The American Revolution: 1775–1783 Timeline American History

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10/19/2017 History - Timeline - The American Revolution: 1775–1783 Timeline
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1756 FEBRUARY 3:
Responding to a French threat to invade England because of English seizure of
French ships and subsequent imprisoning of French sailors, the Newcastle
ministry issues a proclamation that instructs residents of the southern counties
of England to drive their cattle inland in the event of a French landing.
APRIL 19:
A French naval force invades British-controlled Minorca.
MAY 20:
A British fleet under the command of Adm. John Byng, sent to rescue Minorca
and reinforce the Fort St. Philip garrison, still held by British soldiers, engages
the French fleet there in battle. But Byng's tactics prove ine�ectual, and the
French fleet escapes a�er crippling several of Byng's 14 ships. Byng refuses to
give chase.
MAY 24:
Having made no attempt to communicate with Fort St. Philip, Byng decides to
retreat without landing on Minorca, thereby leaving the fort and Minorca to
their fate—certain French control. He sets sail for Gibraltar.
AUGUST 14:
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French troops commanded by Gen. Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon capture
Fort Oswego in north-central New York. They neutralize the fort's military
capabilities and return to Montreal.
AUGUST 29:
Frederick the Great of Prussia launches a preemptive invasion of Saxony,
heading for Dresden, capital of Saxony.
SEPTEMBER 10:
Frederick enters Dresden.
OCTOBER 1:
Prussian and Saxon forces engage in battle at Lobositz.
OCTOBER 14:
The Saxon army surrenders to the Prussians at Lobositz. The Saxon elector
Frederick Augustus II, also king of Poland, retires to Poland, and Frederick the
Great absorbs most of the Saxon army into his own.
NOVEMBER:
William Pitt becomes prime minister of Great Britain.
NOVEMBER 24:
Elected a member of the Royal Society on April 29, Benjamin Franklin
personally attends a meeting and is formally inducted as a fellow of the society.
1757 MARCH 14:
Admiral Byng, who was brought home, court-martialed, and condemned to
death because of ministerial and public anger over his failure at Minorca, is
executed at Portsmouth.
MAY 6:
Prussian forces commanded by Frederick the Great defeat the Austrian army
near Prague; the Austrians retreat into Prague, and the Prussians begin to lay
siege to the city.
JUNE 18:
An Austrian force commanded by Count Leopold von Daun and sent to relieve
Prague defeats Frederick's army at Kolin, forcing the Prussians to abandon the
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siege of Prague and retreat from Bohemia.
JUNE 26:
French troops led by Gen. Louis-Charles Le Teller, duke d'Estrées, defeat the
British at Hastenbeck, opening Hanover and Brunswick to French occupation.
AUGUST 9:
General Montcalm's forces capture Fort William Henry at the southern tip of
Lake George in New York.
AUGUST 10:
Indians serving with Montcalm massacre the British troops captured at Fort
William Henry.
AUGUST 30:
A Russian army defeats a Prussian force at Gross-Jägersdorf but then
surprisingly retreats.
NOVEMBER 5:
Troops of Frederick the Great, spearheaded by cavalry commanded by Gen.
Friedrich Seydlitz, achieve victory over an Allied (Austrian, French, and Russian)
army at Rossbach.
DECEMBER 5:
Although greatly outnumbered, Frederick's army surprises and overwhelms the
Austrians to achieve a stunning victory at Leuthen.
1758 JANUARY 10:
With Frederick occupied elsewhere, a force sent by Empress Elizabeth of Russia
invades East Prussia with the intention of annexing the province.
APRIL 29:
A British fleet commanded by Adm. Sir George Pocock engages a French fleet
commanded by Count Anne-Antoine d'Aché in the Bay of Bengal but with no
decisive outcome.
JULY 8:
The French force under Montcalm, defending Fort Ticonderoga at the northern
end of Lake George, defeats an attacking force of 17,000 British and colonial
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troops, inflicting 2,000 casualties.
JULY 26:
Following a 48-day siege, the French garrison at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia,
surrenders to British forces commanded by Adm. Edward Boscawen and Gen.
Je�rey Amherst. The British capture 6,000 prisoners and raze the Louisbourg
fortress.
AUGUST 1:
Admiral Pocock's fleet again engages the French in the Bay of Bengal, again
with an indecisive outcome, except that the French commander, d'Aché,
decides to sail for the islands of the Indian Ocean.
AUGUST 25:
Frederick's troops engage the invading Russian army at Zorndorf in a ferocious
battle that ends only with the fall of darkness. Both sides sustain horrendous
casualties—the Prussians more than 37 percent of their 36,000-man force and
the Russians 50 percent of their 21,000 troops. During the night, the Russians
begin to fall back toward Landsberg and Königsberg.
AUGUST 27:
A British force led by Col. John Bradstreet captures Fort Frontenac (near
present-day Kingston, Ontario).
SEPTEMBER 8:
Admiral d'Aché's fleet, having returned to the Bay of Bengal, once more
engages in an indecisive battle. The French commander will, however, decide
that the state of his ships obliges him to abandon the e�ort, leaving the British
in control of the bay.
SEPTEMBER 12:
A�er a forced march from Zorndorf, Frederick's army arrives near Dresden,
frightening o� an Allied force, led by Count Leopold von Daun, that had
threatened to destroy a British army commanded by Prince Henry.
SEPTEMBER 14:
French troops at Fort Duquesne, Pennsylvania, crush a small British force of 850
men, led by Maj. James Grant, whom Brig. Gen. John Forbes has sent to
reconnoiter the fort. Grant has made a tactical error in dividing his force, and
the French inflict a heavy toll—killing 270, wounding 40, and taking many
prisoners, including Grant.
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OCTOBER 14:
The Austrian force of 90,000 men led by Daun defeats Frederick's army of 37,000
at Hochkirch; the Prussians withdraw, unpursued by the shaken Austrians.
NOVEMBER 20:
Frederick reoccupies Dresden following a siege by Daun's army, which has
withdrawn to Prina on the news of Frederick's approach.
NOVEMBER 24:
Learning that General Forbes's army has advanced to within 15 miles of Fort
Duquesne, French troops blow up some of the fort's breastworks, set fire to the
buildings, and embark on boats to retreat down the Ohio River.
NOVEMBER 25:
British troops occupy Fort Duquesne. The British immediately build a stockade
and rename the site Fort Pitt (present-day Pittsburgh) in honor of William Pitt.
1759 FEBRUARY 12:
The University of St. Andrews in Scotland awards an honorary doctor of laws
degree to Benjamin Franklin.
MAY 31:
The Pennsylvania assembly enacts a law forbidding play performances,
designating a fine of £500.
JULY 26:
Under threat of a siege by General Amherst's army, the French abandon Fort
Ticonderoga and withdraw to Crown Point, New York.
AUGUST 1:
A Prussian and British force of 45,000, commanded by Prince Ferdinand,
defeats a superior French force of 60,000 at Minden, sending the French into
retreat toward the Rhine, with Ferdinand in pursuit.
AUGUST 12:
Having crossed the Oder River the previous day, Frederick's army of 50,000
becomes lost and divided in thick woods, engages an army of 90,000 Austrian
and Russian troops at Kunersdorf, and su�ers disastrous defeat. Frederick loses
nearly half of his army.
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SEPTEMBER 4:
Deprived of any aid from Frederick following his disastrous defeat at
Kunersdorf, Dresden once again falls to the Austrians.
SEPTEMBER 13:
A British army commanded by Gen. James Wolfe defeats French troops
commanded by General Montcalm in battle on the Plains of Abraham near
Quebec. The British win control of the city, but both commanders die during
the combat.
NOVEMBER 20:
In the Quiberon Bay o� of Brittany, a British fleet, commanded by Adm. Sir
Edward Hawke, engages a French fleet under Hubert de Brienne, count de
Conflans, in a battle fought in the dark, o� a rocky coast, during a severe gale,
and on a lee shore—a unique battle in naval history. Two British ships wreck
upon the rocks, but they manage to capture or destroy five of the French ships,
including Conflans's flagship (the French commander washes ashore on a spar).
The British victory leaves the French navy unable to mount o�ensive actions for
virtually the remainder of the war. It also puts to rest a plan hatched by the
ministry of King Louis XV of France to invade England.
DECEMBER 13:
In Philadelphia, Michael Hillegas opens the first music shop in America.
1760 APRIL 12:
Pennsylvania-born artist Benjamin West, age 21, sets sail from Gloucester,
Massachusetts, aboard the Betty Sally, bound for Italy to pursue his career as a
painter.
JULY 12:
Frederick the Great's army begins to lay siege to Dresden.
JULY 29:
Threatened by a large force commanded by Daun, Frederick abandons the siege
of Dresden and withdraws toward Meissen.
AUGUST 1:
Frederick begins a march into Silesia, summoning a force led by Prince Henry to
join him.
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AUGUST 7:
As Colonel Montgomery's expedition, sent to relieve Fort Loudon, Tennessee,
has been defeated by the Indians and forced to return to South Carolina, a force
of Cherokee captures the fort. Captain Demere surrenders his troops under
condition that they be allowed to withdraw freely.
AUGUST 10:
Cherokee kill Demere's troops as they are retreating toward Fort Prince George
in South Carolina.
AUGUST 17:
Frederick reaches Breslau following a harrowing march to Liegnitz, his and
Prince Henry's combined force having been virtually surrounded en route by
superior Austrian and Russian armies and having successfully engaged the
Austrians as he marched. Frederick has duped the Russians into believing that
he inflicted total defeat on the Austrians, so the Russians begin a withdrawal
from the area.
OCTOBER 9:
A combined force of Cossacks, Austrians, and segments of the Empire Army
captures Berlin.
OCTOBER 11:
Learning that Frederick's army is approaching Berlin, the occupiers abandon
the city.
OCTOBER 25:
King George II dies in London. He is succeeded by his grandson George III.
NOVEMBER 3:
Following an especially bloody engagement that rages into the darkness of
night, Frederick forces the Austrians to withdraw from positions around Torgau,
but at terrible cost—30 percent of his force. Both sides are le� so depleted that
they will be incapable of confronting each other in any meaningful engagement
for many months.
NOVEMBER 29:
An American militia force commanded by Maj. Robert Rogers occupies Detroit,
accepting the surrender of the French commander Beletre.
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1761 FEBRUARY 24:
Speaking before the Massachusetts Supreme Court, James Otis delivers a
strong political statement opposing English rule in America—the first such
public statement of its kind in the colonies.
AUGUST:
Louis XV of France and Charles III of Spain enter into a "family compact"
obligating Spain to declare war on Great Britain if France has not obtained a
peace settlement by May 1, 1762.
SEPTEMBER 30:
The Moro Castle citadel, Cuba, besieged by troops and ships commanded by
Adm. Sir George Pocock, surrenders to the British.
OCTOBER 5:
Opposed by George III and dismayed by the government's refusal to declare
war on Spain, William Pitt resigns.
OCTOBER 10:
Havana surrenders to the British.
1762 JANUARY 5:
Empress Elizabeth, the czarina of Russia, dies. The throne passes to Peter III,
who immediately proposes bringing the war with Prussia to a peaceful
conclusion.
MARCH 16:
Prussian and Russian o�icials sign an armistice agreement.
APRIL 30:
Oxford University confers an honorary doctor of civil law degree on Benjamin
Franklin; his son William receives a master of arts degree during the same
ceremony.
JULY 9:
Totally alienated from her husband, Czar Peter III, and assisted by her lover,
Gen. Grigory Orlov, Catherine II (the Great) proclaims herself empress of Russia
and acquiesces in her husband's assassination.
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OCTOBER 29:
Prince Henry, with the support of Major General Seydlitz's cavalry, wins victory
over the Empire Army at Freiberg.
NOVEMBER 1:
Benjamin Franklin arrives in Philadelphia from England.
NOVEMBER 2:
Representatives of the warring nations meeting in Paris sign a preliminary dra�
of a peace agreement.
1763 FEBRUARY 10:
Negotiators meeting in Paris, France, complete the Treaty of Paris, concluding
the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War). By the terms of the treaty, France
cedes her territories in North America to Great Britain. By a separate treaty,
Spain receives control of New Orleans and lands west of the Mississippi, with
Great Britain acquiring control of the Floridas from Spain in exchange for
restoring control of Cuba and the Philippine Islands to Spain. France is allowed
to retain stations in India and on the slave coast of Africa, and the islands of
Guadeloupe and Martinique in the West Indies are returned to her. But because
France is not allowed to fortify its stations in India, Britain gains the ascendancy
on the subcontinent.
APRIL 27:
At a meeting of representatives from the Algonquian tribes near Detroit,
Pontiac—chief of the Ottawa and leader of the loose confederation among the
Ottawa, Ojibway, and Potawatomi—outlines his plans to stage simultaneous
attacks on the British frontier forts during May. Pontiac's cohorts abhor English
encroachments on Indian lands and exclusion of Indians from English forts.
This is contrary to French practice; and French traders and hunters have
encouraged the uprising.
MAY 7:
Pontiac leads Ottawa and other Indians in an attack on the fort at Detroit.
Failing to take the fort, the Indians begin to lay siege to it. The raid marks the
beginning of Pontiac's Rebellion (also known as Pontiac's War or, in England, as
Pontiac's Conspiracy).
MAY 16:
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The Wyandot (Huron) in Pontiac's Rebellion capture Fort Sandusky (now
Sandusky, Ohio).
MAY 25:
The Indians capture Fort St. Joseph (now Niles, Michigan).
MAY 27:
The Indians capture Fort Miami (later Fort Wayne).
JUNE 2:
Two huge teams of Indians stage a game of lacrosse outside Fort
Michilimackinak in Michigan—a subterfuge that draws British soldiers out of the
fort to watch. Suddenly, the Indians arm themselves with weapons they had
concealed. They massacre the soldiers, slaughter the fort's occupants, and raze
the fort.
JUNE 22:
Indians involved in Pontiac's Rebellion unsuccessfully attack Fort Pitt.
JULY 27:
Indians begin a siege of Fort Pitt.
JULY 31:
At the Battle of Bloody Run, Pontiac achieves victory over a British force that is
attempting to li� the siege of Fort Pitt.
AUGUST 5:
British troops, commanded by Col. Henry Bouquet, defeat an Indian force at
the Battle of Bushy Run, freeing Bouquet to march to the relief of Fort Pitt (now
Pittsburgh).
AUGUST 21:
American artist Benjamin West arrives in London.
OCTOBER 7:
Concerned over Pontiac's Rebellion, continuing Indian attacks, and land
speculators demanding grants on the trans-Appalachian frontier, George III
signs the Proclamation of 1763, which forbids settlers from crossing the
Appalachian divide, a western boundary of the thirteen colonies defined by the
proclamation, and also outlaws land purchases west of the divide. The
proclamation also establishes three new colonies—Quebec, East Florida, and
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