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The French were not happy with the British after the last war so they had secretly been sending weapons to the Patriots since early 1776
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The British retreat from Boston moving the war to the middle states
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General William Howe and his brother Admiral Richard Howe sailed into New York Harbor with 32,000 soldiers, many of them Hessians, during the summer of 1776.
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After fighting the British for control of New York, the Americans were forced to retreat.
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By late fall, the British had pushed Washington and his troops across the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Less than 8,000 men remained under Washington's command and he needed a victory before his troops enlistment ended on December 31st.
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George Washington led 2,400 men in small rowboats across the Delaware River to execute a sneak attack on the British
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Since the day before, the men had walked nine miles through snow to Trenton where the Hessians were. In a surprise attack, the Americans killed 30 enemies and took 918 captives along with 6 Hessian cannons.
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After the Battle of Trenton, the Americans won again against 1,200 British soldiers in Princeton
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General Howe began his campaign to seize Philadelphia in the spring of 1777, sailing from New York to the head of Chesapeake Bay.
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General Howe sailed from New York to the head of Chesapeake Bay, landing near the capital. The Continental Army tried to block the redcoats at Brandywine Creek, however the British eventually captured Philadelphia.
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American troops surrounded the British troops and their commander General John Burgoyne, forcing them to surrender to General Gates
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An area outside of Philadelphia, which served as the Continental Army's camping ground during the winter of 1777-1778
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After the Americans won at Saratoga, it boosted the French's trust in them so an alliance was formed in February 1778
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Friedrich von Steuben, a Prussian captain and drillmaster, volunteered to help George Washington and his militia become great soldiers and an effective fighting force.
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In the summer of 1778, the British started to focus on their former colonies in the south after their huge loss in Saratoga. They hoped to reclaim their former colonies and rally loyalist support.
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At the end of 1778, the British easily took Savannah, Georgia
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Spring of 1779, a royal governor commanded Georgia once again.
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Marquis de Lafayette, a 20-year-old military leader offered to help Washington, even dealing with the horrible conditions at Valley Forge, leading a command in Virginia, and lobbying for French reinforcements
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In their greatest victory of the war, the British captured Charles Town, South Carolina and took 5,500 American soldiers as prisoners.
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In 1780, a French army of 6,000 landed in Newport, Rhode Island after the British went to focus on the South. Lafayette helped the Americans come up with a plan to beat the British which involves combining forces.
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Cornwallis' army crushed American forces while taking Camden, South Carolina
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In months, the British were able to establish forts all across South Carolina.
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General Harry Clinton and General Charles Cornwallis sailed south with 8,500 British soldiers hoping to make up for their Saratoga loss.
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British and American forces met up in Cowpens, South Carolina. The British expected the Americans to run because they were outnumbered but in the end the Americans forced the redcoats to surrender.
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Nathanael Greene had weakened the British but was still concerned about the fight for the South so he asked French military leader, Marquis de Lafayette, for help.
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In 1781, Robert Morris, a rich Philadelphia merchant, was appointed by Congress to be the superintendent of finance with the help of his associate, Haym Salomon, a Jewish political refugee from Poland.
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With the help of Morris and Salomon, they raised funds and personal credit in order for the troops to finally be paid in gold coins.
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The Americans and French closed in on Cornwallis and the siege lasted about 3 weeks. Outnumbered by more than 2 to 1, Cornwallis surrendered.
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Colonel William Fonataine of the Virginia militia lined up with the American and French armies to see the British formally surrender.
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3 delegates from America (John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay), were sent to meet with Britain, France, and Spain. In the end the treaty was signed which resulted in America getting their freedom and boundaries for the new nation being set.
