List of American Revolutionary War battles explained

This is a list of military actions in the American Revolutionary War. Actions marked with an asterisk involved no casualties.

Major campaigns, theaters, and expeditions of the war

• Boston campaign (1775–1776)
• Invasion of Quebec (1775–1776)
• New York and New Jersey campaigns (1776–1777)
• Saratoga campaign (1777)
• Philadelphia campaign (1777–1778)
• Yorktown campaign (1781)
• Northern theater of the American Revolutionary War after Saratoga (1778–1781)
• Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)
• Western theater of the American Revolutionary War (1777–1782)
• Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War

Battles (in chronological order)

Battle	Date	Location	Outcome	Ref
Powder Alarm		Massachusetts	British soldiers remove military supplies	^[1]
Storming of Fort William and Mary		New Hampshire	Patriots seize powder and shot after brief skirmish.	^[2]
Battles of Lexington and Concord		Massachusetts	Patriot victory: British forces raiding Concord driven back into Boston with heavy losses.	^[3]
Siege of Boston	– March 17, 1776	Massachusetts	Patriot victory: British eventually evacuate Boston after Patriots fortify Dorchester heights	^[4]
Gunpowder Incident		Virginia	Virginia governor Lord Dunmore removes powder to a Royal Navy ship, standoff is resolved peacefully
New York Armory Raid*		New York	Patriot victory: Sons of Liberty capture muskets, bayonets and cartridge boxes from the armory at City Hall
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga		New York	Patriot victory: Patriots capture British posts at Ticonderoga and Crown point	^[5]
Battle of Chelsea Creek		Massachusetts	Patriot victory: Patriots capture British ship Diana	^[6]
Battle of Machias		Massachusetts (Modern day Maine)	Patriot forces capture the HM schooner Margaretta
Battle of Bunker Hill		Massachusetts	British victory: British drive Patriot army from the Charlestown peninsula near Boston but suffer heavy losses	^[7]
Capture of Turtle Bay Depot		New York	Patriot victory: Sons of Liberty capture storehouse and magazine	^[8]
Battle of Gloucester		Massachusetts	Patriot victory	^[9]
Raid on the Battery		New York	Patriot victory: 23 royal cannon from The Battery were taken under fire from HMS Asia offshore	^[10]
Siege of Fort St. Jean	– November 3, 1775	Quebec	Patriot victory: Patriots capture British force and subsequently overrun Montreal and much of Quebec	^[11]
Battle of Longue-Pointe	September 25, 1775	Quebec	British victory	^[12]
Burning of Falmouth		Massachusetts	British burn Falmouth	^[13]
Battle of Kemp's Landing		Virginia	British victory	^[14]
Siege of Savage's Old Fields		South Carolina	Patriot victory: Patriots defeat loyalist force	^[15]
Battle of Great Bridge		Virginia	Patriot victory: Lord Dunmore's loyalist force is defeated	^[16]
Snow Campaign		South Carolina	Patriot victory; a campaign against loyalists in South Carolina
Battle of Great Cane Break		South Carolina	Patriot victory	^[17]
Battle of Quebec		Quebec	British victory: British repulse Patriot assault on Quebec city	^[18]
Burning of Norfolk		Virginia	British bombard Norfolk and Patriots destroy what they see as a loyalist stronghold	^[19]
Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge		North Carolina	Patriot victory: loyalist force of Regulators and Highlanders defeated	^[20]
Battle of the Rice Boats		Georgia	British victory	^[21]
Raid of Nassau		Bahamas	Patriot victory. They raided against the Bahamas to obtain supplies	^[22]
Battle of Saint-Pierre		Quebec	Patriot victory	^[23]
Battle of Block Island		Rhode Island	British victory	^[24]
Battle of The Cedars		Quebec	British victory	^[25]
Battle of Trois-Rivières		Quebec	British victory: Patriots forced to evacuate Quebec	^[26]
Battle of Sullivan's Island		South Carolina	Patriot victory: British attack on Charleston is repulsed	^[27]
Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet		New Jersey	Patriot victory	^[28]
Battle of Gwynn's Island	July 8–10, 1776	Virginia	Patriot victory	^[29]
Battle of Lindley's Fort		South Carolina	Patriot victory: Native Americans attack repulsed	^[30]
Battle of Long Island		New York	British victory: in the largest battle of the war the Patriot army is outflanked and routed on Long Island but later manages to evacuate to Manhattan
Landing at Kip's Bay		New York	British victory: British capture New York City
Battle of Harlem Heights		New York	Patriot victory: Patriots repulse British attack on Manhattan
Battle of Valcour Island		New York	British victory: British defeat Patriot naval force on Lake Champlain, but victory comes too late to press the offensive against the Hudson valley
Battle of Mamaroneck	October 22, 1776	New York	British tactical victory
Battle of White Plains		New York	British victory
Battle of Fort Cumberland		Nova Scotia	British victory
Battle of Fort Washington		New York	British victory: British capture 3,000 Patriots on Manhattan in one of the most devastating Patriot defeats of the war
Battle of Fort Lee		New Jersey	British victory: Patriots begin general retreat
Ambush of Geary		New Jersey	Patriot victory
Battle of Iron Works Hill		New Jersey	British victory
Battle of Trenton		New Jersey	Patriot victory: Patriots capture Hessian detachment at Trenton
Second Battle of Trenton		New Jersey	Patriot victory
Battle of Princeton		New Jersey	Patriot victory: Patriots defeat a small British force, the British decide to evacuate New Jersey
Battle of Millstone		New Jersey	Patriot victory
Forage War	January–March 1777	New Jersey	Patriots harass remaining British forces in New Jersey
Battle of Punk Hill		New Jersey	Patriot victory
Battle of Bound Brook		New Jersey	British victory
Battle of Ridgefield		Connecticut	British victory
Battle of Thomas Creek		East Florida	British victory
Meigs Raid		New York	Patriot victory
Battle of Short Hills		New Jersey	British victory
Siege of Fort Ticonderoga		New York	British victory
Battle of Hubbardton		Vermont	British victory
Battle of Fort Ann		New York	British victory
Siege of Fort Stanwix		New York	Patriot victory: British fail to take Fort Stanwix
Battle of Oriskany		New York	British victory
Second Battle of Machias		Massachusetts(Modern day Maine)	British victory
Battle of Bennington		New York	Patriot victory
Battle of Staten Island		New York	British victory
Battle of Setauket		New York	British victory
First Siege of Fort Henry	dts	September 1 or 21, 1777	Virginia	Patriot victory
Battle of Cooch's Bridge		Delaware	British victory
Battle of Brandywine		Pennsylvania	British victory
Battle of the Clouds		Pennsylvania	Battle called off due to rain
Battle of Freeman's Farm		New York	British tactical victory: First of the two Battles of Saratoga
Battle of Paoli		Pennsylvania	British victory
Siege of Fort Mifflin	– November 15, 1777	Pennsylvania	British victory
Battle of Germantown		Pennsylvania	British victory
Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery		New York	British victory
Battle of Bemis Heights		New York	Patriot victory: Second of the two Battles of Saratoga, British under Burgoyne driven back and forced to surrender 10 days later
Battle of Red Bank		New Jersey	Patriot victory
Battle of Gloucester		New Jersey	Patriot victory
Battle of White Marsh		Pennsylvania	Patriot victory
Battle of Matson's Ford		Pennsylvania	British victory
Battle of Barbados		Barbados	British victory
Battle of Quinton's Bridge		New Jersey	British victory
North Channel Naval Duel		Great Britain	Patriot victory
Battle of Crooked Billet		Pennsylvania	British victory
Battle of Barren Hill		Pennsylvania	Indecisive
Mount Hope Bay raids		Rhode Island	British victory
Battle of Cobleskill		New York	British-Iroquois victory
Battle of Monmouth		New Jersey	Draw: British break off engagement and continue retreat to New York
Battle of Alligator Bridge		East Florida	British victory
Battle of Wyoming		Pennsylvania	British-Iroquois victory
First Battle of Ushant		Bay of Biscay	Indecisive
Battle of Newport		Rhode Island	British victory
Grey's raid		Massachusetts	British victory
Invasion of Dominica		Dominica	French victory
Siege of Boonesborough		Virginia	Patriot victory
Attack on German Flatts		New York	British-Iroquois victory
Baylor Massacre		New Jersey	British victory
Battle of Edgar's Lane	September 30, 1778	New York	Patriot victory
Raid on Unadilla and Onaquaga		Indian Reserve	Patriot victory
Battle of Chestnut Neck		New Jersey	British victory
Affair at Little Egg Harbor		New Jersey	British victory
Carleton's Raid	October 24-November 14, 1778	Vermont	British victory
Cherry Valley Massacre		New York	British-Iroquois victory
Battle of St. Lucia		St. Lucia	British victory
Capture of St. Lucia		St. Lucia	British victory
Capture of Savannah		Georgia	British victory
Battle of Beaufort		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Kettle Creek		Georgia	Patriot victory
Siege of Fort Vincennes		Indiana	Patriot victory
Battle of Brier Creek		Georgia	British victory
Battle of Chillicothe	May 1779	Quebec	Patriot victory
Chesapeake raid		Virginia	British victory
Capture of Saint Vincent		St. Vincent	French victory
Battle of Stono Ferry		South Carolina	British victory
Great Siege of Gibraltar	dts	June 24, 1779 – February 7, 1783	Gibraltar	British victory
Capture of Grenada		Grenada	French victory
Tryon's raid		Connecticut	British victory
Battle of Grenada		Grenada	French victory
Battle of Stony Point		New York	Patriot victory
Battle of Minisink		New York	British-Iroquois victory
Penobscot Expedition	July 24-August 29, 1779	Massachusetts	British victory
Battle of Paulus Hook		New Jersey	Patriot victory
Battle of Newtown		Indian Reserve	Patriot victory
Capture of Fort Bute		West Florida	Patriot-Spanish victory
Battle of Lake Pontchartrain		West Florida	Patriot victory
Boyd and Parker ambush		Indian Reserve	British-Iroquois victory
Action of 14 September 1779		Azores	British victory
Siege of Savannah	September 16-October 18, 1779	Georgia	British victory
Battle of Baton Rouge		West Florida	Patriot-Spanish victory
Battle of Flamborough Head		Great Britain	Patriot victory
Action of 6 October 1779	October 6, 1779	France	French victory
Battle of San Fernando de Omoa	October 16-November 29, 1779	Guatemala	British victory
Action of 11 November 1779		Portugal	British victory
Action of 20 November 1779	November 20, 1779	Portugal	British victory
First Battle of Martinique		Martinique	British victory
Action of 8 January 1780		Spain	British victory
Battle of Cape St. Vincent		Portugal	British victory
Battle of Young's House		New York	British victory
Battle of Van Creek	February 11, 1780	Georgia	Loyalist victory
San Juan Expedition		March–November, 1780	Guatemala	Patriot-Spanish victory
Battle of Fort Charlotte		West Florida	Patriot-Spanish victory
Siege of Charleston	dts	March 29-May 12, 1780	South Carolina	British victory: British recapture South Carolina following the battle
Battle of Monck's Corner		South Carolina	British victory
Second Battle of Martinique		Martinique	Patriot victory
Battle of Lenud's Ferry		South Carolina	British victory
Bird's invasion of Kentucky	May 25-August 4, 1780	Virginia	British victory
Battle of St. Louis		Louisiana	Patriot-Spanish victory
Battle of Waxhaws		South Carolina	British victory
Battle of Connecticut Farms		New Jersey	British victory
Battle of Mobley's Meeting House		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Ramsour's Mill		North Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Springfield		New Jersey	Patriot victory
Huck's Defeat		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Bull's Ferry		New Jersey	Loyalist victory
Battle of Colson's Mill		North Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Rocky Mount		South Carolina	Loyalist victory
Battle of Hanging Rock		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Pekowee		Quebec	Patriot victory
Action of 9 August 1780		Atlantic	Franco-Spanish victory
Action of 10 August 1780	August 10, 1780	France	British victory
Action of 13 August 1780	August 13, 1780	Ireland	British victory
Battle of Camden		South Carolina	British victory
Battle of Fishing Creek		South Carolina	British victory
Battle of Musgrove Mill		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Black Mingo		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Wahab's Plantation		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Charlotte		North Carolina	British victory
Action of 30 September 1780	September 30, 1780	Bermuda	British victory
Battle of Kings Mountain		South Carolina	Patriot victory: halts first British invasion of North Carolina
Battle of Shallow Ford	October 14, 1780	North Carolina	Patriot victory
Royalton Raid		Vermont	British victory
Battle of Klock's Field		New York	Patriot victory
Battle of Tearcoat Swamp	October 25, 1780	South Carolina	Patriot victory
La Balme's Defeat		Quebec	British-Iroquois victory
Battle of Fishdam Ford		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Blackstock's Farm		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Fort St. George		New York	Patriot victory
Battle of Jersey		Jersey	British victory
Battle of Mobile		West Florida	Patriot-Spanish victory
Battle of Cowpens		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Cowan's Ford		North Carolina	British victory
Capture of Sint Eustatius		Sint Eustatius	British victory
Battle of Haw River		North Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Wetzell's Mill		North Carolina	British victory
Siege of Pensacola	March 9-May 8, 1781	West Florida	Patriot-Spanish victory
Battle of Guilford Court House		North Carolina	British victory
Battle of Cape Henry		Virginia	British strategic victory, tactically indecisive
Siege of Fort Watson		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Porto Praya		Cape Verde	Draw
Battle of Blandford		Virginia	British victory
Battle of Hobkirk's Hill		South Carolina	British victory
Battle of Fort Royal		Martinique	French victory
Action of 1 May 1781		France	British victory
Battle of Fort Motte		South Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of Pine's Bridge	May 14, 1781	New York	Loyalist victory
Siege of Augusta	May 22-June 6, 1781	Georgia	Patriot victory
Siege of Ninety-Six	May 22-June 18, 1781	South Carolina	British victory
Invasion of Tobago	May 24-June 2, 1781	Tobago	French victory
Action of 30 May 1781		Barbary Coast	British victory
Battle of Spencer's Ordinary		Virginia	British victory
Francisco's Fight	July 1781	Virginia	Patriot victory
Battle of Green Spring		Virginia	British victory
Naval battle of Louisbourg		Nova Scotia	Franco-Patriot victory
Battle of Dogger Bank		North Sea	British victory
Battle of Piqua	August 8, 1781	Ohio	Patriot victory
Invasion of Minorca	August 19, 1781 – February 5, 1782	Minorca	Franco-Spanish victory
Lochry's Defeat		Quebec	British-Iroquois victory
Battle of Elizabethtown		North Carolina	Patriot victory
Battle of the Chesapeake		Virginia	French victory
Battle of Groton Heights		Connecticut	British victory
Battle of Eutaw Springs		South Carolina	British victory
Battle of Lindley's Mill		North Carolina	Patriot victory
Long Run Massacre		Virginia	British-Iroquois victory
Siege of Yorktown	September 28-October 19, 1781	Virginia	Franco-Patriot victory: Cornwallis surrenders his force of over 7,000
Battle of Fort Slongo		New York	Patriot victory
Battle of Raft Swamp		North Carolina	Patriot Victory
Battle of Johnstown		New York	Patriot victory
Second Battle of Ushant		Bay of Biscay	British victory
Battle of Videau's Bridge		South Carolina	British victory
Siege of Brimstone Hill	January 11-February 13, 1782	St. Christopher	Franco-Patriot victory
Action of 15 January 1782	January 15, 1782	Jamaica	British victory
Capture of Demerara and Essequibo	January 22-February 5, 1782	Demerara and Essequibo	Franco-Patriot victory
Battle of Saint Kitts		St. Christopher	British victory
Capture of Montserrat		Montserrat	French victory
Battle of Wambaw		South Carolina	British victory
Gnadenhütten massacre		Ohio
Battle of Roatán		Guatemala	Patriot-Spanish victory
Action of 16 March 1782		Strait of Gibraltar	British victory
Battle of Little Mountain		Virginia	British-Iroquois victory
Battle of Delaware Bay		New Jersey	Patriot victory
Battle of the Saintes		Dominica	British victory
Battle of the Black River	April–August, 1782	Guatemala	British victory
Battle of the Mona Passage		Mona passage	British victory
Action of 20–21 April 1782		Bay of Biscay	British victory
Capture of the Bahamas		Bahamas	Patriot-Spanish victory
Crawford expedition	May 25-June 12, 1782	Quebec	British-Iroquois victory
Naval battle off Halifax		Nova Scotia	British victory
Raid on Chester		Chester, Nova Scotia	British victory
Raid on Lunenburg		Nova Scotia	Patriot victory
Hudson Bay Expedition		Rupert's Land	Franco-Patriot victory
Siege of Bryan Station		Virginia	Patriot victory
Battle of Blue Licks		Virginia	British-Iroquois victory
Battle of the Combahee River		South Carolina	British victory
Action of 4 September 1782	September 4, 1782	France	British victory
Action of 5 September 1782	Action of 5 September 1782	Long Island	Inconclusive
Siege of Fort Henry		Virginia	Patriot victory
Grand Assault on Gibraltar		Gibraltar	British victory
Action of 15 September 1782	15 September 1782	Delaware Bay	British victory
Action of 18 October 1782		Hispaniola	British victory
Battle of James Island	November 14, 1782	South Carolina	British victory
Action of 6 December 1782		Martinique	British victory
Battle of the Delaware Capes	20 - 21 December 1782	Cape May	British victory
Cedar Bridge Tavern		New Jersey	Patriot victory: Captains Richard Shreve and Edward Thomas engaged John Bacon and his Loyalist bandits (known now as "Refugees") at Cedar Bridge. A brief exchange of gunfire took place, and Bacon and his men were able to escape. This was the last land battle in the U.S.
Action of 2 January 1783	January 2, 1783	Hispaniola	Inconclusive
Action of 22 January 1783		Virginia	British victory
Action of 15 February 1783	February 15, 1783	Guadeloupe	British victory
Action of 17 February 1783	17 February 1783	Cuba	British victory
Recapture of the Bahamas	14–18 April 1783	Bahamas	British victory

See also

• List of Continental Forces in the American Revolutionary War
• List of British Forces in the American Revolutionary War
• List of George Washington articles

Notes and References

1. Book: Richmond, Robert P. . Powder Alarm 1774 . 1971 . Auerbach . 978-0-87769-073-3 . Princeton.
2. Book: Cobbett's Parliamentary History of England: From the Norman Conquest, in 1066 to the Year 1803. AD 1774 - 1777 . 1813 . Bagshaw . en.
3. Book: Daughan, George C. . Lexington and Concord: The Battle heard round the world . 2018 . W.W. Norton & Company . 978-0-393-24574-5 . 1st . New York.
4. Book: Chidsey, Donald Barr . The siege of Boston; an on-the-scene account of the beginning of the American Revolution . 1966 . New York, Crown . Internet Archive.
5. Book: Randall, Willard Sterne . Benedict Arnold: patriot and traitor . 1990 . Morrow . 978-1-55710-034-4 . 1st . New York.
6. Book: Nelson, James L. . George Washington's secret navy: how the American revolution went to sea . 2008 . McGraw-Hill . 978-0-07-149389-5 . New York.
7. Book: Ketchum, Richard M. . Decisive day: the Battle for Bunker Hill . 1999 . H. Holt . 978-0-8050-6099-7 . 1st . New York.
8. Book: Roberts, Robert B. . Encyclopedia of historic forts: the military, pioneer, and trading posts of the United States . 1988 . Macmillan . 978-0-02-926880-3 . New York, N.Y. u.a . 603.
9. Book: Garland, Joseph E. . The fish and the falcon: Gloucester's resolute role in America's fight for freedom . 2006 . History Press . 978-1-59629-007-5 . Charleston, SC.
10. Book: Chernow, Ron . Alexander Hamilton . 2004 . Penguin Press . 978-1-59420-009-0 . New York.
11. Book: Gabriel, Michael P. . Major general Richard Montgomery: the making of an American hero . 2002 . Fairleigh Dickinson University Press ; Associated University Press . 978-0-8386-3931-3 . Madison, NJ : London.
12. Web site: Canada & the American Revolution, 1774-1783 WorldCat.org . 2024-04-10 . search.worldcat.org . en.
13. Book: Miller, Nathan . Sea of glory: the Continental Navy fights for independence, 1775-1783 . 1974 . D. McKay Co . 978-0-679-50392-7 . New York.
14. Book: Selby, John E. . The Revolution in Virginia, 1775-1783 . 2007 . Colonial Williamsburg Foundation ; Distributed by the University of Virginia Press . 978-0-87935-233-2 . Williamsburg, Va. : Charlottesville, Va.
15. Book: Alden . John Richard . The South in the revolution: 1763 - 1789 . Stephenson . Wendell Holmes . 1976 . Louisiana State Univ. Press [u.a.] . 978-0-8071-0003-5 . A history of the South : [in eleven volumes] / eds. Wendell Holmes Stephenson . Baton Rouge, La..
16. Book: Wilson, David K. . The southern strategy: Britain's conquest of South Carolina and Georgia, 1775-1780 . 2005 . University of South Carolina Press . 978-1-57003-573-9 . Columbia.
17. Huff, 22; Bobby Gilmer Moss, The Patriots in the Snow Campaign, 1775 (Blacksburg, SC: Scotia Hibernia Press, 2007), 18.
18. Book: Anderson, Mark R. . The battle for the fourteenth colony: America's war of liberation in Canada, 1774-1776 . 2013 . University Press of New England . 978-1-61168-497-1 . Hanover, New Hampshire.
19. Book: Russell, David Lee . The American Revolution in the Southern colonies . 2000 . McFarland & Co . 978-0-7864-0783-5 . Jefferson, N.C.
20. Book: Wilson, David K. . The southern strategy: Britain's conquest of South Carolina and Georgia, 1775-1780 . 2005 . University of South Carolina Press . 978-1-57003-573-9 . Columbia.
21. Book: Russell, David Lee . Oglethorpe and colonial Georgia: a history, 1733-1783 . 2006 . McFarland & Co . 978-0-7864-2233-3 . Jefferson, N.C . ocm62888912.
22. Book: Field, Edward . Esek Hopkins, commander-in-chief of the continental navy during the American Revolution, 1775 to 1778 : master mariner, politician, brigadier general, naval officer and philanthropist . 1898 . Providence : Preston & Rounds Co. . Harvard University.
23. Brown . Gerald S. . Lanctot . Gustave . Cameron . Margaret M. . 1968 . Canada and the American Revolution, 1774-1783. . The Journal of Southern History . 34 . 2 . 294 . 10.2307/2204675 . 2204675 . 0022-4642.
24. Book: Morison, Samuel Eliot . John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography . 1999 . Naval Institute Press . 978-1-55750-410-4 . en.
25. Book: Kingsford, William . William Kingsford . The History of Canada, Volume 6 . Roswell & Hutchinson . 1893 . Toronto, Canada . 51–64 . 3676642.
26. Book: Stanley, George . Canada Invaded 1775–1776 . Hakkert . 978-0-88866-578-2 . Toronto, Canada . 1973 . 37–132.
27. Book: Russell, David Lee . Victory on Sullivan's Island: the British Cape Fear/Charles Town expedition of 1776 . 2002 . Infinity Publishing.com . 978-0-7414-1243-0 . Haverford, PA.
28. Book: Donnelly, Mark . Pirates of New Jersey: plunder and high adventure on the Garden State coastline . Diehl . Daniel . 2010 . Stackpole Books . 978-0-8117-0667-4 . 1st . Mechanicsburg, PA . 610018988.
29. Book: Boatner, Mark Mayo . Encyclopedia of the American Revolution . 1994 . Stackpole books . 978-0-8117-0578-3 . 3rd . Mechanicsburg (Pa.).
30. Book: Barbour, R. L. . South Carolina's Revolutionary War Battlefields: A Tour Guide . Pelican Publishing Company . 2002 . 9781455612123 . Gretna, Los Angeles . 19.