American Revolutionary War Research Paper

American Revolutionary War and The Battles That Changed the Outcome The American Revolutionary War was a trying time for the young country. Many citizens were outraged with King George and the British Rule. Some started meeting in secrecy to hoard weapons and powder and also build the minutemen fight force. With taxes on the rise and King George’s hand in the colonist wallet the young country was a powder keg just waiting for a reason to rebel. The war may have started over a simple arms and powder raid, but it would be long drawn out war with only a few battles that changed the outcome of the war such as Bunker Hill, Charleston 1776, and Yorktown. To understand the important battles, you must learn about how this war all started on the cold

First Shots of War (n.d.) Adams and Hancock had been gathering arms and powder to arm the patriots if any incident was to happen with the British and the colonist. When Gates sent his troops out he had hoped he would catch them by surprise, but the patriots knew his movements. William Dawes and Paul Revere headed out on their famous midnight ride warning other patriots that the British where coming. When Gates troops arrived in Lexington they were met with several dozen minutemen, upon meeting the resistance someone fired a shot. After the muskets had stopped firing 8 minutemen were killed and several more were wounded. First Shots of War (n.d.) Gates then moved on to Concord to seize the arms and powder, but the patriots had already moved the supplies. First Shots of War (n.d.) This is how the war started and many battles were fought but not all of them had a huge significance like a few Bunker Hill June 1775, Charleston, June 1776, and Yorktown, October

Siege of Charleston - 1776. (n.d.) The goal of this seizure was to gain support to the British from the loyalist hiding under patriot rule. Siege of Charleston - 1776. (n.d.) A few loyalists thought that with a strong British presence the loyalist would come out of hiding and support the crown. The Patriots where commanded by Major General Charles Lee and Colonel William Moultrie. The British brought 20 ships, 262 guns, and 2,900 men to battle the continental force of 0 ships, 26 guns, and 1,175 men. Siege of Charleston - 1776. (n.d.) The patriots where outnumbered and outgunned, but they had the strategic ground to repel any forces from the sea. The significance of this battle according to mountvernon.org is “Some historians label the successful defense of Charleston Harbor in June of 1776 as the first major American victory of the American Revolution. The stunning victory at Fort Sullivan, renamed Fort Moultrie in honor of its commander, certainly provided a vital morale boost to the Patriot cause, especially when compared to Washington’s serious setbacks in and around New York City later that year. Historians argue that the victory likely increased support for the decision by the South Carolina delegation to the Continental Congress to vote for independence on July 2nd, as there had been