Major Military Actions / Battles in US History
War Action/Battle / Date Significance of Action / Battle
American Revolution / Lexington, Mass.and
Concord, Mass.
April 1775 / Considered to be the opening shots of the American Revolution
American Revolution / Saratoga
October 1777 / Defeat of British forces convinces France to enter the war on the side of the Americans
American Revolution / Yorktown
October 1781 / Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, effectively ending British hopes of victory in America.
War of 1812 / British attack on Fort McHenry, Baltimore
September 1814 / British attack repulsed; bombardment leads Francis Scott Key to write poem which becomes the US National Anthem in 1931
War of 1812 / Battle of New Orleans
January 1815 / Andrew Jackson’s victory assures American control of the Mississippi, and propels Jackson to the Presidency.
Civil War / South fires on Fort Sumter in Charleston,
South Carolina / Considered to be the start of the Civil War.
Civil War / Antietam
September 1862 / Bloodiest day of the war. Battle had no clear winner, but because Lee withdrew, North was considered the victor.
The battle convinced the British and French -- who were contemplating official recognition of the Confederacy -- to reserve action, and gave Lincoln the opportunity to announce his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which would free all slaves in areas rebelling against the United States, effective January 1, 1863.
Civil War / Gettysburg
July 1863 / Battle was the high-water mark of the Confederacy; a turning point in the war. Also significant because it ended Confederate hopes of recognition by foreign nations.
Spanish-American War / U.S. battleship Maine
blows up in Havana harbor
February 1898 / American newspapers and war hawks shout “Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!” as a battle cry. Americans claim the blast was caused by Spanish mine, but Spain says it was an internal explosion. Considered a major cause of the war.
World War II / Pearl Harbor
Dec. 7, 1941 / Japanese surprise attack on American naval base launches US into World War II
World War II / D-Day
June 6, 1944 / Allied invasion of Europe begins as Allies land in Normandy, France, opening a “Second Front”
Vietnam / Tet offensive
January 1968 / On the eve of the lunar New Year celebrations (Tet),
Communist forces (North Vietnamese and Viet Cong) launch attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals and military bases, gaining control of many. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces regain control, largely destroying the Viet Cong, but the perception in the US is that this is a defeat, and public opinion turns against US involvement in the war.