 to surrender on 19/10/1781, ending the War of Independence.
5/9/1781, Battle of Chesapeake Bay, USA, between British and French fleets. The British with 19 ships were defeated by De Grasse Tilly with 24 ships. The British were prevented from resupplying the troops under Lord Cornwallis, who was under siege in Yorktown.
30/8/1781, A French fleet commanded by De Grasse Tilly arrived in Chesapeake Bay.
6/7/1781, General Cornwallis defeated General Lafayette at Jamestown Road, Virginia.
1/3/1781, The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union were ratified by all US States.
7/10/1780, Battle of Kings Mountain. A force of 900 from North Carolina defeated 900 pro-British militia.
2/10/1780, John Andre (see 23/9/1780) was executed as a spy.
23/9/1780, During the War of American Independence, British agent John Andre, carrying information that Benedict Arnold was about to surrender West Point, was captured by American forces.
16/8/1780, Battle of Camden, South Carolina.
12/5/1780. Charleston, in South Carolina, surrendered with 5,000 American troops to the British under Major Benjamin Lincoln.
2/5/1780. Louis XVI sent 6,000 men to New England to reinforce the American forces against the British. On 11/5/1780 the Americans began negotiating with Spain to get support; France had been pressurising Spain to support the Americans.
23/9/1779. American privateers on the Bonhomme Richard, captained by John Paul Jones, captured the British warship, the Serapis, after a great battle off the English coast at Flamborough Head, Yorkshire.
1/8/1779, Francis Scott Kay, US poet who wrote The Star Spangled Banner, which became the official US national anthem in 1931, was born in Carroll County, Maryland.
12/4/1779. A secret treaty was signed at Aranjuez, whereby Spain agreed to help France in supporting the American rebels against the British. See 16/1/1780.
25/2/1779. American troops recaptured the fort at Vincennes from the British.
29/12/1778. The British captured Savannah, the capital of Georgia.
10/7/1778. In support of the American rebels, France declared war on Britain. In December 1778 Louis XIV issued a loan of 80 million livres; France ran up a large deficit supporting the American rebels.
28/6/1778. The British were defeated by George Washington at the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey.
6/2/1778, France recognised the independence of the United States.
23/12/1777. A plot to overthrow General Washington was discovered and its leader executed.
17/12/1777. Louis XIV recognised the independence of the American colonies. On 6/2/1778 France signed a trade agreement with the United States and entered the war against Britain. This was the result of negotiations by Benjamin Franklin, who was effectively the permanent American ambassador at Versailles.
17/10/1777. At the Battle of Saratoga, American troops under General Horatio Gates defeated British troops under John Burgoyne, during the War of American Independence. The British Army surrendered and signed a Convention that they were to be disarmed and sent back to Britain. This major defeat made Britain evacuate all bases but New York and Rhode Island, and concentrate on gaining support in the southern States. France was encouraged by Saratoga to back the Americans, and their alliance with them in February 1778 escalated a colonial dispute into a clash of European Empires.
7/10/1777, The Battle of Bemis Heights. A preliminary skirmish during the Saratoga Campaign in the US War of Independence.
4/10/1777. George Washington was defeated by the British at Germanstown. George Washington’s attack was foiled by fog, throwing the attacking columns into confusion.
26/9/1777. British troops launched a major offensive and captured Philadelphia.
11/9/1777, At the Battle of Brandywine Creek, British troops under General Howe defeated American forces under George Washington; however they failed to follow up this success.
16/8/1777, The Battle of Bennington, Vermont. Britain defeated by Captain Stark.
14/6/1777, The Stars and Stripes was adopted by Congress as the flag of the USA.
3/1/1777. George Washing