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2 American Revolution where a brief skirmish took place. The Lexington Militia lost, with 8 men killed and 10 wounded. The survivors broke and ran. The British marched on toward Concord. Here the British encountered stouter resistance. Mili- tia units from neighboring communities massed around Concord and compelled a British retreat. The militia stalked the British back to Boston, inflicting serious losses along the way. The day after the battle, the Massachusetts rebel leaders sent a letter to all of Massachusetts asking for help. In response, thousands of militiamen marched to Boston and surrounded the city. For most of the next two months there was little fighting as both sides waited to see what would happen next. Lexington and Concord provided American radicals with just what they wanted: fighting and bloodshed that caused both sides to harden their positions. In sum, the fighting had changed the conflict from political and economic protest to armed rebellion and war. 1775–1776 When American rebels opened fire on British soldiers on April 19, 1775, British authorities decided to crush the rebels using armed force. Overall British strategy involved four parts: first, isolating the New England colonies, whom the British believed were the principal troublemakers, from the other colonies by seizing the line of the Hudson River northward to Lake Champlain second, isolating the central colonies, the main food-producing region, by occupying the line of the Chesapeake Bay and lower Susquehanna River third, controlling the southern colonies by capturing Charleston and Georgetown, South Carolina, and holding the line of the Santee River and fourth, blockading the coast to stop the rebels from importing weapons and supplies. British strategy was sound. If pursued vigorously from the start, at a time when the rebels were poorly prepared to fight, the British would have won. However, the British government and some of its military leaders believed that a combination of threats and conciliatory measures would end the rebellion. Consequently, the British failed to act resolutely with sufficient military power. In addi- tion, throughout the war, political opponents of British Prime Minister Lord North actively worked to thwart his strategy. The war’s unpopularity also made recruiting difficult. So, the government hired some 30,000 German mercenaries. This move backfired. Even with the Germans, the British lacked the strength to adequately garrison the territory they captured. Furthermore, the hiring of foreign mercenaries enraged many Americans and thus added to the rebel strength. The war’s first phase involved the siege of Boston and the invasion of Canada. The rebels dug trenches and established artillery sites around Boston. The fortification of Breed’s Hill brought on the action known to history as the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. Although the British drove the rebels from the hill, they suffered fearful losses. On July 2, 1775, George Washington assumed command of the rebel army. At this time, the army consisted of militia whose terms of service allowed them to complete their brief military obligation and then go home. Washington had to spend the remainder of the year raising and training a new Patriot army. Eventually, after Colonel Henry Knox transported artillery captured at Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, the rebels had the weap- ons needed to evict the British. For the rest of the war, Boston remained in rebel hands. Meanwhile, General Richard Montgomery and Colonel Benedict Arnold led a two-pronged American invasion of Canada. American political leaders mistakenly believed that the Canadians would happily shed their allegiance to England and greet the Americans as liberators. The Ameri- cans seized Montreal on November 13, 1775, and attacked Quebec on December 30, 1775, but lacked the strength to capture it. Subsequently, the American army dwindled from disease and lack of supplies. In the spring, British reinforcements arrived and the invasion collapsed. The major action in 1776 began with General Henry Clinton’s failed attempt to capture Charleston, South Carolina. Thereafter, in August, General William Howe began a clever campaign to capture New York City. During this campaign, Howe outmaneuvered the inexperienced Washington, and on the battlefield the well-trained British regulars proved superior to the poorly trained rebels. By November, the British were chasing Washington’s battered army through New Jersey. The rebel