1. Aim: What were the major battles of the Revolutionary War? Do Now:

2. Early Military Campaigns (1776-1777) After the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the British landed an army of 30,000 troops near New York to reinforce their military in America. General Washington fortified Brooklyn Heights but was outflanked by Sir William Howe in August of 1776 during the Battle of Long Island. Washington was forced to flee to Manhattan and then to New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This low point of the war for the Patriots reflected Thomas Paine’s famous line, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

3. The Knockout Punch, 1777 After Washington suffered several defeats in 1776, the British planned a masterful three pronged attack that would end the war. General John Burgoyne, known as “Gentleman John Burgoyne,” planned to bring British troops from Montreal down the Hudson River, while General St. Leger was to lead an expedition from Lake Ontario to the Hudson River, and General Howe was to march from New York up the Hudson. Their goal was to capture Albany, cut off New England, and then advance southward to defeat the other colonies. This blow would have separated the colonial war effort while uniting British troops. This attack would have ended the Revolutionary War had it landed but it did not… Go to the next station to find out why!

4. The British Plan Failed (1777) The British three-pronged attack failed miserably. General St. Leger was forced to retreat to Canada. Howe, who was supposed to march northward, marched West to Philadelphia instead. Though Howe eventually took Philadelphia, George Washington was able to delay him long enough to make his union with the rest of the British forces impossible. By the time General Burgoyne’s army reached Saratoga, just north of Albany, he was surrounded by General Horatio Gates and his American forces. “Gentleman” John Burgoyne, knowing he had no reinforcement, embarrassingly surrendered on October 17, 1777.