The American Revolution, a war against the greatest military superpower of the day, the British, is recounted in this narrative. The rebels, led by General George Washington, face overwhelming odds, including a surprise attack by the British on New York City. Despite this, the rebels, many of whom are inexperienced volunteers, manage to hold their ground.
The British, with their superior forces and war machines, prepare to invade Manhattan. However, the rebels, led by Daniel Morgan and utilizing new and controversial tactics, manage to slow the British advance and eventually force them into a defensive position.
The turning point of the war comes with the surrender of General Burgoyne's army, which persuades Britain's greatest rival, France, to join the war on America's side. This forces the British to fight a war on two fronts - land and sea.
The narrative also highlights the harsh conditions faced by the rebels during the winter at Valley Forge, where the army faces an enemy more lethal than the freezing cold or the British - smallpox. Despite these hardships, the army is transformed into a genuine fighting machine under the leadership of Baron Von Steuben, an ex-Prussian army officer.
The rebels, now backed by French Naval power, are finally ready to face the British on the open battlefield. The war culminates at Yorktown, Virginia, where the American Revolution is brought to a head. Despite facing overwhelming odds, the rebels manage to secure a victory, marking the end of the American Revolution.
1. The text discusses the American Revolution, a war fought by the American colonists against the British.
2. The American rebels were fighting against the greatest military superpower of the day.
3. On June 17, 1776, New York City, a financial capital with a population of 8 million, was preparing to defend against a large British invasion.
4. The British army was led by General George Washington, who had previously driven the British out of Boston.
5. Joseph Plumb Martin, a farm boy who enlisted at 15, was inspired to fight under Washington's command.
6. In June 1776, 45 British warships grouped a few kilometers off Manhattan Island.
7. The British ships were the greatest war machines of their day, built from over 2000-year-old trees and armed with up to 64 heavy cannons.
8. On July 4, 1776, the American delegates ratified a document that would change the world, the American Declaration of Independence.
9. On September 20, 1776, British-occupied New York burned, destroying a quarter of the city.
10. Thousands of rebel prisoners of war were thrown into prison ships in New York Harbor, with the HMS Jersey, nicknamed Hell, being the most notorious.
11. In June 1777, a new British army of 8,000 men headed south from loyalist Canada, led by General John Burgoyne.
12. British Redcoats were trained for open battlefields, but they faced rebel sharpshooters hidden in dense cover.
13. In the second year of the American War of Independence, New York and many parts of the 13 colonies were in British hands.
14. General John Burgoyne's army met the rebels near Saratoga, where the rebels broke the rules of 18th-century warfare and started targeting British officers.
15. By the 17th of October, 1777, General Burgoyne surrendered, marking a turning point in the war.
16. The victory persuaded Britain's greatest rival, France, to join the war on America's side.
17. Washington's army faced an enemy more lethal than the freezing cold or the British: smallpox.
18. Baron Von Steuben, an ex-Prussian army officer, was brought in to reinvent the demoralized rebel army.
19. Von Steuben brought order, discipline, and hygiene to Valley Forge, and he also wrote a training manual that is still used by the US military today.
20. By July 1781, rumors were buzzing in New York that a French fleet had been sighted off Rhode Island and that the British planned to send warships from New York for a surprise attack.