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December 10, 2020 History NotesTHE REVOLUTIONARY WAR: A SUMMARY OF IMPORTANT EVENTSEvents described in these notes are arranged in reasonably accurate chronological order.WASHINGTON FORCES ENGLISH OUT OF BOSTON With the help of Minutemen and patriots, Washington and his army have made Boston a dangerous place for the British, so England retreats from Boston to go to New York City where the environment is more friendly because of the large number Tories living there. Once Boston was liberated from the English, George Washington ordered his army to go to New York to prevent the British from taking New York City…but his efforts will be unsuccessful. ENGLISH TAKE NEW YORK CITYAugust 1776 British General Howe lands at Staten Island with his army of about 30,0005,000 of Howe’s soldiers are Hessians—mercenaries from GermanyBrits also have a naval force patrolling the NY coast 600 Tories living in NYC enlist in Howe’s army Another 800 escaped slaves join the British as wellSome women loyal to England even try to poison G.W. in the days before the battle—but they fail G.W.’s forces number about half of Howe’s soldiers in Brooklyn where the British attack will take place (the remainder of the American army is in Manhattan across the East River)Many American soldiers are sick with diarrhea and don’t have shoesAmericans range in age from 14 to 40 and almost none of them have ever been in battleThe Americans have cleared out all nearby trees and removed all livestock from nearby areas Redoubts (something solid to shield soldiers0 have been built as protection from enemy fireThe Americans are as prepared to defend New York as GW can make themTHE BATTLE FOR NEW YORK CITY BEGINSOn August 27 after dark, the English build camp fires, then QUIETLY and SECRETLY move out so as to be in position for the attack the following morning…and so that the attack will surprise the Americans 14,000 will separate from the other British soldiers and march 9 miles around the American position This flanking maneuver will almost surround the Americans—it’s a brilliant bit of strategyThe Brits don’t know the way, so General Howe barges into a closed tavern at 2:00 a.m.He demands that William Howard, the owner, guide them on their marchHe refuses, saying he is a Patriot, but Howe threatens to shoot him in the head—he obeys Howe’s order The British army, led by Howard, marches 9 miles in the dark to be in position The ‘flanking maneuver’ worked perfectly. What happens next will largely determine the outcome of the Revolutionary War. Page 2THE STORYAttached to the webpage is a partial story of events that took place during the Battle for New York City. Read the attachment before reading/studying the remainder of these notes.With the English army in hot pursuit, General Washington leads his army south and west where they cross the Delaware River into the safety of Pennsylvania. Washington has his men take all available boats so the Brits cannot follow him across the river. BATTLES OF TRENTON, PRINCETONChristmas night, 1776—Washington crosses back over Delaware River into New JerseyAmericans attack the British at Trenton—capture 1,000+ Hessians, supplies, ammo, and foodGeneral Cornwallis is sent to get Washington and his armyWashington tricked Brits by leaving campfires burning, then retreatingJanuary 3, 1777-Washington surprises Cornwallis, attacks at Princeton, and winsNow it is the Brits who must retreatThere were many other battles, some large and some small. Unfortunately for Americans, most of the battles turn into English victories. Washington’s army is not well trained or well equipped. Food, ammunition, and artillery (cannons) are in short supply. Many of the soldiers are without shoes and many have no coats during long periods of very cold weather. In the midst of all these problems, however, Americans win an extremely important battle in New York, thanks largely to the leadership of BENEDICT ARNOLD. (Benedict Arnold would later betray his country by committing the crime of TREASON. Today, his name is synonymous with TRAITOR!) BATTLE OF SARATOGA British General Burgoyne’s goal or objective was to capture the Hudson River Valley in order to split the New England colonies from the other colonies. Had he been successful, the war would almost certainly have been won by England. Benedict Arnold knew that he couldn’t allow the English to divide our country. Arnold strategy was to prevent Burgoyne’s army from being resupplied, so with food running very low, Burgoyne was forced to face Arnold’s American army at Saratoga. With great VALOR, Benedict Arnold led his troops to victory in this key battle.Saratoga is regarded as a turning point in the Revolutionary War for 3 important reasons:(1) our victory prevented England from isolating New England from the other colonies(2) the victory boosted Patriot morale (it was our first BIG victory against England)(3) the American victory motivated FRANCE to assist us in our war against England. Page 3EUROPEAN ALLIES Ben Franklin had been in France since shortly after the signing of the Declaration of Independence—his aim was to convince the French to assist us in our war against the EnglishThe victory at Saratoga was instrumental in getting France’s helpFrance assisted Americans both with their navy and ground troopsWe may never have won our independence without the help of the FrenchLafayette—French officer who came to America to fight with us was of great help to General Washington, esp. at the decisive Battle of YorktownVALLEY FORGERather than assist Burgoyne at Saratoga, Gen. Howe opted to attack Philadelphia where C. Congress metPhiladelphia fell to the Brits in September, 1777 , because Washington’s much small army was overwhelmed by a much better equipped British army Washington and his army retreated to Valley Forge, 20 miles from Philadelphia, to spend the winterAmerican soldiers endured unimaginable hardship that winterHalf the army was lost to starvation, disease, or desertionMost soldiers had no shoes, some no shirts Baron Von Steuben, a military expert from Europe, on the recommendation of BF, joined the AmericansGW assigned him the task of making improvements in the camp and training the soldiersHis suggestions for improving sanitation in the camp greatly decreased the number of sick soldiersHe drilled the soldiers daily and gave them instruction in good military strategyBy spring the American army was reborn, revitalized, and ready to meet the British Through all the difficulties, Gen. Washington and his men remained strongThey received help and supplies from the French in the spring of 1778Washington declared a day of thanksgiving to God for surviving the winter and for French assistance FRONTIER FIGHTINGPioneers of the frontier, especially those who had settled beyond the mountains, generally didn’t worry about fighting British soldiers, but they were nevertheless affected greatly by the war. The British, looking for any way to defeat America, convinced Indians from a number of tribe to make war on frontiersmenAs had happened during the French and Indian War, pioneers lived in grave danger of attack George Rogers Clark and his Kentucky volunteers decided to protect themselves by forming a militia which helped secure the western area and make it safer for pioneer lifeNAVAL OPERATIONSThe American navy had very few warships with which to fight the English navyTherefore, the British ruled our Atlantic Coast and had the power to close our portsWe did, however, have a bit of success against their large navy Page 4JOHN PAUL JONES served as captain of a warship named the Bonhomie RichardJones sailed his ship to Europe and encountered and defeated a number of British shipsIn one battle he was asked to surrender. His famous reply: “I have not yet begun to fight” In that battle his ship was so badly damaged that it would sink just hours after the battleBut end in his damaged ship, he achieved victoryAlthough America only had a few warships, we had lots of PRIVATEERSPrivateers were large boats that were used for cargo or fishing but equipped with gunsPrivateers were very effective in attacking British supply ships but not warshipsNEW STRATEGY FOR ENGLAND—ATTACK THE SOUTH British loss of Boston and failure at Saratoga to divide the colonies meant that they had lost in the northIf at first you don’t succeed, try again… New Plan: attack and conquer the south, then continue winning as they moved back toward the northSOUTHERN BATTLESDec 1778, Gen. Cornwallis’ army took Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, SCAt first there was little organized resistance to the British Many southerners had bee loyalists (tories) UNTIL the English invasion of Savannah and CharlestonNow MANY southerners became PATRIOTSSoutherners employed guerilla warfare against the British2 militia leaders: SWAMP FOX (Francis Marion) and GAME COCK (Thomas Sumter) were very skilled in raiding supply lines, ambushing small British patrols, ‘hit and run’ attacks(Guerilla Warfare under their leadership greatly handicapped the British But this kind of resistance wouldn’t rid the south of the BritishBattle at Kings MountainBy 1775 thousands of frontiersmen had moved west of the mountains, many into TennesseeLiving on land west of the Appalachians was a direct violation of the Proclamation of 1763, so…Gen. Cornwallis dispatched Patrick Ferguson with 1000 troops to secure the western areaFerguson sent word to the frontiersmen that he would get them with ‘fire and sword’1000 frontier militia gathered at the Sycamore Shoals MUSTER (gathering) ground in September, 1780October 6, the American army would face Ferguson’s army in battle near the NC/SC borderFerguson knew the BACK WATER MEN were near and took a position at the top of Kings MountainHe bragged: “not even the Almighty’ could move him from this positionThat morning the Americans surrounded the hill and had Ferguson TREED (trapped) At 3:00 p.m. the Americans started up the hillFerguson then ordered his men to move down the hill toward the AmericansThe Americans, all good shots, hid behind trees and ‘picked off’ the Red Coats at willFerguson was shot 7 times and died at the battle900 British soldiers were killed or wounded Page 5Kings Mountain marked the TURNING POINT of the war in the south General Nathanael Greene-the Fighting QuakerAt about this same time, GW ordered General Greene to use SLY TACTICS to harass Gen. CornwallisGreene’s hit and run tactics drew Cornwallis deep into the wilderness-bad decision for BritishCornwallis could not catch Greene and was eventually forced to retreat to the coast YORKTOWNCornwallis led his army to Yorktown, VA where they were to be moved by ship to NYCGW, who with FRENCH allies like Lafayette, decided to move south and attack CornwallisA French FLEET in the Caribbean was ordered to Chesapeake Bay to set up a BLACKADEThis JOINT effort was perfectly timed and worked to perfectionThere was no place for Cornwallis to retreat and no way for English ships to assistCornwallis, on October 19, 1781, surrendered his army of 8,000 soldiersThis surrender effectively ended the fighting of the Revolutionary War PROVISIONS OF THE TREATY OF PARIS—September, 1783, marked the official end of the war 1) 13 colonies recognized as free and independent states 2) US boundaries were set (Canada on the North, Mississippi R on West, Florida on the south) 3) Mississippi River would be open to both Americans and English 4) Land taken by Americans from Tories was returned 5) American merchants who owed England would still have to pay their debtsWITH THIS TREATY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BECAME AN OFFICIAL, INDEPENDENT COUNTRYWHY HAD WE FOUGHT THIS WAR?(See Part 2 of the Declaration of Independence. There Jefferson provided a long list of reasons for fighting the Revolutionary War—many of which are summarized below.)England 1. Stationed armed soldiers among our civilian population 2. Forced Americans to provide for the needs of these soldiers 3. Brought foreign soldiers (mercenaries) into our country to control our people4. Restricted our trade5. Closed our ports to trade6. Taxed Americans without giving us representation 7. Took away our legal right to settle lands west of the Appalachian Mountains8. Suspended our legislatures9. Denied Americans in many instances the right of trial by jury 10.Forced American men to serve in the English navy and army Page 6England also refused to treat her American colonies with the respect Americans thought they were due. Furthermore, England rejected every official American attempt to correct the problems that existed.HOW WERE WE ABLE TO DEFEAT THE GREATEST MILITARY POWER ON EARTH? 1) ‘Home court’ advantage—we were fighting for our homes and families 2) ‘Home court’ advantage—we knew the land 3) George Washington was a great leader with many great men who followed his lead 4) France and other foreigners gave us much valuable help against the British 5) Our PASSION for FREEDOM 6) English made many serious military mistakes…for example at Saratoga, Kings Mountain, Yorktown 7) English soldiers were not as capable in guerilla warfare as Americans 8)***Just Mr. P’s opinion…God’s GRACE and helping hand was on AmericaWHAT DID THE AMERICAN VICTORY OVER ENGLAND MEAN FOR THE COLONIES?THE VICTORY CUT ALL POLITICAL TIES WITH ENGLANDTHE VICTORY MEANT THAT THE 13 COLONIES WERE NO LONGER COLONIES BUT STATESTHE VICTORY INSURED INDEPENDENCE AND THE RIGHT OF SELF-GOVERNMENT FOR THE 13 STATESTHE VICTORY INSURED THE CREATION OF OUR COUNTRY—THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICANOTESThere were hundreds of minor battles and skirmishes fought during the course of the war, many of which have been all but forgotten with the passing of time. However, every battle involved real people. There were thousands of brave men—both American and English—who gave their lives in this war. There were also thousands of civilians whose lives were lost or drastically changed because of hunger, sickness, and neglect caused by this war. These forgotten men, women, and children were all vital participants in the founding of our country. John Adams, future President and a Founding Father of our country wrote the following comment in a letter to a friend: “YOU WILL NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH IT COST THE PRESENT GENERATION TO PRESERVE YOUR FREEDOM. I HOPE THAT YOU WILL MAKE GOOD USE OF IT.”As citizens of the United States and students of history, we need to know the basics of the story of the founding of our country. I hope that you have enjoyed our study. It is a worthy and important story!I also hope that you understand just how blessed we are to live in a free and prosperous country, the greatest country in the history of humans. All I can say is ‘PRAISE THE LORD FOR THE WISDOM AND STRENGTH HE GAVE TO OUR FOUNDERS’! ................
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