The War of American Independence

Probably no war in which we were ever engaged depended for its results less upon purely military operation. The battles, so-called, were mostly insignificant from the numbers engaged and the results which followed, with the exceptions of the operations before the surrender of Saratoga and Yorktown. A really capable English commander might at various periods have made military operations decisive, but as it was the issue of the war depended upon political events in England and America, and upon naval actions .

1775, April 19th. An English detachment defeated in a skirmish at Lexington.
June 17th. The Battle of Breed's Hill, miscalled Bunker's Hill, won by the English with heavy loss.
Dec. 31st. The Americans defeated before Quebec.
1776. Boston evacuated by the English in March. Expedition against New York. The Americans defeated on Long Island, Aug. 27. New York taken Sept. 15th. General Howe advanced through New Jersey. Washington defeated the Hessians at Trenton, Dec. 25th. 1777, Jan. 13. Indecisive action at Princetown, in New Jersey, followed by the retreat of the English towards New York.
In the summer General Burgoyne marched from Canada by way of the Hudson river towards New York, and Howe left New York by sea to attack Philadelphia.
Aug. 16th. A detachment of Burgoyne's army was defeated at Bennington.
Sept 11th. Howe defeated Washington at the Brandywine Creek, and occupied Philadelphia. Oct. 4th. Howe defeated Washington at Germantown. Partly from his incapacity, but partly from his want of cavalry, which could not be easily transported, with their horses, to America, nor be mounted there, Howe did not succeed in destroying Washington's army, as he might have done at and after these battles.
Meanwhile, on Sept. 19th, Burgoyne fought an indecisive and, on Oct. 7th, an unsuccessful, action at Stillwater with Generals Gates and Arnold, and on Oct. 16th, outnumbered and in want of supplies, surrendered at Saratoga.
1778. Howe evacuated Philadelphia and returned to New York, getting the worst of an action at Monmouth June 28th. December 29th the English took Savannah, and recovered Georgia in the course of the winter, and invaded South Carolina.
The French had joined the Americans in this year, and Spain followed in 1779, Holland in 1780. The Armed Neutrality of Russisa, Prussia, Sweden, and Denmark was practically hostile to us. Troops were withdrawn from North America to defend or attack West India Islands, and French fleets appeared on the coasts of America, and in the Channel.
July 27th Keppel fought an indecisive action off Ushant with the French.
In 1779 the active war was almost confined to the sea and the West Indies.
Oct 9th the French and Americans failed to take Savannah.
1780. May 12th the English took Charleston, and recovered South Carolina.
Aug. 16th Cornwallis defeated Gates at Camden.
Jan. 16th Rodney defeated the Spaniards off Cape St. Vincent
April 17th and May 19th Rodney fought the French in the West Indies.
1781. Jan. 17th Greene defeated the English at Cowpens. March 15th Cornwallis defeated Greene at Guildlord and marched into Virginia.
Aug. 5th Hyde Parker fought an indecisive action with the Dutch off the Dogger Bank.
Sept 5th Craves fought the French off the Chesapeake, and was compelled to leave the French fleet on the coast of Virginia. Cornwallis in consequence shut up in Yorktown Sept. 28th, and forced to surrender Oct. 19th.
The war in America came to an end, the English being unable to attempt anything, and the Americans being unable to try to drive us from New York, Charleston, Savannah, and other posts on the coast.
1782. Feb.15th Minorca taken by the French and Spaniards.April 12th Rodney defeated De Graase off Martinique and saved the West India Islands. Coming a year earlier the victory would probably have saved the Southern States for England. Sept. 13th the grand combined attack upon Gibraltar, which had been besieged for four years, defeated. The French and Spaniards computed to have lost in one day and night military and naval stores worth £2,000,000. In 1812 the disputes with America upon the right of search at sea, enforced owing to the Berlin and Milan decrees and the English Orders in Council, led to war
A succession of actions between single ships resulted at first in favour of the Americans, whose frigates were more heavily armed than our cruisers on that station. On June 1st 1813, the taking of the U. S. A. frigate Chesapeake by the Shannon marked the result of the employment of equal force.
On land invasions of Canada attempted in 1812-13 were defeated after severe skirmishes.
In 1814, Aug. 24th, General Ross defeated a small American force at Bladensberg and took Washington.
1815. Jan. 8th. The English were repulsed in an attack upon New Orleans.
1816. Aug. 27th. Lord Exmouth bombarded Algiers, and caused the release of Christian slaves.