The name of this June 17, 1775 battle fought during the Siege of Boston is a bit misleading as most of the action took place on the adjacent Breed's Hill. The result was a tactical but costly victory for the British.
Battle of Bunker Hill
Longest single-day battle of the war that was fought on Sep 11, 1777 between the armies of George Washington and William Howe. Decisive British victory resulted in the eventual capture of Philadelphia after two weeks.
Battle of Brandywine
Fought on Lake Champlain on October 11, 1776, it is one of the first naval battles of the revolution and one of the first fought by the US Navy. Benedict Arnold commanded the American fleet most of whose ships were lost including Philadelphia and Spitfire.
Battle of Valcour Island
George Washington's mission for this October 4, 1777 battle fought in the north of Philadelphia was to replicate the success of the Battle of Trenton. Heavy fog caused the columns of his own troops to fire on each other and the attack fizzled away.
Battle of Germantown
September, 1781 defeat of the Royal Navy by the French, only major defeat for the Royal Navy in the 18th and 19th centuries. This strategic result prevented the Royal Navy from aiding the besieged forces of Cornwallis at Yorktown.
Battle of the Chesapeake/ Battle of the Virginia Capes/ Battle of the Capes
January 17, 1781 battle that was a turning point in the American reconquest of South Carolina in which Daniel Morgan defeated Banastre Tarleton.
Battle of Cowpens
Last major action of Washington's winter New Jersey campaign, this Jan 3, 1777 battle was a follow-up to the recent Battle of Trenton.
Battle of Princeton
Biggest battle of the southern theater fought on March 15, 1781 which saw Cornwallis defeat Nathanael Greene but the British lost almost a quarter of their outnumbered forces.
Battle of Guilford Court House
Another British victory in the south following their capture of Charleston in which forces under Cornwallis routed the numerically superior US forces of Horatio Gates north of the namesake South Carolina city on Aug 16, 1780.
Battle of Camden
Engagements of September 19 and October 7, 1777 that marked the end of the namesake campaign with a decisive American victory resulting from the surrender of John Burgoyne's army that invaded from Canada. This victory was instrumental in securing the support of France.
Battles of Saratoga
This August 6, 1777 battle was a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign and saw negligible British presence; it pitted Patriots and allied Oneidas against Loyalists and allied Iroquois.
Battle of Oriskany
The first major battle of the revolution, it is also the biggest in the war in terms of troop deployment. A complete British victory that gave them access to the strategic Port of New York.
Battle of Long Island/ Brooklyn/ Brooklyn Heights
After this April 1775 battle that started the revolution, John Adams said, "The die was cast, the Rubicon passed". Ralph Waldo Emerson described the first shot fired by the American side as the "shot heard round the world" in Concord Hymn.
Battles of Lexington and Concord
A series of American victories along the waterways from Lake Champlain into Canada ended here on December 31, 1775 in what was the first major defeat of the war for the Americans.
Battle of Quebec
Fought on August 16, 1777 in upstate New York about 10 miles from its namesake place in Vermont, it was a significant American victory and is considered one of the turning points of the revolution. John Stark, Seth Warner and members of the Green Mountain Boys decisively defeated a detachment of General John Burgoyne's army.
Battle of Bennington
Last major land battle, this 1781 victory by the combined forces of George Washington, Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette and Comte de Rochambeau over Cornwallis paved the way for peace negotiations and the end of the revolution.
Siege of Yorktown
Last battle of the Philadelphia campaign in which George Washington faced Henry Clinton and was the first battle after Friedrich von Steuben trained troops at Valley Forge the previous winter.
Battle of Monmouth
A pivotal event in the Southern Campaign and called "the war's largest all-American fight", this October 7, 1780 battle fought near a North Carolina town saw the Patriot militia defeat the Loyalist militia and reversed a string of American debacles in the south.
Battle of Kings Mountain
Fought on the morning of December 26, 1776 after George Washington famously crossed the Delaware the previous night. A significant American victory resulted after the capture of the enemy's Hessian troops which boosted the morale of the Continental Army and rekindled their fighting spirit.
Battle of Trenton
A major victory for the British, it was fought between March 29 to May 12, 1780 after they shifted focus to the south following the collapse of their northern strategy in late 1777 and their withdrawal from Philadelphia in 1778.
Siege of Charleston