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7.6 The Tide Begins to Turn

7.6 The Tide Begins to Turn. New American Strategy. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, both sides planned to defeat their enemy in one big battle.

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7.6 The Tide Begins to Turn

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  1. 7.6 The Tide Begins to Turn

  2. New American Strategy At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, both sides planned to defeat their enemy in one big battle. After barely escaping in New York, Washington revised his strategy, or overall plan to win the war. In the future, he would avoid large battles. Instead, he would be defensive. Rather than defeating the them, Washington hoped to tire the British out.

  3. New British Strategy From Britain, Germain revised his strategy. His plan was to divide the rebels by controlling New York’s Hudson River Valley. This would allow the British to cut New England off from the rest of the states. Without men and supplies from New England, the Continental army would surely collapse.

  4. Burgoyne Britain’s General John Burgoyne left Canada in June 1777 with about 8,000 troops. He planned to move south to Albany, NY where he would meet General Howe, who was supposed to march his army north from NYC. What looked like an easy trip on a map was actually quite difficult. The route Burgoyne chose took his army through more than 20 miles of tangled wilderness. His army had to build bridges, chop down trees, and lay miles of log roads through swamps as they crept their way toward Albany.

  5. To make matters worse, Burgoyne didn’t travel light. His army was slowed by more than 600 wagons, 30 of them filled with his personal baggage. Another problem was that General Howe had his own ideas of how to win the war. Instead of meeting Burgoyne in Albany, Howe headed for Philadelphia, the rebel’s capital, where he hoped to lure Washington into another major battle. But Washington was too smart for that. Instead, he played hide-and-seek with Howe, attacking here and there and then disappearing into the countryside. http://www.ushistory.org/brandywine/thestory.htm http://www.ushistory.org/march/phila/germantown.htm

  6. A Turning Point Along the way, General Burgoyne's forces attacked General Gates' American forces at the Battle of Oriskany, but he was driven back. He attacked again at the Battle of Bennington, and was again driven back. By the time Burgoyne reached Saratoga Springs on the Hudson River, the Americans were already there.

  7. Surrender Burgoyne ordered attack, but was beaten back repeatedly by the Americans. On October 17, 1777, Burgoyne accepted defeat and surrendered. Before this, most of the world thought the American cause was hopeless, but this showed the Americans could stand up to the British.

  8. Enter France! Not long after the surrender of Burgoyne,France came into the war as an ally of America. The French government sent money, weapons, troops, and warships to the United States. Ally - a person or group who joins someone in a common purpose, such as fighting a war. Spain also entered the war against Britain. The American cause no longer looked quite so hopeless.

  9. Winter at Valley Forge While Howe’s army still occupied Philadelphia, Washington decided to make camp in Valley Forge, PA for the winter. Washington’s men continued to be low on supplies; food, uniforms, blankets. Washington’s troops were cold and hungry.

  10. Boost Morale To lift their morale, Washington decided to give his men some serious training. He put Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a military officer from Prussia (modern-day Germany) in charge. As the army turned into an organized fighting force, one officer wrote, “There is a spirit of discipline among the troops that is better than numbers.” Another foreign volunteer was Marquis de Lafayette. Although he was one of the richest men in France, at the age of only 19, he chose to share the hardship of Valley Forge. He even bought the soldiers clothing.

  11. The Battle of Monmouth Howe was replaced by Sir Henry Clinton as commander of the British. He ordered his army to retreat to New York City where the navy could keep it supplied. Now with a stronger army, Washington decided to chase the British. On June 28, 1778, Washington caught up with them near Monmouth, New Jersey. In battle there, Washington seemed to be everywhere, rallying his men to stand and fight.

  12. Late that night, the British troops slipped across the Hudson River to safety in New York City. Washington camped nearby with his army.

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