Timeline of the Revolutionary War
| • 1754-1763 | |
|---|---|
| The French and Indian War | |
| • 1764 | |
| The Sugar Act | |
| • 1765 | |
| The Stamp Act | |
| Patrick Henry's "If This Be Treason" speech | |
| The Stamp Act Congress | |
| • 1767 | |
| Townshend Act | |
| • 1770 | |
| The Boston Massacre | |
| • 1773 | |
| The Boston Tea Party | |
| • 1774 | |
| The First Continental Congress (Philadelphia) | |
| Battle of Point Pleasant, Virginia (disputed as to whether it was a battle of the American Revolution or the culmination of Lord Dunmore's War) | |
| • 1775 | |
| The Rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes | |
| Minutemen and redcoats clash at Lexington and Concord | |
| Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys seize Fort Ticonderoga | |
| The Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia | |
| George Washington named Commander in Chief | |
| Battle of Bunker Hill: The British drive the Americans from Breed's Hill | |
| Washington assumes command of the Continental Army | |
| The patriots under Montgomery occupy Montreal in Canada | |
| American forces under Benedict Arnold fail to seize Quebec | |
| • 1776 | |
| Paine's "Common Sense" published | |
| The patriots drive the Loyalists from Moore's Creek Bridge, North Carolina | |
| The Continental fleet captures New Providence Island in the Bahamas | |
| The British evacuate Boston | |
| Patriots decisively defeat the British Navy at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina | |
| The Declaration of Independence is finalized and sent to the printer | |
| The Declaration of Independence adoption date on document | |
| The Declaration of Independence is read publicly | |
| The Declaration of Independence signed | |
| The redcoats defeat the patriots in the Battle of Long Island | |
| The British occupy New York City | |
| The British win the Battle of Harlem Heights | |
| Benedict Arnold defeated at Lake Champlain | |
| The Americans retreat from White Plains, New York | |
| The British capture Fort Washington, NY and Fort Lee, NJ | |
| Washington crosses the Delaware and captures Trenton | |
| • 1777 | |
| Washington victorious at Princeton | |
May 28 | Washington winters in Morristown, NJ |
| Flag Resolution | |
| St. Clair surrenders Fort Ticonderoga to the British | |
| Lafayette arrives in Philadelphia | |
| The redcoats force the patriots back at Oriskany, but then have to evacuate | |
| American Militia under General Stark crush the Hessians at Bennington | |
| British General Howe lands at Head of Elk, Maryland | |
| The British win the Battle of Brandywine, Pennsylvania | |
| Rain-out at the Battle of the Clouds, Pennsylvania | |
| Burgoyne checked by Americans under Gates at Freeman's Farm, NY | |
| Paoli Massacre, PA | |
| British under Howe occupy Philadelphia | |
| Americans driven off at the Battle of Germantown | |
| Burgoyne loses second battle of Freeman's Farm, NY (at Bemis Heights) | |
| Burgoyne surrenders to American General Gates at Saratoga, NY | |
| Hessian attack on Fort Mercer, NJ repulsed | |
| British capture Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania | |
| Americans repulse British at Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania | |
| Washington's army retires to winter quarters at Valley Forge | |
| • 1778 | |
| The United States and France sign the French Alliance | |
| British General William Howe replaced by Henry Clinton | |
| Battle of Barren Hill, Pennsylvania | |
| Washington's army leaves Valley Forge | |
| The Battle of Monmouth ends in a draw | |
| George Rogers Clark captures Kaskaskia, a French village south of St. Louis | |
| French and American forces besiege Newport, RI | |
| The redcoats occupy Savannah | |
| • 1779 | |
| Militia beat Tories at Kettle Creek, NC | |
| American George Rogers Clark captures Vincennes on the Wabash in the Western campaign | |
| Spain declares war on Great Britain | |
| Fairfield, CT, burned by British | |
| Norwalk, CT, burned by British | |
| American "Mad" Anthony Wayne captures Stony Point, NY | |
| "Light Horse" Harry Lee attacks Paulus Hook, NJ | |
| John Paul Jones, aboard the Bonhomme Richard, captures British man-of-war Serapis near English coast | |
| The Tappan Massacre ("No Flint" Grey kills 30 Americans by bayonet) | |
| American attempt to recapture Savannah, GA fails | |
| Washington's 2nd winter at Morristown, NJ (the harshest winter of the 18th century) | |
| • 1780 | |
| British capture Charleston, SC | |
| British crush Americans at Waxhaw Creek, SC | |
| Patriots rout Tories at Ramseur's Mill, NC | |
| French troops arrive at Newport, RI, to aid the American cause | |
| Patriots defeat Tories at Hanging Rock, SC | |
| British rout Americans at Camden, SC | |
| Benedict Arnold's plans to cede West Point to the British discovered | |
| King's Mountain, SC: battle lasted 65 minutes. American troops led by Isaac Shelby and John Sevier defeated Maj. Patrick Ferguson and one-third of General Cornwallis's army | |
| Washington names Nathanael Greene commander of the Southern Army | |
| • 1781 | |
| Mutiny of unpaid Pennsylvania soldiers | |
| Patriot Morgan overwhelming defeated British Col. Tarleton at Cowpens, SC | |
| The Battle of Cowan's Ford, Huntersville, NC | |
| Articles of Confederation adopted | |
| British win costly victory at Guilford Courthouse, NC | |
| Greene defeated at Hobkirk's Hill, SC | |
| Corwallis clashed with Greene at Guilford Courthouse, NC | |
| Americans recapture Augusta, GA | |
| British hold off Americans at Ninety Six, SC | |
| "Mad" Anthony Wayne repulsed at Green Springs Farm, VA | |
| Greene defeated at Eutaw Springs, SC | |
| Cornwallis surrounded on land and sea by Americans and French and surrenders French fleet drove British naval force from Chesapeake Bay | |
| at Yorktown, VA | |
| • 1782 | |
| Lord North resigns as British prime minister | |
| British evacuate Savannah, GA | |
| British and Americans sign preliminary Articles of Peace | |
| British leave Charleston, SC | |
| • 1783 | |
| Congress ratifies preliminary peace treaty | |
| The United States and Great Britain sign the Treaty of Paris | |
| British troops leave New York City | |
| Washington resigns as Commander | |
| • 1787 | |
| U.S. Constitution ratified | |
HOME | History | Who Served | Washington | For Kids | FAQs | Visiting | Links | Guest book
Copyright ©1998-2008 Independence Hall Association
