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Massachusetts Libraries - Massachusetts Libraries - Statewide Database Login

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Find a Library in Massachusetts I Contact I FAQs

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease | Wonderopolis

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Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease

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Searchable digitized newspaper pages published between 1789 and 1963

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Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1770-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more

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Chronicling America " Library of Congress

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Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1770-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.

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 Massachusetts Historical Society Website

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 Massachusetts Historical Society Website

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The Coming of the American Revolution: 1764 to 1776

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Introduction

In the years between 1764 and 1776, America truly became a nation. Where before America had been a cluster of competing British colonies-with differing origins, goals, and policies-by 1776 colonists had forged a separate identity flexible enough to support not just revolution but nation building.

By investigating the lives and events recorded in newspapers, official documents and personal correspondence from our collection, you will immerse yourself in the past and discover the fears, friction and turmoil that shaped these tumultuous times.

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Coming of the American Revolution: Topic List

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In the years between 1764 and 1776, America truly became a nation. Where before America had been a cluster of competing British colonies-with differing origins, goals, and policies-by 1776 colonists had forged a separate identity flexible enough to support not just revolution but nation building.

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Learn about the Battle of Lexington and Concord major event in the American Revolutionary War. The first battles of the war.

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Learn about the battles at Fort Ticonderoga during the Revolutionary War including the Green Mountain Boys and General John Burgoyne.

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History >> American Revolution

The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, just a few months after the start of the American Revolutionary War.

Battle of Bunker Hill by Pyle

Boston was being besieged by thousands of American militia. The British were trying to keep control of the city and control its valuable seaport. The British decided to take two hills, Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill, in order to gain a tactical advantage. The American forces heard about it and went to defend the hills.

Where did the battle take place?

This seems like the easiest question ever, doesn't it? Well, not really. There were two hills that the British wanted to take in order to be able to bombard the Americans from a distance. These were Breed's Hill and Bunker Hill. The Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place mostly on Breed's Hill. It's only called the Battle of Bunker Hill because the army thought they were on Bunker Hill. Sort of a funny mistake and it makes for a good trick question.

Bunker Hill Monument by Ducksters
You can visit Bunker Hill and climb to the top of
the monument for a view of the city of Boston

The Leaders

The British were led up the hill by General William Howe. The Americans were led by Colonel William Prescott. Maybe this should have been called the Battle of the Williams! Major John Pitcairn was also one of the British leaders. He was in command of the troops that started the fighting at Lexington that began the Revolutionary War. From the American side, Israel Putnam was the General in charge. Also, leading patriot Dr. Joseph Warren was part of the battle. He was killed during the fighting.

What happened at the battle?

The American forces learned that the British were planning on taking over the hills around Boston in order to gain a tactical advantage. As a result of this information, the Americans secretly moved their troops onto Bunker and Breed's Hill, two unoccupied hills just outside of Boston in Charlestown, Massachusetts. They built up fortifications during the night and prepared for battle.

The next day, when the British realized what had happened, the British attacked. Their commander William Howe led three charges up Breed's Hill. The Americans fought back the first two charges, but started to run out of ammunition and had to retreat at the third charge. The British gained the hill, but their costs were great. Around 226 British were killed and 800 wounded while the Americans did not suffer nearly as many casualties.

Battle Map - Click to see larger picture

Result of the Battle

Although the British won the battle and gained control of the hills, they paid a heavy price. They lost hundreds of soldiers including several officers. This gave the Americans the courage and confidence that they could stand up to the British in battle. Many more colonists joined the army after this battle and the revolution continued to grow in strength.

Bunker Hill Cannon Ball by Ducksters
A cannon ball dug up from Bunker Hill

Interesting Facts about The Battle of Bunker Hill

Because the Americans were low on ammunition, they were told "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes."

The American troops worked hard during the night building up the defenses. Much of the wall they built, called a redoubt, was nearly 6 feet high.

Future President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, watched the battle from a nearby hill with his mother Abigail Adams. He was seven years old at the time.

The British suffered the most casualties of any single fight during the American Revolutionary War.

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Works Cited

History >> American Revolution

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Kids learn about the Battle of Bunker Hill major event in the American Revolutionary War.

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History: American Revolutionary War Timeline

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Learn about the events of the American Revolutionary War Timeline in US history.

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Learn about the Crossing the Delaware major event in the American Revolutionary War.

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Kids learn about The United States Flag; history and meaning.

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History >> American Revolution

The Battles of Saratoga were a series of battles that culminated in the Battle of Saratoga and the surrender of British General John Burgoyne. This decisive victory by the Americans was a turning point of the Revolutionary War.

The Leaders

The main leader for the British was General John Burgoyne. He had the nickname "Gentleman Johnny".

The Americans were led by Major General Horatio Gates as well as Generals Benedict Arnold and Benjamin Lincoln. Other key commanders included Colonel Daniel Morgan and General Enoch Poor.

General Horatio Gates
by Gilbert Stuart

General General John Burgoyne
by Joshua Reynolds

Leading up to the Battles

British General Burgoyne had come up with a plan to defeat the American colonies. He would split the colonies in two along the Hudson River. With the colonies divided, he was sure they could not stand.

Burgoyne was to lead his army south from Lake Champlain to Albany, New York. At the same time General Howe was to advance north along the Hudson River. They would meet at Albany.

Burgoyne and his army successfully advanced south. They first recaptured Fort Ticonderoga from the Americans then proceeded to march south. General Howe, however, had other plans. Instead of heading north to Albany, he headed east to take Philadelphia. Burgoyne was on his own.

Bennington

As the British continued south, the Americans harassed them along the way. They cut down trees to block the roads and took shots at the soldiers from the forests. Burgoyne's progress was slow and the British began to run out of food. Burgoyne sent some of his soldiers to Bennington, Vermont to find food and horses. However, Bennington was guarded by American General John Stark. They surrounded the British troops and captured around 500 soldiers. It was a decisive victory for the Americans and weakened the British forces.

Map of the Battles of Saratoga
Click picture to see larger version

The Battle of Freeman's Farm

The first battle of Saratoga took place on September 19, 1777 on the farmland of British loyalist John Freeman. Daniel Morgan led 500 sharpshooters to the field where they saw the British advancing. They were able to take out a number of officers before the British began to attack. At the end of the battle the British gained control of the field, but they had suffered 600 casualties, twice as many as the Americans.

The Battle of Bemis Heights

After the Battle of Freeman's Farm the Americans set up their defenses at Bemis Heights. More militia men arrived and the American forces continued to grow. On October 7, 1777 the British attacked. Their attack failed miserably and they were defeated by the Americans. British casualties mounted to nearly 600 men and General Burgoyne was forced to retreat.

The Americans under General Gates pursued the British army. Within days, they had them surrounded. The British surrendered on October 17, 1777.

Surrender of General Burgoyne
Source: U.S. Federal Government

Results

The Battles of Saratoga and the surrender of the British army under General Burgoyne was one of the major turning points of the Revolutionary War. The Americans morale was boosted and the country now felt it could win the war. Just as important to the war, the French decided to support the Americans with military aid.

Interesting Facts About the Battles of Saratoga

Benedict Arnold did not get along with General Gates. At one point they had a heated argument and Gates relieved Arnold of his command.

George Washington declared a day of Thanksgiving on December 18, 1777 to celebrate the victory over the British at Saratoga.

Despite being relieved of his command, Benedict Arnold entered the battle at Saratoga. He was injured when his horse was shot and fell on his leg.

The American ranks swelled from 9,000 soldiers at the first battle to over 15,000 by the time the British surrendered. The British army, on the other hand, shrunk from 7,200 at the first battle to around 6,600 at the second battle.

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History >> American Revolution

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Learn about the Battles of Saratoga at Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights. Major event in the American Revolutionary War.

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Kids learn about the Boston Tea Party major event in the American Revolutionary War.

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Learn about Valley Forge. The place where George Washington and the Continental Army spent the winter during the Revolutionary War.

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Kids learn about the Battle of Yorktown major event ending the American Revolutionary War.

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Learn about the Causes of the American Revolution including the French and Indian War, taxes, the Intolerable Acts, Boston Massacre, and more.

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Learn about the Battle of Guilford Courthouse during the Revolutionary War including the commanders, where it was fought, before the battle, results, and interesting facts.

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Learn about the The Stamp Act of 1765. A tax the Britain placed on the American colonies eventually leading the Revolutionary War.

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Learn about the Battle of Long Island, New York during the Revolutionary War including the commanders, where it was fought, before the battle, results, and interesting facts.

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Learn about the Townshend Acts from the American Revolution including how they got their name, what the laws did, why the colonists protested them, results, and interesting facts.

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Learn about the Boston Massacre where five colonies were killed by the British. Major event in the American Revolutionary War.

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Learn about the Intolerable Acts of the American Revolution including how they got their name, the Boston Port Act, Quartering Act, results, and interesting facts.

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American Revolution: The Continental Congress

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Kids learn about The Continental Congress meetings; major events in the American Revolutionary War.

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Kids learn about the Declaration of Independence major event in the American Revolutionary War.

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American Revolution: Articles of Confederation

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Learn about the Articles of Confederation during the Revolutionary War including authors, summary of the thirteen articles, ratification, results, and interesting facts.

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American Revolution: Battle of Germantown

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Learn about the Battle of Germantown during the Revolutionary War including the commanders, where it was fought, before the battle, results, and interesting facts.

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Learn about the Sons of Liberty of the American Revolution including how they got their name, important members, protests, the Stamp Act, the Boston Tea Party, and interesting facts.

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Learn about the Battle of Cowpens during the Revolutionary War including the commanders, where it was fought, before the battle, results, and interesting facts.

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Learn about Patriots and Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. One side wanted independence while the other wanted to remain part of Britain.

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Learn about the women from the American Revolution including roles such as spies, nurses, camp followers, and soldiers. Also, famous women who played an important part in the war.

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Learn about spies during the American Revolution including secret messages, invisible ink, famous agents, the Culper Spy Ring, disguises, and interesting facts.

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From Academic Kids

Template:Infobox Battles

The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776 during the American Revolutionary War after Washington's crossing of the Delaware. This was when General George Washington led the main Continental Army across the Delaware to surprise and virtually eliminate the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. This overwhelming victory helped to preserve the Continental Army and set the stage for the Battle of Princeton the following week.

Trenton was garrisoned by three regiments of the Hessian mercenaries, commanded by Colonel Johann Rall for a total of about 1,200 men. Washington's force of about 2,400 attacked in two columns: Major General Nathanael Greene's division from the north, and Major General John Sullivan's division from the west. A third division never made it across the river due to the weather, but was supposed to attack from the south.

The troops left camp at 2:00 PM on Christmas Day. The river crossing was to be completed by midnight, but the storm which broke at 11:00 PM delayed this completion until 3:00 AM. The predawn attack was therefore delayed due to the weather and the fighting began around 8:00 AM. By 9:30 the Patriots had won.

The American forces had only a handful of wounded (although two men froze to death on the march), while the Hessians lost 106 dead and wounded with at least 600 captured. Colonel Rall was mortally wounded and died the same day. The Rall and Lossburg regiments were effectively removed from the British forces. Parts of the von Knyphausen regiment escaped to the south, but Sullivan did capture some men, along with the regiments cannons and supplies.

By noon, Washington's force had recrossed the Delaware back into Pennsylvania, taking their prisoners and captured supplies with them. This battle gave the Continental Congress a new confidence in that it proved American forces could defeat regulars. It also increased the re-enlistments in the Continental Army forces.

An interesting note is that while only four Americans received light wounds, all of these came during the rush to capture the Hessian artillery park, preventing the guns from being used. Two of these were officers: William Washington (the General's cousin) and young Lieutenant James Monroe, the future President of the United States.

The moments before the battle served as the inspiration for the famous painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. The image in the painting, in which Washington stands majestic in his boat as it is crossing the river, is almost certainly fictional, as the waters of the river were icy and treacherous and the flag Monroe holds was not created until six months after the battle. The crossing also occurred before dawn. Washington, as with all of his troops, most likely stayed low in the boat to provide cover and protection, although standing water in many of the storm-tossed boats would have made crouching difficult as well. Nonetheless, the image has become an icon of American history.

Further reading

Fischer, David Hackett. Washington's Crossing (Pivotal Moments in American History). Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 0195170342

External links

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Template:Infobox Battles The Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776 during the American Revolutionary War after Washington's crossing of the Delaware. This was when General George Washington led the main Continental Army across the Delaware to surprise and virtually eliminate the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey.

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Fast facts about the Battle of Princeton for kids. Summary of the Battle of Princeton for kids. Facts, history and stats about the Battle of Princeton and the Revolutionary War.

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Learn about the generals and military leaders of the American Revolution including George Washington, Nathanael Greene, Horatio Gates, John Paul Jones, William Howe, and Thomas Gage.

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Learn about the daily life of a Revolutionary War Soldier including the Continental army, the militia, how much they were paid, how old they were, and more.