<P> The American Revolutionary War (1775--1783), also known as the American War of Independence, was a global war that began as a conflict between Great Britain and her Thirteen Colonies, which declared independence as the United States of America . </P> <P> After 1765, growing philosophical and political differences strained the relationship between Great Britain and its colonies . Following the Stamp Act, Patriot protests against taxation without representation escalated into boycotts, which culminated in 1773 with the Sons of Liberty destroying a shipment of tea in Boston Harbor . Britain responded by closing Boston Harbor and passing a series of punitive measures against Massachusetts colony . Massachusetts colonists responded with the Suffolk Resolves, and they established a shadow government which wrested control of the countryside from the Crown . Twelve colonies formed a Continental Congress to coordinate their resistance, establishing committees and conventions that effectively seized power . </P> <P> British attempts to disarm the Massachusetts militia at Concord in April 1775 led to open combat . Militia forces then besieged Boston, forcing a British evacuation in March 1776, and Congress appointed George Washington to command the Continental Army . Concurrently, an American attempt to invade Quebec and raise rebellion against the British decisively failed . On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted for independence, issuing its declaration on July 4 . Sir William Howe launched a British counter-offensive, capturing New York City and leaving American morale at a low ebb . However, victories at Trenton and Princeton restored American confidence . In 1777, the British launched an invasion from Quebec under John Burgoyne, intending to isolate New England . Instead of assisting this effort, Howe took his army on a separate campaign against Philadelphia, and Burgoyne was decisively defeated at Saratoga in October 1777 . </P> <P> Burgoyne's defeat had drastic consequences; France formally allied with the Americans and entered the war in 1778, and Spain joined the war the following year as an ally of France but not as an ally of the United States . In 1780, the Kingdom of Mysore attacked the British in India, and tensions between Great Britain and the Netherlands erupted into open war . In North America, the British mounted a "Southern strategy" led by Charles Cornwallis which hinged upon a Loyalist uprising, but too few came forward . Cornwallis suffered reversals at King's Mountain and Cowpens . He retreated to Yorktown, Virginia, intending an evacuation, but a decisive French naval victory deprived him of an escape . A Franco - American army led by the Comte de Rochambeau and Washington then besieged Cornwallis' army and, with no sign of relief, he surrendered . </P>

Who led the continental army to victory against the british and thus won american independence