Allies Enter the War

The American Revolution was well received on France. The United States lack of arms and allies, French saw this as an opportunity to defeat the British Empire. Benjamin Franklin went to Paris to negotiate an alliance between this two.

At first the French were permitted and started sending secretly ammunition and gunpowder, for close to a million pounds. This aid given by France helped George Washington’s survival against the British in 1776 and 1777. French Ports received American ships that acted against British merchant ships.

The British had taken over Philadelphia in 1777. But American victory at the battle of Saratoga had brought back hope to them and to the French, after this France started realizing that American could win the war.

France formally recognized the United States on February 6, 1778 with the signing of the Treaty of Alliance. This alliance would produce the biggest victory in 1781.

Women's Role in the War

Throughout the war women’s work was crucial. At first when their son and husbands went to war they stayed in charge of everything at home, they made clothing, blankets, and shoes for the soldiers, this way they went well prepared to fight.

Without this help soldiers wouldn’t make it through, but after some time some women wanted to go to war with their husbands to the army, some helped maintaining them and even some started helping with cannons, various women were outstanding at this. The most recognized were Deborah Sampson, Molly Pitcher and others.

DEBORAH SAMPSON

Deborah Sampson was the first known American women who took the role of a man in order to enter the army and take place in combats. On May 20 1782 when she was 21 was enlisted as a man named Robert Shurtleff in the Continental Army. She performed her duties just as another man. After her service ended she was awarded a pension from the state of Massachusetts.

MOLLY PITCHER

Molly Pitcher was a nickname given to a woman who fought in the revolutionary war.  This Molly Picher stories are attributed to Mary Hays. She was from a German family but born in New Jersey. This woman was known because she delivered water to the troops and sometimes fired the cannon of her husband.

Washington's Crossing of the Delaware River

After British had crashed the continental army they were forced to retreat to New Jersey. After this he decided to counterattack. The crossing of the Delaware River occurred on December 25, 1776. This was the first move in the planned surprise attack against the Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey. Brave Washington led the continental army in a dangerous move across the icy Delaware River.

Washington successfully surprised and defeated the troops of Johann Rall quartered in Trenton.

On Christmas Day Washington had ordered his army to prepare three days' food, and that soldiers had to be well outfitted. He heard the the British troops had plan to cross the river once it was frozen.  At evening Washington army were told about a secret plan and started getting ready.

Washington's plan required the crossing to begin as soon as it was dark enough to make their movements on the river. The weather became worst until the snow smashed the soldiers in their operation. We can give all the credit to the mind of this plan Henry Knox, if it wasn’t for him the operation could have failed.

William Howe



William Howe was a British Army officer who was commander in chief of the British army in the American war in independence.  Before he served in the war he gave his services in the War of the Austrian Succession and the French and Indian war.

One of his most important roles in this war was given when he led the British to a victory in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Howe took command of all British forces in America from Thomas Gage in September of 1775. He successfully captured the states of New York and Philadelphia.  But as this man made British win he make bad planning’s too and led to the failure of John Burgoyne's Saratoga campaign. , which played a major role in the entry of France into the war.

Some of his failure giving examples was his ways or strategies on attacking colonials. He ordered front assaults in the middle of the day with heavy artifacts and walking uphill. This weakened soldiers and with colonial strategies of surprise attacking make the soldiers losing easily.

Howe contributed his services in various battles such as the 7 years’ war, the Battle of Bunker Hill and New York, Philadelphia, and Burgoyne’s campaign.

Loyalists and Patriots

As it always happens, we have black and white, an evil side and a bad side. Patriots where honorable people who fought against the Britain Government. But not many know that as we had patriots who fought for the colonies we had the Loyalists. These were people that preferred British rules that remained loyal to British. Some were happy being suppressed by British and some others only just feared, others depended financially from the crown and so on many purposes for being in favor of their rules. This people doubted that the colonists could defeat one of Europe’s greatest empires. But loyalist were definitely against patriots causes for various purposes, they feared that Britain could not win the war, the patriots did not allow free speech, they dislike militia drafts, they shutdown loyalist newspaper, and they feared oppression from patriots.



Declaring of Independence!

One of the big achievements continental congress had when they assembled was moving towards independence, adopting the United States Declaration of Independence. The congress select a committee to draft the declaration, explaining their reasons, more specifically Thomas Jefferson drafted this.

By Spring 1776, July 2 congress voted that America was free and by July 4 they approved the

declaration stating that the 13 American Colonies were now independent states. They didn’t depend anymore from the British Empire.

The declaration containing a long list of grievances against King George, also declared the idea that all men were created equally:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain Unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”.

Battles of Lexington and Concord

 

John Hancock, Samuel Adams and other colonist leaders convened in a provincial congress where they wanted to govern without any British influence. They started gathering weapons and amunisions not letting Thomas Gage who was a British general, military who was named governor of Massachusetts, know about the plans they had together.

When Gage knew about this plan he send troops to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams. This provoked the battles in this towns west of Boston.  When the secret was spread Paul Revere travel all the way to Boston to warn Hancock and Adams , so knowing this the patriot fighters (militia), got ready to defend their town. This patriots were full-time farmers and part-time soldiers. But this didn’t stop them, they were ready to attack rapidly and their attacks were sudden and silent.

When redcoats arrived they attacked but the militia killed more than 200 British soldiers and so winning this short battle.