Why Britain Should Have Won The Revolutionary War

1. Naval Strength - Britain had the world's strongest navy during the 18th century. The British Navy had recently (in the last 100 years) fought many naval battles in and around Canada, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean. The British Navy was important because with a powerful navy, they could establish supply lines back to England to bring in troops and supplies.
2. British Army - The British Army was very advanced and well trained. On top of this, the American colonists' armies were not very well-organized, consisting of militiamen who were not trained for war. The British had shown their military strength with recent battles such as the Seven Years War and the colonization of India.
3. Loyalists - Britain still had about 20% of American colonies loyal to them. This was important because they were able to receive help (such as quarters, etc...) from these loyalists and they made for a few friendly faces in the hostile colonies.

Why The British Lost the Revolutionary War

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Why did the British lose the Revolutionary War?

5 MAJOR FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE BRITISH LOSS:

1. American's had the "home-field advantage"

- Americans knew the landscape and used it to their advantage

- British were inexperienced in fighting on American terrain and didn't adapt well

2. The British were fighting far from home

- British had long supply lines that were a detriment to the military cause

- Difficult to receive instructions from motherland and to coordinate military strategy

3. French intervention on the side of the Americans

- Supported American army with more manpower, money, and experienced officers

- Made the conflict into a world war for the British, with dire political consequences

- Gave Americans a fleet, which would eventually play a huge role at Yorktown in 1781

4. British military blunders and inadequacies

- refused to to adapt their model of traditional warfare to best fight the Americans

- British commanders were egotistic and did not communicate well

5. American Patriotism

- Americans were fighting for a cause that they believed to be just and were determined

- British were not emotionally attached to the conflict and were not as motivated

ALL OF THESE FACTORS COMBINED TO RESULT IN THE BRITISH LOSS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR!!!!!

Valley Forge Outline

Valley Forge Outline

I. Battle Conditions

a. Dec. 19 1777- FREEZING!

b. Supplies were hard to come by because it was difficult to get them to the troops

c. 12,000+ troops to feed- food was in short supply s

i. Forest foraging

ii. Taking from the farms they passed

d. Clothing was also in short supply

i. Shortage of blankets

ii. Shoes were wearing thin from all of the walking and battles

iii. “At one point, these shortages caused nearly 4,000 men to be listed as "unfit for duty."

e. Disease

i. Close quarters, undernourished, and lacking proper attire led to the spread of Typhus, typhoid, dysentery, and pneumonia

1. Killed as many as 2000 men

II. Baron Von Steuden

a. Trained in Russian army where he learned everything he taught the American soldiers

b. Benjamin Franklin was in Paris and let him know that he could find work in the Continental Army

c. Assisted by Alexander Hamilton and Nathanael Greene to draft and train an army

d. Training

i. Started with 100 men and trained them, they in turn moved outward and started training the other soldiers

ii. Trained in full uniform, yelled and swore at them in French and German since he didn’t speak English

1. He hired a translator so they could understand him

iii. “To correct the existing policy of placing recruits in a unit before they had received training, Von Steuben introduced a system of progressive training, beginning with the school of the soldier, with and without arms, and going through the school of the regiment. Each company commander was made responsible for the training of new men, but actually instruction was done by selected sergeants, the best obtainable’”

iv. Repetitive gun training so the men would be able to fire and reload their weapons like it was second nature since battles were close-range and firing the weapon was crucial

v. After a man could handle his weapon he was then put into a group of three, then twelve to learn alignment and dressing (?) because alignment meant smoother firing

vi. He also created sanitation making bathrooms on one side of camp, usually downhill, also kitchens and rows of commanders, enlisted men, and officers

1. Men previous to this plan, would set up tents wherever, relieved themselves where they pleased, and would leave a rotting carcass where it fell down dead

e. Promoted to Inspector general

i. Created “Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States” aka “The Blue Book” which was the plan he used in Valley Forge

The War for Independence (to Valley Forge)

Key issues which cause the war

American colonists upset with British limits on individual freedoms, such as the right to assemble as groups.

American colonists upset with British taxation without representation. What does this mean? Taxation without representation means that the British government was putting taxes on land, property and on imports to the colonies, such as paper and tea, without letting the American colonists have a seat at Parliament, which is equivalent to Congress today.

Important individuals

Here is a small list of some of the more important players involved with the war:

King George III - the monarch of Great Britain at the time and target of hatred by many revolutionaries.

Benjamin Franklin - American scientist, writer, inventor, political genius. Franklin, along with John Adams and others helped move the colonies to favor independence.

John Adams - an American revolutionary. Adams was instrumental in the writing of the Declaration of Independence as well as getting colonial delegates to move toward independence.

Thomas Jefferson - at this point in time, a delegate to the Second Continental Congress from the colony of Virginia. Jefferson, known for his writing talent, was chosen by Adams and Franklin to write the Declaration of Independence.

General George Washington - a hero of the French and Indian War, Washington was nominated by John Adams to become commander in chief of the Continental Army.