Fighting the American Revolution

Introduction

• The Revolution was a war of the American people against the British • A civil war between American supporters of independence and Americans who were opposed to breaking with the mother country

Loyalists

• About 20% of all whites opposed the Revolution

• Loyalists• Allegiance to the crown• Aka “Tories”

• Hated by patriots (revolutionaries)

• Largest % of loyalists were in NY and NJ

• Recent British immigrants and French Canadians tended to be loyalists

Loyalists

• Thousands of southern slaves escaped to the royal army• African-Americans in the North were more likely to

support the Revolution

• Indian tribes were divided and many wanted to sit out the conflict• Majority sided with the British

England’s Advantages/Disadvantages

• Advantages of the British• Outnumbered the Americans 11 million to 2.5

million• Largest navy• One of the best professional armies

• Disadvantages of the British• Difficulty in recruiting soldiers (employed 21,000

loyalists and 30,000 Hessians)• Supplying armies 3,000 miles across the ocean• Financial strain• English domestic support for the War waned

America’s Advantages/Disadvantages

• Advantages of the Americans• Americans mobilized their smaller population behind

the war more effectively• After 1778 they had French and Spanish assistance• Mostly veteran European officers

• Americans did not have to conquer redcoats• Rebels just had to keep resisting until the British public

tired of the struggle

• Disadvantages of the Americans• 1/3 of population were slaves or opposed to the Revolution• State militias did well in guerrilla raids but lacked training

for battles- and usually had to fight in the traditional British style

• Few experienced officers• Raw recruits

George Washington• George Washington was the

logical choice as commander of the American army• VA tobacco planter• Member of the House of

Burgesses• Representative at the

Continental Congress• Former military leader of the

colonists• Learned from his mistakes in the

Ohio Valley• Learned to lead by example and

how to preserve his army (retreat)

Fighting the Revolution

• Three phases of the war: North, Middle, South

• First Phase• British tried to take New England- were unsuccessful at

Lexington & Concord• Sullivan’s Island in SC- reason the British focus on the

North

• After defeats in Boston and inability to capture Boston, the British decided to decided to move the Middle Atlantic States (NY & NJ) to stop the rebellion by isolating New England• Would use NY as a base to conquer New England• Wanted to take Saratoga

Phase Two- NY & NJ

• By the end of the year, ¼ of Washington’s troops had been killed or captured- they retreated across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania • Fewer than 8,000 men remained and many were very

sick• Needed a victory to improve morale and get foreign aid

• With the British closing in on Philadelphia, Washington decided to risk everything before the morale of his army collapsed completely

Trenton & Princeton• Christmas Night, 1776• Despite a storm, Washington and his 2,400 men crossed the

Delaware River to launch a surprise attack on Trenton, NJ• By 8:00 Washington and his men had marched 9 miles in the

snow to Trenton• In the surprise attack, the Americans killed 30 and took 918

captive, only 4 Americans died

• After this attack, the Americans won again in Princeton• Attacked 1,200 British on Jan. 3, 1777• Killed or took captive 1/3rd with only 40 American deaths

• These victories boosted morale and helped Washington regroup• Drove a wedge between NJ’s 5,000 loyalists and British army• NJ localism never recovered and the British evacuated the state

Marquis de Lafayette & French

• 20 years old, from France- joined Washington’s staff

• His presence indicated that the French king, Louis XVI might recognize American independence and declare war on Britain• Louis wanted proof that the Americans could win a

major battle

• Louis didn’t have to wait long- summer 1777, the British planned a two-pronged assault intended to crush American resistance in NY and isolate New England• Battle of Saratoga

Battle of Saratoga• British General: Burgoyne• His plan was to lead an army down from Canada to

Albany where he would meet British General Howe from NYC

• The two generals would join forces and cut off New England

• British had 4,000 Red Coats, 3,000 Hessians, and 1,000 Indians

• American General: Horatio Gates• Gathered militiamen and soldiers from all over NY and

New England- about 17,000 • Americans surrounded Burgoyne, and continued

attacking• British surrendered October 17, 1777

Impact of Saratoga• TURNING POINT: French were still angry from the French &

Indian War, so once they saw America could win after Saratoga, the French agreed to help America• France agreed to give Americans support- Treaty of Alliance 1778• Recognized American independence- February 1778 • Agreed not to make peace with Britain unless England recognized

American independence • Spain and Dutch Republic declared war on England as allies of

France

• British changed their war strategy- stayed close to the coast where they could easily get reinforcements

• Led to British turning their attention to the South

• http://www.history.com/topics/battle-of-saratoga/videos#battle-of-saratoga-turns-the-tide-of-the-american-revolution

Winter of 1777- Valley Forge• Severe shortage of food, clothing and shelter

• Slowly regained its strength, but lacked training

• Continental Army received a boost in Feb. 1778• German solider Friedrich von Steuben arrived at Valley

Forge• Talent for motivating men• Steuben almost single-handedly turned the army into

a fighting force • Demonstrated their training on June 28, 1778 at the

Battle of Monmouth in NJ• British would never again win easily and ended the

contest for the North

War in the West

• Although the number of people involved in the frontier battles was small, the skirmishes were deadly

• British, Americans, and Indians realized that the victor of the war would control the area west of the Appalachian Mountains

• The battles began in the South• Cherokees attacked from VA to GA• By 1777, the frontiersmen had crushed the Cherokees• forced the Cherokees to cede much of their land in the

Carolinas and TN

War in the West

• Expeditions led by George Rogers Clark, John Bowman, and Daniel Brodhead inflicted heavy losses on hostile Ohio Indian tribes• Ohio Indian tribes would continue to fight until 1780’s

• Joseph Brant led the Iroquois on deadly raids against the western NY and PA settlers until he was stopped at a battle near Elmira, NY

• By war’s end, the Iroquois population had dropped by a 1/3

• Not greatly influencing the outcome of the war

• These battles played a major role in the development of the future American nation

Victory in the South- Phase 3 1778-1781

• After 1778, the British shifted their attention to the South• Britain thought that there were more Loyalists in the South.• Southern resources were more valuable/worth preserving.• Plan was to seize key southern ports with the help of the loyalists,

and move back toward the North taking one region after another

• 1st victory at Savannah

• 1780• British took Charles Town, SC• General Charles Cornwallis led British• Nathaniel Greene led Americans

• The British win a number of small victories, but could not overcome the countryside• Fighters in the countryside used guerilla warfare, were committed to

winning

Victory in the South- Phase 3 1778-1781

• Cornwallis led English forces into the Carolina backcountry• British victories• Camden and Guilford Courthouse• Camden is the worst defeat of the war for the Patriots

• American victories• Kings Mountain and Cowpens

• British suffered heavy casualties in the Carolina backcountry though• Cornwallis decided to head back to VA

Yorktown- October 19, 1781• Leading up to the battle• Washington left NY to

surround Cornwallis at Yorktown, VA

• Kept the plan secret so the British wouldn’t know Washington was on the move

• Washington would surround the British on the west, and the French would arrive off the coast to keep the British from leaving on their boats, and from receiving aid/reinforcements

Yorktown• Cornwallis retreated from Carolinas to New York and

waited for help from Clinton and British navy in Yorktown.

• French fleet blocked York River and harbor so British navy could not reach and help Cornwallis.

• Washington shelled British army for 3 weeks. • 17,000 Americans/French against 6,000 British• Washington and French leaders surrounded the British

troops

• Last desperate attempt to stop Americans – sent African Americans with small pox over to infect American and French

• Surrounded, Cornwallis surrenders Oct. 17, 1781

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EiSymRrKI4

• Story of US

Treaty of Paris 1783• John Adams, John Jay, Benjamin Franklin represented

America• Began in June 1782 and Signed in Sept. 1783

• British recognized American independence

• British promised to remove all troops from American soil

• Mississippi River became the western boundary of the new nation

• New Orleans and the outlet of the river to the Gulf of Mexico as well as East and West Florida went to Spain

Treaty of Paris 1783• Notably absent from the Treaty was any

reference to Native Americans • Native Americans refused to acknowledge

American sovereignty over their territories

• The Confederation (America) agreed to compensate loyalists for their property losses and repay British creditors• Several states later refused to comply• In retaliation, the British did not evacuate forts

they sill held in the Northwest

Problems Facing the New Nation

• American victory had been costly• At least 5% of free males between 16 and 45 died

in the war• Many loyalists and former slaves fled to Canada,

Britain, and the West Indies

• America lost its number one trading partner

• The War did not address 2 important issues:• 1. What kind of society America was to become• 2. What sort of govt. the new nation would possess