The First Continental Congress took place from September 5 to October 26, 1774. Delegates from the thirteen colonies, except Georgia, met at Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvinia. They discussed the current situation with Great Britain including the Intolerable Acts, which the British Parliament had imposed on Boston as punishment for Boston Tea Party. 

The delegates took two major actions:

Members were John Adams, Patrick Henry, and George Washington. President of this First Congress was Peyton Randolph. 

Most of the Continental Army was disbanded in 1783 after the Treaty of Paris ended the war. 

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The American Revolution (1775-83) is also known as the American Revolutionary War and the U.S. War of Independence. The conflict arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. Skirmishes between British troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and by the following summer, the rebels were waging a full-scale war for their independence. France entered the American Revolution on the side of the colonists in 1778, turning what had essentially been a civil war into an international conflict. After French assistance helped the Continental Army force the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, the Americans had effectively won their independence, though fighting would not formally end until 1783.

-         The leader of the British army was General John Burgoyne also known as the Gentleman Johnny for his manners. 

-         He designed an invasion scheme and commanded a force that moved south from Canada to split away New England and end the rebellion

-         The leader of the Americans was Major General Horatio Gates

-         Other leaders for the Americans were Generals Benedict Arnold Benjamin  Lincoln , Colonel Daniel Morgan and General Enoch poor

-         Burgoyne planned to lead his army from Lake Champlain to Albany, New York 

-         He and His army recaptured Fort Ticonderoga

-         The Battle of Bennington: The Americans continued to attack the British army as they moved south. Victory for the Americans

-         First Saratoga: Battle of Freeman’s Farm: Colonel Daniel Morgan led 500 specially selected riflemen who took out many British soldiers before the attack even started. The British suffered twice as many casualties as the Americans.

-         Second Saratoga: Battle of Bemis Heights:The attack on Bemis Heights failed miserably. The British army suffered 600 more casualties at the second battle of Saratoga. On October 17, General Burgoyne surrendered.

-         Burgoyne surrendered his entire army. He surrendered a total of 5,752 men, 42 cannons, 7,000 muskets and all his supplies.

-         General Gates invited General Burgoyne to dine with him.

-         They were career soldiers: Soldiers in the army when the war began had enlisted as a life-long career, to be discharged when no longer fit for service.

-         They enlisted as adults: Enlistment was based on fitness rather than a specific age, but most recruiting instructions called for men between 17 and 25 years old.

-         They were generally experienced: 5 to 15 years of experience was typical in British regiments

-         They received pensions: The army was one of few careers that provided a pension when a man could no longer serve

-         Wives and children accompanied them

-         Most men didn’t get lashed Corporal punishment, particularly by lashing, was the standard method of enforcing discipline but was used only after a trial. 

-         Most men could read or write

-         They were tactically dominant on the battlefield

-         They wore red coats