-Nathan Hale

“ I only regret that I have one life to lose for my

country.”

War is now unavoidable!Both sides expect the war to be short

Patriots believed the British would give up after one or two major loses

British believe they would quickly crush the rebellion

They were both wrongThe war last 8 years!!!The war is divided into three phases

After the Declaration

From Spring 1775- Spring 1776The British goal is to crush the rebellion in

Boston before it spreadsKey Battles:

Lexington & ConcordBunkerhill The Siege of Boston

Phase 1: The North

From 1776-Early 1778British goal is to cut the rebellious North off

from the rest of the coloniesKey Battles:

Long IslandTrentonSeratoga

Phase 2: The Middle Colonies

From 1778- 1781British goal is to use the loyalists in the south

to sway the colonists to their favorKey Battles:

SavannahCharlestonYorktown

Phase 3: The South

No Regular Army or NavySoldiers lacked training, weapons, and

ammunitionNot all Americans supported the war:

Quakers stayed NeutralOther remained loyal to Britain

The largest number of loyalists were in the south

Patriot Weaknesses

Patriots know the land and how to get around best

Patriots were fighting for what they believed in not what they were getting paid for

The British Army paid a large number of mercenaries to fight in the Americas

These mercenaries were often called Hessians for the region of Germany they came from

Patriot Advantages

Following Bunkerhill Boston remained the center of British Operations

Boston is surrounded by hills and very difficult to defend

Due to the work of one of Washington’s Generals, Henry Knox, Washington acquires an entire division of cannon from an abandoned British Fort

These cannon make it impossible for the British to stay in Boston

This victory ends the 1st phase of the war and give the patriots too much confidence

The Siege of Boston

During the Summer of 1776 Britain sends 32,000 Troops to New York

British General William Howe hope the size of his army would frighten the patriots into retreat

The patriots led by George Washington marched into battle with less than 20,000 soldiers

By the Fall the patriots were running short on supplies and forced to retreat

After this defeat Washington considers stepping down as Commander

The Battle of Long Island

After the failure at Long Island many soldiers in the Continental Army left and went home

Soldiers that stayed faced winter with little food or winter clothing

Washington knew if he didn’t get more troops this war was over

The only way to get more soldiers was to get a victory

Dealing with Defeat

December 25th 1776, Britain expected an easy night of celebration and rest

George Washington saw this as an opportunity

He lead’s 2,400 men across the frozen Delaware River and ambushes the British the next day

This leads to arenewed belief in the patriot cause

Trenton

Write a diary entry from the perspective of one of the people in the painting below, needs to be at least one paragraph. Give details about how you feel about the war before and after this important day in history. Date of the diary entry should be December 26th 1776. Due Tomorrow!