“ I only regret that I have one life to lose for my country.”

1. “ I only regret that I have one life to lose for my country.” -Nathan Hale

2. After the Declaration • War is now unavoidable! • Both sides expect the war to be short • Patriots believed the British would give up after one or two major loses • British believe they would quickly crush the rebellion • They were both wrong • The war last 8 years!!! • The war is divided into three phases

3. Phase 1: The North • From Spring 1775- Spring 1776 • The British goal is to crush the rebellion in Boston before it spreads • Key Battles: • Lexington & Concord • Bunkerhill • The Siege of Boston

4. Phase 2: The Middle Colonies • From 1776-Early 1778 • British goal is to cut the rebellious North off from the rest of the colonies • Key Battles: • Long Island • Trenton • Seratoga

5. Phase 3: The South • From 1778- 1781 • British goal is to use the loyalists in the south to sway the colonists to their favor • Key Battles: • Savannah • Charleston • Yorktown

6. Patriot Weaknesses • No Regular Army or Navy • Soldiers lacked training, weapons, and ammunition • Not all Americans supported the war: • Quakers stayed Neutral • Other remained loyal to Britain • The largest number of loyalists were in the south

7. Patriot Advantages • Patriots know the land and how to get around best • Patriots were fighting for what they believed in not what they were getting paid for • The British Army paid a large number of mercenaries to fight in the Americas • These mercenaries were often called Hessians for the region of Germany they came from

8. The Siege of Boston • Following Bunkerhill Boston remained the center of British Operations • Boston is surrounded by hills and very difficult to defend • Due to the work of one of Washington’s Generals, Henry Knox, Washington acquires an entire division of cannon from an abandoned British Fort • These cannon make it impossible for the British to stay in Boston • This victory ends the 1st phase of the war and give the patriots too much confidence

9. The Battle of Long Island • During the Summer of 1776 Britain sends 32,000 Troops to New York • British General William Howe hope the size of his army would frighten the patriots into retreat • The patriots led by George Washington marched into battle with less than 20,000 soldiers • By the Fall the patriots were running short on supplies and forced to retreat • After this defeat Washington considers stepping down as Commander

10. Dealing with Defeat • After the failure at Long Island many soldiers in the Continental Army left and went home • Soldiers that stayed faced winter with little food or winter clothing • Washington knew if he didn’t get more troops this war was over • The only way to get more soldiers was to get a victory

11. Trenton • December 25th 1776, Britain expected an easy night of celebration and rest • George Washington saw this as an opportunity • He lead’s 2,400 men across the frozen Delaware River and ambushes the British the next day • This leads to arenewed belief in the patriot cause

12. Write a diary entry from the perspective of one of the people in the painting below, needs to be at least one paragraph. Give details about how you feel about the war before and after this important day in history. Date of the diary entry should be December 26th 1776. Due Tomorrow!