It is often said that the war of independence with the English begins April 19, 1775 at the Siege of Boston (Battles of Lexington and Concord), but the first event causing popular reaction to the English invasion began on September 1, 1774 in an event dubbed Powder Alarm incorporating this war for the freedom of the American people .
At the beginning of 1775, the Americans plundered the armories and organized militias; however, the American forces were vastly inferior to the British army, in numbers and quality. Violent actions multiplied against British interests; in a speech given at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia, Patrick Henry demanded "freedom or death." »Automatic Line Return
First clashes in the North (1775)
The first battle between British soldiers and Americans was that of Lexington and Concord a few kilometers west of Boston (April 19, 1775):this first skirmish, the outcome of which was favorable to the insurgents thanks to the intervention of the minutemen, killed 73 British and 49 Americans71 and marked the beginning of guerrilla warfare. On May 10, 1775, the day Fort Ticonderoga was captured by the Americans, the first meeting of the Second Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia. The latter appointed George Washington at the head of the Continental Army on June 15:the general had to organize disparate and undisciplined troops. At the start of the war, there was a lack of money to pay the soldiers and there were many cases of desertion72. However, the Americans were strong in their determination and the distance from the metropolis.
Congress addressed a new appeal to Canada against Great Britain. On July 8, he sent the famous “Olive Branch Petition” to the King of Great Britain, an attempt at conciliation ultimately rejected by George III. The Americans besieged Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) and lost the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775:the British remained in control of the city but suffered heavy losses. They eventually withdrew to Nova Scotia on March 17, 1776. American troops invaded Canada and occupied Montreal (November 13, 1775):but faced with the Canadian winter and the resistance of the population, the Americans withdrew to the end of the year.