With enemy troops in South Carolina and Virginia, the outlook for the Continental Army was bleak until the Battle of Cowpens. This was an important turning point for the Americans in the Revolutionary War. The purpose of this essay is to prove that Brigadier General Daniel Morgan led the American Continental Army to success, by driving the operations process. Without his understanding of mission command, it would have been difficult to secure the victory at Cowpens. Though there are people that would argue BG Morgan’s victory at the Battle of Cowpens was a fluke, I will prove BG Morgan used the commanders activities of “lead, understand, visualize, describe.” BG Morgan understood the operational variables military and physical terrain. He …show more content…
According to Army doctrine, examining the geography and manmade structures, as well as the climate and weather in the area of operations allows commanders to understand their physical environment. After he identified three hillcrests situated in parallel, BG Morgan knew this would be the best location to set up a reverse slope defense. Each hillcrest was slightly higher than the one before, giving BG Morgan the ability to place his troops in the trough between the hills. This created an American advantage for two reasons: the British ground forces did not aim when they shot, having most of their rounds miss high of the target and the Americans would be able to better identify the British silhouettes against the skyline. BG Morgan’s understanding of the terrain also meant that British forces would have to advance moving uphill at multiple points in the battle, tiring their forces over time. On either side of the Cowpens, the landscape was thick with brambles and infested with swampland, due to days of heavy rain. BG Morgan decided to prepare his defense to meet LTC Tarleton on this terrain. The severely restricted terrain would limit British forces’ ability to attempt any kind of flanking maneuvers, placing their entire force directly in front of three distinctly separate lines of defense. BG Morgan would use this to his advantage by making British forces think American lines were retreating, when they were just maneuvering to support the second and third defensive line. BG Morgan’s understanding allowed him to visualize an operational approach that led to mission
During the American Revolution War, Private Joseph Plumb Martin criticized the lack of sufficient materials needed for a standard soldiers daily living. Based on Martin’s experience throughout his participation in the conflict, his perspective regarding to inadequate supplies and respects to the Continental army was correct due to poor leadership, dangerous army conditions of living and different perspectives implication on the public opinion. During the Delaware Campaign of 1777, Martin described how the Continental Army soldiers were treated by their superiors. When Martin and his allies successfully defend the nearby cities from British warships, their efforts were not properly recognized by their commanders.
General Gage decided to conduct a frontal assault on the colonial positions because he under estimated the colonial position and their capabilities. If General Gage landed 1,100 Soldiers in the rear American position and established a base of fire, he could have utilized the other 1,100 soldiers to flank from Morton’s point. This tactic is commonly used today for most infantry units. Along with establishing a base of fire and a flanking maneuver, a report showed British Field Artillery used 12 pound balls for six pound guns. This failure drastically changed the artillery range and accuracy.
The winter of 1777-1778 saw the Continental Army encamped at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the harsh and brutal conditions of that winter posed a number of significant challenges to George Washington and his troops. This essay will identify and discuss five key challenges that Washington and the Continental Army faced during their time at Valley Forge. Firstly, one of the most pressing challenges was the severe lack of supplies and provisions. The Continental Army was already in a precarious position before settling at Valley Forge, but the winter conditions made it almost impossible to maintain adequate supplies of food, clothing or shelter. The Continental Congress was struggling to provide the Army with the necessary funding, and widespread
“I never spent a thought about numbers; the Americans were invincible in my opinion. If anything affected me, it was a stronger desire to see them.” Continental Army soldier, Joseph Plum Martin shares his experience of the Revolutionary War through his book, Ordinary Courage. The bravery, courage, and patriotism expressed throughout the novel shows off Martin’s immense strength and perseverance. The soldiers fought through the trials of starvation, disease, lack of supplies, and vicious battles against the British troops.
General Macarthur and his plan to attack Inchon was a daring endeavor however, it was one that was analyzed greatly and used the tenants of mission command. General Macarthur used his considerable leadership skills and understanding of mission command to develop a winning strategy for the landing at Inchon, skills that all leaders should know and use. Mission command is a powerful tool when used correctly and General Macarthur was a master at
Not wanting their men falling over dead without even being in battle, generals decided to try different tactics and variations to try take land quicker through trench warfare. They used a guerillastyle type of technique in which the land in between both armies, endorsed with the name No Man’s Land, would be sprinted through in order to get into the enemy’s trench, and then would kill as many enemies as possible. During this, they’d also try to destroy as much of the bunker as they could, and then would sprint back over to the ‘safety’ of their own trench. It was a petty way of fighting, and many good men died because of this brutal fighting type.
Just north of what was known then as Monmouth, General Lee, who was second in command to General George Washington, flanked the British rear guard. While failing his mission, General Lee and his forces retreated west out of the Monmouth area (Trussell, 1949). Lee then called for aid from General Washington, which resulted in Washington taking over Lee’s forces and pushing them back towards Monmouth to pursue the British forces (p.221). With the forces nearly evenly matched in numbers the Americans advanced and took the British head-on. The rifle fire rapidly drove the British back which resulted in the success gained by the 9th Pennsylvania Infantry which pushed the British’s Queen Rangers back into and through Monmouth (p.222).
Some were captured as prisoners, other brutally beaten, the rest were slaughtered. Seeing that Gates was worried about being watched by all sides, Cornwallis started to use volleys. Volleys in war are when soldiers line up, and fire their weapons on command. Gates then ordered his army to migrate back. Being out of the line of fire was a very important aspect to Gates.
The men were disobedient and undisciplined. Somehow instead of Bunker Hill being fortified, Breed’s Hill got fortified instead. One idea is that in the confusion of the night they chose the wrong hill. Another idea is that the map they had was wrong. When the morning came the British were surprised to see Breed’s hill fortified.
It was basically the last major battle against Great Britain. A fact, before the war was fought a peace treaty was signed. The treaty of Ghent was signed on December 1814, but it did not reach the Americas until after the battle. The battle was not the reason why the war ended, but it was good for the US reputation. That Americans can function independently, and it enforced the idea of the US being able to hold their own.
His in-depth understanding of military tactics, combined with his meticulous planning and attention to detail allowed him to effectively analyze complex situations and make intelligent counter strategies. Currie's strategic brilliance enabled him to make well-informed decisions, adapt to changing circumstances on the battlefield, and exploit weaknesses in the enemy's defenses (2). This approach not only maximized the effectiveness of his forces but also minimized casualties and achieved significant victories. Currie's strategic brilliance was evident during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He meticulously planned every aspect of the battle, from troop movements to artillery placements.
Upon receipt of his mission, he immediately began to plan, prepare, and execute defensive operations and issued an order for his forces to build a fortified position on Breed's Hill. Prescott knew that his mission was to hold the position until relieved by friendly forces. He also understood the important mission his unit was given and the vital geographical position the hill had on Boston. Planning and preparation accomplish nothing if the command does not execute effectively. Perhaps the most important aspect of mission analysis is determining the combat potential of one’s own
As the battle took place in early morning to day brake suggesting that tactically the armies where were quite evenly matched as the anglo saxon shield wall was more than a match for williams three dimensional army despite the infantry, arches and claveltry, all were ineffective as the shield wall was seated at the top of a hill. This suggests that even the modern army that William possessed could not penetrate the stubborn defence and terrain of his enemies. Perhaps the biggest tactical reason for Williams victory was the formation break in the anglo saxon . shield wall, and perhaps if not for that mistake he might have lost.
In 1776, one of the most popular and well known founding fathers led the fight for independence in the royal colonies. In David Hackett Fischer’s book, “Washington’s Crossing”, he describes the troubles and even the unknowns of Washington’s experiences during the Revolutionary War. Fischer goes into detail about the first approach of the British as their massive naval fleet surrounds the state of New York all the way up to the point when the British became the defensive force rather than the offensive. “Washington’s Crossing” illustrates how the American Revolution wasn’t just pure success as at the beginning of the war, the Americans took many losses that almost completely crushed the revolution entirely. However, eventually the tides would
In preparation and throughout the Battle of Tippecanoe, General William Henry Harrison successfully used Mission Command to meet his intent. The fight for land between the United States (U.S) and Indian tribes began with the creation of land treaties. From 1783 to 1871, the U.S made 372 land treaties with the Indians under the constitutional treaty power.1 The intent was to teach Indians how to farm and push them into debt by selling them farming equipment.2 Tecumseh, the Shawnee chief believed that land belonged to the people and could not be sold by any person.3 Treaties established and Tecumseh’s belief of land usage, led to the Battle of Tippecanoe.