American Revolution Battles Webquest

-Battle of Lexington and Concord-- go to the following website and answer questions #1-5: 19, 1775***

1)Why did the British set out to Lexington on April 19, 1775? (2 reasons)

  • To capture Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock
  • To destroy ammunition stores @ Concord

2)Why was the Battle of Lexington a significant battle?

  • First ‘battle’ of the American Revolution

3)Who led the American militiamen in the town?

  • Captain John Parker

4)How did the Battle of Lexington start? What did Ralph Waldo Emerson call this first shot in his Concord Hymn?

  • A gunshot went off, and in the ensuring confusion, the British attacked.
  • The ‘shot heard ‘round the world’

5)What was beneficial about the Americans’ initial retreat?

  • It allowed time for more local militiamen to join to make the forces stronger

6)In the end, how many casualties were lost/wounded from each side? How did this boost American confidence?

  • American 49 men dead; 41 wounded
  • British 73 men dead; 174 wounded
  • Gave Americans courage to unite and fight

-Battle of Bunker Hill—go to the following link to answer questions #7-12: 17th, 1775***

7)How is a militia different from a real army?

  • Very little training
  • Each member supplied their own equipment

8)Why did Colonel Prescott and his men choose to fortify Breed’s Hill instead of Bunker Hill?

  • It was lower, and within firing range by canon of Boston

9)Identify Colonel Precott’s famous quote.

  • “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”  to make the most effective use of their low amount of ammunition and inaccurate guns.

10)The British attached Breed’s Hill 3 times.

11)Why did most of the minutemen retreat on the third attempt?

  • They were out of ammunition
  • Did not have bayonets like the British

12)Which side won the Battle of Bunker Hill? The British, technically, but they lost a large # of men

-Battle of Trenton—go to the following link to answer questions #13-17:

13)When did the Battle of Trenton occur? December 26th, 1776

14)Describe what the weather was like as Washington and his men crossed the Delaware.

  • Violent snowstorm
  • Delaware River full of ice
  • Storm then turned to freezing sleet and rain

15)What group was marched through Philadelphia after the capture of Trenton? German Hessians

16)What was the significance of the Battle of Trenton?

  • Defeat of the Hessian army
  • Americans invigorated

17)Complete the chart below for the Battle of Trenton:

American Colonies / British Forces
Names of Leaders and Commanders / George Washington
Nathanael Greene
John Stark / Johann Hall
Strength of Forces / 2400 / 1520
# of Men Killed / 2 / 22
# of Men Wounded / 5 / 86
# of Men Captured / 0 / 906

-Battle of Saratoga—go to the following link to answer questions #18-21:

  • September 19, 1777 to October 7, 1777

18)The plan for the British forces was to have General John Burgoyneunite with General William Howeafter capturing Quebec and New York Cityrespectively. The two planned to rendezvous at Albany in New York.

19)The first battle was known as the Battle of Freeman’s Mill. It occurred on September 19th, 1776.

20)What was uncharacteristic about the Battle of Bemis Heights? How many British troops were surrendered, and what happened to Burgoyne?

  • The American forces took the fight to the British forces
  • 6222 men returned to England and was never given another command

21)What was the significance of the Battle of Saratoga?

  • ‘Turning point’ of the American Revolution convinced the French to join on the side of the Patriots

-Valley Forge—go to the following link to answer questions #20-22: *** December 1777 to June 1778***

22)Why were Washington and his men forced to make camp at Valley Forge?

  • The British troops had taken Philadelphia
  • Who was General Lafayette, and how did he help the American forces?
  • Wealthy French nobleman convinced the French to send aid to the Americans

23)Describe the conditions faced by Washington’s men at camp.

  • Lack of shoes and warm clothing
  • Scarce amount of food
  • Diseases spread across the camp smallpox and typhoid

24)What impact did Baron von Steuben have on Washington’s troops?

  • He drilled the men so much during the winter that when spring came, they were a stronger and more-disciplined fighting force

-Battle of Yorktown—go to the following link to answer questions #23-25:

***September 28, 1781 to October 19th, 1781***

25)Which French general encouraged Washington to wait on the liberation of New York City? Why?

  • General Comte de Rochambeau
  • Support from French general w/Caribbean fleet at Chesapeake Bay

26)How did the French forces trick the British general Henry Clinton into not sending troops to help Cornwallis?

  • They met outside of New York City to begin their march south, so Clinton believed they were going to attempt to liberate New York.

27)American land forces led by General Washingtonand Comte de Rochambeauconverged (met) with the naval forces of Comte de Grasse, cutting General Cornwallis off from any British aid.

28)What was the significance of the Battle of Yorktown? When did the formal surrender occur?

  • Final major battle of the American Revolution
  • October 19th, 1781

Treaty of Paris (1783)—go to the following link to answer questions #29-30:

29)Who were the three Americans that negotiated the Treaty of Paris (1783)?

  • John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay

30)Summarize the following articles in your own words:

  1. Article 1
  2. Article 5
  3. Article 7
  4. Article 8

-Looking at the map, explain how American land holdings changed with the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783):