The American Revolution

Have you heard of the ‘Midnight ride of Paul Revere?’ It is a poem. It tells how Paul Revere took news to Lexington that the British soldiers were coming. Paul Revere was a colonist. He and others were assigned to pass on the word if the British were coming.

Both sides were preparing for some action. England was sending more soldiers to the colonies. The colonists were getting soldiers ready too. Something was going to happen. Leaders on both sides were meeting and making plans. A war was about to begin.

Some of the words of the poem go like this:

This midnight ride did take place. It was at night on April 18, 1775. The British troops left Boston and started out for Concord. They were searching for guns and supplies. The British had heard that the colonists were hiding them in Concord. The Americans saw the British leave Boston. They quickly prepared to meet the British troops.

General Gage had ordered part of his army to go to Concord. They were supposed to find the arms and supplies and destroy them. The British had a map of barns and houses where the guns and supplies were kept.

The Americans were organized into militias. Some of those were called 'Minutemen.' They called them this because they could be ready in a minute. The militia and Minutemen did not have uniforms like the British. They wore the clothes they were wearing. They were organized in towns and cities. The militia fought from behind trees and rocks.

British soldiers were nick named ‘Redcoats.’ The name came from the red coats that they wore. British armies were well organized. They marched in rows. An attack was made while they were in these lines and rows.

At Lexington, 240 British soldiers met up with a group of 70 Minutemen. The British quickly defeated the Americans. They next moved on to Concord. More British Regulars met up with the British army. At the same time a number of the colonial militias gathered and met for battle at Concord.

At Concord, the colonists defeated the British. As the British retreated more American militia came to help. The Minutemen kept attacking the Redcoats again and again. They kept up the attacks all the way back to Boston. They would shoot from behind trees, fences, or houses.

These two battles were important. They were important for a few reasons. First, the battles pulled Americans and the British further apart. Another was that it made the Americans think that they could win. In addition, it drew both sides to battle.

After the battle of Concord came Ticonderoga. Americans were trying to help in the fight against the British. They were ready to go to battle.

Americans needed supplies to fight the British. There were supplies at Fort Ticonderoga. Getting those supplies would help. If they could take that fort, they could get the supplies. Two leaders were thinking about how to do this. They were Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen.

Benedict Arnold was a wealthy shop owner and also the commander for a local militia in New Haven, Connecticut. With his own money he bought supplies for his troops. The Massachusetts Committee on Safety gave him permission to go get the supplies. With the committee’s okay, he led his troops to Upstate New York. He planned to capture the British fort.

Ethan Allen was the commander of the other group. They were called the Green Mountain Boys. Allen’s men met up with Arnold’s men to make the attack.

British soldiers at the fort did not know the colonists were coming. Arnold’s and Allen’s men made the surprise attack. The commander of the fort was not ready for them. He had to surrender. It was such a surprise that the British commander was still in his pajamas. The capture of this fort was an early success in the war.

Did you know that the Battle of Bunker Hill did not take place on Bunker Hill? American troops were sent to Bunker Hill because that was where they planned to fight. By mistake they went to Breeds Hill instead. The night before the battle they dug trenches with their shovels, picks, and guns. It was June 16, 1775. The next morning the British had a surprise. They found that colonial militias had a commanding position above them.

British troops attacked the line the Americans dug the night before. The British lost many soldiers. Twice the Americans turned the British Regulars back. But on the third try the British finally got through.

Many British Regulars died at this battle. The colonists in the trenches waited until the last minute to shoot. It is said that colonial officers told their soldiers to do this. They told them not to shoot until they could see the whites of their eyes. The Regulars were very close when they were fired on. Colonial troops had to do this because they were low on powder and bullets. By waiting until the last minute fewer shots would be wasted.

While the British won this battle they took heavy losses. Almost half of the British soldiers were killed or wounded. England thought they could win easily. They had the strongest army in the world. They could see it would not be so easy. The colonists would not give up easily.

In the winter of 1776 things were not going well for the Continental army. It was struggling. British troops had taken Fort Washington and Fort Lee. Much needed supplies were now gone. Soldiers were leaving and the army did not have enough money from Congress.

It was winter, and it was cold. The main part of the British Army had returned to the comforts and protection of New York City and had left Hessian troops at Trenton. American soldiers had pulled back and had found shelter across the Delaware River. Many colonial soldiers were discouraged and wondered if they could win the war.

Washington planned a surprise attack on Trenton. He would do it on Christmas day. Each soldier took 60 rounds and three days worth of food. They would cross the Delaware River again to carry out the plan. Crossing the river took all night, and there was a cold north-eastern storm. Three columns of troops were in on the plan, but only one made it across the river because of the drifting ice. The column that made it across was led by Washington. That night heavy clouds hid a full moon. The cover was good for Washington and his men because it gave them a greater element of surprise.

It was so cold that two men froze to death. One 16-year-old soldier, Greenwood, broke up a fence for firewood after the crossing. He kept turning around and around to stay warm. General Sullivan said to Washington that the guns were too wet to fire. Washington replied back that they should use their bayonets. (Bayonets were the knives/blades on the ends of the barrels of their rifles.) On top of the many challenges, getting to Trenton took longer than they had planned.

The next day the remaining column pushed on. They made their attack and surprised the Hessians. This battle only lasted 45 minutes. Washington’s men killed 21 and wounded 90 of the Hessians. There were 500 Hessians that escaped. American troops were able to capture 900 Hessian soldiers. No Americans were killed.

This win by the Americans made the men happy. It was their first battle victory of the war. They got new hope that they could win. More people believed in General Washington. And Congress had a reason to send help. It was a miracle that they won this battle.

By the fall of 1777 the colonists needed to win some more battles. British troops were in control of New York. They also had Philadelphia. Colonists were trying to get help from other countries, but none had said they would help yet. Things were not going well. The Battle of Saratoga could change what other countries thought.

The bad news was that it looked like the British were going to beat the colonists in this region. The British had three good armies nearby that could join together to beat the colonists. Their plan was that the three armies would join together. One army planned to come from the north. A second would move in from the east. And the third could move up from New York, from the south.

The good news was that the Continental Army did some important things. They built a wall at a place called Bemis Heights. It was in the shape of an “L” and in a very good place to defend the colonists. This position would be able to protect the river and the road. Travel through this area had to go through this spot. The colonists also got 22 cannons to use against the British.

Things did not work out so well for the British. The army that was coming north got called back to New York. They were needed in Philadelphia. British supplies were running low, and they were running out of food. The British troops that were near Saratoga came upon a field of wheat that was ready to harvest, and they stopped fighting to cut and take the wheat for food. Continental troops caught the British near the wheat field. The British had to retreat. American troops were also able to get around the side of the British Regulars. The British army got boxed in on three sides. American troops had trapped the British. The British could not get away and they surrendered this battle

In the summer of 1777 the army of George Washington fought the British at and near Philadelphia, the biggest city in the colonies. It was also where the new American government was trying to organize or get set up, but the colonial army could not get the British out of there.

By December Washington had pulled the army back. They needed a safe place to rest and prepare for the spring. He moved his soldiers to Valley Forge. It was a cold, hard winter for the American troops. The troops did not have enough food or clothes. They were starving. At times all they had to eat were "fire cakes" and cold water. Fire cakes were a mixture of flour and water. They would cook these cakes over a fire and it would be their scant meal.

Many of the colonial soldiers were only enlisted until the end of the year or until the end of December. Many wanted to go home. But the war was not over. It kept going on and on, and General Washington did not know how he would get them to stay.

At this same time, British soldiers were being quartered by colonists in Philadelphia. They got to stay in the nice homes of the colonists. They had the good food of the colonists. They had nice clothes and were protected from the winter.

Because it was a long and hard winter, Continental soldiers suffered at Valley Forge. Nearly one-fourth of American soldiers died. They did not die in battle. Most died because of illness. Even though there were rules to follow about being clean. Not all followed those rules. Washington tried and tried to get them to be healthy. Some would not do it.

Even with the illness, the army became stronger. Most of the army stayed on. Of 12,000 soldiers, about 1,000 did not sign up to stay. There was another good thing. The troops received training that winter by Baron Von Steuben. The training made them better soldiers and a better army. Somehow, through it all, the Continental Army remained ever determined. They stayed in the battle.

In 1781 the Continental Army was in New York. General Washington decided to move them to Virginia. He would work with French forces in the South. They traveled 300 miles to Yorktown.

By this time the French had joined the colonists in the war. They were helping Washington in Yorktown. A French fleet blocked the British from going out of or coming into port. French and colonial soldiers also trapped Cornwallis on the ground.

The British general needed help, but it did not come and American forces kept their distance. The British kept waiting for more troops and supplies. The Americans maintained or kept a siege on the British. Then, even more French soldiers came to help.

General Cornwallis finally surrendered October 19, 1781. He was trapped. He could not get free, and he could not get the help he needed. The siege had worked. The American and French soldiers had trapped the British soldiers into surrender.

Text Credits:

Lexington and Concord

http://www.ushistory.org/us/;
http://www.nps.gov/sara/historyculture/index.htm;
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_yorktown1781.html;
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier (Private Yankee Doodle) by Joseph Plumb Martin

Readability: ATOS- 5.9; Flesch-Kinkade- 5.59; SMOG- 8.27

Ticonderoga

http://www.ushistory.org/us/;
http://www.nps.gov/sara/historyculture/index.htm;
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_yorktown1781.html;
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier (Private Yankee Doodle) by Joseph Plumb Martin;
Not Your Father’s Founders by Arthur G.Sharp (Ticonderoga)

Readability: ATOS- 5.5; Flesch-Kinkade- 5.94; SMOG- 8.48

Bunker Hill

Dr. Carl Rogers- Bunker Hill- Anecdotal references to waiting until they could see the whites of the eyes of British attackers;
http://www.ushistory.org/us/;
http://www.nps.gov/sara/historyculture/index.htm;
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_yorktown1781.html;
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier (Private Yankee Doodle) by Joseph Plumb Martin

Readability: ATOS- 5.5; Flesch-Kinkade- 5.41; SMOG- 7.87

Trenton

http://www.ushistory.org/us/;
http://www.nps.gov/sara/historyculture/index.htm;
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_yorktown1781.html;
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier (Private Yankee Doodle) by Joseph Plumb Martin;
Description of Colonial Army and the Battle of Trenton- 1776, David McCullough

Readability: ATOS- 5.4; Flesch-Kinkade- 5.44; SMOG- 8.33

Saratoga

http://www.ushistory.org/us/;
http://www.nps.gov/sara/historyculture/index.htm;
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_yorktown1781.html;
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier (Private Yankee Doodle) by Joseph Plumb Martin

Readability: ATOS- 5.8; Flesch-Kinkade- 5.41; SMOG- 8.23

Valley Forge

http://www.ushistory.org/us/;
http://www.nps.gov/sara/historyculture/index.htm;
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_yorktown1781.html;
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier (Private Yankee Doodle) by Joseph Plumb Martin;
Description of Colonial Army and the Battle of Trenton- 1776, David McCullough

Readability: ATOS- 5.3; Flesch-Kinkade- 5.94; SMOG- 8.62

Yorktown

http://www.ushistory.org/us/;
http://www.nps.gov/sara/historyculture/index.htm;
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_yorktown1781.html;
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier (Private Yankee Doodle) by Joseph Plumb Martin;

Readability: ATOS- 5.4; Flesch-Kinkade- 6.15; SMOG- 9.03

Image Credits:

Spirit of 76.2 Drummers and Fife by Archibald M Willard from the Library of Congress- Wikimedia Commons


Lexington and Concord

Picture of midnight ride of Paul Revere by A L Ripley-Lexington Branch Post Office-FDR Library from National Archives an Records Admin-NARA - 196560.tif- Wikimedia Commons;
Lantern flashed from belfry of Christ Church in Boston for Paul Revere Boston c. 1775 – Concord Museum – Concord MA - DSC05583-423px- Wikimedia Commons;
Minuteman Hat by S9393- Openclipart.org;
Revolutionary Musket from Colonial Massachusetts by S E Dawes-Silver-Burdett-1899

Ticonderoga

Ticonderoga - Fort 800px-1758 Restored by Jeffery Thomas- Wikimedia Commons;
Ticonderoga-Fort-1775 by Heppenheimer and Maurer-The New York Public Library- Wikimedia Commons

Bunker Hill

Battle of Bunker Hill painting by Howard Pyle and published in Scribners Magazine- Wikimedia Commons;
Bunker Hill Flag from Colonial Massachusetts p 144 by S E Dawes Silver-Burdett-1899;
Battle of Bunker Hill painting by Percy Moran- Wikimedia Commons

Trenton

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze-MMA-NYC-1851- Wikimedia Commons;
Delaware-Crossing the-Trenton-Washington 3990096447 by Henry Mosler -The New York Public Library- Wikimedia Commons;
Battle of Trenton by Charles McBarron- Wikimedia Commons

Saratoga

Flag of France.svg by SKopp- Wikimedia Commons;
Flag of Netherlands.svg by Zscout370- Wikimedia Commons;
Flag of Spain.svg by Pedro A Gracia Farjado- Wikimedia Commons;
Surrenders by Louis-François-Sébastien Fauvel- Wikimedia Commons;
Cannon 2 by Johnny Automatic- Openclipart.org

Valley Forge

March to Valley Forge by William Trego- Wikimedia Commons;
Valley Forge - Washington and Lafayette (Edited of just men, cabins, and fire) at by John Ward Dunsmore through the Library of Congress- Wikimedia Commons;
Info. graphic of death rate;
Baron Von Steuben drilling troops at Valley Forge by Edwin Austin Abbey- Wikimedia Commons

Yorktown

Siege of Yorktown Map by U S Military Academy- Wikimedia Commons;
Yorktown - Surrender of Cornwallis at LCCN2004671450.tif by Francois Godefroy -artist- and Ponce Nicolas through Library of Congress- Wikimedia Commons