2. Washington’s Bold Bet

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This is one of those battles that didn’t cause a single casualty since it never really got started. British soldiers near Boston awoke one morning in 1776 to find that Washington’s forces had taken to the hills of the city with troops and canons prepared to attack. Realizing that they were hopelessly outgunned, the British retreated without firing a shot. That was a very fortunate outcome for Washington and his men, since he was not at all prepared to engage in battle. The canons were impressive in number, but Washington’s forces had very little gunpowder to operate them. Had the British attacked, they would have overrun Washington’s troops and likely forced them into retreat.