George Washington and His Victorious Patchwork Army

-Initially, the war seemed to be a clear mismatch btw Washington's continental army which appeared much weaker than the British Army.

-Yet Washington's effectiveness as a military commander proved to overcome many of the extreme obstacles that the Patriots faced.

-His knowledge of the British troops led him to lead his forces with an effective but non-traditional tactic of fighting that would eventually wear down the British army.

-The goal was not a decisive victory, but avoiding a decisive loss.

-Despite forcing the British to evacuate from Boston, Washington suffered a devastating defeat in New York and had eventually retreated to Philadelphia, but not without gaining an impressive victory at Trenton, New Jersey.

-The Battle of Saratoga in New York proved to be a turning point in the war in that it brought the assistance of both France and Spain to the patriot cause.

-Despite suffering from hunger and the cold at the Valley Forge, Washington's troops received valuable training and eventually more supplies.

-By 1778, the English decided to attack the south to split it from the rest of the colonies.

-No doubt assistance from France and Spain proved to be vital but these countries needed some convincing that the colonists were serious and capable of gaining independence.

-Ultimately, both of these countries declared war on England and turned this event into a world war.

-During the course of this war, whereas the Iroquois sided with the British and clashed with Washington's forces, thousands of Loyalists fought for the British and faced the wrath of their patriot counterparts.

-In providing assistance to Washington's troops, the ladies' associations sewed thousands of shirts for soldiers and other women helped to harvest farms of patriots who were off fighting.

-Towards the latter part of the war, the British made significant gains in the South until the patriots won an impressive battle at Cowpens, South Carolina.

-Thereafter, in 1781, Lord Cornwallis lost the decisive battle of Yorktown in Virginia which led any in England to believe the war would end in favor of the patriots.

-2 years later, under the treaty of Paris, England recognized the independence of the U.S.

	Created by Alayna Potter over 6 years ago

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