Date
|
Main Theater
|
Secondary Theater
|
Other
|
1775 |
March
|
|
|
Virginia assembly suspended; Patrick Henry "liberty or death" speech |
April 18
|
Revere and Dawes alert countryside |
|
|
April 19
|
Battles of Lexington and Concord |
|
|
May 10
|
|
Ethan Allen at Ticonderoga; Crown Point falls May 12 |
Second Continental Congress convenes in Philadelphia |
May 25
|
Henry Clinton, Charles Cornwallis and John Burgoyne arrive in Boston |
|
|
May 31
|
|
|
Mecklenburg Resolves (N.C.) |
June 15
|
|
|
Washington named commander-in-chief; assumes command July 3 |
June 17
|
Battle of Bunker Hill |
|
|
July 5
|
|
|
Olive Branch Petition |
July 6
|
|
|
Declaration of Causes of Taking up Arms |
August 23
|
|
|
George III declares colonies in rebellion |
October
|
|
|
Congress authorizes naval construction |
October 4
|
|
|
Court-martial of Benjamin Church |
November 13
|
|
Montgomery at Montreal |
|
November 16
|
|
|
Edmund Burke pleads American case in Parliament |
November 29
|
|
|
Committee of Secret Correspondence formed |
December 9
|
|
Battle of Great Bridge (Va.) |
|
December 22
|
|
|
Parliament passes American Prohibitory Act |
December 31
|
|
Arnold fails at Quebec |
|
|
Campaigns of 1776 |
|
January 15
|
|
|
Paine's Common Sense published |
February 27
|
|
Loyalist loss at Moore's Creek Bridge (N.C.) |
|
March 3
|
|
Continental Navy victory in Bahamas |
|
March 17
|
British evacuate Boston |
|
|
June 7
|
|
|
Richard Henry Lee introduces independence resolution in Congress |
June 28
|
|
Battle of Sullivan's Island (S.C.) |
|
June 29
|
William Howe to New York harbor; occupies Staten Island on July 2 |
|
|
July 2
|
|
|
Independence resolution approved by Congress |
July 4
|
|
|
Jefferson's version of Declaration approved |
July 12
|
Adm. Richard Howe to New York harbor |
|
|
August 2
|
|
|
Declaration of Independence signed |
August 27
|
British victory at Long Island |
|
|
August
29-30
|
Washington escapes disaster at Brooklyn Heights |
|
|
September 11
|
|
|
Staten Island Peace Conference |
September 15
|
British occupy New York City |
|
|
September 16
|
Rare American victory at Harlem Heights |
|
|
September 21
|
|
|
New York City fire;
Nathan Hale captured |
October 11
|
|
Arnold at Valcour Island |
|
October 28
|
British victory at White Plains |
|
|
November 16
|
British victory at Fort Washington |
|
|
November 20
|
Fort Lee abandoned |
|
|
December 20
|
|
|
Congress relocates in Baltimore |
December 24
|
Washington war council with generals |
|
|
December 26
|
Patriot surprise victory at Trenton |
|
|
1777 |
Campaigns of 1777 |
|
January 3
|
Patriot victory at Princeton |
|
|
January - May
|
Washington winters at Morristown |
|
|
March 4
|
|
|
Congress returns to Philadelphia |
July 5
|
|
British take Fort Ticonderoga |
|
August 6
|
|
Tactical draw at Oriskany |
|
August 16
|
|
Stark over Hessians at Bennington |
|
September 11
|
British victory at Banndywine |
|
|
September 16
|
Battle of the Clouds |
|
|
September 19
|
|
Gates victory at Freeman's Farm |
|
September 21
|
Paoli Massacre |
|
|
September 26
|
Howe occupies Philadelphia |
|
|
September 27
|
|
|
Congress convenes in Lancaster, Pa. |
October 4
|
American loss at Germantown |
|
|
October 7
|
|
Burgoyne loss at Bemis Heights |
|
October 17
|
|
Burgoyne surrender at Saratoga |
|
October 22
|
Americans hold Fort Mercer |
|
|
November 15
|
|
|
Congress adopts Articles of Confederation; sent to states for approval |
November 16
|
Fort Mifflin falls to British |
|
|
December 19
|
American winter camp at Valley Forge opens |
|
|
|
|
February 6
|
|
|
U.S.-French Alliance signed |
May 20
|
Battle of Barren Hill |
|
|
June 28
|
Battle of Monmouth |
|
|
July 4
|
|
Clark takes Kaskaskia |
|
August 8
|
|
Siege of Newport, R.I. |
|
December 29
|
|
British occupy Savannah |
|
|
|
February 14
|
|
Loyalists lose at Kettle Creek |
|
February 25
|
|
Clark takes Vincennes |
|
April 24
|
|
|
John Paul Jones captures the Drake |
June 21
|
|
|
Spain enters war against Britain |
July 2
|
|
|
Congress returns to Philadelphia |
July 3
|
|
Wyoming Valley attacks |
|
July 4
|
|
G.R. Clark takes Kaskaskia |
|
July
|
|
Connecticut cities raided by British |
|
July 16
|
|
Wayne takes Stony Point |
|
August 19
|
Lee strikes Paulus Hook |
|
|
September 23
|
|
|
John Paul Jones takes Serapis |
September 28
|
Tappan Massacre |
|
|
November 11
|
|
Cherry Hill Massacre |
|
|
|
February 23
|
|
Clark victory at Vincennes |
|
May 12
|
Charleston falls to British |
|
|
May 29
|
British victory at Waxhaw Creek |
|
|
June 20
|
Loyalists defeated at Ramseur's Mill |
|
|
July 11
|
|
|
Arrival of first French toops |
August 6
|
Loyalists defeated at Hanging Rock |
|
|
August 16
|
British victory at Camden under Tarleton |
|
|
September 23
|
|
Arrest of John Andre |
|
September 25
|
|
Arnold's West Point plot unearthed |
|
October 7
|
American victory at King's Mountain |
|
|
|
|
January
|
|
|
Pennsylvania troop mutiny |
January 17
|
Morgan victorious at Cowpens |
|
|
March 2
|
|
|
Articles of Confederation adopted by 13th state |
March 15
|
Costly British victory at Guilford Courthouse |
|
|
June 6
|
Americans take Augusta |
|
|
July 6
|
Wayne defeated at Green Springs Farm |
|
|
September 5
|
Battle of the Capes |
|
|
September 6
|
|
Arnold raid on New London, Conn. |
|
September 8
|
Greene defeated at Eutaw Springs |
|
|
October 19
|
Cornwallis surrender at Yorktown |
|
|
|
|
March 20
|
|
|
Lord North resigns |
July 11
|
British evacuate Savannah |
|
|
November 30
|
|
|
Preliminary peace signed between Britain and U.S. |
December 14
|
British evacuate Charleston |
|
|
|
|
April 19
|
|
|
Congress ratifies treaty |
September 3
|
|
|
Treaty of Paris signed |
November 16
|
|
|
Congress convenes at Annapolis, Md. |
November 25
|
|
British evacuate New York City |
|
December 4
|
|
|
Washington's farewell dinner with officers |
December 23
|
|
|
Washington resigns commission at Annapolis |
