Major Battles of the American Revolution

The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775, when British soldiers and American patriots clashed at Lexington, Massachusetts, and at nearby Concord. The war lasted eight years. It ended on September 3, 1783, when Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, which gave independence to the United States.

The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought in June of 1775. In the Battle of Bunker Hill the patriots were successful in holding their ground, Redcoats sent three attack waves, the first to were successfully defended by the patriots buy the third was successful in driving the patriots off the hill. The main reason of the patriot's retreat was because of lack of ammunition. Officially the victory was given to the Redcoats but the Patriots had the real victory, for they had proved themselves against professional soldiers and took a great many British soldiers in the battle.

In the Battle of Long Island General Howe easily outflanked and defeated Washington's army. Howe could have ended the war at this point but he hesitated. The reason for his hesitation was because he could not make up his mind whether to be a peacemaker or a conqueror. Howe could have ended the war at that time but he allowed the patriots to escape.

In the Battle of Saratoga Horatio Gates along with Benedict Arnold defeated John Burgoyne. Arnold and Gates erected formidable defenses immediately South of Stillwater and then forced the British Army to surrender. This defeat revealed the failure of British strategy. This victory also helped convince France that it could safely enter the war on the American side.

The Battle of Camden marked the point for the patriots in the American Revolution. The armies of Horatio Gates and George Cornwallis. The patriots received heavy casualties which forced them to withdraw. The out come of this battle was a severe defeat to the patriots.

The defeat of the British at the Battle of Yorktown by the patriots and the French signified the end of the war. French ships and patriots trapped Cornwallis and his troops. Cornwallis surrendered and the British were defeated. Then the Treaty of Paris was drawn up because of the defeat of the British.

These major battles had a great impact on the events in the war. Many of the outcomes of these battles decided what events would happen next such as the Battle of Saratoga convinced France that it was safe to enter the war.