The Continental Army Faces Challenges

After many battles, wars, fighting, the Continental Army started facing challenges. In Pennsylvania, They spent a harsh winter. They did not have enough supplies or food and they suffered from hunger and cold. Washington reported that 1/3 of his 10,000 men did not have shoes or clothes.  This happenned in Valley Forge. Washington was very preoccupied, because he did not know what to do with his army. He wrotye on his diary that he had two choices, either he dispersed his army, or break it down once and for all; or else, they would die of hunger. But before he could make a desition, the soldiers improved with the help of a german called Baron Von Steuben. He taught them to survive and made them work to impose discipline on them. 

In June 1778, the British marched from Philadelphia into New Jersey, and on their way, they encountered the Continental Amy at Monmouth, where the soldiers demonstrated that they had improved their skills. Even though the British had won many battles, they had little to show, because the only city they had was New York. 

Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian-born military officer who served as inspector general and Major general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is credited with being one of the fathers of the Continental Army in teaching them the essentials of military drills, tactics, and disciplines. He wrote the Revolutionary War Drill Manual, the book that served as the standard United States drill manual until the War of 1812. He served as General George Washington's chief of staff in the final years of the war.

THE FRONTIER WAR

The frontier war began because of the procalamation of 1763, that started about for the Seven Year War. the proclamation was a treaty made by the king, that did not allow the expansion of land beyond the Appalatian Mountains. In the treaty, the king ordered the indians to remain west of the Appalatian Mountains. Pontiac's Rebellion inflicted a lot in this. To defy the proclamation, the indians started settling to the Appalatian Mountains, so in the year 1770, they settled west, which led to the outbreak of the war. This leaded them to claim more american land. 

Many of the indians started siding with the British, who had promised to keep the colonies to the east. The british were making the native americans attack the colonial settlers. The white settlers were killing the native americans for their land. They would always make truces, but never really kept them. it was all a cycle were they made them, broke them, made them again, broke them again. These men could never keep a promise! The war then moves to the west.

Spring 1778, in the north-west, Colonel George Rogers Clark led the patriot's militia to a fight gainst the British, He took over the settlements of Kaskajia and Cahokia. Clarck had 175 soldiers, and by later summer, the got help of some french settlers and captured all the British posts in that area. They captured Vincennes, but a few months later, the british recaptured it. In february 1774, Clarck and his men reached Vincennes again, and were trying to convince the native americans to abandon their british allies. By the end of the war, the patriot's boundary allowed the Americans to claim the Ohio River Valley. At the same time, in New York, native americans and British forces attacked many froentier posts. In response, the patriot's burned 40 Iroquois towns, which destroyed the power that their nation used to posses. Indians continued their attacks to the settlers, ones that left deadly effects. 

Now, to relax a little bit from all these wars and battles, I'll show you something that may be completely out of the topic, but it's actually sort of interesting:

War Shifts to the Middle States

On december 26th, another battle occured. it was called the Battle of Trenton. General George Washington corssed the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. He lead the main body of the Contiental Army agains the Garisson, which was a body of troops stationed in a fortified place. After a small battle, almost the entire Hessians were captured.

In the same year, Washington won another battle. the Battle of Princeton. He inflicted on Charles Corwallis's troops and injured many of his soldiers. On fall 1777, he lost Philadelphia, but they still didn't win the war. General John Burgoyne marched from Canada along with his troop to invade New York's Hudson Valley. Unfortunetely for them, they fell into a patriot's trap in Saratoga and he had to surrender in october the same year. In Saratatoga, the patriots defeated Burgoyne, and you could say that it was one of their greatest victories. Saratoga suggested that US might win the war. They were starting to have faith in them.

After all of this, Europeans started entering the war. The battle of Saratoga made them gain interest. This made France recognize the independence. Now, they had a chance to weaken the British, their old enemies. During the first years of the war, the French really doubted that the patriots would win, so they did not openly confirm that they were allying with the patriots, so they helped them with secret shippings, with ammunitions and weapons. This was the only thing keeping the patriots alive. French volunteers, and Marquis de Lafayette provfided a lot of help for the patriots. Saratoga also, made the French see that the patriots did have a chance to win the war, and that they did not face any risks in an open alliance. So, in february 1778, they negotiated the alliance.

  Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette. 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France. Lafayette was a general in the American Revolutionary War and a leader of the Garde Nationale during the French Revolution.

In the American Revolution, Lafayette served as a major-general in the Continental Army under George Washington.

Benjamin Franklin was a ledaing american negotiator in Paris and became popular when he was in France. he becanme known as a simple american who loved the french.

Alliance was made, and the French Army and Navy began attacking the British, so the war became more even. The first tries were miserable, but at the end, the alliance produced the biggest victory if thewar in 1781.  British were suffering from this, and suffered even more when Spain entered the war as a French ally in 1779. Spain's purpose was also to weaken the British, but they were not an official ally of the French because they feared that fighting in this war would inspire their own colonists desire independence. Bernardo de Galvez (a spanish governer) provided the patriots with supplies and money, and also prevented british ships to enter the Mississipi Delta. Both of this allies helped the colonies incredibly.

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one of the Founding fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightement and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lighting rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass 'armonica'. He formed both the first public lending library in America and the first fire department in Pennsylvania. Franklin earned the title of "The First American" for his early and indefatigable campaigning for colonial unity; as an author and spokesman in London for several colonies, then as the first United States Ambassador to France, he exemplified the emerging American nation.

The Patriot's Strength

After everything that the patriots had been through, they were getting really tired and they were loosing their strength, the only person that could get them to keep going, and never give up was George Washington. He was a great leader. During these hard times, he read "American Crisis" to his soldiers to preserve them. This kept the soldiers comitted to their jobs even thought they were facing hunger and cold.

To succeed, the continental army needed the support of their people. The woman were very strong during these times, and their work was fundamental. They allowed their husbands and sons to fight in the war, which freed their worried souls. Women used to make shoes, blankets, and clothing, British navi blocked the ports, causing the items to become comre expensive or scarce. Colonial took advantage of this situation and started selling items at a very high price, and the value of moent decreased, because patriots were using paper money.

The paper money issued by the continental congress were called continentals. The army received their salary in this type of money. Women also received money for their work of mantaining camps. Some women would even dress up as soldiers to fire cannons. They were very comitted to their people.

One very recognized woman was Deborah Sampson. She received a military pension from the congress to pay for her services. Another woman was Mary Hays. she was became known as Molly Pitcher, because she used to take water to the troops. She started doing this at Monmouth. As you can see, women defended their people with even more courage and determination than men.

Disguised as a man, Deborah Sampson served admirably as a soldier in the Continental army during the American Revolutionary War (1775–83) and later gave speeches about her time in the military. She established a public presence for women that went far beyond the normal cultural limits of her time. The former soldier then went on to become a wife and mother. She asked for and received a military pension (money benefits) from the U.S. government, also unheard of for a woman of her time.

Deborah Sampson was born on December 17, 1760, to a poor family in Plympton, Massachusetts (located near Plymouth, Massachusetts). Her father, Jonathan Sampson Jr., deserted his family to go to sea.

                                                                                                                                                                        

Molly Pitcher

You can notice easily that the patriot's strength was based in the civilians colaboration, the leadership of George Washington, the Indian War tactics, and the fact that they were united for the same purpose. This helped the patriots a lot and gave them the strength they needed.

Turning Points of the War

As mentioned before, the independence was not quite conceived yet. To make it a reality, the patriots had to wing a war against the British, which at the time, was the most powerful empire in the world.

At the beginning of the war, the British seemed to have much more advantages than the colonist. they had more weapons and ships. The continental congress had problems with paying the war, so they started printing money, causing inflation. the continental congress did not have enough supplies and were starving and suffering from the cold weather. the British, on the other hand, had lots of supplies. Everyone believed that the patriots had no chance at all.

the British were very confident with themselves and they did not take patriots seriously. They thought that they had already won the war. In June 1775,  "The Battle of Bunker Hill" took place. This was one of the most important victories during the process of independence. This battle made the British and the Colonists realize that it was not just one war that would determine the winner. It took place because the British wanted to ocuppy the Dorchester Heights on the Boston Peninsula. The colonists found out about this plan and decided to take action. They had to protect their freedom and land.

The General William Howe led the Birtish troops to attack Breed's hill during the Battle of Bunker Hill. The patriots had fought with all their energy, but unfortunetely, they ran out of ammunition, and the British were able to capture the hill.

                                                                                                                                                

William Howe was one of the British generals during the Revolutionary War. He was born on August 10, 1729, in England. He was the illegitimate uncle of King George The Third, who was the British king during the Revolutionary War. Before he was sent to fight in the war, Howe was sympathetic to the colonists. But, as a soldier, he had to fight against them.

Lord Howe continued to attack. Once he defeated the Continental Army and took over many sea ports, he thought that Philadelphia Patriots would stop. The British lost the war because they were using the wrong strategy. Only the patriots understood that they had to win the hearts and minds of the people. It was the Revolutionary War that was going on, not just any war. Patriots kept on fighting no matter what. they were persevering. 


Here, you can notice that it was not only just a war in which the people only demonstrated their physical skills. The Revolutionary War was much more than this. It was people united fighting for something strong that they believed in.