Final answer:
The British captured and occupied New York City, Charleston, and Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War. New York City was the primary base, while Charleston and Philadelphia were strategically important but not held for the duration of the war.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the Revolutionary War, the British captured and occupied multiple cities. The correct responses regarding the cities that were captured and held by the British at various points in the war are: a. New York City, b. Charleston, and c. Philadelphia. New York City was taken in 1776 and served as the primary base for British operations until the end of the war. Charleston was captured in 1780, giving the British a strategic hold on major southern ports. Philadelphia was taken in the winter of 1777 but later evacuated by the British in 1778. Boston was occupied earlier in the war but evacuated in March 1776, and St. Augustine was not a focal point of British military strategy.
To provide further explanation, after evacuating Boston, the British strategy focused on isolating New England by controlling key northern cities and later shifted to the Southern Strategy. Philadelphia was occupied but then abandoned in favor of strengthening their hold over New York City. In the south, British victories in coastal towns like Savannah, Georgia and Charleston were significant, but control of these seaports did not translate into control over the interior regions. The British occupation of these cities indicated their strategic decisions to cut off New England and gain support in the southern colonies.