Today I received an email from a curious reader who wanted to know how many battles took place during the Revolutionary War. The answer was a whole lot more than I expected. Some quick research revealed a list of 202 military actions (worthy of remembrance) from America’s fight for independence. I would be hard-pressed to name more than twenty without looking. Now that I have a compiled list I am shocked at how many engagements took place. It is a testament to the tenacity and fortitude of our ancestors and a sad commentary on the sheer level of death and destruction that was required to birth this nation. Perhaps I will post a more detailed table in the future that annotates which side was the victor.
1774
Powder Alarm – September 1, 1774
1775
Battles of Lexington and Concord – April 19, 1775
Siege of Boston – April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776
Gunpowder Incident – April 20, 1775
Capture of Fort Ticonderoga – May 10, 1775
Battle of Chelsea Creek – May 27–28, 1775
Battle of Machias – June 11–12, 1775
Battle of Bunker Hill – June 17, 1775 (also known as the Battle of Breed's Hill)
Battle of Gloucester, MA – August 8, 1775
Shelling of Stonington – August 30, 1775
Siege of Fort St. Jean – September 17 – November 3, 1775 (also called St. John's)
Burning of Falmouth – October 18, 1775
Battle of Kemp's Landing – November 14, 1775
Battle of Great Bridge – December 9, 1775
Battle of Quebec – December 31, 1775
1776
Burning of Norfolk – January 1, 1776
Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge – February 27, 1776
Battle of the Rice Boats – March 2–3, 1776
Battle of Nassau – March 3–4, 1776
Fortification of Dorchester Heights – March 4, 1776
Battle of Saint-Pierre – March 25, 1776
Battle of Block Island – April 6, 1776
Battle of The Cedars – May 18–27, 1776
Battle of Trois-Rivières – June 8, 1776
Battle of Sullivan's Island – June 28, 1776
Battle of Long Island – August 27, 1776 (also known as the Battle of Brooklyn)
Landing at Kip's Bay – September 15, 1776
Battle of Harlem Heights – September 16, 1776
Battle of Valcour Island – October 11, 1776 (naval battle)
Battle of White Plains – October 28, 1776
Battle of Fort Cumberland – November 10–29, 1776
Battle of Fort Washington – November 16, 1776
Ambush of Geary – December 14, 1776
Battle of Iron Works Hill – December 22–23, 1776 (also known as the Battle of Mount Holly)
Battle of Trenton – December 26, 1776
1777
Second Battle of Trenton – January 2, 1777
Battle of Princeton – January 3, 1777
Battle of Millstone – January 20, 1777
Forage War – Winter 1777
Battle of Bound Brook – April 13, 1777
Battle of Ridgefield – April 27, 1777 (also known as the Danbury Raid)
Battle of Thomas Creek – May 17, 1777
Meigs Raid – May 24, 1777 (also known as the Battle of Sag Harbor)
Battle of Short Hills – June 26, 1777 (also known as the Battle of Metuchen Meetinghouse)
Siege of Fort Ticonderoga – July 5 – 6, 1777
Battle of Hubbardton – July 7, 1777
Battle of Fort Ann – July 8, 1777
Siege of Fort Stanwix – August 2 – 23, 1777
Battle of Oriskany – August 6, 1777
Second Battle of Machias – August 13 – 14, 1777
Battle of Bennington – August 16, 1777
Battle of Staten Island – August 22, 1777
Battle of Setauket – August 22, 1777
First Siege of Fort Henry – September, 1777
Battle of Cooch's Bridge – September 3, 1777
Battle of Brandywine – September 11, 1777
Battle of the Clouds – September 16, 1777
Battle of Saratoga I – September 19, 1777 (also known as the Battle of Freeman's Farm)
Battle of Paoli – September 21, 1777
Battle of Germantown – October 4, 1777
Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery – October 6, 1777
Battle of Saratoga II – October 7, 1777 (also known as the Battle of Bemis Heights)
Battle of Red Bank – October 22, 1777 (also known as the Battle of Fort Mercer)
Bombardment of Fort Mifflin – November 10 – 15, 1777
Battle of Gloucester, NJ – November 25, 1777
Battle of White Marsh – December 5–8, 1777
Battle of Matson's Ford – December 11, 1777
1778
Battle of Quinton's Bridge – March 18, 1778
North Channel Naval Duel – April 24, 1778
Battle of Crooked Billet – May 1, 1778
Battle of Barren Hill – May 20, 1778
Battle of Freetown – May 25, 1778
Battle of Monmouth – June 28, 1778
Battle of Alligator Bridge – June 30, 1778
Wyoming Massacre – July 3, 1778
First Battle of Ushant – July 27, 1778
Siege of Pondicherry – August 21 – October 19, 1778
Battle of Rhode Island – August 29, 1778 (also known as Battle of Newport or Quaker Hill)
Grey's raid – September 5–17, 1778
Siege of Boonesborough – September 7–18, 1778
Baylor Massacre – September 27, 1778
Battle of Chestnut Neck – October 6, 1778
Little Egg Harbor massacre – October 16, 1778
Carleton's Raid – October 24 – November 14, 1778
Cherry Valley Massacre – November 11, 1778
Battle of St. Lucia – December 15, 1778
Capture of Savannah – December 29, 1778
1779
Battle of Beaufort – February 3, 1779 (also known as the Battle of Port Royal Island)
Battle of Kettle Creek – February 14, 1779
Battle of Vincennes – February 23–25, 1779
Battle of Brier Creek – March 3, 1779
Battle of Chillicothe – May, 1779
Chesapeake raid – May 10–24, 1779
Armada of 1779 – June – September, 1779
Battle of Stono Ferry – June 20, 1779
Great Siege of Gibraltar – June 24, 1779 – February 7, 1783
Tryon's raid – July 5–14, 1779
Battle of Grenada – July 6, 1779
Battle of Stony Point – July 16, 1779
Penobscot Expedition – July 24 – August 29, 1779
Battle of Paulus Hook – August 19, 1779
Battle of Newtown – August 29, 1779
Capture of Fort Bute – September 7, 1779
Battle of Lake Pontchartrain – September 10, 1779
Siege of Savannah – September 16 – October 18, 1779
Battle of Baton Rouge – September 20–21, 1779
Battle of Flamborough Head – September 23, 1779
Battle of San Fernando de Omoa – October 16 – November 29, 1779
First Battle of Martinique – December 18, 1779
1780
Battle of Cape St. Vincent – January 16, 1780
Battle of Young's House – February 3, 1780
San Juan Expedition – March – November 1780
Battle of Fort Charlotte – March 2–14, 1780
Siege of Charleston – March 29 – May 12, 1780
Battle of Monck's Corner – April 14, 1780
Second Battle of Martinique – April 17, 1780
Battle of Lenud's Ferry – May 6, 1780
Bird's invasion of Kentucky – May 25 – August, 1780
Battle of St. Louis – May 25, 1780
Battle of Waxhaws – May 29, 1780
Battle of Connecticut Farms – June 7, 1780
Battle of Mobley's Meeting House – June 10?, 1780
Battle of Ramsour's Mill – June 20, 1780
Battle of Springfield, NJ – June 23, 1780
Huck's Defeat – July 12, 1780
Battle of Colson's Mill – July 21, 1780
Battle of Rocky Mount – August 1, 1780
Battle of Hanging Rock – August 6, 1780
Battle of Pekowee – August 8, 1780 (also known as the Battle of Piqua)
Battle of Camden – August 16, 1780
Battle of Fishing Creek – August 18, 1780
Battle of Musgrove Mill – August 18, 1780
Battle of Black Mingo – August 28, 1780
Battle of Wahab's Plantation – September 20, 1780
Battle of Charlotte – September 26, 1780
Battle of Kings Mountain – October 7, 1780
Royalton Raid – October 16, 1780
Battle of Klock's Field – October 19, 1780
La Balme's Defeat – November 5, 1780
Battle of Fishdam Ford – November 9, 1780
Battle of Blackstock's Farm – November 20, 1780
Battle of Fort St. George – November 23, 1780
1781
Battle of Jersey – January 6, 1781
Battle of Mobile – January 7, 1781
Battle of Cowpens – January 17, 1781
Battle of Cowan's Ford – February 1, 1781
Battle of Haw River – February 25, 1781
Battle of Wetzell's Mill – March 6, 1781
Battle of Pensacola – March 9 – May 8, 1781
Battle of Guilford Court House – March 15, 1781
Battle of Cape Henry – March 16, 1781
Siege of Fort Watson – April 15 – 23, 1781
Battle of Porto Praya – April 15, 1781
Battle of Blanford – April 25, 1781 (also known as the Battle of Petersburg)
Battle of Hobkirk's Hill – April 25, 1781 (also known as the Second Battle of Camden)
Battle of Fort Royal – April 29 or 30, 1781
Battle of Fort Motte – May 8–12, 1781
Siege of Augusta – May 22 – June 6, 1781
Siege of Ninety-Six – May 22 – June 19, 1781
Battle of Spencer's Ordinary – June 26, 1781
Francisco's Fight – July, 1781
Battle of Green Spring – July 6, 1781
Naval battle of Louisbourg – July 21, 1781
Battle of Dogger Bank – August 5, 1781
Invasion of Minorca – August 19, 1781 – February 5, 1782
Lochry's Defeat – August 24, 1781
Capture of USS Trumbull – August 29, 1781
Battle of the Chesapeake – September 5, 1781 (naval battle)
Battle of Groton Heights – September 6, 1781 (also known as the Battle of Fort Griswold)
Battle of Eutaw Springs – September 8, 1781
Battle of Lindley's Mill – September 13, 1781
Long Run Massacre – September 13, 1781
Siege of Yorktown – September 28 – October 17, 1781
Battle of Fort Slongo – October 3, 1781
Siege of Negapatam – October 21 – November 11, 1781
Battle of Johnstown – October 25, 1781
Second Battle of Ushant – December 12, 1781
1782
Capture of Trincomalee – January 11, 1782
Battle of St. Kitts – January 25–26, 1782
Battle of Sadras – February 17, 1782
Gnadenhütten massacre – March 8, 1782
Battle of Roatán – March 16, 1782
Battle of Little Mountain – March 22, 1782
Battle of Delaware Bay – April 8, 1782
Battle of the Saintes – April 9–12, 1782
Battle of Providien – April 12, 1782
Battle of the Black River – April 13 – August 23, 1782
Crawford expedition – May 25 – June 12, 1782
Naval battle off Halifax – May 28–29, 1782
Raid on Lunenburg – July 1, 1782
Battle of Negapatam – July 6, 1782
Battle of Piqua – August 8, 1782
Hudson Bay Expedition – August 8, 1782
Siege of Bryan Station – August 15–17, 1782
Battle of Blue Licks – August 19, 1782
Battle of the Combahee River – August 26, 1782
Battle of Trincomalee – August 25 – September 3, 1782
Siege of Fort Henry – September 11–13, 1782
Battle of Cape Spartel – October 20, 1782
1783
Action of 22 January 1783 – January 22, 1783
Battle of Cuddalore – June 20, 1783 (naval battle)
Siege of Cuddalore – June 7–25, 1783 (land siege)
