The battles in each distinctive region played an instrumental role in the eventual American victory. The manner with which they were conducted distinguished the nature of the battles from one another. Throughout the course of the war, the goal was to avoid traditional confrontation with the overwhelming British forces. Placing George Washington into the illustrious position of commander of the armies was a wise decision that greatly aided the Americans in defeating the strategy of the British. After the shots rang out in Lexington and Concord, the situation in America was very ambiguous. On one hand, they were going to war with their mother country. But the Loyalists, who still affirmed the belief in the crown and numbered about 1/5 of the people. Their influence on the American policy and desire to prevent further violence was ended with the events of Bunker Hill. America’s victory there, and at Ticonderoga and Crown Point ended all hopes of ending the conflict diplomatically and peacefully.   

            Following the rejection of King George III to peaceful resolution, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense injected into the American people a shock. Taking on the British crown and attacking the inconsistency of being under the control of was a good idea. From these ideas, and the ideas of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness brought forth by Jefferson, ignited the Patriots to act. The war in New England was one of fighting to survive. Going head to head with General Howe proved difficult as they were forced to constantly displace and retreat. Until Trenton, where Washington’s men asserted their prowess, did the Americans make headway. Burgoyne’s invasion of New England was to sever the army and spirit of the Americans. Combined with Howe, they were supposed to break through, but they didn’t. At the Battle of Saratoga, General Horatio Gates defeated Burgoyne’s forces. This decisive battle would prove immensely to be the turning point of the war by stopping the invasion and bringing the French in.

            As the Colonial war became a world war, the battles proceeded south. In the South, the Americans would face defeats at Charleston and Savannah. Cornwallis had them back on their heels, and General Greene was in a very vulnerable position as Cornwallis pushed forward. The combination of the militia and the regular soldiers at Cowpens would have a significance that would remain sound to the dual army. The battles in the Middle Atlantic, would be back and forth. American wins at Germantown and Brandywine would begin the final push toward victory. The combination of Lafayette’s forces and Washington led Cornwallis to Yorktown, where he eventually was forced to surrender, ending the conflict. The effect of the battles from each region of the war brought forth their own distinct contribution to the American effort. Victory could not have been achieved without the progression from New England and the South driving the war into the heart of the nation where the British forces eventually surrendered.

The Southern colonies, the middle colonies, and the New England colonies all experienced the Revolutionary War.  Many people on both the British and on the American sides died.  The British won some battles, and the Americans won some battles.  However, in the end, the American colonists successfully freed themselves from British rule because of every outcome of these battles.          

In the New England area there were many battles fought that contributed to the victory of the colonists.  In 1775, an army led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold was able to capture British garrisons at Ticonderoga and Crown Point in New York.  American troops also captured a huge store of gunpowder and artillery from.  In 1775, American troops were able to kill many British soldiers at the battle of Bunker Hill.  Some believed that if there were more battles like Bunker Hill, then the British would have run out of soldiers very quickly.  In 1776, General Benedict Arnold was able to gain more time by attacking the British at Lake Champlain.  Since the British lost time at this battle, they were not able to follow out their plans of capturing the Hudson River Valley; winter had come and the British were forced to withdraw to Canada.  If Burgoyne, the general of these British troops, was not forced to go back to Canada, he would most likely have had success in capturing the Hudson River Valley.      

            The middle colonies were partly responsible for the idea of pushing for American independence rather than asking the British to reform their methods in dealing with the colonies.  The Philadelphia Congress and Richard Henry Lee of Virginia both wanted to the colonies to become independent states that were not ruled over by the British.  Another contribution made by the middle colonies was that of Thomas Jefferson.  An inhabitant of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of independence.  On July 4, 1776 Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.  In 1776 the British were able to defeat the American colonists at the Battle of Long Island.  General Washington of America was able to escape to Manhattan Island.  However, the British General William Howe did not quickly defeat the troops under Washington.  Howe was a general at the Bunker Hill, and he did not want the same ending to occur again.  Washington was able to escape, and to then go on and capture a thousand Hessians (allies to the British) and to defeat a small British army at Princeton.  Burgoyne, who was previously in the New England area, now was being overwhelmed by American troops near Albany.  On October 17, 1777, Burgoyne was forced to surrender at Saratoga to the American General Horatio Gates.  This surrender was one of the most important events that lead to the independence of America.       

The south had two victories in 1776.  One of these was at Moore’s Creek Bridge.  The American troops were able to defeat a Loyalist army of fifteen hundred.  The second of these was an attack against British fleets that were invading Charleston Harbor.  Between 1780 and 1781, the British tried to first take over the South, and then move northwards.  During these two years, Loyalists fought against patriots.  Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina fell in 1780.  However later on that same year General Nathaniel Greene, an American Quaker, was able to rid most of Georgia and South Carolina of British troops.

The South, the Middle Atlantic States, and New England all contributed to the eventual American victory.  Many battles were fought in these three areas.  Some of these battles ended with the British winning, and some ended with the American colonists winning.   However both outcomes greatly influenced the later outcome of the Revolutionary War.

In New England, General Burgoyne wanted to capture the Hudson River Valley in 1777. His defeat at Saratoga was one of the most important events of the war. When General Howe captured Philadelphia from General Washington, Washington retired at Valley Forge, a strong position twenty miles northwest of Philadelphia. Although his men were frostbitten and hungry, they were made into professionals by the Prussian drillmaster, Baron von Steuben. General Burgoyne and his troops had been moving painstakingly slow and they got stuck north of Albany. After a series of engagements, the British army was trapped. Burgoyne was forced to surrender his entire command at Saratoga. Saratoga was one of the most decisive battles in both American and world history. This victory revived colonial morale and cause, and ensured foreign aid from France.

            In the South, Loyalists were numerous and the British wanted to take advantage. Georgia was overrun and Charleston fell in 1780. War in the Carolinas was intense between Patriots and their Loyalist neighbors. General Nathaniel Greene exhausted General Charles Cornwallis, leaving him in vain pursuit. He lost battles, but won campaigns and succeeded in ridding Georgia and South Carolina of British troops.

          The affects that the American Revolution had on the middle, southern and new English colonies differed greatly.  The amount of tragedy and loss grew and fell accordingly.  This had something to do with the number and magnitude of battles that were held in such areas.  Many initial battles were held in New England, yet as the war progressed, the battles took place nearly everywhere.

The Revolutionary war was fought on many different fronts throughout the United States of America, including the culturally different New England, Middle Atlantic, and Southern sectors of the country.  Each of these sections offered different components to the Revolutionary war, and the outcomes of who won each battle.  The Mid-Atlantic States were known for their outstanding generals and military know-how.  The South was able to provide money and foodstuffs for the soldiers, while the North provided the industrious labor by making guns and manufacturing other weapons for the war effort.

            The British played a huge role in where the war was fought, due to their strategy.  Primarily, they wanted to suppress the Patriots’ rebellions in the North.  This, however, did not work, according to plan.  The British then made a major attack on the Americans in New York in July 1776, (circa the time that the Declaration of Independence was written.)  This fighting led to an American victory in Saratoga in 1777.  The British desperately wanted to eradicate the Northern New England Patriots, who were quite prevalent in the New England area. 

            The Mid-Atlantic States played a key role in the war, as well.  Many great generals hailed from this part of the country, and were invaluable to America’s ability to win the Revolutionary war.  Their counterattack techniques were amazing, considering such a small underdeveloped country was able to defeat the strongest military power in the world at that time.

            The South was possibly the most integral area of where the Revolutionary war was fought.  In the final phases of the war, the British attempted to restrain the South, and in 1778, attempted to acquire territory.  The Southern militia, however, did not allow this, and used guerilla warfare on the British.  Normal people were so willing to overcome the British, that they formed a civilian militia, and decided that they would attempt to overthrow the British monarchy and crown.  The French were also an integral component in the South’s ultimate victory in Yorktown, Virginia in the year 1781.  in 1783, because of severe American pressure, the British relented, and allowed the United States of America to be treated as a separate entity from England, and that they were now free.  This momentous occasion occurred in September of 1783.

            Each section of the United States played a unique role in the ultimate win for the Americans.  This defeat over the British was truly extraordinary, in that it was unheard of for any country, (especially one as small as the United States,) to defeat the largest and most powerful navy and army in the world.  This defeat over the British was truly remarkable.