The United States was created from the leading battles of the Continental Army in the American Revolution; Europe’s greatest nation of the time at war with its own people. The abuse of power by the king of Great Britain had angered the colonist to fight for their rights as citizens, this lead to the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. As the troops of the American and British soldiers fought during the war what strengths and weaknesses influenced the win of the American soldiers? During the American Revolution, the American and British soldiers demonstrated clear strengths and weaknesses, which impacted the American troops’ victory.
In the first place, the British soldiers had great strengths in the American revolution,
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The Continental army was weak because it consisted of untrained farmers, who have no war experience. Not only was the colonists’ army weak, but the continental army also lacked manpower; the army was small with only 20,000 troops at one time and place. The colonist also couldn’t train well because of frequent interruptions of needing to tend their farms. The colonist’s army wasn’t their only problem, but the American soldiers were always on a shortage of necessities such as food, weaponry, gunpowder, and uniforms. Even though the Continental army had many weaknesses, but they also possessed great strengths. The colonies had a great leader, George Washington, he was an experienced commander that all the colonies could favor. George Washington was able to control the Continental army and was knowledgeable of how the British would command their troops. The Colonists also gained help from other countries such as France and Spain; France provided up to 90% of the Americans’ gunpowder in the war’s first two years. Even with such influencing weaknesses the American colonies held strong with their strengths against the
There is a fascinating book called 1776 by David McCullough; which is his tenth Book he has written on the subject. In this endearing novel he describes several significant issues that George Washington had to overcome to secure his ultimate victory in 1783. The book also describes the first year of the American Revolution, especially the triumph of Boston and the failure at New York, and then discusses the lack of courage the men had while the war wore on, the morale of the troops and the successful attack on Trenton and how that saved the revolution. The author details the challenges of creating and maintaining an army and then developing and drilling the militia that will be disciplined in the field of battle. There were three major issues
The army was noted as being “undisciplined, poorly armed volunteer force of farmers”. While this was the case, America had some very amazing military leaders such as Nathaniel Greene, and future first president George Washington. I would also say that America had the advantage, as they were fighting for their freedom, while the British were just fighting to keep control of a colony thousands of miles away. Even though America had such amazing military leaders, there army was vastly looked over by the British, and dismissed as undisciplined and unruly. In the last chapter of Part 1: The Siege, we return to the British point of view.
Due to this mistake, many actually thought Washington should be stripped of his title and not allowed to lead the Continental army anymore. However, even with this mistake, it would not have been possible for the colonies to win this war without George Washington leading them. The colonies were just so inexperienced, and lacked discipline, that without Washington, they would've lost the war in a heartbeat. Washington just instills that discipline into the army and has that swagger about him that gives the colonies a fighting
During the Revolutionary War the British were the strongest naval and land force in the world. This was due to their ability to expertly fight by lining up and firing directly at each other. From the day that America signed the Declaration of Independence to the very end of the Revolutionary War the colonists and General Washington had to use different strategies to defeat the British. The first example of his unconventional methods was at the battle of Yorktown. General Washington and the French had General Cornwallis trapped by land and sea and they forced him to surrender.
The American Revolution on saratoga refers to the period in history in which the Thirteen Colonies that became the United States of America gained independence from the British Empire. There were many battles and tactics against the British that were needed in order to obtain independence from them, including: The battle of Lexington, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, etc. Ultimately, the Americans succeeded in gaining Independence and winning the war. However, victory seemed out of reach for the Americans during the war; the Americans had fewer soldiers and weapons while the British had the most formidable army in the world at the time and flourished in soldiers and weaponry. There are significant reasons why the British lost the war despite having the upper hand in terms of weaponry and soldiers.
During the war with France, Washington had developed an aversion to militiamen and an appreciation for British professionals. He had experienced nothing but problems with the Virginia militia It looked as if the colonies were embarked upon an unequal war. A population of two and half million (20 percent of whom were slaves), without an army, navy, or adequate financial resources, confronted a nation of eight million with a professional army, large navy, and vast wealth. Yet many colonists were confident and determined.
Washington and his army lacked fundamental instruments of war which made it nearly impossible to fight against another army. There came a time during 1776 in which the Colonial army had access to less than 10,000 pounds of gunpowder and they had to ration that to an extent where they allowed “enough only for about ten rounds per man” (McCullough 28). This situation is similar to that of Russia when faced in the Crimean War. They had access to so little supplies that the generals made it so that the troops had to run out onto the battlefield and use the weapons of the diseased. Not only did the American army not have the necessary supplies to fight, the troops lacked the morale
How could the colonies political objectives be achieved by force of arms? Even though the British army was more experienced and better trained, the Americans soon realized they had too much land for Britain to take over. They used the land to their advantage by letting the British army take over the ports, but the Americans had the rest of the land. The Americans also had the French on their side. The British army was surprised how skilled the Americans were during the war.
They had a strong will to fight and were unified in their cause. Britain had its own weaknesses during war. The British battled a war a long way from home. Military requests, troops, and supplies here and there took months to arrive to their destinations.
How did a small number of American colonists with very limited means beat the large British empire? They did not do it alone. One of the Patriots’ most urgent goals was to gain foreign aid and form alliances with other countries. They succeeded through propaganda, diplomacy, and treaties. Propaganda has helped win many wars.
The french were eager to join the war and weaken their enemy britain in any way they could. Another important factor in the success of the colonies was how familiar the colonists were with the land. This allowed colonists to master the guerilla tactics
R14 Class Notes – The American Revolution - Factors and Outcomes I. Advantages and disadvantages of the two sides. List 3 advantages of the British government and Army during the Revolutionary War and 3 advantages of the Patriots during the War. Britain Advantages American Advantages -Large Navy -Reason to fight -Lots of $ and Resources -Had
The British were not just dealing with uneducated colonist, but were dealing with people hungry for freedom, people that would not stop at anything to achieve that freedom. Lastly the battle of Yorktown was the end of the war, leaving the rebels with the victory that no one saw coming. Most Americans did not believe they could win, but their love and desire for freedom defined the
Soldiers that would endure the hardships and fight for the independence of themselves and their families were vital to America prevailing over the British. Washington had fought with the British in the French and Indian War. He knew the landscape and the tactics of the British Army. This proved important to the success of the
Although America faced many disadvantages over the powerful Great Britain, with their advantage of a home based war, help from overseas, great leadership, and the patriotism of its citizens who willingly gave their lives to defend their ideal of a country, resulted in a successful outcome. The Revolutionary war was held on American grounds, giving the Americans an advantage and a setback for the British. The location of the war presented Great Britain with fighting a war far from home. The distance caused sending troops and supplies over across the Atlantic to not only be costly, but also time consuming because it sometimes