A concise guide to this resounding American victory in the Revolutionary War, with facts, maps, historical significance, and more. In 1781, after six years of fighting, the future of the American colonies was far from resolved. The British were still dominant on land and sea, and except for a few bright spots like Trenton and Saratoga, the Americans had been unable to match the skills of the strongest army of the time. Against this backdrop, the...

A concise guide to the Japanese attack on Hawaii that plunged America into WWII, with facts, maps, historical significance, and more. As America prepared for WWII, everything changed on December 7, 1941-described by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a "date which will live in infamy"-when Japan launched a successful surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor. The devastating attack crippled the fleet, while showing the world...

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. By early 1945, American forces had been fighting their way across the Pacific for over two and a half years. General Douglas MacArthur's drive in the Southwest Pacific had reached the Philippines, while Admiral Chester Nimitz's drive across the Central Pacific had advanced to the island of Iwo Jima. The next objective was...

A concise summary of this turning point in the American Revolution with facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more. By the summer of 1780, Great Britain held the advantage in the American Revolution. A strategic shift to the south had borne fruit. British forces controlled the major ports of Savannah and Charleston, and Maj. Gen. Charles Cornwallis had recently trounced American forces under Gen. Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina....

Get facts, maps, historical significance, strategies, and more in this concise summary of Robert E. Lee's victory in Virginia. The Confederate victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville is considered the crowning military achievement of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Against the numerically superior Union Army of the Potomac, Lee took a calculated risk by dividing his Army of Northern Virginia in what would become the largest flanking maneuver of the Civil War....

A concise guide to the American Civil War battle that set the North on the path to victory, with maps, facts, historical significance, and more. Gettysburg represented a strategic turning point in the American Civil War and has thus been referred to as the "high-water mark" of the Confederacy. Although tactically a draw, strategically it was a major victory for the Union. After the battle, the Army of Northern Virginia limped home, never to regain...

The Battle Digest summary includes all the key aspects of the campaign and battle, including maps, images, and lessons learned. In the weeks following the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, Colonial militia and volunteers rallied around Boston to besiege Lt. Gen. Thomas Gage's British garrison. But when reinforcements arrived from England, Gage devised a plan to regain the initiative by occupying Dorchester Heights south of town. When the Colonials...