The Battles of Lexington and Concord were “the shots heard round the world” and marked the start of the Revolutionary War in April 1775. The battles began when British troops tried to seize weapons and ammunition from secret depots organized by the Patriots.

In June 1775, Patriot forces withstood two frontal assaults by the British army during the Battle of Bunker Hill. However, a third attack forced them to retreat when they ran out of ammunition. Although a tactical defeat, the battle proved that Patriots could stand up to the highly trained and disciplined British army.

Arnold joined the Continental army in 1775 and quickly became a general. However, he was denied further promotion and was also charged with corruption. He decided to defect to the British in 1780. He served as a general in the British army and died in 1801.

Von Steuben was a Prussian officer who joined the American Revolution in 1778. He was appointed inspector general of the Continental army and instituted a rigorous training program, including extensive bayonet drills.

The Green Mountain Boys launched a surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga on the night of May 9, 1775. They surprised the British garrison and captured a number of cannons, howitzers, and mortars, which the Continental army lacked.

Approximately 30,000 German mercenaries fought for the British during the Revolutionary War. The largest contingent came from the German state of Hesse, and were known as Hessians. This term was also used to refer to all German troops fighting for Britain. About 8,000 Germans died during the war, 17,000 went home, and 5,000 settled in the United States.

Washington launched his famous attack on Trenton, New Jersey, on December 26, 1776. The Hessian garrison was caught by surprise and almost the entire force was killed or captured.

The Continental army surrounded about 7,000 British troops at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. The British were unable to escape and almost the entire army was killed or captured. The victory caused France to send arms and money to the Patriots.

The British captured Savannah in 1778 and repulsed a joint Patriot-French effort to recapture the city in 1779. British troops only withdrew from Savannah in 1782.

The Battle of Monmouth occurred on June 28, 1778 in New Jersey, and Molly Pitcher is the nickname given to a woman who fought in this battle. She is generally believed to have been Mary Ludwig Hays. After her husband collapsed and was carried off the battlefield, Mary Hays took his place, loading a cannon for the rest of the day. Some historians regard the story of Molly Pitcher as folklore rather than history.

Located in eastern Ohio, Gnadenhutten was a settlement of Delaware Indians who had converted to Christianity. The Pennsylvania militia suspected the “praying Indians” of attacking American settlements. They murdered more than 90 Delaware, including women and children.

The Battle of Blue Licks occurred 10 months after Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown. About 350 loyalists and Indian allies ambushed a force of 180 Kentucky militiamen. About 80 Patriots were killed or captured.

Clark led about 170 men on a 180-mile march from Illinois to Ft. Vincennes in Indiana. After a two-day siege, they forced the British garrison to surrender.

The Battle of Quebec was a decisive British victory and about 500 Patriots were killed, wounded, or captured, out of a force of 1,300. The Americans retreated and did not launch another invasion of Canada until the War of 1812.

The Penobscot Expedition was a 44-ship American naval task force sent to reclaim control of an area on the coast of Maine that had been seized by the British. The flotilla included 19 warships and 25 smaller support vessels. The Americans suffered 474 casualties and lost all of their ships. It was one the greatest victories of the war for the British.

The French navy sent 24 ships to assist the Patriots and they engaged a squadron of 19 British ships at the Battle of the Chesapeake in September 1781. Although evenly matched, additional French ships arrived and forced the British to disengage.

At the Battle of Cowpens, the Patriot militia force retreated after firing two volleys and the British launched a bayonet charge. However, a third line of regular Continental soldiers fired a devastating volley that halted the attack and then the British fled when the Continental regulars launched their own bayonet charge. Almost the entire British force was killed or captured.

The Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the war. Although the Patriots outnumbered the British almost 2 to 1, several Continental militia units were quickly overwhelmed and more than 2,000 Patriots became casualties. It was a humiliating defeat for Gates, who was best known for defeating the British at the Battle of Saratoga.

The Battle of Waxhaws is also known as Buford’s Massacre — named for the Continental commander. Tarleton’s loyalist cavalry charged the Patriot force and continued to shoot as the Continentals tried to surrender. About one-quarter of the 400 Continentals died.

Patriot and loyalist militia forces clashed at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780. Patriots avenged the slaughter at Waxhaws and killed almost 300 of the 1,100 loyalist militia. About 700 loyalists were also captured.