Portal:American Revolutionary War

American Civil War · American Revolutionary War · Battleships · Biological warfare · British Army · Canadian Forces · Cold War · Crusades · Italian Wars · Military history of Africa · Military history of France · Military history of the Ottoman Empire · Military of ancient Rome · Military of Australia · Military of Germany · Military of Greece · Military of Pakistan · Military of the United States · Napoleonic Wars · NATO · Royal Air Force · Royal Navy · Submarine · Tank · Terrorism · United States Air Force · United States Army · United States Coast Guard · United States Marine Corps · United States Navy · War · War of 1812 · Weapons of mass destruction · World War I · World War II edit   The American Revolutionary War Portal The American Revolutionary War began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies on the North American continent, and ended in a global war between several European great powers. The war was the culmination of the political American Revolution and intellectual American Enlightenment, whereby the colonists rejected the right of the Parliament of Great Britain to govern them without representation. In 1775, revolutionaries gained control of each of the thirteen colonial governments, set up an alliance called the Second Continental Congress, and formed a Continental Army. Petitions to the king to intervene with the parliament on their behalf resulted in Congress being declared traitors and the states in rebellion the following year. The Americans responded by formally declaring their independence as a new nation, the United States of America, claiming soverignty and rejecting any allegiance to the British monarchy. In 1777 the Continentals captured a British army, leading to France entering the war on the side of the Americans in early 1778, and evening the military strength with Britain. Spain and the Dutch Republic – French allies – also went to war with Britain over the next two years. Throughout the war, the British were able to use their naval superiority to capture and occupy coastal cities, but control of the countryside (where 90% of the population lived) largely eluded them due to their relatively small land army. French involvement proved decisive, with a French naval victory in the Chesapeake leading to the surrender of a second British army at Yorktown in 1781. In 1783, the Treaty of Paris ended the war and recognized the sovereignty of the United States over the territory bounded by what is now Canada to the north, Florida to the south, and the Mississippi River to the west. More about American Revolutionary War... edit   Selected event The Crawford expedition, also known as the Sandusky expedition and Crawford's Defeat, was a 1782 campaign on the western front of the American Revolutionary War, and one of the final operations of the conflict. Intending to surprise the Indians and destroy enemy American Indian towns along the Sandusky River in the Ohio Country, William Crawford led about 500 volunteer militiamen deep into American Indian territory, but Indians and their British allies from Detroit had already learned of the expedition, and gathered a force to oppose the Americans. After a day of indecisive fighting near the Sandusky towns, the Americans found themselves surrounded and attempted to retreat. The retreat turned into a rout, but most of the Americans managed to find their way back to Pennsylvania. About 70 Americans were killed; Indian and British losses were minimal. During the retreat, Colonel Crawford and an unknown number of his men were captured. The Indians executed many of these captives in retaliation for the Gnadenhutten massacre that occurred earlier in the year, in which about 100 Indian civilians were murdered by Pennsylvanian militiamen. Crawford's execution was particularly brutal: he was tortured for at least two hours before being burned at the stake. His execution was widely publicized in the United States, worsening the already-strained relationship between Native and European Americans. edit   Featured content Featured articles Battle of The Cedars Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec Daniel Boone Crawford expedition HMS Endeavour Fort Ticonderoga Lochry's Defeat Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment Battle of Quebec (1775) Isaac Shelby Capture of Fort Ticonderoga Stephen Trigg Battle of Valcour Island Featured lists Order of battle of the Battle of Long Island Order of battle of the Battle of Trenton A-Class articles Battle of Fort Washington Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette Powder Alarm Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777) William Stacy edit   Categories ▼ American Revolutionary War ► American Revolution ships of the United States ► American Revolutionary War casualties ► American Revolutionary War orders of battle ► American Revolutionary War sites ► Diplomacy during the American Revolutionary War ► American Revolutionary War films ► Lists of the American Revolution ► Military personnel of the American Revolutionary War ► Military units and formations of the American Revolutionary War ► American Revolutionary War museums ► Military operations of the American Revolutionary War ► Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route ► United States Revolutionary War navigational boxes edit   Things you can do From the American Revolutionary War task force of the Military history WikiProject: Attention needed  ...to referencing and citation • ...to coverage and accuracy • ...to structure • ...to grammar • ...to supporting materials Popular pages  Full list Cleanup needed  Add an article here! Requested articles  East Indies campaign • Central American campaigns • Quebec in the American Revolution • Maritime provinces in the American Revolution Expansion needed  many existing "<State> in/during the American Revolution" articles Images needed  Add an article here! Merging needed  Add an article here! Citations needed  Battle of Monmouth • Battles in {{Campaignbox American Revolutionary War: Gulf Coast}} Translation needed  Add an article here! edit   Selected picture After the Battles of Saratoga, John Burgoyne surrendered to Horatio Gates on October 17, 1777 edit   Selected biography William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC (10 August 1729 – 12 July 1814) was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence. Following a distinguished military career in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War (where he served with distinction in North America), Howe was again sent to North America in March 1775, arriving in May after the Revolutionary War broke out. After leading British troops to a costly victory in the Battle of Bunker Hill, Howe took command of all British forces in America from Thomas Gage in September of that year. Howe's record in North America was marked by the successful capture of both New York City and Philadelphia. However, poor British campaign planning for 1777 contributed to the failure of John Burgoyne's Saratoga campaign, which played a major role in the entry of France into the war. Howe's role in developing those plans, and the degree to which he was responsible for British failures that year (despite his personal success at Philadelphia), has been a subject of contemporary and historic debate. He resigned his post as Commander in Chief, North America, in 1778, and returned to England, where he continued to be active in the defence of the British Isles. He served for many years in Parliament, and was knighted after his successes in 1776. He inherited the Viscountcy of Howe upon the death of his brother Richard in 1799. He married, but had no children, and the viscountcy was extinguished with his death in 1814. edit   Selected ships and units HMS Concorde was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She had previously served in the French Navy under the name Concorde. Built in France in 1777, she entered service with the French early in the American War of Independence, and was soon in action, capturing HMS Minerva in the West Indies. In 1781 she carried vital dispatches between France, North America and the Caribbean that made the Yorktown campaign a success. She remained in French service almost until the end of the war, but was captured by HMS Magnificent in 1783. Not immediately brought into service due to the draw-down in the navy after the end of the war, she underwent repairs and returned to active service under the White Ensign with the outbreak of war with France in 1793. She saw service throughout the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars before being broken up in 1811. edit   Major topics edit   Related content What are portals? List of portals Featured portals Wikipedia portals: Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Natural sciences People Philosophy Religion Society Technology