hessains German mercenaries that fought in the British army.

Raising an Army Although the Continental Congress had formed the Continental Army they had to depend on each state to cooperate and recruit, or enlist, soldiers.

Raising an Army Many women went along with their husbands when they went to war and in many cases ended up fighting along side them in battle.

New York 1776 The British moved against New York because they knew if they could capture it they could cut communications between the New England colonies and the Southern colonies.

Shock and Awe at New York During the summer of 1776 Britain sends 32,000 and 125 warships to New York in the hopes that the sheer size of the army would scare the Patriots into surrendering.

Battle of Long Island After months of waiting, on August 27, 1776, British troops under of the command of William Howe attacked George Washington and the Continental Army on Long Island.

Battle of Long Island The Continental Army was surrounded and faced certain destruction at the hands of the superior British army.

Battle of Long Island On the night of August 28, 1776, Washington ordered that the Army retreat during the night to Manhattan Island.

Battle of Long Island As morning approached it was clear that most of the army would not have time to retreat before the Sun came up and the British army would attack.

Battle of Long Island A strange fog settled over the area and the Continental Army was able to completely escape unseen by the British.

Winter The British settled in New York for the winter, leaving some troops in Princeton and Trenton, New Jersey. Washington was in Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from the British camp in Trenton.

Winter On Christmas night 1776, Washington and the Continental Army crossed the river and defeated the British troops at Trenton in a surprise attack. The victory restores confidence in Washington’s leadership.

British Plan of Victory After the winter their plan involved capturing Albany, New York which would give them control of the Hudson River and cut communications between New England and the rest of the colonies.

It was a three pronged attack: British General John Burgoyne would lead 8,000 British troops from Canada. British Lieutenant Colonel Barry St. Leger, would lead troops from Lake Ontario. British General William Howe would lead troops north from New York City. The three would meet in Albany.

Albany

Philadelphia Falls September of 1777, General Howe and the British capture Philadelphia and force the Continental Congress to flee.

Philadelphia Falls Howe decided to spend the winter in Philadelphia rather than move on to Albany.

Burgoyne runs into trouble In July 1777, Burgoyne and the British are able to recapture Fort Ticonderoga but after that make little progress towards Albany.

Burgoyne runs into trouble Burgoyne and his army were extremely low on supplies and in October 1777, the army retreated to Saratoga, New York.

Battle of Saratoga Burgoyne expected reinforcements from St. Leger, but he had been stopped by American forces. Howe was still sitting in Philadelphia.

Battle of Saratoga American troops under General Horatio Gates, blocked the British from going south and joining Howe at Philadelphia.

Battle of Saratoga October 7, 1777, the British attacked the Americans at Saratoga.

Battle of Saratoga Americans defeat the British and on October 17, 1777, General Burgoyne surrendered to the American forces.

Battle of Saratoga After the British defeat, General William Howe resigns his command of the British troops in America. Command passes to General Henry Clinton.

Battle of Saratoga American victory here demonstrated to the international world that the Americans could defeat the British in a major battle.