The American War for Independence

There were actually a handful of wars that happened during the American War for Independence. Most of the battles were between the colonists and the British. There were many staple areas in these wars that many people remember most because they had a great impact on the outcome of the battles. But not many people talk about how many wars actually took place.

The first war was the battle of Lexington. This was barely a war it was simply just a small battle that led to a bigger one. During this war the famous Paul Revere rode to warn the colonists that the British were coming. The one thing not many people notice or talk about is that he wasn’t the only one. There was another person that came with him to warn the colonists and his name was William Dawes. So the battle took place on a small green in Lexington. It officially started with what is now known as the “Shot heard around the world”. Although this shot is controversial to which side actually did it. It’s not positive if the colonists or the British started it. But this battle was rather short but led them to the next battle which was quite extraordinary. The colonists were smart this time and knew that the British were moving to Concord to ensue another battle so they decided to have their militia hide the weapons from them. When they arrived the colonists were really calm and confident this time around. But, the British were still able to find some of the weapons that were hidden. The Battle of Concord then started. Right from the start, this battle was much bigger than the previous one. Luckily for the colonists the British were force to retreat. But that simply wasn’t the end for the war between the two.

The next battle was pretty big and it was the Battle of Bunker Hill. Even though the battle only lists one hill it actually took place on two hills. The other hill was Breed’s Hill. The goal that the British wanted to accomplish was to capture those hills for their own. Soon the colonists figured out Britain’s plan and decided to move one step ahead of them. The night before this battle the colonists started preparing themselves in the hills. It was a surprise to the British when they arrived and found militia already taking up the hills. This of course led to the battle. The colonists ended up having to retreat but both sides actually won in this fight. That sounds impossible but it’s true. The colonists won by gaining their confidence in knowing that they can go up against the British and ensue major losses for them because it showed in this battle. The British won by gaining what they went there for and that was the hills. That was a great victory for them but the colonists gained confidence and that led to more successes for them in the future.

On July 5^th the Continental Congress was trying their best to end the fighting by making the Olive-Branch Petition. This petition was asking for a ceasefire. Even though it sounded like a good idea King George III rejected it. He called the petition outrageous. So trying to end the fighting failed for the Continental Congress so the colonists really needed to stand their ground in the upcoming battles. But, there wasn’t complete failure during this time because a man named Thomas Paine created a pamphlet called Common Sense. This actually sparked more awareness for a revolution than the Declaration of Independence.

A man named Benedict Arnold led the Continental Army to capture Fort Ticonderoga. They were successful and because they were so successful they gained more artillery that was much needed during this time. Since they were confident now they decided to travel to Quebec and capture ships and supplies. Again, they were successful so now was when the colonists got surer of themselves that they can go up against the British.

The battles were not over there was yet again another one. This one was called the Battle of Valcour Island. It took place on Lake Champlain. This proved that the colonists could even go up against Britain’s great navy. Throughout this time Benedict Arnold was being a great general (1777). But, there was something that was made in 1776 that had a huge impact on history to this day. That was the Declaration of Independence. Our founding fathers created this and it declared that all of the 13 colonies were separate from Britain and they were their own nation.

France started to go on the colonists’ side and tried ways to weaken Britain. The French even provided secret aid to the colonists. This year was turning out to be fantastic for the colonists and all was well. But that, unfortunately, ended soon after that when the British captured New York. This yet again led to more battles and they were called the Battle of Long Island and the Battle of White Plains. Both of them were very unsuccessful for the Continental Army and that led to Britain keeping New York for themselves. But George Washington wasn’t going to give up. So, during the night he traveled with his troops across the Delaware River which was one of the most famous things that he is known for today. The river was icy so it was even more dangerous for him to accomplish getting across. Once they got across the river they captured the city of Trenton from the British.

That whole problem with the British capturing New York was just a bump in the road for the colonists. After that, they began to be successful in battles again. They were victors in the Battle of Princeton and the Battle of Saratoga. The Battle of Saratoga was the most notable out of the two because 5,700 British troops surrendered to Major General Horatio Gates. This all happened during 1777.

When it came around to winter in 1777 the Continental Army spent their time in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. It was bitter cold and just because of that 1/5 of the men died. Luckily, a man named Baron von Steuben came and helped the army get themselves together and improve their fighting skills.

But to summarize the American War for Independence, the colonists had to go through a lot of battles to get to their goal of being separate from the British Empire. But, they later signed a treaty that the 13 colonies were part of the United States of America. That was all except for Florida. They were separate from the other states. They returned to the Spanish during this time. It took a little longer for Florida to become a part of the United States. Lots of people had a hand in making the colonists successful and it was all thanks to them. But overall, it took years for the Colonists to finally get what they want and it was a long awaited victory.