num_pages: 144
description: The Final Significant Clashes of the Revolutionary War in the NorthBy the spring of 1780 American fortunes were at a low point. Charleston South Carolina fell to British forces on May 12. At Morristown New Jersey George Washingtons army struggled to recover from the worst winter of the entire war. The national economy failing his troops short of supplies and on the verge of mutiny Washington prepared for an all-out assault on British-occupied New York City with the support of approaching French naval and land forces under General Rochambeau. The planned attack was a gamble born of desperation. Washington felt he had to risk it or face certain defeat. In New York City German General Wilhelm von Knyphausen sensed opportunity. Commanding there in the absence of British General Henry Clinton who was on his way back from Charleston Knyphausen hoped that a quick strike into New Jersey could deliver a staggering blow to Washingtons weakened army. The June 78 Battle of Connecticut Farms however found American militia and Continentalsmostly soldiers of General William Maxwells New Jersey Brigadeto be shockingly stalwart. In a series of sharp engagements fought hard on both sides the Americans convinced Knyphausen to turn back. Clinton fresh from his victory in the South tried again on June 23 to end the war. His advance into New Jersey intended to draw Washington into the open and perhaps capture Morristown culminated in the Battle of Springfield. Once again though Washingtons hardened soldiers led by men like Colonel Israel Angell Colonel Elias Dayton and Major Light Horse Harry Lee fought Clintons forces to a standstill. The Battles for Connecticut Farms and Springfield 1780  by distinguished historian Edward G. Lengel chronicles these two important battles that marked a turning of the tide in the Revolutionary War. Drawing on newly available primary sources the author presents a fresh and engaging interpretation of these events which exposed King George IIIs declining military fortunes in North America even as they revealed the resilience of George Washingtons army.The Small Battles Military History as Local HistoryMark Edward Lender and James Kirby Martin Series EditorsSmall Battles offers a fresh and important new perspective on the story of Americas early conflicts. It was the small battles not the clash of major armies that truly defined the fighting during the colonial wars the American Revolution the War of 1812 and the hostilities on the frontiers. This is dramatic military history as seen through the prism of local historyhistory with a depth of detail a feeling for place people and the impact of battle and its consequences that the story of major battles often cannot convey. The Small Battles Series focuses on Americas military conflicts at their most intimate and revealing level.
language: English
title: The Battles of Connecticut Farms and Springfield, 1780
publisher: Westholme Publishing