The American Revolution: British Failure, Not American Success

by Mahir Asef

 

The War of Independence was not dominated by either side, Britain did waste multiple chances to destroy the Continental Army however, whenever the Continental Army had their backs against the wall, Washington managed to win a battle which would serve as a turning point. The War itself ended without a bang, the loss at Yorktown coupled with encouragement for the war lessening in Britain meant Britain negotiated for peace and a treaty that allowed them to trade with America. Overall I believe Britain lost the war and America did not win it, as at no point did Britain feel as if they could not win the war and at no point were the British forces destroyed.

One very important reason for the British loss was their failure to win the hearts and minds of Americans, many Americans felt the use of Hessians, the Iroquois and the savagery of Tarleton's dragoons showed that the British forces did not care for the American people and did not look at them as British citizens. In fact the murder of Jane McCrea and the use of Hessians led to many neutrals becoming rebels as they felt the British leadership would not pause to kill Americans, they felt that the generals and leaders did not care for the people but the land and the trade. Tarleton’s dragoons were very savage, they killed everything that was in their path. This savagery helped fuel the rebel fire and the sentiment around the use of the Iroquois and the Hessians meant that whenever Britain left, somewhere to go fight somewhere else, there was always a rebel uprising. This is characterised by the Carolinas, when Britain left to invade North Carolina, the South was plunged into fighting that would never be brought back under control by Britain. Overall the failure to win the American hearts and minds was hugely important in the British failure to win the war as it meant that the American peppermint would always rise up against them as they felt they were not being treated as British citizens by the British forces.

Another important reason for the British loss was due to the many failings of the British generals in the war. General Howe first spurned a chance to destroy the Continental army at the Battle of Long Island and he would do the same in Philadelphia in 1777. Howe and Burgoyne would also fail to coordinate in 1777 and this would lead to Burgoyne and his army being captured at Saratoga. Howe wanted his chances at destruction of the Continental Army as he strived for reconciliation throughout the war, this policy meant Washington would escape and be allowed to regroup several times. However, the most important thing to come out of these losses for Washington was his acceptance of ‘the melancholy truth’. Washington recognised the British superiority on the battlefield and switched to a war of posts strategy which would mean Howe and the British forces would never get another chance to destroy the entire Continental Army at once as Washington no longer risked the entire army at once. The failure for coordination between Howe and Burgoyne led to an entire British force being captured and ultimately led to morale in Britain lowering and it gave wind to the sails of Washington and his metaphorical boat. Overall I believe the failings of the British generals was the most important reason for the British loss. They spurned several chances to destroy the Continental army and had they done this the war would have been over much sooner than it would end in reality. While the capture of Burgoyne’s force was important it was not as important as Long Island or Philadelphia as Britain would go on to be very successful in the war following this but ultimately their failure to destroy Washington early on would lead to dire consequences.

However, you could argue that it was American success which led to them winning the war and not British incompetence which would lose the war. Washington was incredibly important to American success as he maintained the Continental army through harsh winters and galvanised the army enough to win key battles such as Trenton and Princeton. He was also the commander at Yorktown which was where Britain made their final stand. The Battle of Trenton and Princeton was key as it galvanised the American army and gave them wind in their sails. Had they lost this battle the war could’ve been over as they had struggled through the year and had been destroyed by Britain at almost every opportunity. It was Washington’s choice to attack the Hessians here and this surprise battle and subsequent victory was key to American success in the war as it would also inspire re-enlistments. Furthermore, his maintenance of the army through harsh winters at Valley Forge and Morristown meant that the Continental a army retained just enough men over the winter to survive and carry on fighting, without him it is likely the army would’ve collapsed and surrendered to the British. Lastly, he commanded at Yorktown which is where Britain gave up their cause. However, while this is important, I do not believe he is the most important reason for American victory at Yorktown. It was actually the French fleet that kept the British forces boxed in and this trap would lead to British surrender. Although, overall it cannot be argued he did not play a pivotal role in American victory however it does not change the fact that Britain lost the war and America did not win it. He was allowed to survive by Howe early on, this is a British failure not an American success therefore making it impossible for him to be a more important reason for the outcome of the war than British military failure.

Furthermore, the rebel militia played a key role in the outcome of the war as they were omnipresent. Wherever British forces went they had to deal with harassment from militia and wherever they left, there was always a rebel uprising soon after. They  also played key ones in battles such as Saratoga and they were the main reason for the failure of the Southern strategy. The continuous uprisings and harassment meant it was impossible for Britain to maintain constant progress and it also meant they never had full control of wherever they were. This made it almost impossible to win the war after the turning to the war of posts started as the only way to defeat the militia was to defeat the Continental army as they would then have nothing to fight for. Furthermore their continuous bolstering of the army at battles meant it was impossible to plan in advance for battles as the night before a battle the American forces could swell by massive numbers. Lastly, their presence during the Southern strategy was the main cause for failure of it. Their victory at King’s Mountain destroyed the loyalist militia in the South and they also plunged the Carolinas into fighting that Britain could not control and it would eventually lead to the abounding of the Southern strategy. Overall the rebels militia made it impossible for Britain to win the war and they were a bigger reason than Washington for American success in the war. However this does not change the fact that Britain should have destroyed all American forces earlier in the war when they had the chance.

In conclusion, it was British failure to win the war and not American success that led to the outcome of the war. Britain wasted several opportunities to win the war early on when they had chances to destroy the Continental army. Had they taken these chances, Washington and the rebel militia would not have contributed in the way they did later on in the war as they only got this chance due to Howe’s tactical ineptness. Furthermore the failure to win the hearts and minds of the American people led to the uprisings of the rebel militia as the use of the Iroquois and Hessians was what led the rebel militia numbers swelling which meant Britain could never make consistent progress.