Red coat troops fire on the Lexington militia, killing eight.  Later that day, milita fron Concord and surrounding communities fire on British regulars, killing three and wounding others.  By the time the soldiers made it back to Boston, 73 British solders lay dead and 174 wounded;  49 militiamen lay dead and 39 were wounded.

Having build defensive works atop Breed's Hill, the Massachusetts militia controls the high ground overlooking tbhe warships in Boston Harbor.  More than 2,500 British soldiers attack the position.  Two attempts are repelled but the third succeeds in overtaking the hill.  The British suffer casualties of 280 dead and 800 wounded.  Patriot cssualties are less than half as many.  This battle showed that the American militiaman could stand his ground against a well-organized British attack.

In a final attempt to defend Philadelphia, the capital of the new American Republic, General Washington with 14,600 soldiers engages General Howe's force of 15,500.  Howe's victory ensures that British will take possession of Philadelphia.

Washington crosses the Delawre river with 2,200 soldiers for a surprise attack on the Hessian mercenaries at Trenton, New Jersey.  In the 45 minute battle, Hessions suffer causalties of 102 men with more than 800 captured.  The Continental Army suffers only five wounded.

General George Washington had ordered his secondin command, Charles Lee, to take a small force of the Continental Army ahead of him and engage the redcoats until Washington could assemble the rest of the army from Valley Forge. After several hours of engaging with the British, Charles Lee ordered the forces to retreat from the battlefield. Washington met up with Lee on the road near Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey.  Washington countermanded Lee's orders and march the troops to attack the retreating British army with good effect.

In South Carolina, this battle was fought between a Patriot militia against the Loyalist army under Major Patrick Ferfuson. Unwilling to surrenter, the Loyalist army made a suicidal charge down the mountain.  Shredded by pagtriot bullets, the Loyalists suffered 157 killed, 163 wounded, and 698 captured while the Patriots suffered just 28 killed and 60 wounded.

The Battle of Long Island was the first major battle of the American Revolution.  American soldiers, under the command if George Washington, attached British positions on Long Island.  The result was a major victory for the British. General Howe ordered his regulars to dig in and surround the American troops. Washington ordered his men to evacuate Long Island. From late in the evening of August 29 to dawn on the following morning, Washington watched as 9,000 Continentals were rowed back to Manhattan. As the sun came up, a fog miraculously descended on the remaining men crossing the river. According to eyewitnesses, George Washington was the last man to leave Brooklyn.

This battle is regarded as the turning point battle in the American revolution in favor of Americans. The British, under General John Burgoyne, attacked the Americans at Bemis Heights but were forced to retreat. This American victory convinced the French government to join the war as an American ally by providing open military assistance.