For eight grueling years, American and British military forces struggled in a bloody war over colonial independence. This conflict also ensnared Native American warriors and the armies and navies of France, Spain, the Dutch Republic, and several German principalities. From frozen Canada to tropical Florida and as far west as the Mississippi River, the Revolutionary War included hundreds of campaigns, battles, and skirmishes on land and sea in which soldiers and sailors fought and died for causes, crowns, and comrades.
In this sweeping, yet accessible narrative of America's fight for liberty, military historian John R. Maass identifies the decisive battles and campaigns that won the war and secured independence for the thirteen hard-pressed but determined American colonies. Maass identifies and details six key turning points of the Revolutionary War that were the crucial to eventual Patriot victory. These include
1. George Washington's surprise winter battlefield success at Trenton and Princeton in 1776-77;
2. the improbable American capture of an entire British army in the wilderness of Saratoga in the fall of 1777;
3. the hardships and perseverance in the bitter cold, poorly supplied camps at Valley Forge in the snowy winter of 1778;
4. crucial French recognition of American independence and King Louis XVI's momentous decision to supply Washington's troops with desperately needed arms, money, and French soldiers and fleets;
5. the redcoats' Pyrrhic victory at Guilford Courthouse in early 1781, which ended their hopes in the South;
6. and Washington's stunning victory at Yorktown with French support later that year, that secured an eventual victory in the war.
These turning points-without which defeat was likely-ensured a military victory for the new United States, and established its place among the nations of the world.