why did the british seize new york? does anyone remember from your reading?
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BATTLES OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
BATTLE OF NEW YORK
Why did the British seize New York? Does anyone remember from your
reading?
NY CONTINUED
Wanted to move war theater away from Boston
Focus on the Middle States
NY
William Howe led the British 32,000 BR men Washington rallied 23,000 men
Mostly untrained troops German mercenaries (Hessians)
helped the BR – they solely for money Americans retreated on August 27,
1776
AFTER EFFECT
Washington’s troops had to retreat to PA
Only 8,000 men left under Washington’s control
Needed more men to enlist and enlistment due date was December 31st.
CHRISTMAS
Washington risked everything in 1776 Travelled through snow to Trenton Held by Hessians – had a little too
much fun the night before and weren’t expecting American troops
Surprise attack – Americans took 918 captives, killed 30, and took 6 cannons
PRINCETON
Washington rallied his troops to victory in Princeton shortly after Trenton
He met 1200 BR soldiers Moved on to Morristown http://
www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battles-of-trenton-and-princeton/videos/george-washington-makes-surprise-attack-on-trenton
PHILADELPHIA
1777 – William Howe led campaign to seize this capital city
Landed near Philly in late August Continental Congress fled British captured Philly and Howe
enjoyed hospitality of Loyalists
JOHN BURGOYNE
BR General Came up with complex scheme Wanted to take BR army from Canada
to Albany, where he thought he would meet Howe’s troops as they arrived from NYC (didn’t realize they were in Philly)
Wanted to work with Howe to isolate NE from the colonies
BURGOYNE
Set out with 4,000 BR, 3,000 mercenaries, and 1,000 Mohawks under his command
Bogged down his army and food supplies ran low
(This is all eventually going to lead to the Battle of Saratoga)
GENERAL HORATIO GATES
Commander of Northern Department of Continental Army
Gathered soldiers from NY and NE Ethan Allen attacked Burgoyne’s troops
in Vermont on his way down to Philly Burgoyne never realized Howe wasn’t
going to meet him since he was in Philadelphia
BATTLE OF SARATOGA
Burgoyne surrendered army to Gates on October 17, 1777
Saratoga is in NY Changed BR’s war strategy dramatically –
decided they needed to stay close to coast Why would staying close to the coast be a
good/safe thing to do?
http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/battle-of-saratoga
TURNING POINT
FR still bitter about FR and Indian War Secretly sent weapons to colonists
since 1776 Saratoga bolstered trust in American
army Recognized American independence
and signed alliance with them in Feb 1778
FR wouldn’t make peace with BR until BR also recognized American independence!!!
HOWEVER…
It would take months for FR aid to arrive
BR still controlled NY and parts of NE BR wintered comfortably in Philly Washington and army endured freezing
cold winter (1777-1778) in Valley Forge
Suffered from exposure and frostbite 10,000 soldiers at Valley Forge; 2,000+
died
LIFE DURING AMERICAN REVOLUTION Congress ran out of hard currency – silver
and gold Borrowed money by selling bonds to
American investors and foreign govts like France
Printed paper money called Continentals Inflation ensued Americans had to smuggle armaments from
Europe (why do you think they had to resort to this?)
LIFE IN COLONIES
Profiteering – Selling scarce goods for a profit
Sold spoiled meat, cheap shoes, defective weapons, etc.
Appointed Robert Morris as Superintendent of Finance
WOMEN
Mended clothing and cared for soldiers Cooked Made ammunition Molly “Pitcher” – carried pitchers of
water to the soldiers
FEBRUARY 1778
Americans began amazing transformation
Friedrich von Steuben Prussian captain and drillmaster “Make regular soldiers out of country
bumpkins” Volunteered services to Washington
MARQUISE LAFAYETTE
French Endured misery of Valley Forge Vouched for FR reinforcements in 1779 Led command in VA
SUMMER 1778
BR moved operations to the South Wanted to gather support in South and
eventually move way back up North 1778 – Took Savannah, GA and placed
royal governor in charge
GENERALS HENRY CLINTON AND CHARLES CORNWALLIS
BR – sailed south with 8500 men Greatest BR victory of war – British
captured Charles Town, SC in May 1780 5500 American soldiers became
prisoner of war Cornwallis set out to conquer NC and
SC African Americans joined the BR
NATHANIEL GREENE
Washington’s ablest general Army fought BR and forced BR to
surrender in Cowpens, SC Cornwallis attacked Greene 2 months
later at Guilford Court House, NC. Cornwallis won but it cost him: 93 killed 400 wounded 26 missing
CORNWALLIS’S MISTAKE
April 1781 – Greene asked Lafayette for help Cornwallis decided to move fight to VA Tried to capture divisions led by Lafayette
and von Steuben and failed Fateful mistake – Cornwallis led troops
(7500) to peninsula between James and York Rivers and camped at Yorktown, near Jamestown
Planned to take VA and then join Henry Clinton’s forces
THE MISTAKE CONTINUED
Lafayette’s Plan when he heard about Cornwallis: FR army of 6,000 had landed in RI American and FR forces joined 2 FR fleets
at RI and West Indies and attacked the BR forces at Yorktown
FR naval force defeated BR fleet and blocked entrance to Chesapeake Bay; prevented BR rescue by the sea
YORKTOWN
About 17,000 FR and American troops surrounded BR at Yorktown and bombarded BR day and night
Siege of Yorktown lasted 3 weeks October 17, 1781 – Cornwallis surrendered. His
troops had been outnumbered 2:1. October 19 – everyone assembled General Charles O’Hara represented Cornwallis
and handed over his sword http://
www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/siege-of-yorktown
PEACE TALKS IN PARIS - 1782
US, BR, FR, SP BR hoped to avoid giving America full
independence FR supported American independence but
feared America’s becoming a major power Spain was interested in acquiring the land
between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River
John Adams, John Jay, and Ben Franklin represented Americans
1783 – TREATY OF PARIS (AGAIN)
Confirmed US independence and set the boundaries of the new nations
US now stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from Canada to the Florida border
BR made no effort to protect land interests of NA allies, and treaty did not specify when BR would evacuate their American forts
Americans agreed BR creditors could collect debts owed them by Americans and promised to allow Loyalists to sue in state courts for recovery of their losses.
State governments failed to honor this agreement All European nations recognized the United States of
America.
EFFECTS OF WAR
Egalitarianism - a belief in the equality of all people – which fostered a new attitude: the idea that ability, effort, and virtue, not wealth or family, defined one’s worth
This applied only to white males Most African Americans still enslaved, and
those that were free faced discrimination and poverty
EFFECTS OF WAR
Maryland and VA - # of free blacks rose from 4,000 to over 20,000.
NA – Revolution brought uncertainty As settlers from the US moved West and began taking
tribal lands and left NA further threatened By adopting Declaration of Independence – Americans
rejected BR system of government, in which kings and nobles held power
Set out to build a stable republic, a government of the people
Continental Congress chose a motto for the reverse side of the Great Seal of the US: “a new order of the ages”
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