Battles of the American Revolution

Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge Wilmington, North Carolina February 27, 1776(Fought between Patriots and Loyalists) Leaders:U.S. – Moore, CaswellEngland – MacDonald Soldier Strength:U.S. – 1,000England – 1,500 Casualties:U.S. – 1 killedEngland – 30 killed 1 wounded40 wounded 850 captured N.C. Loyalists were heading to meet British reinforcements in Wilmington but were met by N.C. Patriots instead. Patriots removed planks from the bridge and greased remaining planks. The battle was short and was a decisive victory for the Patriots. This battle left North Carolina free from British invasion for 4 years (until 1780).

Battle of Trenton Trenton, New Jersey December 26, 1776 Leaders: U.S. – WashingtonEngland – Rall Soldier Strength:U.S. – 2,400England – 1,500 Casualties:U.S. – 2 killedEngland – 22 killed 5 wounded83 wounded 896 captured Washington led his men across the icy Delaware River on Christmas night to Trenton to battle the Hessian soldiers. The two main streets in Trenton (King and Queen Streets) were the center of this battle. A brief struggle led to almost 900 Hessians being captured with the American cannons playing a large part in the battle. The battle boosted the morale of the Continentals.

Battle of Brandywine Chadds Fort, Pennsylvania September 11, 1777 Leaders:U.S. – WashingtonEngland – Howe Soldier Strength:U.S. – 14,600England – 15,500 Casualties:U.S. – 300 killedEngland – 89 killed 600 wounded488 wounded 400 captured6 missing A decisive victory for the British that left Philadelphia undefended. A heavy fog provided cover for the British who attacked the right flank of the Americans. The British were able to capture 11 of 14 American artillery guns. Philadelphia was abandoned as the capital and was then seized by the British on September 26.

Battles of Saratoga Saratoga, New York September 19 and October 7, 1777 Leaders:U.S. – GatesEngland – Burgoyne Soldier Strength:U.S. – 9,000 (1 st Battle)England – 7,200 (1 st Battle) 12,000 (2 nd Battle)6,600 (2 nd Battle) CasualtiesU.S. – 90 killedEngland – 440 killed 240 wounded695 wounded 6,222 captured Regarded as the “turning point of the war”, these battles conclusively decided the fate of Burgoyne’s army. The much larger Continental Army (thanks to the increasing number of militia from New York) was able to force Burgoyne to surrender. This victory for the Americans was instrumental in formally bringing France into the war as an American ally.

Battle of Savannah Savannah, Georgia December 29, 1778 Leaders: U.S. – HoweEngland – Campbell Soldier Strength:U.S. – 850England – 3,100 Casualties:U.S. – 83 killedEngland – 7 killed 11 wounded17 wounded 453 captured This battle was the opening of the British’s “Southern Strategy” to regain control of the rebellious southern colonies. Capturing the South was an important part of Britain’s strategy to win the war. Thanks to help from Loyalists in Georgia, Campbell was able to capture a large portion of the Americans protecting the city and forced the rest to retreat into South Carolina. The British would hold Savannah for the remainder of the war.

Battle of Camden Camden, South Carolina August 16, 1780 Leaders:U.S. – GatesEngland – Cornwallis Soldier Strength:U.S. – 3,700England – 2,100 Casualties:U.S. – 900 killed orEngland – 325 killed or wounded 1,000 captured Camden was a major victory for the British. This victory gave Cornwallis and the British Army gave control of Georgia and South Carolina to England. Gates led an army of untested militia and Continentals with little battlefield experience into S.C. The British used their bayonets (which many Patriot militia did not have) to force some militia to flee. Loyalists were able to defend against the Continentals while the Patriots were defeated by the Regulars.

Battle of King’s Mountain King’s Mountain, North Carolina October 7, 1780 Leaders: U.S. – Sevier, McDowell, ShelbyEngland – Ferguson Soldier Strength:U.S. – 900 England – 1,100 Casualties:U.S. – 29 killedEngland – 290 killed 58 wounded 163 wounded 668 captured A decisive Patriot victory over the Loyalists. Thomas Jefferson called it “The turn of the tide of success”. Many of the Patriots were “overmountain men” of largely Scotch-Irish descent. The battle lasted only 65 minutes. The Patriots used many forms of concealment (rocks, trees, etc…) and kept moving which made it difficult for the Loyalists to shoot accurately. The Loyalists surrendered when Ferguson was killed.

Battle of Cowpens Cowpens, South Carolina January 17, 1781 Leaders: U.S. – MorganEngland – Tarleton Soldier Strength:U.S. – 1,912England – 1,150 Casualties:U.S. – 25 killedEngland – 110 killed 124 wounded229 wounded 900 captured Tarleton was sent to destroy Morgan’s soldiers. Morgan had time to prepare and used the terrain at Cowpens to his advantage (being able to place his men in between rivers). Morgan’s strategy forced the militia to stay and fight instead of flee. The victory for the Americans changed the psychology of the war and showed the Americans that they could win. This battle set in place a series of events that would lead to the end of the war for Britain.

Battle of Guilford Court House Greensboro, North Carolina March 15, 1781 Leaders:U.S. – Greene England – Cornwallis Soldier Strength:U.S. – 4,400England – 1,900 Casualties:U.S. – 79 killedEngland – 93 killed 185 wounded413 wounded 971 missing26 missing Cornwallis stripped his men of supplies to chase Greene’s Army with more speed. The battle only lasted 90 minutes and ended with an American retreat from the field of battle. Although this was technically a British victory, “another such victory would ruin the British Army” (Charles Fox). ¼ of British soldiers were lost during the battle.

Battle of Yorktown Yorktown, Virginia September 28 – October 19, 1781 Leaders:U.S. – WashingtonEngland – Cornwallis Soldier Strength:U.S. – 8,800England – 9,000 France – 11,800 and 29 war ships Casualties:U.S. – 72 killedEngland – 309 killed 180 wounded326 wounded 8,000 captured The last major battle of the American Revolution was a decisive victory by the Americans with the help of the French. Marquis de Lafayette held Cornwallis in Yorktown until reinforcements could arrive. The combined forces of the French and Americans were too much for the Redcoats. Cornwallis surrendered his army and Britain was forced to negotiate an end to the war.