The Struggle for Liberty

Supporting the War Effort

• Continential Army

  • Under the age of ​16yrs with little to no money or property

  • Army offered low pay and harsh conditions

  • States were required to supply soldiers

• African Americans

  • Redcoats: offered freedom to slaves who fought for them

  • Washington: allowed free African Americans to fight​

• Women​

  • Ran farms and businesses or raised money for the war, served as nurses, messengers or spies

  • Molly Pitcher: brought water to soldiers and took her husbands place when he was wounded​

General Montgomery and General Benedict Arnold's troops joined forces to attempt to take Quebec. This loss for the Patriots, having the hopes of taking over Canada crushed.

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Canada

Washington's army had to retreat across the Hudson due to general Howe's better equipt army. Howe saw this as revenge for his defeat at Boston.​

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New York

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New Jersey

• Patriots needed a victory= low moral

• On Christmas night, Washington's troops went on the offensive and attacked the Hessians at Trenton, NJ

• Battle at Trenton

  • Hessians were asleep having celebrated the holiday the night before​=vistory for patriots

  • Cornwallis rushed to stop Washington​ at Princeton

• Princeton: tricked Cornwallis' troops​, another victory

Subject | Subject

Saratoga

• ​Turning point of the war

• Due to miscommunication amon​gst the British, and well planned traps by the patriots, General Horatio Gates surrounded Burgoyne's troops gaining another, important victory for the patriots.

  • Gereneral Howe took Philidelphia instead of aiding Burgoyne

  • Burgoyne took Ticonderoga, but lost the battle​

• First time British army surrended to Patriots​

• Due to the French and Indian war, ​Spain and France were happy to help the colonies.

  • Battle of Saratoga persuaded them to help​

• Marquis de La​fayette

  • became one of Washington's most trusted generals​​

  • used his own money to help the cause

• France and Spain joined the war at a crucial time, the continential army was running low on supplies

  • The winter was harsh and damaging to the patriots

  • During the terringle winter approximately 2,000 died

• Loyalists, on the other hand, enjoyed their time in Philidelphia​ going to plays and hosting parties

• Naval hero

• Captured British supply ships

• The French gave him a fleet of 7 vessels

• Captured the British vessel Serapis

  • "I have not yet begun to fight"​​

• Continential Navy was small but effective​

• Fighting in the south was particularly brutal

• Savannah Charleston, and Camden were easily taken by the British

• ​Guerrilla Warefare: swift hit and run attacks

  • Francis Marion​

    • Used to disrupt British supply lines and communication​

• 1781 war was not going as expected for patriots=​ low on money and supplies

  • British held the south, Philidelphia and New York City​

• Thought the aid from foreign allies would end the war sooner​

• Morale took another blow when Benedict Arnold turned traitor

• Nathaniel Greene​= reorganized army

• Cornwallis moved troops from the Carolinas to Yorktown, Virginia

  • Washing saw the opportunity to trap him

  • Lafayette blocked land route

  • Washington and Rochambeau (French) combine troops and marched to Virginia and surrounded Cornwallis​=fought for weeks

  • British surrendered October 19, 1781

• Yorktown: last major battle of the American Revolution​