Battles of Saratoga

It started on september 19, 1777. The battle were fought 18 days apart on the same ground, 9 miles south of Saratoga, New York. This battles were the turning points of the Revolutionary War. This battles consisted of two military engagements, which is why The Battle Of Saratoga is divided two parts, which were the Battle Freeman's Farm and the Battle of Bemis Heights. The victory gave new life to the American cause at a critical time, it ended in October 1777 with the American victory. The succes gave France the confidence in the American cause to become their ally. Later American successes owed a great deal to French aid in financial and military assistance.

Starting on September 19, the british general  Burgoyne moved some of his troops in an attempt to flank the American position on Bemis Heights, Benedict Arnold anticipated the strategy, and placed significant forces in the way of Burgoyne. Burgoyne's forces succeeded in gaining control of Freemen's Farm, defeating the Continental Army under Horatio Gates. Disputes continued during the days following the battle, while Burgoyne waited for reinforcements that would arrive from New York City. On the other side, militia forces continued to arrive increasing the size of the American army.

Further on, American troops attacked British troops in the area of Fort Ticonderoga, and bombarded the forts. Another Biritish General called Sir Henry Clinton, began making plans to divert the attention of the Americans from Burgoyne. On October 6, he captured American forts in the Hudson River highlands. Sadly for him, it was already too late to help Burgoyne. On October 7, Burgoyne attacked Bemis Heights. The Continental Army had gained strength and had about 12,000 soldiers while the British had about 4,000 soldiers under Burgoyne's command. The Continental Army and the lobster backs engaged in heavy fighting. After the redoubt held by Colonel Breyman and his regiment was taken, Burgoyne decided to withdraw and takes his army to the camp they had built at Saratoga. Burgoyne began to hope that forces of Clinton of the South, would come to aid him. This clearly demonstrates how communication was a major difficulty between the British forces. Almst all British messengers were caught and hanged by The Americans.



Red=British, Blue=Patriots
 

Burgoyne waited for  news of Clinton’s advance until 17th October 1777, when he was forced to sign the convention by which his troops surrendered to Gates, who had by then between 18,000 and 20,000 men. This was the ending of the war. The British learned that the Americans would give everything to fight, and as mentioned above this motivated the French to ally with the Patriots. Keep in mind that before the battle the French had helped the Patriots with secret ammunitions, but after the Battles of Saratoga the French and Patriots signed the alliance.

Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley

If heard as Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley or the name might sound rare, probably "Molly Pitcher" sounds more familiar.

"Molly Pitcher" was a name given to the woman known for delivering water to the troops of the Patriots during the Battle of Monmouth. They did this during a time the Continental Army and the colonists were facing tough times. The Continental Army needed the most support they could get from the civilians, including the wives or partners of members of the troops. That is why at the time many women freed their sons and husbands for military service by running farms and shops. They also made blankets, socks, and clothes for soldiers. Mary Hays was one of these women, key to aid and help keep going the Continental Army.

Mary Hays was born in 1754, in New Jersey. Her father was a dairy farmer at that same colony. When she turned just 13, she became a servant and that same year she married a barber of the name William Hays. When the Revolutionary War began, William enlisted and became a gunner for the Pennsylvania Artillery. On 1777-1778 she eventually joined her husband as a camp follower on the Philadelphia Campaign in New Jersey, eventually wintering with the Army at Valley Forge. It was later on, during the battle of Monmouth in which she became known with the name "Molly Pitcher" as we described before, because she brought water to the troops. During this war, she operated canons in place of her husband when he, for some reason couldnt. An enemy cannon almost kills her but it passed directly through her legs. There was only one witness in this event.

When the war ended, William and Mary returned to Pennsylvania. Mary worked as a "charwoman" for the State House at Carlisle. When William died, Mary married another Revolutionary War vet named John McCauley. She was awarded a pension in 1822 by Pennsylvania State Legislature. On 1876 on the anniversary of the war, a marker was placed on her grave noting her exemplary service. She died on January 22, 1832.

Please scroll farther down to read about Margaret Corbin.
Just for fun here is a video about Molly Pitcher´s life:

Margaret Corbin
 

There was another women who is acknowledged by the name "Molly Pitcher". Her name was Margaret Corbin. She was born in 1751. She was married with a member of the colonists troops. When her husband got killed on Fort Washington on Manhattan Island, New York on 1776; during the war, she took up a cannon. She gave all she had to contribute to win the war. She got seriously wounded when her arm was almost severed and her breast was lacerated by grapeshot. She lived until about 1800 after receiving charity payments from the Invalid Regiment and later became the first woman to receive a small pension from Congress for military service. She was known throughtout her community as a bad-tempered, hard-drinking eccentric by the nickname of "Captain Molly!"

Events that lead to Independence

It took more than a decade to make colonists determined to seek independence. Here in timeline form, is the presentation of the events that lead them to do so:

1765-Stamp Act. This was the first Parliament attempt to tax the British colonists. This was when the whole Taxation Without Representation things started. Parliament just wouldnt understand or listen. If they had done it the American Revolution wouldve never take place.

1767-Townshend Acts. This were passed by Charles Townshend. It imposed taxes on everyday materials such as lead, paint, paper, and tea. The colonists protested and this taxes were repealed-except for the one in tea. That same year the "Declaratory Acts" were passed by Parliament which declared that Parliament had the right to tax colonists. As you see, this only caused more anger in the colonists.

1770- Boston Massacre. This happened between an angry mob of colonists and British sentinels. It started when the angry mob were picking on a British sentinel. The situation got so tense that more sentinels had to go for support. A shot followed another and 5 colonists were killed. This aggriavated tensions between the colonists and the British soldiers.

1773- Boston Tea Party. This wasnt a common tea party, in fact it wasnt even a tea party. A group of Patriots dressed as Mohawk indians dumped aproximmately 300 chests of imported British tea into the Boston Harbor. This was a symbolic action of the Patriots to claim for their rights. This was a spark of the American Revolution.

1774- Coercive Acts. This were passed after the Boston Tea Party. They were specially for Massachusetts. There were 5 Coercive Acts. You can read about them by clicking in one of our entries in the right of these page. The Coercive Acts lead to the First Continental Congress which united the 12 colonies that attended it (Georgia didnt attend).

1775- Lexington Battle. General Thomas Gage was the governor of Massachusetts. He sent troops to Lexington to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock. They had a stockpile of weapons hidden in there. When they got there, specifically Lexington Green the militia were waiting for them and told them to disperse. 8 militia were killed. When the troops got back from Lexington, some militia attacked them from hiding places and 200 lobster backs were either killed or wounded.  

Lexington Battle

1775- Common Sense by Thomas Paine. This was a 51 page pamphlet that exposed radical ideas about independence and separation from Great Britain. This greatly impacted the Patriots because some of the feelings they had were expressed in these pamphlet. It also influenced the colonists in general because of the radical ideas it proposed inclding the formation of a Republican government.

Spring 1776- Jefferson wrote the draft of the Declaration of Independence.

July 4, 1776- Delegates, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Samuel Adams, get together to write and sign the Declaration of Independence.

"Common Sense" by Thomas Paine

 
"Common Sense" was a 50 page pamphlet writtern by Thomas Paine in 1776. Ok, you might be wondering why we mention this book: What special role does it have on the American Revolution? It was the first written material which challenged British government authority and the royal monarchy. It had a great impact on the colonies, because every one could read and understand it; even the commoners. This was because it was written in such a plain and direct language and relying on Biblical verses and philosophical ponderings. This book was the first one who openly asked for independence from Engand.

"We have power to begin the world all over again." -Thomas Paine

Click me! For a summary of "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine was born in England, but because of the advise of Benjamin Franklin he moved to America in 1774. He worked in a Philadelphia magazine the first year, but it was in 1776, a few months after the confrontation between militias and lobster backs in Lexington Green and in Concord, which are considered the first events of the American Revolutionary War; when Thomas Paine published "Common Sense". In his work he argued that instead of protesting against taxes colonists should claim total independence from Great Britain. This pamphlet gathered all his ideas about human liberty, he opposed slavery of any kind.

"These are the times to try men´s souls." -Thomas Paine

"Common Sense" made the still undecisive colonists ponder that they had an important issue to discuss in a public way. It even got to start debate between the colonists, but the article not only exposed problems but also offered solutions. For example, for the colonists who were disgusted  because of the tyranny they were governed by he proposed a Republican government. I imagine the courage he had to defy Parliament and the monarch is such a direct way, because of the tensions that had happened between the people living in the colonists and the two power previously mentioned. Going back to this 50 page pamphlet, shorter than most books available in the worldwide market today, made way and greatly influenced the writting of the Declaration of Independence, which was signed by the delegates of the Contintental Congress and other colonial delegates and committee members in July 4, 1776.

Second Continental Congress

On May 10, 1775, delegates from the 13 British colonies met at the State House in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress. On the first Congress of the colonies, the Stamp Act Congress 9 colonies had attended. On the First Continental Congress 12 colonies attended, and now all the colonies were present. Several new delegates, important characters in the American history, were present. This included John Hancock from Massachucetts, Bejamin Franklin from Pennsylvania, and Thomas Jefferson from Virginia. When the Second Continental Congress the confrontation in Lexington Green between militia and lobster backs had happened, in which 8 lobster backs had been killed. The other confrontation in Concord when the lobster backs were going back to Boston, also with the militia, had also recently occured, in which 200 lobster backs had been killed and wounded.
Video: Reenactment of Lexington Green battle:

The first thing that was done on the Second Continental Congress was to take responsability for war. They created what is known as the Continental Army in case they needed to meet the military threat of the British government. They named George Washington as the supreme commander of the Contintental Army, and he even chose to serve without pay. Another thing they did in July, was to approve the Olive Branch Petition which was direction to the king of that time, King George III. With this petition they attempted a peaceful resolution  and declared their loyalty to the Crown. The King, though refused to receive this petition and declared that the colonies were in a state of rebellion in the month of August. The colonists felt disappointed, they had previously believed that only Parliament was against them and now they knew it was also the King.

George Washington hired Hessian mercenaries to keep the colonists, which were opinions against Parliament were in majority stronger than ever. The colonists were beginning to feel part of another nation, or country not anymore members of Britain. Patrick Henry was one of the first colonists who had called the 13 colonies as America , back in the First Continental Congress. With time, cries of independence were beginning to be heard. The members of the Congress were even getting accused of treason against Parliament. They could just hope that all would end well and kept on governing.

First Continental Congress

The First Continental Congress formed shortly after the imposing by Parliament of the Coercive Acts, from September 5, 1774 to October 26, 1774. Philadelphia was the host of this Congress, specifically in Carpenter's Hall. Delegates from 12 colonies were sent, leaving only Georgia out. This delegates were elected by the people on the colonies: through the colonial legislature or the Committees of Correspondence of the colonies. Their goal was to unite to show some authority to England, but the delegates had been sent with different ideas outbursting their in their minds. For example, delegates from Pennsylvania

and Carpenter´s Hall nowadays New York wanted to seek a resolution with England, while others wanted coonial parity or even separation from England. Even with all this mixture of ideas they all had a common goal: they had to make the King and Parliament understand their grievances.

Some of the most known delegates were:

Massachusetts Bay: John Adams, Samuel Adams.
Virginia: Patrick Henry

The first weeks of the First Continental Congress were spent in debating and proposing. The colonists had for long been independent entities from England and they would not let them have too much control over them at the moment. One of the ideas they had on the First Continental Congress was A Plan of Union to Great Britain. This was proposed by Joseph Galloway from Pennsylvania. This plan consisted in that the colonists would elect a Grand Council for all the colonies, who would be an equivalent of the British Parliament and thus a continental represenant of the King. This plan was idea, for the colonist because their greatest desire was to have representation in Parliament. This seemed a good plan, but later on it was discarded after the passing of the Suffolk County resolves ; which were radical resolves for resistance against the Coercive Acts and British authority, even a suggested Massachucetts to appoint military officers.

Unity of Colonies would result in U.S.A.!

Resolutions, such as one that stated that colonists should begin training their citizens for war were approved. The delegates also attempted to define America's rights, such as liberty, and to place limits on Parliament's power such as the previous described Plan of Union showed. They took care to discuss the tactics they would use to resist the harsh acts the British Parliament was imposing. For this purpose they made a pact that agreed on non-importation of British goods in an attempt to resist Great Britain. This pact would come into effect the 1 of December of 1774 if Parliament didn't take away the Coercive or Intolerable Acts. After the First Continental Congress, tensions between the colonists and England increased, but unity between the colonists increased.

Coercive Acts

 

The Coercive Acts, also known as the "Intolerable Acts" as nicknamed by the colonists, were passed by British Parliament as a response to the Boston Tea Party. British Parliament was clearly surprised by this bold act of rebellion from the colonists, and they had to do something to control them and restore order in Boston.

There were 5 Coercive Acts, which were:

1) Boston Port Act: The Boston Port Act was imposed on March 31, 1774. It demanded that Boston Port would remain closed until the colonists payed for the damage caused after the Boston Tea Party. Of course the colonists were against this act, first of all they didnt want to pay the taxes and they were expected to repair the damages caused by a rebellion against taxes.

Administration of Justice Act: was it
really just?

2) Administration of Justice Act: This act was imposed on May 20, 1774, and was only applied in the colony of Massachucetts. It imposed that the British officals were from that moment on immune to criminal prosecution. It authorized the governor of Massachucetts to move trials of royal officials that were accused of crimes to England or another of the colonies if he believed that the accused person would not received a fair trial.This act is often known as the Murder Act because the colonists feared that royal officials would take advantage of this to escape punishment from committing capital offenses.

3) Massachucetts Government Act: It came into effect on May 20, 1774. This law repealed the colony's charter and gave English crown major control. Previously, the colony had elected members of it executive council, but thi Act took away that right and gave the king the absoulte power of appointing the members of this council. Town meeting were prohibited without the approval of the governor, except for one annual meeting. As you see, this taking away of the colonist's democratic power was a giant reason to fuel the colonist's anger.



Colonist has to quarter British soldiers
in her house

4)Quartering Act of 1774: This was the second Quartering Act that was imposed on colonies, but this time it had a different meaning. This law called colonists to provide members of the British troops with supplies and housing, in other words to quarter them, as a last resort on their private homes. In the first Quartering Act, the Quartering Act of 1765, the colonists had to quarter the soldiers who were protecting their land, but now they had to quarter people who were guarding that the law's set by Parliament was being accomplished.

5)Quebec Act: This was imposed on the date of June 22, 1774. This act involved Canada, but it joined the colonial Coercive Acts. This act extended the freedom of worship to the Catholics of Canada, and it also granted Canadians with the continuation of their judicial system. It is considered a Coercive Act because the colonists were mainly Protestants and they didnt like the idea of Catholics worshiping freely on their land.

FACT: Tarring and Feathering. Loyalists could be punished by Patriots by Tarring and Feathering a torture method in which they threw hot tar at the victim, subsequent to the throwing of feathers, and forcing hot tea down the throat.