Northern theater of the American Revolutionary War after Saratoga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Northern Theater after 1777
Part of the American Revolutionary War
Destruction of the American Fleet at Penobscot Bay, 14 August 1779, Dominic Serres
Date 1778–1782 Location New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New England Result Tactically Inconclusive Strategic American victory New York remains under British control for the rest of the war Hundreds of Native American villages are burnt down by American troops as retaliation
Belligerents
Great Britain Iroquois Mohawk Seneca Cayuga	United States  France Vermont Republic Iroquois Oneida
Commanders and leaders
Sir Henry Clinton Frederick Haldimand John Butler Walter Butler Sir George Collier Joseph Brant Sayenqueraghta Cornplanter	George Washington John Sullivan James Clinton Jacob Klock Abraham Ten Broeck Thomas Hartley
Strength
4,500	3,000
Casualties and losses
310 Wounded 180 Killed 45 Missing or captured	280 Killed 180 Wounded 300 Missing or captured

The Northern theater of the American Revolutionary War after Saratoga describes the fighting between American and British forces from 1778 to 1782. This part of the American Revolutionary War mainly happened in two areas.

One area was around New York City, which the British controlled. Both sides tried to gain an advantage, leading to several important battles. The second area was a frontier war in Upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania. Here, state militias and some Native American allies fought against Loyalists (Americans who supported the British) and their Native American allies.

A major event on the frontier was the Sullivan Expedition in 1779. General John Sullivan led American troops to push the Iroquois people out of New York. This fighting caused a lot of hardship for Native Americans, turning many into refugees.

Other important events took place in New England. In 1778, American and French forces tried to remove the British from Newport, Rhode Island. This attempt failed when the French fleet left, which hurt the relationship between America and France. In 1779, the British set up a base in Maine. Massachusetts launched the Penobscot Expedition to remove them, but it ended in a huge defeat for the Americans.

The British also raided coastal towns in New England. These raids included attacks on Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1781, the British, led by the American traitor Benedict Arnold, caused a lot of damage to New London, Connecticut in the Battle of Groton Heights.

British Plans After Saratoga

After General John Burgoyne and his army surrendered at the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777, France officially joined the war. France recognized the United States as an independent country and became its military ally. France sent ships and soldiers to help the Americans. They also started military actions in other parts of the world, like the Caribbean.

These changes meant the British had to change their plans. They moved troops and ships away from North America to defend their other colonies. They also had to protect against a possible French invasion of Great Britain itself.

In North America, the British left Philadelphia in 1778. They made New York City their main base for the rest of the war. They then focused on a "southern strategy." This meant they tried to gain control of colonies like Georgia, North, South Carolina, and Virginia. They believed many Loyalists lived there and would support them.

Even though the main fighting moved south, battles and raids still happened in the north. These came from British strongholds in Quebec, New York, Rhode Island, and Nova Scotia.

After the Saratoga defeat, the British started recruiting many American Loyalists and Native allies. They used these forces for raiding parties against American settlements on the frontier. The British also used their strong navy to launch raids along the New England coast.

American Plans After Saratoga

With France joining the war, American military plans expanded. The larger British army still kept the Continental Army on the defensive near Philadelphia and New York. When the British started leaving Philadelphia in early 1778, and a French fleet arrived in July, it opened up new chances for American attacks.

While the main army was busy, local militias and settlers on the northern and western frontiers of New York and Pennsylvania had to deal with attacks. These attacks were carried out by Native Americans and Loyalists organized by the British from their bases in Quebec.

Battles Around New York City

Both sides in the New York area made small attacks and movements. These were meant to keep the other side guessing about their true plans.

In October 1778, General Clinton sent troops to Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. They destroyed American supplies in the Battle of Chestnut Neck. Later, they surprised American soldiers in the Little Egg Harbor massacre. To distract from this raid, Clinton also sent troops into northern New Jersey. During these movements, British soldiers surprised and killed sleeping American dragoons in the Baylor Massacre on September 27.

In May 1779, Clinton captured Stony Point, New York, an important fort on the Hudson River. When he moved some troops from Stony Point for other raids, George Washington planned an attack. On July 16, Anthony Wayne's light infantry stormed and captured the fort in the Battle of Stony Point. Clinton later pulled his forces back to New York. Later in 1779, Light Horse Harry Lee led American troops in a surprise raid on Paulus Hook in New Jersey. This weakened British control in northern New Jersey.

In early 1780, a British attack on an American outpost in Westchester County, New York resulted in many American casualties. The last major action in the New York area was a British attempt to regain control of northern New Jersey in June. They attacked the main Continental Army camp at Morristown. The first British attack was stopped at the Battle of Connecticut Farms on June 7. A second attack on June 23 was also stopped in the Battle of Springfield after tough fighting. These defeats ended British hopes in New Jersey.

On July 21, American forces attacked a Loyalist fort at Bulls Ferry, New Jersey. In the Battle of Bull's Ferry, the Loyalists held out against artillery and American attacks, causing more American casualties than they suffered.

Coastal Raids and Naval Actions

The northern coast did not see much large-scale fighting after 1777. However, the British did carry out several raids against coastal towns in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

When a French fleet arrived off New York in July 1778, it caused a lot of activity. Major General Sullivan was sent to Rhode Island to plan an attack on British-held Newport. The British raided American supply areas and damaged towns on Mount Hope Bay. Sullivan's efforts became part of the first major American-French plan. However, bad weather and poor communication caused problems. French troops arrived but were not used. The Americans fought an undecided battle with British forces in the Battle of Rhode Island as they retreated from Newport.

General Clinton arrived off Newport after the Americans had left. Instead, he ordered raids on New Bedford, Massachusetts and Martha's Vineyard in September. He also ordered a series of raids on the Connecticut coast in 1779. The most damaging raid was against New London, Connecticut in 1781. This attack was led by the American traitor, British General Benedict Arnold.

In the summer of 1778, British planners in London started making plans for a new Loyalist settlement in Penobscot Bay in Maine. An expedition left Halifax, Nova Scotia in May 1779. They set up forts on the east side of the bay. The State of Massachusetts organized an expedition to drive the British out. This Penobscot Expedition ended in disaster. The entire American fleet was destroyed, and nearly half the men were killed, captured, or wounded. It was the worst defeat for an American naval force until the 20th century. The failure was blamed on a lack of clear command between the land and naval forces.

Frontier War

Native American Involvement

After the Saratoga campaign, a brutal frontier war began. Before Burgoyne's campaign, Governor Guy Carleton of Quebec had limited the use of Native Americans in fighting. However, he was ordered to recruit more. He encouraged and funded John Butler at Fort Niagara to do this. Some of these recruits joined Burgoyne, while others joined Barry St. Leger at the Siege of Fort Stanwix in August 1777.

The bloody Battle of Oriskany was fought mainly between Native Americans on the British side and American militia, along with some Oneidas. This battle showed the deep divisions within the Iroquois Confederacy. It marked the start of a civil war among the Iroquois.

Some Iroquois tribes wanted to stay neutral. But strong supporters of war, like the Mohawk leader Joseph Brant, and the efforts of John Butler, convinced many Iroquois to fight for the British. This was especially true for the Senecas and Cayugas. These forces were mainly led by war chiefs like Cornplanter and Sayenqueraghta. Brant also led a group of Mohawks and Loyalists called Brant's Volunteers.

Raids in the Valleys, 1778

These forces carried out destructive raids on settlements in New York and Pennsylvania. These areas included the Mohawk, Susquehanna, Delaware, and upper Hudson River valleys. This period is known as the Burning of the Valleys. The goal of these raids was to destroy farms and crops. This would disrupt supplies for the American forces.

These operations were mainly led by John Butler, his son Walter, or by one of the war chiefs. They received supplies from the British in Quebec and from Loyalist and Native American communities who supported them. These raids sometimes went into what is now Vermont.

Frontier settlers formed militias to defend themselves. They were also supported by some Continental Army regiments based at Fort Schuyler, Cherry Valley, and the Wyoming Valley. These defenses were not always effective at stopping the raiders. However, friendly Oneidas, who sided with the Americans, sometimes warned communities of upcoming attacks.

In 1778, Brant formed a mixed force of Loyalists and Iroquois. He began his frontier raids with an attack on Cobleskill, New York in May 1778. The Senecas operated in the Susquehanna River valley. They drove settlers out of what is now Lycoming County, Pennsylvania. This became known as the Big Runaway. The Butlers and Senecas joined forces in early July to attack the Wyoming Valley. Even though Brant was not there, false stories about terrible acts committed there added to his reputation.

Brant and some of Butler's Rangers joined forces to attack German Flatts in early September. New York authorities responded by destroying the Native American towns of Unadilla and Onaquaga in October. These towns had been used as bases by Brant and the Butlers. Brant, the Butlers, and some Senecas then joined forces for a major attack on Cherry Valley in early November. In this attack, many non-combatants were killed. British forces from the Montreal area also raided communities in the upper Hudson River valley in October.

Sullivan Expedition, 1779

The brutal frontier fighting led the Continental Congress to ask the army to get involved. In 1779, Washington sent General Sullivan on a punitive expedition to stop the Native American attacks. Sullivan and his troops systematically destroyed Iroquois villages. They successfully pushed the Iroquois north into Quebec.

In the only major battle of that expedition, Sullivan's forces defeated those of the Butlers and Brant in the Battle of Newtown. Brant then led raids that specifically targeted the villages of the Oneida and the Tuscarora, who supported the American cause. This destruction of villages on both sides left much of the Iroquois territory empty, as survivors became refugees. However, Sullivan's expedition did not fully stop the frontier attacks. A few months before Sullivan's expedition, American Colonel Van Schaick led over 500 soldiers against the Onondagas, destroying several villages.

Raiding Continues

The Butlers continued to attack New York frontier areas. Brant became more active on the western front. In early April 1782, Anne Hupp defended Miller's Blockhouse against a Shawnee attack for over 24 hours. She was eight months pregnant at the time, and her husband had been killed.

Even after a preliminary peace agreement was made in 1782, Brant tried to continue the war. However, he was forced to stop when the British stopped supplying him.