| May
10 |
Eighty-three
"Green Mountain Boys," led by Colonels
Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, capture Fort
Ticonderoga. The British soldiers, and two
officers, Captain William Delaplace and Lieutenant
Jocelyn Feltham, were asleep. It was an easy
victory for the Continental Army without a
single shot fired. |
| July
13 |
The Continental Congress
addressed the Six Nations of the Iroquois,
asking for their cooperation in the struggle
against the British. |
| July
17 |
Guy Johnson arrived at
Oswego and called the Iroquois there for a
council, attempting to lure them to the British
side in the Colonial conflict. |
| August |
With the threat of an attack
by HMS Asia imminent, New York residents evacuate
the city. |
| August |
The New York Provincial
Congress alerted the Pennsylvania Committee
of Safety to the danger of war and requested
they keep their militia ready to come to New
York's aid. |
| August
19 |
British man-of-war Asia
fired on the "Battery" in New York
City. |
| April |
Washington began to move
troops to New York City to defend the city
from the British. |
| May
1 |
General Benedict Arnold,
seeing that the siege of Montreal he was engaged
in was futile, began to move his troops down
to the Lake Champlain region. |
| June
27 |
Thomas Hickey, one of George
Washington's guards, was hanged in New York
City for plotting to kidnap Washington and
turn him over to the British. Hickey was the
first person executed by the U. S. Army. |
| June
29 |
A British Fleet, containing
General Howe and his brother, Vice Admiral
Richard Howe, arrived off Staten Island, in
New York Bay. |
| July
2 |
Twelve colonies, New York
abstaining, voted to support Richard Henry
Lee's resolution for independence, in Philadelphia,
PA |
| July
3 |
The British army under
general William Howe landed at Staten Island. |
| July
9 |
New York Provincial Congress
voted to endorse the Declaration of Independence. |
| July
12 |
Vice Admiral Howe arrived
off Staten Island with 150 transports of reinforcements,
raising the total area British forces to 32,000. |
| August
1 |
Sir Henry Clinton's forces
joined those of General Howe on Staten Island
after arriving from Charles Town, SC. |
| Augsut
22 |
General Howe moved 20,000
troops from Staten Island to Brooklyn |
| August
27 |
To protect New York City
and the lower Hudson Valley from the British
on Staten Island, General Washington sent
troops to defend Brooklyn Heights, on Long
Island. The battle that resulted became known
as the battle of Long Island. The British
under Sir William Howe laid siege. |
| August
30 |
Washington, seeing the
position in Brooklyn was hopeless, evacuated
his army to Manhattan. |
| September
11 |
A peace conference was
held at the Tottenville home of Loyalist Colonel
Thomas Billopp, on Staten Island. General
Howe demanded the Declaration be revoked,
the American commissioners present, John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin and John Rutledge, refused
Howe's demand. |
| September
12 |
Washington, upon the advice
of his Council of War, and with permission
from Congress, decided to evacuate New York
City. |
| September
15 |
13,000 British landed at
Kips Bay and occupied lower Manhattan Island. |
| September
16 |
British repulsed at the
Battle of Harlem Heights when Wasington ordered
an attack. Although it was a minor engagement,
it showed the American troops that they could
win in battle. |
| September
21 |
Fire swept New York City. |
| September
22 |
Nathan Hale hanged as a
spy by the British, in New York City. |
| October
5 |
British warships, including
Phoenix and Roebuck, forced their way up the
Hudson, past the defenses at Fort Lee, New
Jersey and Fort Washington, New York. |
| October
11 |
After constructing a fleet
manned by 820 men, American General Benedict
Arnold stopped General Guy Carleton's naval
invasion off Valcour Island on Lake Champlain.
Half of Arnold's fleet was lost. This battle
made clear that no army could invade either
the United States or Canada unless its navy
controlled Lake Champlain. |
| October
28 |
General Howe's army of
8,000 British, and 5,000 Germans, led by General
Knyphausen, was challenged by General George
Washington's army at the Battle of White Plains.
Howe was forced to withdraw his army to New
York City. Washington withdrew to North Castle. |
| November
1 |
Battle for White Plains
concludes with fighting from Miller Hill,
forcing the Continental forces to withdraw
across the Hudson. |
| November
1 |
U. S. troops burned barns
in White Plains. Washington ordered their
commander court martialed. |
| November
16 |
General Howe and 13,000
troops captured 2,818 Americans, under Colonel
Robert Magaw at Fort Washington on Manhattan
Island. |
| November
18 |
Washington abandons New
York, and retreats to New Jersey. |
| November
20 |
The British capture Fort
Lee, New Jersey. The Americans at Fort Lee
barely escaped and were forced to leave behind
their store of provisions, ammunition, and
weapons. |
| November
26 |
New York's Committee of
Safety met at Fishkill and decided to build
a chevaux de frise across the Hudson River
from Pollopel's Island to Plum Point to deny
British vessels access to the northern portions
of the Hudson River. |
| January
3 |
The Continental Army, under
General Washington, won the battle of Princeton,
New Jersey, against 1,200 British. |
| Jaunary
7 |
The Committee of Safety
ordered that British prisoners of war be put
to work on a chain across the Hudson River
at Fort Montgomery to halt British ships. |
| February
28 |
British General John Burgoyne
met with Lord George Germain in London and
presented his plan for an expedition on American
forces in New York. |
| March
22-23 |
A British detachment raided
the Continental supply depot at Peekskill,
NY. The 3rd New York Regiment repulsed the
invaders. However, serious damage was inflicted
to the depot. |
| April
20 |
A state convention, held
in Kingston, formally created the State of
New York and approved a State Constitution
drafted by John Jay. |
| April
26 |
Sixteen-year-old Sybil
Ludington rode 40 miles through Putnam County
warning militia men of Colonel Ludington's
regiment that the British were on their way
to Danbury, CT. |
| June
1 |
General John Burgoyne
began his invasion of New York, from Montreal,
to seize the Hudson River Valley, and separate
New England from the rest of the colonies. |
| June
30 |
Burgoyne beseiges Fort
Ticonderoga. |
| July
5 |
Colonial forces abandon
Fort Ticonderoga. |
| July
6 |
Burgoyne leads the British
into Ticonderoga, capturing important American
supplies. |
| July
7 |
Burgoyne captures Skenesborough. |
| July
23 |
General Howe sails from
New York to capture Philadelphia. |
| July
27 |
Indians allied with Burgoyne
murder Jane McCrea, the daughter of a Presbyterian
minister, and the fiance of David Jones, a
Tory and member of Burgoyne's army. |
| July
29 |
Colonial General Philip
Schuyler abandons Fort Edwards and retreats
down the Hudson River Valley. |
| July
30 |
George Clinton sworn in
as New York's First Governor. |
| August
1 |
Burgoyne reaches the Hudson
River and takes Fort Edward. |
| August
3 |
British Lieutenant Colonel
Barry St. Leger besieges Fort Stanwix in the
Mohawk Valley. |
| August
4 |
Colonial General Nicholas
Herkimer gathers the Tryon County militia
at Fort Dayton and set out to relieve Fort
Stanwix. |
| August
6 |
In what later became known
as the Battle of Oriskany, Colonial General
Herkimer commanding 800 militiamen marching
to the relief of Fort Stanwix is ambushed
by a group of Indians and Loyalists led by
Joseph Brant. Herkimer is badly wounded and
later dies from his injuries. The battle action
checks the loyalist forces who later abandon
the seige of Stanwix. |
| August
16 |
A column of Hessians under
Col. Friedrich Baum, sent by Gen. Burgyone
to raid Bennington Vermont, were ambushed
by troops including the Green Mountain Boys,
under Gen. John Stark at Hoosick in Rensselaer
County. The Hessians, after the defeat, were
reinforced by troops under Col. Heinrich von
Breymann. They were also defeated by Stark,
who had been reinforced by Col. Seth Warner's
regiment. |
| August
22 |
General Benedict Arnold
arrived at Fort Stanwix with reinforcements.
St. Leger ended his siege and returned to
Canada. |
| September
10 |
The first New York State
legislature met in Kingston. |
| September
19 |
The First Battle of Saratoga,
(The First Battle of Freeman's Farm). Continentals,
and militia, under General Horatio Gates tried
to turn back General John Burgoyne's advance
at Freeman's Farm. The British held the field
at the end of the day, even after meeting
heavy resistance from Gen. Benedict Arnold. |
| October
6 |
General Sir Henry Clinton
attacked the Hudson Highlands in order to
relieve General Burgoyne in northern New York.
Clinton, along with British, Loyalist and
Hessian troops overran the forts Clinton and
Montgomery, under the command of Generals
James and George Clinton. Although Sir Henry
Clinton was successful in taking the Forts,
the battles prevent him from ever meeting
Burgoyne. |
| October
7 |
At the second battle of
Saratoga (Freeman's Farm) General John Burgoyne
attacked General Horatio Gates superior force,
and was defeated |
| October
13 |
British burned Kingston. |
| October
16 |
The British, under the
command of Sir General Henry Clinton ,burned
Esopus and sailed for New York City. |
| October
17 |
British General Burgoyne
surrenders to American General Horatio Gates
at Saratoga. |
| January |
The New York State legislature
convened in Poughkeepsie at the Van Kleeck
House. The Legislature acted to strengthen
the powers of the state and to ratify the
Articles of Confederation. |
| January |
Benedict Arnold is released
from an Albany hospital after having been
wounded in the leg, at the battle of Saratoga. |
| January
28 |
West Point occupied by
the Continental Army from Fort Constitution. |
| February
6 |
New York State approves
the Articles of Confederation. |
| April
30 |
American Captain Thomas
Machin supervises the placing of "The
Great Chain" across the Hudson River
from Constitution Island to West Point. |
| June
1 |
Mohawk war chief, Joseph
Brant, raids and burns Cobleskill. |
| June
18 |
General Sir Henry Clinton's
forces evacuated Philadelphia and began marching
to New York. |
| June
28 |
Continental forces, under
Gen. Charles Lee (who was charged with "bungling"
the battle, and later court martialed) were
defeated, at the battle of Monmouth, New Jersey
by General Sir Henry Clinton. |
| July
5 |
General Sir Henry Clinton's
forces embark in barges from New Jersey's
Sandy Hook, heading for New York City. |
| July
8 |
Washington sets up headquarters
at West Point. |
| July
9 |
Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia
and South Carolina, sign the Articles of Confederation
in Philadelphia. |
| November
11 |
Captain Walter Butler,
Chief Joseph Brant, 500 Iroquois, and 200
Rangers raided the Cherry Valley. Thirty-two
civilians, including women and children, were
killed. Sixteen soldiers, of the 7th Massachusetts
regiment, along with their commander, Colonel
Ichabod Allen, also died. |
| December
10 |
John Jay, of New York,
elected President of the Continental Congress. |
| May |
General Benedict Arnold
begins communication with the British to turn
over West Point. |
| June
1 |
British troops under General
Sir Henry Clinton capture two uncompleted
American forts at Stony Point and Verplanck's
Point. |
| July
15 |
Continental General Anthony
Wayne's light infantry of 1200 men, using
only bayonets, captured Stony Point, and 600
British. |
| February
3 |
250 Americans, under Lieutenant
Colonel Joseph Thompson, lost the Battle at
Four Corners, in Westchester County, NY, to
600 British, Germans and Loyalists, under
Colonel Norton. |
| May |
Rochambeau and his forces
depart Brest, France for North America. |
| July
10 |
French General Rochambeau
& 6,000 French troops arrives at Newport,
Rhode Island. |
| September
21 |
General Arnolds meets with
Major John Andre and hands over plans to West
Point. |
| September
22 |
General Arnold flees West
Point & Major Andre is captured at Tarrytown. |
| September
29 |
Major Andre is tried as
a spy in Tappan and found guilty. |
| October
2 |
Major Andre hanged in Tappan. |
| August
14 |
Washington & Rochambeau
have final meeting to finalize plans for the
Seige of Yorktown after learning the French
Fleet is sailing for the Chesapeake |
| August
21 |
Washington, Rochambeau
and their combined forces begin their march
south to Virginia from Westchester County. |
| September
28 |
Washington and Rochambeau,
along with Lafayette's troops and 3,000 of
de Grasse's men, arrived at Yorktown. In all,
there were approximately 17,000 men converging
on Cornwallis' camp. The city was soon surrounded
and under heavy fire. |
| October
14 |
The Franco-American forces
captured two major British redoubts. After
a useless counterattack, Cornwallis offered
to surrender on October 17. On October 19,
the papers were signed and he officially surrendered.
About 7,000 British troops became prisoners
to the American forces. |
| October
17 |
Cornwallis offered to surrender. |
| October
19 |
Papers were signed and
Cornwallis officially surrendered. About 7,000
British troops became prisoners to the American
forces. |
| April |
Returning from victory
at Yorktown, Washington makes headquarters
at Jonathan Hasbrouck's House in Newburgh.
Washington moves his forces to Newburgh and
the surrounding area to keep a check on the
British in New York City and apply continuing
pressure forcing them to the negotiation table. |
| April
15 |
Continental Congress ratified
the Treaty of Paris. |
| May
5 |
Washington receives the
British Commander, Sir Guy Carleton, at the
DeWint House in Rockland County to discuss
the terms of the peace treaty. |
| May
7 |
Sir Guy Carleton receives
Washington aboard his vessel Perserverance
at Tappan on the Hudson River. On this day,
the King’s Navy fired its first salute
to the flag of the United States of America. |
| September
3 |
The Treaty of Paris, formally
ending the war and officially recognizing
American independeice, is signed. |
| November
25 |
British evacuate New York
City. |
