The American Revolution gets glossed over in most history classes today. It’s become the subject of myth, the birth of the U.S. nation. But in all honestly, it was an abject disaster for the American rebels. They lost battle after battle, spent most of their time retreating from the larger, better trained British regulars they sought to defeat, and never fielded the professional army that George Washington and Congress had hoped to establish. Their few advantages included knowing the terrain and popular support of the people. But they held one advantage over all others, and it’s an aspect of guerilla war that is still prevalent today. As long as the rebels didn’t lose, they won. Every time the British failed to win, they lost.
When war was declared in 1775, the exchange of arms at Lexington and Concord had already happened. Neither side was prepared for war. An army had yet to be raised by the Continental Congress, and Britain had only a token sized occupation force of soldiers in a few port cities such as Boston and New York. But neither side was discouraged by this.
British Perceptions
The British believed that this rebellion would be on a small scale (they had still failed to grasp the widespread anti British sentiment they had fostered), and the Americans thought that one major victory would make the British decide a war wasn’t worth it and would just grant independence. That major battle was at Bunker Hill in Boston, where entrenched American forces were able to inflict massive losses on the attacking British but were eventually forced to abandon their position. While it was a tactical defeat for the Americans, it was very much a moral victory and it encouraged the Congress that this war was winnable.
The British also got the message sent by Bunker Hill, and in 1776 a force of 32,000 regulars landed on colonial shores commanded by some of the Empire’s brightest young generals. This large, well trained force has no trouble driving through General George Washington’s forces and forcing a retreat from their base in New York. In a remarkable twist of fate that changed the course of history, a fog set in over New York Harbor and provided cover for Washington’s army to escape certain defeat and capture.
This allowed them to live and fight another day, but what followed was a retreat across New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as the Continental Army was pursued by the British. Washington was hamstrung by an inability to meet recruiting quotas and enlistments always seem to be running out for his men, robbing him of his most experienced troops. Also, Congress consistently failed to provide him with adequate support in money to pay his men, equipment, food and shelter.
Colonial Popular Support
Washington knew that popular support for the war, one of his greatest advantages, would wane and disappear if there wasn’t good news soon. Popular support is what has kept his army alive because it had brought men to fight for him, shelter and supplies from supporters, and intelligence on the enemy from locals. On Christmas Day, 1776, Washington took a huge gamble by attacking a mercenary German Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey. The Americans surprised the elite soldiers, who were hung over from the previous night’s festivities and largely still asleep. The garrison gave up without a fight, and Washington claimed the entire force as prisoners. Even more importantly, the Americans took possession of tons of badly needed supplies, from food and blankets to high quality ammunition and artillery.
1776 ended on a good note for the Americans, but they were still always in danger from the British. The main advantage that the British held was the professionalism and discipline of their soldiers. They were highly trained, and were always going to win against American militia or the Continental Army in open battle. So the Americans avoided open battle. They retreated when they had to, engaged when they could, and above all else, always avoided a major defeat. For as long as the Continental Army existed, they British had to chase them and couldn’t declare victory. The army was a symbol of hope for everyone supporting the revolution, and their continued existence meant the rebellion still had hope.
The British Sought to drive a Wedge between the Colonies in a Classic Divide and Conquer Move
The British dispatched two forces, one from Canada, the other from their power base in New York, and sought to meet in the middle, thus separating the radical New England colonies from the more moderate Middle and Southern colonies and cutting off radical influence into the more moderate areas.
But the plan failed because of an ego-driven blunder by the commander of the New York force. For reasons unknown, he abandoned the British plan and diverted from his path to turn south and capture Philadelphia, the American capital at the time. He was successful, and Congress was forced to flee. But the Canadian force was left out to dry, and without support was eventually outmaneuvered and captured by a mishmash of Continental army, back country hunters and militia at Saratoga in western New York.
Whether it was for personal glory, a failure to grasp his orders, or both, the New York commander’s actions caused more than just a British defeat in northwestern New York. The victory at Saratoga encouraged European powers France and Spain, British rivals both, that the colonists were capable of winning the war. They both decided to aid the colonies in the struggle.
France especially was Game to help the Americans hurt the British
Anglo-French rivalries dated back hundreds of years, and any legitimate chance to hurt their British rivals held the interest of the French. They funneled massive amounts of equipment into the war effort, and eventually dispatched soldiers and, most significantly, their professional navy to aid the war effort.
The war dragged on for several years with neither side able to achieve a major victory. General Washington was waiting patiently for the French reinforcements that had been promised, and in the meantime focused on avoiding the major defeat that would have ended the war and the rebellion. When the British swung, he parried, but did little to fight back.
In the south, the British captured Charlestown, the only major city, but were then forced to fight in the southern back country against the guerilla troops commanded by Francis Marion. The “Swamp Fox”, as Marion was called, led probably the most successful sustained campaign of the war for the Americans. His men attacked supply lines, ambushed soldiers, intimidated Loyalists and then melted back into the forests and swamps when British reinforcements arrived. This kept the British southern force occupied much longer than it wished, and helped make sure it wouldn’t travel north to put even more pressure on Washington’s beleaguered forces.
Finally, that southern British force Traveled North, to Yorktown, Virginia
This coincided with the arrival of the French navy, and, backed up by these new reinforcements, Washington moved south to meet the British. He was able to trap them at Yorktown, and the British sought to evacuate by sea, but the French navy blocked access by the British navy, and eventually, the British were forced to surrender to Washington. The capture of 8,000 men and the long war already unpopular in Britain made the British decide that enough was enough, and peace negotiations were begun in secret. While the war would last for another year, the Americans had their victory.
Zac Johnson - My name is Zac Johnson. I'm a 22 year old senior at Arizona State University in Tempe, majoring in political science. I'll graduate in ...
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