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The map begins entirely red, because in April 1775 it was: thirteen British colonies, and a war that starts inside the empire. Then it turns blue one colony at a time, each on the day its royal government ended — and turns back to red three times, in the months when the war looked won. Eight years in which the British army took every city it wanted and held none of the country behind it.
How this is made →189events
18 April 1775 – 25 November 1783span
Wars & Empirescategory
In rebellionHeld by the CrownBritish North AmericaBattles and siegesCongress and treatiesFrance, Spain and the seaThe frontier
What is on the map
- 176 Battles and sieges
- 7 Congress and treaties
- 4 France, Spain and the sea
- 2 The frontier
Chronology
- Lexington and Concord: someone fires on the green, and seven hundred regulars walk back to Boston under fire the whole wayevent▸
- Gunpowder Incidentbattle▸
- New York Armory Raidbattle▸
- Ticonderoga taken at dawn by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold: its guns will be dragged three hundred miles to Bostonevent▸
- Battle off Fairhavenbattle▸
- Battle of Chelsea Creekbattle▸
- Bunker Hill: the British take the hill on the third try and lose a thousand men doing itevent▸
- Washington takes command of the army outside Boston: a Virginian at the head of a New England militia, which is the pointevent▸
- Battle of Longue-Pointebattle▸
- Burning of Falmouthbattle▸
- Battle of Kemp's Landingbattle▸
- Battle of Great Bridgebattle▸
- Battle of Great Cane Brakebattle▸
- Quebec assaulted in a snowstorm on the last night of the year: Montgomery killed, Arnold shot in the leg, the invasion of Canada overevent▸
- Battle of Iron Works Hillbattle▸
- Burning of Norfolkbattle▸
- Battle of the Rice Boatsbattle▸
- Fortification of Dorchester Heightsbattle▸
- Battle of Moore's Creek Bridgebattle▸
- The guns of Ticonderoga appear on Dorchester Heights overnight, and the British sail out of Boston without a shotevent▸
- Battle of Saint-Pierrebattle▸
- Battle of Block Islandbattle▸
- Battle of Trois-Rivièresbattle▸
- Battle of Sullivan's Islandbattle▸
- Battle of Turtle Gut Inletbattle▸
- Congress votes the Declaration of Independence: the war stops being about taxesevent▸
- Long Island: Howe lands twenty thousand men and turns the American flank. Washington gets his army off the island by night in fogevent▸
- Landing at Kip's Baybattle▸
- Battle of Harlem Heightsbattle▸
- Battle of Valcour Islandbattle▸
- Battle of Pell's Pointbattle▸
- Battle of Mamaroneckbattle▸
- Battle of White Plainsbattle▸
- Battle of Fort Washingtonbattle▸
- The First Salutebattle▸
- Ambush of Gearybattle▸
- Trenton: Washington crosses the ice at night and takes a Hessian brigade at breakfast. The war was almost over before thisevent▸
- Siege of Fort Stanwixbattle▸
- Second Battle of Machiasbattle▸
- Siege of Fort Ticonderogabattle▸
- Battle of White Marshbattle▸
- Battle of the Assunpink Creekbattle▸
- Princeton, eight days later: a second win, and the British give up New Jerseyevent▸
- Battle of Millstonebattle▸
- Battle of Punk Hillbattle▸
- Battle of Bound Brookbattle▸
- Battle of Ridgefieldbattle▸
- Battle of Thomas Creekbattle▸
- Meigs Raidbattle▸
- Battle of Short Hillsbattle▸
- Battle of Hubbardtonbattle▸
- Battle of Fort Annebattle▸
- Battle of Oriskanybattle▸
- Bennington: Burgoyne sends men out for horses and loses a tenth of his army to New England militiaevent▸
- Battle of Staten Islandbattle▸
- Battle of Setauketbattle▸
- Siege of Fort Henrybattle▸
- Battle of Cooch's Bridgebattle▸
- Brandywine: Howe turns the flank again and the road to Philadelphia is openevent▸
- Battle of the Cloudsbattle▸
- Battle of Paolibattle▸
- Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomerybattle▸
- Saratoga: Burgoyne surrenders an entire British army. In Paris they read it and decide the Americans can winevent▸
- Battle of Red Bankbattle▸
- Battle of Gloucesterbattle▸
- Battle of Matson's Fordbattle▸
- The army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge: a quarter of it will not come out, and the rest learns to drillevent▸
- Siege of Boonesboroughbattle▸
- Attack on German Flattsbattle▸
- Mount Hope Bay raidsbattle▸
- Grey's raidbattle▸
- France signs the alliance at Paris: a colonial rebellion becomes a world war, with a fleetevent▸
- Battle off Barbadosbattle▸
- Battle of Quinton's Bridgebattle▸
- Frederica naval actionbattle▸
- Battle of Crooked Billetbattle▸
- Battle of Barren Hillbattle▸
- Battle of Cobleskillbattle▸
- Monmouth: the last big battle in the north, fought in a hundred degrees, and the Continentals hold the line in the openevent▸
- Battle of Alligator Bridgebattle▸
- Battle of Wyomingbattle▸
- George Rogers Clark takes Kaskaskia, and then Vincennes in February by wading flooded prairieevent▸
- Battle of Rhode Islandbattle▸
- Invasion of Dominicabattle▸
- Baylor Massacrebattle▸
- Battle of Edgar's Lanebattle▸
- Battle of Chestnut Neckbattle▸
- Affair at Little Egg Harborbattle▸
- Cherry Valley massacrebattle▸
- Battle of St. Luciabattle▸
- Capture of St. Luciabattle▸
- Savannah falls: the British give up the north and go south, where they believe the loyalists areevent▸
- Battle of Minisinkbattle▸
- Battle of Baton Rougebattle▸
- Battle of Martiniquebattle▸
- Battle of Beaufortbattle▸
- Battle of Van Creekbattle▸
- Battle of Kettle Creekbattle▸
- Battle of Brier Creekbattle▸
- Battle of Stono Ferrybattle▸
- Spain declares war and lays siege to Gibraltar: Britain now has to defend everywhere at onceevent▸
- Tryon's raidbattle▸
- Battle of Grenadabattle▸
- Battle of Norwalkbattle▸
- Battle of Stony Pointbattle▸
- Battle of Paulus Hookbattle▸
- Battle of Newtownbattle▸
- The Sullivan expedition burns forty Iroquois towns and their standing corn: the frontier war has no front line and no mercyevent▸
- Capture of Fort Butebattle▸
- Boyd and Parker ambushbattle▸
- Capture of Cayo Cocinabattle▸
- Off Flamborough Head John Paul Jones takes a British frigate with a sinking ship under himevent▸
- Battle of Fort Charlottebattle▸
- Action of 8 January 1780battle▸
- Battle of Young's Housebattle▸
- Battle of Monck's Cornerbattle▸
- Battle of Martiniquebattle▸
- Battle of Lenud's Ferrybattle▸
- Charleston surrenders with five thousand men: the heaviest American loss of the warevent▸
- Battle of St. Louisbattle▸
- Battle of Waxhawsbattle▸
- Battle of Connecticut Farmsbattle▸
- Battle of Mobley's Meeting Housebattle▸
- Battle of Ramsour's Millbattle▸
- Battle of Springfieldbattle▸
- Huck's Defeatbattle▸
- Battle of Colson's Millbattle▸
- Battle of Rocky Mountbattle▸
- Battle of Hanging Rockbattle▸
- Battle of Piquabattle▸
- Camden: Gates, the victor of Saratoga, loses an army and rides sixty miles before stoppingevent▸
- Battle of Fishing Creekbattle▸
- Battle of Musgrove Millbattle▸
- Sugarloaf Massacrebattle▸
- Battle of Black Mingobattle▸
- Battle of Wahab's Plantationbattle▸
- Benedict Arnold tries to sell West Point and escapes down the Hudson; his handler is hanged as a spyevent▸
- Battle of Charlottebattle▸
- Kings Mountain: backcountry riflemen surround a loyalist force and destroy it in an hour. The south turnsevent▸
- Battle of Shallow Fordbattle▸
- Battle of Klock's Fieldbattle▸
- Battle of Tearcoat Swampbattle▸
- Battle of Fishdam Fordbattle▸
- Battle of Blackstock's Farmbattle▸
- Battle of Fort St. Georgebattle▸
- Battle of Hammond's Storebattle▸
- Siege of Fort Mottebattle▸
- Siege of Fort Watsonbattle▸
- Francisco's Fightbattle▸
- Cowpens: Morgan puts his militia in front, lets them fire twice and fall back, and catches Tarleton in the gapevent▸
- Capture of Sint Eustatiusbattle▸
- Battle of Cowan's Fordbattle▸
- Battle of Torrence's Tavernbattle▸
- Pyle's Massacrebattle▸
- Battle of Wetzell's Millbattle▸
- Guilford Court House: Cornwallis wins the field and loses a quarter of his army. He marches to Virginia to recoverevent▸
- Battle of Cape Henrybattle▸
- Battle of Porto Prayabattle▸
- Battle of Blandfordbattle▸
- Battle of Hobkirk's Hillbattle▸
- Battle of Fort Royalbattle▸
- Battle of Spencer's Ordinarybattle▸
- Battle of Green Springbattle▸
- Action of 21 July 1781battle▸
- Battle of the House in the Horseshoebattle▸
- Lochry's Defeatbattle▸
- The Chesapeake: de Grasse holds the bay against the Royal Navy for two hours, and Cornwallis stops having a way homeevent▸
- Battle of Groton Heightsbattle▸
- Capture of HMS Savagebattle▸
- Battle of Eutaw Springsbattle▸
- Battle of Lindley's Millbattle▸
- Battle of Fort Slongobattle▸
- Yorktown: eight thousand men march out between the French and American lines and ground their armsevent▸
- Battle of Johnstownbattle▸
- Siege of Fort Henrybattle▸
- Battle off Halifaxbattle▸
- Bryan Stationbattle▸
- Siege of Brimstone Hillbattle▸
- Gnadenhutten massacrebattle▸
- North resigns in London: the government that meant to keep America falls, and the next one is sent to give it upevent▸
- Battle of the Mona Passagebattle▸
- Naval battle off Halifaxbattle▸
- Battle of the Combahee Riverbattle▸
- Action of 6 December 1782battle▸
- Action of 22 January 1783battle▸
- Battle of Grand Turkbattle▸
- Colbert raidbattle▸
- Paris: Britain acknowledges the United States, from the Atlantic to the Mississippievent▸
- The last British troops leave New York, and Washington rides in the same dayevent▸
Background reading: the parent article.
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