7.1 The Early years of the war

Americans divided 20-30% of Americans were loyalists Roughly 40-45% were patriots The rest remained neutral

Creating an army Washington’s army never numbered more than 17,000 men…. Why?? Washington’s main goals: Survive Keep an army in the field Win some battles and avoid a crushing defeat

mercenary A professional soldier hired to fight for a foreign country Hessian- mercenaries from Germany

Trenton/Crossing the Delaware December 25th, 1776, Washington’s troops rowed across the icy Delaware River to New Jersey Killed more than 900 Hessians and gained needed supplies

Saratoga: A Turning point Benedict Arnold is injured Outcomes: Benedict Arnold married a woman who was a loyalist Influenced by his bitterness and his wife, he betrayed his army Several European nations decided to help America in its struggle… Why??

7.2 The War Expands

Help From Abroad In 1778, France signed two treaties of alliance with the United States In 1779, France persuaded its ally Spain to help the Americans The British had spread their military resources over many fronts

Marquis de Lafayette A 19-year-old French nobleman who volunteered to serve in Washington’s army He used his own money to buy warm clothes for his ragged troops

Baron von Steuben Helped turn the inexperienced Americans into a skilled fighting force The soldiers practiced making charges with bayonets Washington's army pre-war grade=D/F

Valley Forge Valley Forge came to stand for the great hardships The soldiers at Valley Forge grew weak from not having enough food or warm clothing A quarter of them died from malnutrition, exposure to the cold, or diseases such as smallpox and typhoid fever The army stayed together because of “Love of our Country” and also because of Washington

John Paul Jones Captain of the Bonhomme Richard- rammed the better- armed British vessel called the Serapis “I have not yet begun to fight” After a fierce three- and-a-half hour battle, the main mast of the Serapis cracked and fell