Struggles in the Middle States

Here Come the Brits!!

• As the American Revolution went on, more and more British soldiers were arriving in the colonies. Remember we said that the beginning of the war was fought in the New England colonies, specifically Boston.

• The next phase of the war would take place in the middle colonies, which were now the middle STATES!

Hard Times

• The first confrontation in the middle states happens in New York. General Washington and his men were greatly outmanned and outgunned. The British were able to capture New York.

• By December of 1776, Washington’s army looked bad. They were thin, dirty, dressed in rags. Their spirits were down. Soldiers deserted the colonial army everyday. Washington needed to find a way to boost the men’s spirits.

Battle of Trenton

• Washington found his opportunity at Trenton, New Jersey on Christmas night. As the British troops slept peacefully Christmas night, Washington and his men quietly crossed the Delaware River, and gathered right outside of the British camp. At 8 am on December 26, the Colonial army stormed in and captured the entire camp. This is known as the Battle of Trenton.

George Washington: Brilliant Military Strategist

• When the British learned of their defeat, they sent a general named Cornwallis to recapture Trenton. Cornwallis sneaked up in the middle of the night and saw the Campfires burning in Trenton. They thought they were going to sneak up on Washington in the morning. What they didn’t know was that Washington had left the fires burning purposefully, and was sneaking up behind them. In the morning, the British were caught off guard when Washington showed up behind them. The British were again defeated. This was the moral booster that they needed.

Battle of Saratoga

• The British were angry that defeating the rebels was taking so long. They needed a new strategy. They received this new plan from a general named Burgoyne. He said that the British needed to cut off the supply lines from the northern New Englander colonists to Washington’s army.

• Burgoyne’s plan failed, and the colonists won several important victories in the middle states. This biggest and most important victory in the middle states was the Battle of Saratoga. This battle convinced France that they should fight on the American side instead of the British side.

Lafayette

• The Marquis de Lafayette – French soldier who helped train Americans and became one of Washington’s closest advisors.

Not Everything is Peaches and Ponies

• Even though things were looking up for Americans, the soldiers were still going through some hard times. For example, the winter of 1777-1778 was particularly hard. Many people froze to death at the colonial encampment of Valley Forge. The men made it through the winter, and were stronger than before. Now it was time for England to see what Americans were made of.