After French assistance helped the Continental Army force the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, the Americans had effectively won their independence, though fighting would not formally end until 1783.
Land campaigns to 1778 Learn about major events of the Revolutionary War (1775–83), which won 13 American colonies their political independence from Great Britain. Americans fought the war on land with essentially two types of organization: the Continental (national) Army and the state militias.
Still others thought that British rule would be better than patriot rule. Since the loyalists lost the war, there aren't as many famous loyalists as there are patriots. Benedict Arnold was a general in the Continental Army who went to fight for the British.
AmericanAmerican victory. The British marched into Lexington and Concord intending to suppress the possibility of rebellion by seizing weapons from the colonists. Instead, their actions sparked the first battle of the Revolutionary War.
Perhaps the single most important reason for the patriot victory was the breadth of popular support for the Revolution. The Revolution would have failed miserably without the participation of thousands of ordinary farmers, artisans, and laborers who put themselves into the line of fire.
April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783American Revolutionary War / Period
British victoryBattle of Long IslandDateAugust 26, 1776LocationBrooklyn, Long Island, New York 40°39′58″N 73°57′58″WResultBritish victory The British capture New York City and Long Island from the Continental Army
patriotGeorge Washington was a patriot who led the Continental Army and after the American Revolution, he became the first President of the United States. A number of patriots became known as the Founding Fathers of the United States. They include Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, and Ethan Allen.
patriotThe first royal heir born in Britain in 130 years, George III's reign as a patriot king was intended to mark a new chapter for a British monarchy that had been criticized as more interested in matters in Europe than at home.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War....Battles of Lexington and Concord.DateApril 19, 1775ResultAmerican victory British forces succeed in destroying cannon and supplies in Concord Militia successfully drive British back to Boston Start of the American Revolutionary War1 more row
American victoryAmerican victory. One of the most decisive American battles of the Revolutionary War, Saratoga ended British general John Burgoyne's attempt to control the Hudson River Valley.
Although it takes the Americans two more years of skillful diplomacy to formally secure their independence through the Treaty of Paris, the war is won with the British defeat at Yorktown.