the opposing sides click the mouse button to display the information. general william howe was the...

The Opposing Sides

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• General William Howe was the commander of a disciplined, well-trained, and well-equipped British Army.

• The Continental army was inexperienced, poorly equipped,and had difficulty keeping soldiers.

• The Continental army lacked the power to tax, so it had a difficult time paying for the war.

• A wealthy Pennsylvania merchant, Robert Morris, pledged large sumsof money to the war effort.

The Opposing Sides (cont.)


• The British forces had to fight both the Continental army and local militias.

• These militias often used guerrilla warfare, where they hid among trees and behind walls and then ambushed the British troops.



• The British needed to win the war quickly, or opinion in Parliament might shift to oppose the war.

• The United States did not have to defeat Britain, but only survive until the British became tired of paying for the war.



What disadvantages did the British forces and the Continental army face in the war?

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The British forces had to fight the Continental army and local militias. These militias often used guerrilla warfare, which was difficult to defeat. The British were not united at home and needed to win the war quickly and cheaply, or opinion in Parliament might shift to oppose the war. The Continental army was inexperienced, poorly equipped, and had difficulty enlisting and keeping soldiers. The Continental army lacked the power to tax, so it had a difficult time paying for the war.


The Northern Campaign


• In order to win, the British had to convince Americans that the war was a hopeless cause and to make it safe for them to surrender.

• General Howe’s strategy had two parts–to build up a massive military to intimidate the Americans and to invite delegates from the Continental Congress to a peace conference.

• The Americans realized that Howe was only interested in negotiating a surrender, so they quit the talks.

The Northern Campaign (cont.)

• George Washington’s troops showed their inexperience by fleeing when British troops captured New York City in 1776.

• American troops escaped from Manhattan Island to White Plains,New York.



• George Washington planned unexpected winter attacks against the British troops at Trenton and Princeton, New Jersey.

• Washington and his troops won these attacks and then headed into the hills of northern New Jersey for the remainder of winter.



• In 1777 British General John Burgoyne developed a plan to isolate New England from the other American states.

• The British, however, did not coordinate their efforts.



• In 1777 British General Howe’s troops defeated Washington at the Battle of Brandywine Creek and captured Philadelphia.

• However, the Continental Congress, which he had hoped to capture, had escaped.

• Howe had failed to destroy the Continental army.



• General Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, and over 5,000 British troops were taken prisoner.

• The American victory was a turning point because it improved American morale and convinced France to send troops to the American cause.



• In February 1778, Americans signed two treaties with France.

• As a result of the treaties, France became the first country to recognize the United States as an independent nation, and the United States and France formed an alliance.



Why was the British surrender at Saratoga a turning point in the war for the Americans?

The American victory was a turning point because it improved American morale and convinced France to send troops to the American cause.



Other Fronts


• By February 1779, the British in the West surrendered to Patriot George Rogers Clark, giving the United States control of the region.

• In the summer of 1779, American troops defeated the British and Iroquois forces in western New York.

• American warships attacked British merchant ships to disrupt trade.

• Congress began issuing letters of marque, or licenses, to private ship owners authorizing them to attack British merchant ships.

• The cargo seized by privateers seriously hurt Britain’s trade and economy.

Other Fronts (cont.)


• American naval officer John Paul Jones was involved in the most famous naval battle of the war.

• Jones’s ship almost sank when it was heavily damaged by the British.

• Instead of surrendering, Jones attached his ship to the British ship, boarded it, and after a three-hour battle the British surrendered.



• After being defeated at Saratoga, the British focused their attention on the South where they felt they had the strongest Loyalist support.

• In December 1778, British troops captured Savannah, Georgia, and returned Georgia to British power.



• British General Clinton attacked Charles Town, South Carolina.

• It became the greatest American defeat as British troops surrounded the town, trapping the American forces.

• General Charles Cornwallis was left in command.



• Loyalist troops in the South were known for brutal tactics.

• The Loyalist troops went too far when they tried subduing people in the Appalachian Mountains.

• Americans in this region formed a militia force.

• The militia intercepted the Loyalist forces at the Battle of Kings Mountain.

• The militia destroyed the Loyalist army.



• This battle was a turning point in the South.

• Southern farmers began organizing their own militia forces.



• American commander General Nathaniel Greene organized the militia in the South into small units to carry out hit-and-run raids against British camps and supply wagons.

• “Swamp Fox” Francis Marion led the most famous of these units.



How did Americans attack the Britishat sea?

Instead of attacking the British fleet directly, American warships attacked British merchant ships to destroy their trade and economy.



The War is Won


• In the spring of 1781, the British invaded Virginia, hoping to keep control of the South.

• British General Cornwallis and his forces linked up with British commander Benedict Arnold (formerly an American commander) and his forces to conquer Virginia.

• George Washington quickly dispatched the Marquis de Lafayette and General Anthony Wayne to defend Virginia.

• British General Clinton ordered Cornwallis to secure a naval base on the coast, and Cornwallis headed to the coastal town of Yorktown.

• On September 28, 1781, American and French troops surrounded Yorktown.

• On October 14, Alexander Hamilton led an attack to capture key British defenses.

• On October 19, 1781, British troops surrendered.

The War is Won (cont.)


• After learning of the surrender, Parliament voted to end the war.

• The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783.

• In the treaty, the British recognized the United States as a new nation with the Mississippi River as its western border.

• Britain kept Canada but gave Florida back to Spain in a separate treaty.

• The French received back their former colonies in Africa and the Caribbean.



What were the boundaries of the United States after the Treaty of Paris was signed?

The United States was bordered by Canada on the north, Florida on the south, and the Mississippi River to the west.



the opposing sides click the mouse button to display the information. general william howe was the...

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