United States History Chapter 6, Lesson 5

United States History Chapter 6, Lesson 5

The Turning Point of the War

The Turning Point

• The British wanted to isolate New England from the other colonies

• They decided that if they could take New York, that would be the best way for this to happen

• General Howe planned a three-pronged attack in October of 1777

• A three-pronged attack is an attack in three separate places against an enemy

Open Ended

What might be a benefit to attacking three places at once?

The Three-Pronged Attack

• The plan was carefully laid out: General John Burgoyne would march from Canada

• Colonel Barry St. Leger would attack from the west

• General Howe would reinforce from the south

• The British intended to destroy the American army once and for all

Poll

Do you think that the plan was successful?

• Yes

• No

Despite looking good on paper, the plan proved to be a total failure.

The Three-Pronged Attack

• Colonel St. Leger was met with great resistance and could not make much progress

• General Howe did not send reinforcements as planned

• At Saratoga, the Americans were ready for the attack and defeated the British

What happened next?

• The British were stunned that the Americans fought them as hard as they did

• The British expected to take out the Americans very quickly

• The Americans began to gain confidence in themselves

Poll

Which country did Ben Franklin go to to ask for help?

• France

• Germany

• Great Britain

What happened next?

• The Americans continued to ask the French for help, but the french were not interested at first

• They also believed that the Americans were weak

• This changed after the battle of Saratoga, and the French decided that they would help the Americans now

Valley Forge

• Washington's army was battling the British near Philadelphia towards the end of 1777

• Eventually, they had to retreat to Valley Forge and setup for the brutal winter that was coming

• The winter was going to be very tough for both sides

Open Ended

If you had to camp out over the winter like Washington's army did, what are a couple things that you would bring with you?

Valley Forge

• The troops had poor shelter, no warm clothes, small amounts of food, and irregular pay

• Despite the situation, Washington was able to keep his troops together

• The poor conditions kept the British from attacking during the winter, and Washington's army was able to rest and regroup over the winter

What happened after Valley Forge?

• Washington and his army pushed the British out of Pennsylvania and New York

• Britain would not regain control of either of those areas for the rest of the war

• They were able to do this more easily because of the French