To help you place the stories on this website in context with the rest of the American Revolution, this timeline lists all significant war-related events from the first British act directed at the colonies through the treaty ending the war. Please note:
- Red rows show North Carolina events, as indicated in the “L” column (for “Location”).
- Blue happened elsewhere in today’s United States or the world (W); states listed are the modern locations.
- The year-long concentration of red starting in Fall 1780 illustrates that N.C. was the primary theater of the war during that time.
| Date | L | Name | Description |
| 3/24/1765 | W | Stamp Act passed | British Parliament places a tax on paper in North America |
| 11/16/1765 | NC | Stamp Act protest | Protestors force Wilmington tax collector to resign |
| 2/19/1766 | NC | Sons of Liberty confront Tryon | Protestors confront Royal Gov. Tryon on the Stamp Act in Brunswick Town |
| 3/18/1766 | W | Stamp Act repealed | British Parliament bows to ongoing protests to remove the tax on paper |
| 4/28/1768 | NC | Anson Regulators Protest Paper | First complaint about taxation without representation sent to British |
| 11/2/1769 | NC | Assembly blocks imports | Provincial Assembly meets against governor’s orders to block British imports |
| 3/5/1770 | MA | “Boston Massacre” | British troops fire in self-defense on a civilian mob |
| 9/24/1770 | NC | Regulators in Hillsborough | 500 Regulators interrupt court proceedings and attack corrupt officials |
| 5/16/1771 | NC | Battle of Alamance | Royal Gov. William Tryon’s militia army ends the Regulators War |
| 6/4/1771 | NC | Tryon’s army in Bethabara | After defeating the Regulators, the royal governor’s army camps |
| 12/16/1773 | MA | Boston Tea Party | Sons of Liberty dump tea to protest the tax placed on it |
| 5/20/1774 | W | Coercive (“Intolerable”) Acts | King George III approves four laws to punish Boston |
| 6/1/1774 | MA | Blockade of Boston | British Navy blockades Boston Harbor per Coercive Act |
| 8/8/1774 | NC | Rowan Resolves | Rowan County petition is first in N.C. to support Mass. vs. British |
| 8/25/1774 | NC | First Provincial Congress | Delegates meet illegally in New Bern to elect Continental Congress reps |
| 9/5/1774 | PA | First Continental Congress opens | Colony delegates meet in Philadelphia to coordinate response to British actions |
| 10/25/1774 | NC | Edenton Tea Party | The ladies of Edenton tell the king they will not buy English tea or cloth |
| 3/23/1775 | VA | Patrick Henry speech | Henry delivers his “give me liberty, or give me death” speech in Richmond |
| 4/19/1775 | MA | Lexington & Concord | Volunteer soldiers drive off British army after it destroys war supplies |
| 5/10/1775 | NY | Battle of Fort Ticonderoga | Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys capture a Lake Champlain fort |
| 5/31/1775 | NC | Mecklenburg Resolves | Mecklenburg petition recognizes Provincial Congress authority vs. the royal government |
| 6/2/1775 | NC | Governor escapes to Ft. Johnston | Royal Gov. Josiah Martin takes refuge from Patriot militia |
| 6/17/1775 | MA | Battle of Bunker Hill | British capture heights north of Boston |
| 6/20/1775 | NC | Liberty Point Resolves | Cumberland County petition against British use of force drafted |
| 7/19/1775 | NC | Burning of Ft. Johnston | Patriot militia burn Fort Johnston to block British use |
| 8/14/1775 | NC | Tryon Resolves | Tryon County petition against British use of force signed |
| 11/28/1775 | W | Montréal (Canada) occupied | An American rebel army takes Montréal without a fight |
| 12/11/1775 | VA | Norfolk falls | Patriot militia from NC and VA drive out Loyalists and burn the town |
| 12/31/1775 | W | Battle of Québec (Canada) | An assault by a Continental army fails, and it begins a siege |
| 1/16/1776 | PA | Morristown camp | George Washington’s army camps for the winter |
| 1/28/1776 | NC | British fail to get past Wilmington | Two warships try to bypass the town but are foiled by militia |
| 2/27/1776 | NC | Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge | Patriots destroy a Tory army, preventing a British invasion |
| 3/2–3/1776 | GA | Battle of the Rice Boats | British capture food supplies at Savannah for Boston troops, leave with royal governor |
| 3/3/1776 | W | Raid on Nassau, Bahamas | American marine action captures much-needed military supplies |
| 3/14/1776 | NC | British army arrives | Army arrives at Fort Johnston from New York on 20 ships |
| 3/17/1776 | MA | Siege of Boston ends | The British leave after months of siege by George Washington’s army |
| 4/6/1776 | NC | Raid on Brunswick Town | British foragers with naval support raid the town |
| 4/12/1776 | NC | Halifax Resolves | N.C. becomes the first colony to support independence from England |
| 4/14/1776 | NC | Lilly captures Polly | Privateer captures a merchant ship off Ocracoke, later freed by pilots |
| 5/9/1776 | W | Siege of Québec ends | Americans abandon their four-month siege |
| 5/22/1776 | NC | Salem declares neutrality | Moravians decide they will not pay bounties in lieu of getting drafted |
| 5/29/1776 | NC | British abandon N.C. | The British fleet and army give up the first invasion of N.C., begun on 3/14 |
| 6/1/1776 | NC | Battle of Round Mountain | (Exact day unknown) A Cherokee raiding party is surprised and destroyed |
| 6/28/1776 | SC | Charleston defended | British Navy fails to take Sullivan’s Island outside the city |
| 7/1/1776 | US | Cherokee attacks | A Cherokee faction coordinates attacks on the frontier (VA, NC, SC, GA) |
| 7/4/1776 | PA | Declaration of Independence | Document creating the United States adopted by the Continental Congress |
| 9/1/1776 | NC | Militia depart Davidson’s Fort | Rutherford’s militia army marches out to attack Cherokee towns |
| 9/10/1776 | NC | Militia arrive at Nĭkwăsĭ´ | Detachment of Rutherford’s militia scout the Cherokee town |
| 9/11/1776 | NC | Village of Cowee burned | Patriot militia burn a Cherokee trade center |
| 9/15/1776 | NY | British occupy New York City | After defeating George Washington on Long Island, they force a U.S. retreat |
| 9/19/1776 | NC | Battle of the Black Hole | Cherokees ambush and nearly defeat a South Carolina army |
| 9/22/1776 | NY | Nathan Hale executed | Patriot caught for spying by the British hung on Manhattan |
| 10/11/1776 | NY | Battle of Valcour Island | U.S. Navy fleet on Lake Champlain is largely destroyed, but most of the men escape |
| 11/1/1776 | NC | Burning of Stecoah | Patriot militia scalp two Cherokees and burn their town |
| 12/26/1776 | PA | Crossing of the Delaware | George Washington wins the Battle of Trenton (NJ) over Hessian mercenaries |
| 4/24/1777 | NC | Articles of Confederation ratified | The N.C. General Assembly approves the first U.S. constitution in New Bern |
| 4/27/1777 | CT | Battle of Ridgefield | Militia under Benedict Arnold slow the retreat of British raiders |
| 5/20/1777 | SC | Cherokee treaty | Defeated Cherokees sign Treaty of DeWitt’s Corner ceding land |
| 6/13/1777 | SC | Lafayette arrives | The Marquis lands in Charleston, before heading north to volunteer for the US |
| 8/6/1777 | NY | Battle of Oriskany | Loyalists and Iroquois ambush a Patriot force, block relief of besieged Fort Schuyler |
| 8/16/1777 | VT | Battle of Bennington | American militia defeat British troops |
| 9/11/1777 | PA | Battle of Brandywine | British defeat George Washington’s army |
| 9/19/1777 | NY | Battle of Freeman’s Farm | British win the war’s longest battle on land, but suffer 600 casualties |
| 9/21/1777 | PA | Battle of Paoli | British surprise a Continental camp with a 1 a.m. bayonet charge some term a “massacre” |
| 9/26/1777 | PA | British occupy Philadelphia | Army from New York takes over the city where the Continental Congress met |
| 10/27/1777 | NY | Battle of Saratoga | Continentals under Horatio Gates force British Gen. Burgoyne to surrender |
| 12/19/1777 | PA | Valley Forge camp | George Washington’s army camps for the winter in difficult conditions |
| 3/7/1778 | W | Loss of the U.S.S. Randolph | During a battle with a British ship, the Randolph explodes off Barbados |
| 4/19/1778 | GA | Frederica Naval Action | Three Georgia galleys and Continental troops capture 3 of 4 British ships |
| 6/18/1778 | PA | British leave Philadelphia | Army returns to New York City |
| 6/28/1778 | NJ | Battle of Monmouth Court House | Washington’s army attacks British rear guard and battle ends in draw |
| 7/3/1778 | PA | Battle of Wyoming | Patriot militia attacking a fort are massacred by Native allies of the British |
| 7/10/1778 | W | France enters the war | Already allied to the Patriots, French King Louis XVI declares war on England |
| 8/8/1778 | RI | Siege of Newport | Americans and French attack naval port in Rhode Island after siege, are defeated |
| 8/21/1778 | W | Siege of Pondicherry (India) | British begin siege of French colony, ending in victory 10 weeks later |
| 9/17/1778 | KY | Siege of Boonesborough | Native American and British force breaks off attack on fort after eight days |
| 11/11/1778 | NY | Cherry Valley Massacre | Native allies of Britain destroy town and kill soldiers, citizens |
| 12/29/1778 | GA | Battle of Savannah | British take the city in their first step to quell rebellion in the southern colonies |
| 2/3/1779 | SC | Battle of Beaufort | Continental force drives British from island where the Redcoats hoped to create a base |
| 2/14/1779 | SC | Battle of Kettle Creek | Whig militia break up a much larger Tory force trying to join the British in Georgia |
| 2/24/1779 | IN | Fort Vincennes | Americans under George Rogers Clark capture British fort in the Northwest |
| 7/31/1779 | NY | Sullivan Expedition | Continental campaign to punish the Six Nations departs, will destroy 40 villages |
| 8/14/1779 | ME | Penobscot Expedition | A Patriot militia land-and-sea siege against Castine fails badly, with 28 ships lost |
| 9/21/1779 | LA | Battle of Baton Rouge | Spanish and Native troops force a British surrender in West Florida |
| 9/23/1779 | W | Bonhomme Richard vs. Serapis | Continental Capt. John Paul Jones declares “I have not yet begun to fight” and wins |
| 10/9/1779 | GA | Siege of Savannah fails | Americans are defeated, giving control over Georgia to British |
| 12/1/1779 | PA | Morristown camp #2 | George Washington’s army camps there again, for the worst winter of the war |
| 4/17/1780 | W | Battle of Martinique | British and French fleets fight to a draw with heavy casualties |
| 5/12/1780 | SC | Fall of Charleston | British capture the city |
| 6/7/1780 | NJ | Battle of Connecticut Farms | Continental brigade and militia fend off a British drive toward George Washington’s camp |
| 6/20/1780 | NC | Battle of Ramsour’s Mill | Outnumbered Patriots destroy a Loyalist army the British badly needed |
| 6/23/1780 | NJ | Battle of Springfield | British fail to take a mountain gap leading to the Continental camp, give up N.J. operations |
| 7/11/1780 | RI | French troops arrive | The first French troops land in Newport |
| 7/18/1780 | NC | Continentals at Wilcox’s Iron Works | Continental Army units arrive, too late to save Charleston, S.C. |
| 7/21/1780 | NC | Battle of Colson’s Mill | Patriot militia defeat a larger Tory force despite a serious wound to their colonel |
| 8/8/1780 | OH | Battle of Piqua | 1,000 Patriots defeat 300 Shawnees, but suffer heavy losses |
| 8/9/1780 | W | Action of 9 August 1780 | A Spanish/French fleet of 37 ships captures 55 British cargo ships off Portugal |
| 8/16/1780 | SC | Battle of Camden | British under Lord Cornwallis crush the Continental army under Horatio Gates |
| 9/7/1780 | NC | Ferguson arrives in Gilbert Town | Becomes base for the British raids that anger the Overmountain Men |
| 9/12/1780 | NC | Battle of Cane Creek | Patriot militia ambush the army of Maj. Patrick Ferguson, are driven off |
| 9/12/1780 | GA | Siege of Augusta | British, helped by Cherokees, fend off Patriot militia after four days |
| 9/23/1780 | NY | Benedict Arnold defects | Plans to surrender West Point to British exposed, Arnold flees |
| 9/26/1780 | NC | Battle of Charlotte | British overwhelm stiff militia resistance |
| 9/30/1780 | NC | Quaker Meadows rendezvous | The Overmountain Men reunite and join with eastern units |
| 10/3/1780 | NC | Battle of the Bees | Patriots drive off a British foraging party |
| 10/7/1780 | SC | Battle of King’s Mountain | Patriot militia destroy a Loyalist army under British Maj. Patrick Ferguson |
| 10/14/1780 | NC | Battle of Shallow Ford | Patriots break up a Tory force trying to join Cornwallis |
| 10/14/1780 | NC | Hangings at Bickerstaff’s Old Fields | An impromptu court martial results in 9 hangings of Loyalists |
| 1/1/1781 | NJ | Pennsylvania Line Mutiny | 1,500 Continental soldiers revolt over pay, supplies, and enlistments |
| 1/7/1781 | W | Battle of Jersey | French fail to capture a British privateer base off their coast |
| 1/17/1781 | SC | Battle of Cowpens | Continental Gen. Daniel Morgan defeats Lt. Col. Benastre Tarleton’s army |
| 1/29/1781 | NC | British occupy Wilmington | Forces under Maj. James Craig march in unopposed |
| 1/30/1781 | NC | 1st Battle of Heron’s Bridge | Craig’s corps scatters Patriot militia guarding the first drawbridge in N.C. |
| 2/1/1781 | NC | Battle of Cowan’s Ford | The British force their way across the Catawba River |
| 2/1/1781 | NC | Skirmish at Torrence’s Tavern | British cavalry push through Patriot militia and destroy refugees’ wagons |
| 2/2/1781 | NC | Greene in Salisbury | The Continental commander arrives in Salisbury alone during the Race to the Dan |
| 2/3/1781 | W | Capture of St. Eustatius | A British fleet captures the main shipping point for U.S. imports, in the West Indies |
| 2/9/1781 | NC | British in Bethania | The British army camps in Bethania during the Race to the Dan |
| 2/11/1781 | NC | Skirmish near Bruce’s Crossroads | A Continental bugler is killed when forced to trade his horse |
| 2/14/1781 | VA | Crossing of the Dan | Continental army escapes the British across the Dan River |
| 2/24/1781 | NC | Pyle’s Defeat | Continental cavalry tricks and destroys a Tory force |
| 3/1/1781 | NC | Destruction of Tuckaseegee | (Exact day unknown) A Patriot militia takes Cherokee families prisoner |
| 3/1/1781 | NC | High Rock Ford camp | Greene camps here the first time, playing cat-and-mouse with Cornwallis |
| 3/2/1781 | NC | Battle of Clapp’s Mill | Continentals try but fail to draw the British into a trap |
| 3/2/1781 | US | Articles of Confederation | First American constitution loosely binds the 13 independent states |
| 3/5/1781 | NC | Kirkwood raid | Raid on British camp at Alamance battleground led by Delaware captain captures a sentinel |
| 3/9/1781 | NC | 2nd Battle of Heron’s Bridge | Mistakes prevent Patriot defeat of British corps |
| 3/11/1781 | NC | Caldwell outwits Tories | Rachel Caldwell helps Patriot neighbors escape approaching Tories |
| 3/13/1781 | NC | Trouble at Troublesome Creek | Continental cavalry hold off British for Greene |
| 3/14/1781 | AL | Fall of Mobile | Spanish army from New Orleans defeats British and Native Americans |
| 3/15/1781 | NC | 1) Battle of New Garden | A detachment slows the British advance against Guilford Court House |
| 3/15/1781 | NC | 2) Battle of Guilford Court House | Climactic battle of the Southern Campaign, a British victory that wounds its army |
| 3/22/1781 | NC | British camp at Dixon’s Mill | Cornwallis pauses to resupply around Cane Creek Meeting House |
| 3/28/1781 | NC | Cornwallis crosses Deep River | After camping two days at Ramsey’s Mill, the British hurry to escape Continentals |
| 3/30/1781 | NC | British army in Cross Creek | Finding few supplies, Cornwallis decides to go on to Wilmington |
| 4/15/1781 | NC | Rescue at Wolf’s Den | Patriot militia rescue Col. Benjamin Cleveland |
| 4/25/1781 | SC | Battle of Hobkirk Hill | Continental army under Nathanael Greene defeated |
| 5/6/1781 | NC | Skirmish at Peacock’s Bridge | Militia attack Tarleton’s Legion near Wilson as Cornwallis marches to Virginia |
| 5/10/1781 | FL | Surrender of Pensacola | British and Choctaws surrender to 7,800 Spanish troops after a two-month siege |
| 6/2/1781 | W | Fall of Tobago | French troops force the surrender of British militia |
| 6/4/1781 | VA | Charlottesville Raid | British cavalry almost capture Gov. Thomas Jefferson, but destroy supplies |
| 6/6/1781 | GA | Recapture of Augusta | Patriots under Andrew Pickens and “Light Horse” Harry Lee win siege |
| 6/18/1781 | SC | Siege of Ninety Six ends | Greene breaks off after three weeks as a British relief force approaches |
| 7/6/1781 | VA | Battle of Green Springs | After trading charges, a Continental corps escapes a trap set by Cornwallis |
| 7/18/1781 | NC | Chatham Court House Raid | Fanning captures 53 Patriots heading to try Tories |
| 7/29/1781 | NC | House in the Horseshoe | Tories attack a Patriot leader in his home |
| 8/2/1781 | NC | Battle of Rockfish Creek | The British land a blow on coastal Patriots, causing many casualties |
| 8/4/1781 | NC | 1st Battle of Beattie’s Bridge | Patriots punish a Tory unit for killing a boy |
| 8/19/1781 | NC | British raid New Bern | Maj. James Craig’s force kills an old man and burns ships |
| 8/27/1781 | NC | Battle of Elizabethtown | Patriot militia free prisoners from many more Tories, helped by a female spy |
| 9/1/1781 | NC | 2nd Battle of Beattie’s Bridge | Tory militia defeat a larger Patriot force |
| 9/5/1781 | VA | Battle of the Capes | The French fleet drives off the British near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay |
| 9/8/1781 | SC | Battle of Eutaw Springs | Continental army drives British back to Charleston (last regular army battle in the Carolinas) |
| 9/12/1781 | NC | Hillsborough Raid | Tories under David Fanning kidnap the governor, 200 others |
| 9/13/1781 | NC | Battle of Lindley’s Mill | Patriots fail to free Fanning’s prisoners |
| 9/15/1781 | VA | British fleet leaves Chesapeake | Outgunned by the French, the British fleet sails for New York |
| 10/15/1781 | NC | Battle of Raft Swamp | A Patriot army scatters the last Tory army in N.C. |
| 10/19/1781 | VA | British surrender at Yorktown | Lord Cornwallis forced to surrender by American and French forces |
| 11/14/1781 | NC | Skirmish at Moore’s Plantation | Patriot militia surprise a Tory company and inflict heavy casualties |
| 11/18/1781 | NC | British evacuate Wilmington | After learning of Cornwallis’ surrender in Virginia, Maj. Craig’s forces leave |
| 1/25-26/1782 | W | Battle of St. Kitts | British fleet defeats French, though island falls 2/13 |
| 3/8/1782 | OH | Gnadenhutten Massacre | Militia massacres 96 Native American Moravian converts for raids they did not commit |
| 3/22/1782 | KY | Battle of Little Mountain | Wyandots defeat a small Patriot force, with heavy losses on both sides |
| 4/4/1782 | NC | Beaufort Raid | Militia resist but cannot stop a British supply raid |
| 4/9-12/1782 | W | Battle of the Saintes | British navy drives off the French between Dominica and Guadeloupe |
| 4/19/1782 | KY | Battle of the Blue Licks | Shawnees trap and soundly defeat Kentucky militia |
| 5/10/1782 | NC | Balfour’s Murder | A Patriot is killed in front of his child |
| 6/4/1782 | OH | Crawford’s Defeat | Natives/Tories defeat William Crawford’s Patriots, torture him to death |
| 8/15-17/1782 | KY | Siege of Bryan’s Station | Residents in fort hold off large Native/Tory force till support approaches |
| 8/27/1782 | SC | Battle of the Combahee River | Patriot militia fails to stop British foraging party |
| 9/2/1782 | KY | Kincheloe’s Station | Native Americans capture a small fort and kill or capture the residents |
| 9/13/1782 | W | Grand Assault on Gibralter | American allies France and Spain fail to remove British |
| 9/22/1782 | NC | Faith Rock escape | A Patriot makes a daring escape on David Fanning’s horse |
| 11/14/1782 | SC | Battle of James Island | 300 British drive off 70 attacking Patriots, causing last Continental battle death in the South |
| 3/10/1783 | FL | Last Naval Battle | 3 British ships fail to capture 2 American money transports off Cape Canaveral |
| 4/17/1783 | AR | Battle of Arkansas Post | British attack on fort of American ally Spain fails |
| 6/21/1783 | PA | Philadelphia Mutiny | Continental soldiers surround Congress in Independence Hall over pay issues |
| 9/3/1783 | W | Treaty of Paris | Britain and the U.S. sign the treaty that formally ends the Revolutionary War |