24 V i s i t www.theculturalexperience.com C a l l 0345 475 1815 17 th & 18 th Century Rebels and Redcoats The American War of Independence in the North This superb 12 day tour will immerse you in 18th century colonial America during its struggle for independence. Starting in historic Boston, the cradle of the revolution and home to the Freedom Trail, we travel through magnificent Eastern USA countryside to explore the pivotal battlefields and important sites of the war, many of which have been painstakingly and wonderfully restored. We will visit places that resonate throughout history: Lexington, Saratoga, Valley Forge, West Point, Philadelphia, Yorktown and Mount Vernon whilst at Jamestown and Williamsburg we explore America’s colonial past. Throughout we will be staying at full service hotels and dining at a wealth of local restaurants, and all this in the company of expert native historian Stuart Dempsey. 6 – 17 June 2018 12 days With Stuart Dempsey & Tour Manager Fred Hawthorne Activity Level 2 Essentials Return flights from London, 3 and 4 star hotels, buffet breakfast, 3-course dinner with drinks each evening, all entrance fees and expert guide throughout. Tour price: £4895 Single supplement: £695 Deposit: £350 Price without flights: £4145 Opposition to London’s insensitive colonial policies on taxation and governance was provoked into outright rebellion when British soldiers attempted to disarm Massachusetts patriots in April 1775. British forces enjoyed initial tactical successes around Boston, but strategically these were not enough to prevent the city’s encirclement by the newly formed Continental Army under George Washington and seaborne evacuation followed in spring of 1776. For the next 18 months the revolt hung in the balance with substantial British reinforcements taking Philadelphia and New York, but an ill-conceived and poorly managed advance from Canada ended in abject failure with the surrenderofBurgoyneatSaratogainOctober 1777. The result was the abandonment of Philadelphia and the entry of a revengeful France into the conflict providing much needed naval support, military training and equipment to the patriots. Despite a relatively successful campaign in Georgia and the Carolinas, Lord Cornwallis was forced to march northwards to Virginia where the anticipated extraction by the Royal Navy was foiled by a larger French fleet, the consequence of which was the surrender of the main British Army at Yorktown in October 1781 and the ensuing independence of the United States of America. Day 1 – Arrival. Fly to Boston and drive to Salem, MA, home to the infamous 17th century witch trials and our base for two nights. Welcome dinner. Day 2 – Boston. We take an orientation tour of Revolutionary Boston following its ‘Freedom Trail’ encompassing, amongst others, Boston Common, the Old South Meeting House (home to the Boston Tea Party), the Old State House, the site of the so called ‘Boston Massacre’ and Old North Church which ‘ignited’ the Revolution. This afternoon we examine the siege of Boston visiting the Bunker Hill museum and monument on Breed’s Hill as well as Dorchester Heights, where Washington sited his heavy guns forcing the British to abandon the city thus bringing the siege to a close. Day 3 – Lexington & Concord. Travel out to Lexington and Concord where a poorly executed British search and destroy expedition provoked the first shots of the war to be fired. We will explore the Buckman Tavern, Visitors' Center and Battle Green at Lexington, whilst at Concorde we explore the Minuteman Visitor Center, follow the battle road trail and view the Old North Bridge where “the shot heard ‘round the world” was fired. Continue to Albany, the state capital of New York and our base for the night. Day 4 – Saratoga. We visit one of the pivotal battle areas of the war – Saratoga. A highly complicated British plan to split the colonies resulted in a series of actions and the surrender of a large army directly resulting in the French recognition of American independence. The site of these actions is now preserved in a National Park. Continue to West Point where we spend the night. Day 5 – West Point and Monmouth. We take a short tour of West Point, home to the United States Military Academy, and explore itsrevolutionarypastinwhichitwassonearly betrayed by Benedict Arnold. We visit Fort Montgomery, seized by the British in 1777, and Stony Point, the scene of a successful night attack by the Continental army. Thence to Monmouth, site of perhaps the largest battle of the war. Continue to Valley Forge area which, like George Washington, we use as our base for the next three nights. Day6–Philadelphia.Oneofthelargestcities in the British Empire in the 18th century and as the Continental capital, a natural military "We really appreciated the amount of preparation Fred had undertaken both before and during the tour. Excellent." The death of General Warren Battle of Bunker Hill