The American Revolution

Episode Synopsis

At West Point, a great chain protects the Hudson River. Benedict Arnold, after many wounds, becomes military governor of Philadelphia with disastrous consequences. Feeling disrespected and betrayed by his country, he accepts the command of West Point and negotiates with the British to surrender it. His traitorous plot is soon discovered, and while he escapes, his British contact, John Andre pays the ultimate price. The British Navy rules the seas and without the resources to build a comparable navy, the Americans send privateers to disrupt British trade. The British, French, and Spanish navies battle over the sugar islands of the West Indies. The war now becomes global, causing North America to become a secondary theater for the British. As the War becomes a stalemate in the north, the British turn to the south in search of victory. After capturing Charleston, South Carolina, the British all but destroy the southern Continental Army under General Horatio Gates at the Battle of Camden.