Free Republic

The battles for American independence began more than a year before the historic vote of the Colonies to declare independence from Britain. The British Army, along with their Navy and Marines had occupied Boston since 1768. The following are the battles fought before and after America actually had an official Army, rather than the magnificent "rabble" who accomplished so much, with so little. Below is the flavor of some of the most important battlefields. Happy Birthday America!Battles of Lexington and Concord, April 1775:Britain had a force of 1500, with 73 killed, 174 wounded, and 53 captured. U.S. Colonists had a...

September 16, 2003 When I was a schoolboy we were taught that the American Revolution had occurred because our ancestors were fed up with the tyranny of King George III. They particularly resented being taxed by a government in which they had no vote, and they adopted the slogan “No taxation without representation.” The slightest tax increase drove them to fury. King George was pretty unpopular in England too. What galled the English was that they were taxed to pay for the French and Indian War in America, which was fought to protect the Americans. In A History of the...