the battle of pell's point

 In October of 1776, Washington's Army was at Harlem Heights, New York. The British forces landed at Throgs Neck to execute a flanking maneuver against Washington on the island of Manhattan. The Colonials ruined this landing and the commander of the British forces, General Sir William Howe, looked for another landing point. 

Howe

On October 18, 1776, Howe disembarked 4,000 men at Pelham, about 3 miles north of Throgs Neck. 750 men of John Glover's brigade were inland. The Continentals used stone walls for cover to attack the British forces and fell back. The British broke off and the Americans retreated. 

The battle delayed the British movement long enough to give General George Washington time to move his forces to White Plains. Washington gave up Manhattan to keep his army from being surrounded.

By the 17th Washington was on his way to White Plains after hearing of the Throgs Neck landing. Washington left 2,000 men to support Fort Washington.

The battle is also known as the Battle of Pelham. The fighting took place in what is now part of Pelham Bay Park. 

Washington felt safe at White Plains. Glover retreated to Younkers. He report 8 killed, 13 wounded. The British had 3 killed, 20 wounded. The Hessians had no casualties. Howe moved his army through New Rochelle and Scarsdale. 

yorktown

 On September 28, 1781, the Siege of Yorktown began. American and French troops surround the British forces. 

The British held out for 21 days. The Americans and French had help from the Spanish Governor. He was able to bottle up British forces in Pensacola, Florida. This depleted the British forces at Yorktown.

Bernardo de Galvez

Cornwallis had established a base of operations at Yorktown, hoping for resupply and reinforcement by sea. The French victory at the Battle of the Capes on September 5, 1781, removed this possibility, and cut off Cornwallis by sea. With the arrival of American and French troops, the encirclement was complete, and the siege began on September 28, 1781.

Learn more on the Southern Theater of the Revolutionary War from battlefields.org

saratoga

In 1777, the British staged a two-prong attack to split the Colonies in two. This was to separate New England from the rest of the Colonies.

British General John Burgoyne's army marches south from Canada to link up with General William Howe's army. Burgoyne had taken Fort Ticonderoga in July. This dealt a tough defeat to the colonial cause. Howe decided to move his troops from New York to the Chesapeake Bay.

The British defeated Washington's army at Brandywine, Pennsylvania on September 11th. The British entered Philadelphia on September 25th. Howe's move left Burgoyne exposed near Saratoga, New York.

On September 19th,the Colonial Army under the command of General Horatio Gates defeated Burgoyne at Freeman's Farm near Saratoga. On October 7th the British were defeated again at Bemis Heights (the Second Battle of Saratoga). Burgoyne surrendered his forces.

This win for the Continentals allowed France to openly enter the war on the side of the Americans.

the battle of princeton

On January 2, 1777, Washington didn't know entirely what to do. He convened a council of war with his officers. Washington had been alerted that the road to Princeton was undefended. He had a plan of marching deep into New Jersey and the consensus from the council was to keep going.

Most of Washington's army marched northeast. Residents loyal to Washington relayed information that the town of Princeton was open to attack on the east side of the town. As January 3 began, the Continentals were about two miles from Princeton. Washington ordered Brigadier General Hugh Mercer to march to the left and destroy a bridge on a road that led to Trenton. The bulk of the force, led by Major General John Sullivan's division, marched on Princeton. Washington's total forces were about 4,500 men.

The British forces were led by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood. He had about 1,200 men. Mawhood's mission was to keep Princeton secure for General Cornwallis. Princeton was key for the British communications route to New York City. 

Mawhood spotted Washington's front column and ordered his force back inside Princeton. Fighting ensued and Mawhood had Mercer's troops attacked by highly skilled British infantrymen. Mercer was overrun and mortally wounded. Washington pressed the engagement and entered the town. Sullivan did not risk a frontal attack and found a stalemate happen until troops, personally led by Washington, broke the British line.

 Both the Battles of Trenton and Princeton split the British Army in two and gave the people, loyal to independence, new hope and confidence that the war could be won.

Sources for this post: Battle of Princeton on mountvernon.org
                                   10 Facts About the Battle of Princeton on mountvernon.org

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the battle of brandywine

More troops fought at Brandywine than any other battle of the American Revolution. It was also the longest single-day battle of the war, with continuous fighting for 11 hours. The location of the battle is Delaware County, Pennsylvania. George Washington was commander of the Continental forces and General Sir William Howe was commander of the British forces. Although Howe won the battle, Washington was able to keep his army intact despite his right flank being left open. Washington stated: "despite the day's misfortune, I am pleased to announce that most of my men are in good spirits and still have the courage to fight the enemy another day". Source: Wikipedia

The British goal was Philadelphia. Washington was able to keep his army from total destruction. Howe would had a clear path to Philadelphia and enter there on September 26, 1777. Source: ushistory.org

The route to Philadelphia crossed Brandywine Creek at Chad's Ford. Washington seemed convinced that the main attack would be a frontal assault, but instead it hit Washington's right flank. The British attack drove the Americans from the hill. The Continental Army withdrew on the road toward Philadelphia.

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