Key Battles in the History of the United States
Lexington and Concord were the initial armed conflicts prior to the Revolutionary War - January 1975
Trenton and Princeton were surprise attacks launched during the winter by Washington that defeated British and German Soldiers (Hessians) - 1776-77
Saratoga was an attempted 3 prong attack by the British that failed due to the absence of two of the armies - 1777
Yorktown was the final place of defeat for General Cornwallis where he was surrounded by American and French Forces - 1781
Tippecanoe was an attempted Indian uprising led by Tecumseh and the Prophet but was put down by the American Army - 1811
Detroit wasn't a crucial battle but significant - 1812
Washington DC was burned to the ground by landing British Forces during the War of 1812 - 1814
New Orleans was a major American victory where Andrew Jackson became famous for defeating a major British advance weeks after the war had ended - 1815
Veracruz was where the Mexican forces surrendered to American forces in 1847 and initialized the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Mexico City was captured during the Mexican War in 1847
Bull Run was where Stonewall Jackson received his name for his bravery and his efforts to hold the Union advances - 1861
Shiloh was a major confederate counter attack that caught Union Forces off guard. It was also one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War - 1862
Antietam where General Robert E. Lee's advance to the North was halted and was eventually repulsed and when the Union General McClean was dismissed for wrong behavior.
Vicksburg was a citadel that the federal troops captured in 1862. It was a key to holding the Mississippi River under their control.
The Wilderness Campaign was the continuous battle to capture General Robert E. Lee throughout - 1862
San Juan Hill was fought during the Spanish-American War where Roosevelt led a charge up a hill on Cuba - 1896-97
Chateau Thierry was the World War I battle where the German advance were turned back at the Marne River - 1918
Pearl Harbor was a sneak attack on the American Pacific Navy. At 7:00 AM the Japanese opened fire on the American fleet nearly wiping out the entire thing. It was a devastating and hampering blow to the American Army who lost their entire Navy.
Stalingrad was the initial retaliation of the Russian counterattack. Also at Leningrad the Germans were finally stopped in their advance due to the large and treacherous winter.
The TET offensive was an overall attack where the North coordinated an attack on all American and South Vietnamese targets in South Vietnam. The offensive nearly wiped all military bases in the South until in 1968 they were pushed back by the Americans. This offensive essentially demoralized all the Southern troops that were fighting giving them idea that they had no chance to win the Vietnam war.
Midway stopped the Japanese expansion and was a major turning point of World War II since the United States crushed the Japanese Navy hindering any chance of a Japanese Invasion - 1942
Normandy was a massed invasion of allied forces onto the beaches of Normandy in France and initiated the turning point of the WWII in Europe.
Okinawa was the first island that a major battle was fought bringing the Americans within striking distance of Japan itself - 1942
Manila Bay was taken in 1941 and was the last defense of the Philippines and MacArthur was saved from the island to keep from being captured due to his prominence as a great general
Argonne Forest was considered impenetrable by the French in WWII but was surpassed by the Germans who mover through the forest and were able to out flank the French army through the unprotected woods - 1935-40
Guadalcanal was a major battle of WWII in 1943 and was the first major retaking of land in the pacific by the American Forces.
Inchon was the landing in Korea by American troops that forced the North Korean forces over the border in 1950 September
Verdun was where the Germans surrendered to the Allied Forces in WORLD WAR I - 1918