Major Battles of The Revolutionary War
By Ellie Song
Table of Contents
Introduction - All About the Revolutionary War
Chapter 1 - All About the first major battles (Lexington and Concord)
Chapter 2 - All About the second major battles (Saratoga)
Chapter 3 - All About the third major battles (Yorktown)
Chapter 4 - Alone
Chapter 5 - Timeline
Chapter 6 - Conclusion
Chapter 7 - Sources
Introduction - All About the Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War started because of a series of acts and “mini-wars”. These acts were sent from the
British Parliament. At that time, Great Britain ruled over the original 13 colonies. For example, there was the Stamp Act,
when the colonists had to pay for everything printed on paper; the Quartering Act, when Parliament allowed British
soldiers to stay and sleep in the colonists’ homes; and the Tea Act, when the colonists had to pay for taxes for their
tea. The colonists were extremely annoyed and angry with these acts. So they started “mini-wars”. For example, there
was the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was when a few colonists dressed up as Native Americans and
dumped British tea into the Boston Harbor. These were the seeds of war.
After many of the acts were passed, Great Britain and the colonists went to war. The colonies wanted
independence from Great Britain. But this was a very unfair war. The colonies did not have trained strong men like
Great Britain. They had minutemen. George Washington was the general for the Continental Army. This war lasted 7
years. When the British Army, along with the Hessian Army surrendered at Yorktown, the war was over. The Continental
Army had won. Afterwards, the states created the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The states also
elected President George Washington. The states were finally free!
Chapter 1 - All About the first major battles (Lexington and Concord)
The battles Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the Revolutionary War. They are usually called
The Shot Heard Around The World because they were the first battles of war. They took place in Massachusetts,
1775. In the Battle of Lexington, eight minutemen were killed. Nine minutemen were wounded. In the Battle of Concord,
forty - one minutemen were killed and thirty - two were wounded. Paul Revere took place before the battles to signal
other colonists about the British soldiers. These were one of Paul Revere’s Great Midnight Rides. The British soldiers
were planning to find all of the hidden weapons the colonists were keeping. They thought that if they stole the hidden
weapons, the colonists would not have anything to fight with. So then the colonists wouldn’t have anything to fight
with.
At the battle of Lexington the British soldiers failed in trying to find those weapons. In the battle of Concord,
the British soldiers found a carriage full of guns. When they set fire to it, instead of the fire hitting the weapons it
hit the courthouse. When the Continental Army saw the fire, they quickly ran over to where the fire was and defeated
the British.
This war was not going to end simply, that was just the first two battles of the entire Revolutionary War.
Chapter 2 - All About the second major battle (Saratoga)
After the battles of Lexington and Concord wa the Battle of Saratoga. The battle of Saratoga was very
important because it showed the possibility of the Continental Army winning the Revolutionary War. At the time,
General George Washington felt that they couldn’t win this war. But with the help of General Gates, they surrounded
the British soldiers and defeated them. This gave Washington the motivation to win this war. This also gave Washington
the feeling to persevere.
Later on, during the winter of 1777 (few months later), Washington had his army trained properly by Von
Steuben. The Battle of Saratoga gave Washington determination and hope to win the war. This war took place in 1777.
The reason why Saratoga was a major battle was because of the determination and hope to fight and win the
Revolutionary War.
Chapter 3 - All About the third major battle (Yorktown)
Yorktown was a very important battle because the was the final battle of the Revolutionary War. It took
place in 1781. It declared the victor. The Continental Army had won! The colonies became states. Washington led his army
into Yorktown and surprised the Hessians there. Eighty - three minutemen were killed and two hundred and ninety eight minutemen were wounded. They were so surprised. Washington’s army fought hard and eventually the British army
surrendered. The war was over. Afterwards, King George had to sign the Treaty of Paris. It said that the the colonies
were free. It was the newly born United States.
While King George was signing the Treaty of Paris, a painter wanted to paint a picture of all of them. But
King George was so embarrassed that he ran away! That is why half of the painting is blank. How embarrassing would
that be for a king? He was supposed to act royally.
Finally the colonies are free. They are happy and united.
Surrender of General Cornwallis
Siege of Yorktown
Chapter 4 - Alone
I lay pained from the bullet wound in my shoulder. My vision is blurred from the pain. I feel the autumn air
pass by me. I try to stand. “Ouch”, I say to myself. I limp toward the stream flowing by. I scoop up some water with
my right hand. My memories flow back as I drink. I remember my name, George Smithson. I remember my good friend
pushing me aside as the bullet came towards me and the sacrifice he made for me. I remember seeing him fall to the
ground and the battle of Saratoga. Also, saying bye to my family and my general, George Washington, march the rest of
his army onto the next battle. Tears form in my eyes. I stop myself from crying like a baby. I have never been alone in
the woods before. I remember the small amount of food I left behind a tree before I fought. I limp over to where I left
the bag of food. I make sure I don’t step on any of the dead bodies on the ground. I pray as I hope to live……… alone.
Conclusion
As you can see, this book is only about three major battles. There were many other battles that changed
that changed the war. We can honor the people that sacrificed their lives for us by celebrating Independence Day on
July 4.
Glossary
Continental Army - army of colonists
acts - laws
British Parliament - British legislating group
motivation - an inspiration
Hessians - German soldiers (British allies)
minutemen - farmers who are soldiers (went straight to battle once alerted of war. Were not trained.)
Sources
● The Revolutionary War (By Josh Gregory)
● The Cycles of Change
● Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
By John Trumbull (1820)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Yorktown