Americans win the War of Independence Essay

in the first gear place the first shots were fired in the the Statesn state of war of Independence, very few mess gave the the Statesns ( in addition known as the colonists or nationalists) a chance. Britain had a population of 11 gazillion comp ard to the patriots 2.5 million of whom 20% were slaves. what is much Britain had the nigh powerful navy in the world, an see and well-armed standing regular soldiery of 48,000 men and the indorse of tens of grams of loyalists and Indian tribes. Britain as well as held the economic receipts as they could rely on the boodle from the South Atlantic system and the industrial novelty. So at the beginning of the contend, an the Statesn supremacy seemed distinctly unlikely for American contracts weak and British legions and oceanic power enormous by comparison.i impertinent aid obtained by the colonists was highly authorised in their success. In 1776 France extended a secret loan to the colonies and supplied them with gun powder. These loans of gunpowder were extremely eventful in enabling the patriots to bolt down Britain in the interlocking of Saratoga. In February 1778 France and America signed The Treaty of Alliance that give tongue to once France entered the contend against Britain, there would be no more treaties before the colonists gained liberty, reign and freedom.ii The treaty also opened twain nations ports to the otherwises commerce and guaranteed French possessions in the newborn World. thereof this alliance was very all important(predicate) as it brought optimism and boosted the team spirit of the patriots. As wiz soldier from Pennsylvania said, There has been a slap-up change in this defer since the news from France.France gave money, supplies and in the last material body of the war, military force. France supplied nigh of the muskets, bayonets and canons use by the colonists and without French aid it is debatable if they could take a focusing won the war. For exerci se at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, 20 French war ships prevented Cornwallis ply and take to the evenfall of the British force and the end of the war.Furthermore Frances participation in the war and Vergennes (French overseasminister) influence was a plumping eventor in persuading other countries to gather the American war ef arm. In 1779 and 1780, both Spain and Holland respectively entered against Great Britain and presently after Catherine of Russia organised the League of Armed neutrality which when threatened by Britain in the archean 1780s, responded by deterring British trade.So foreign aid was a very important factor in Americas victory as it is probable that they did non necessitate the power to defeat the British on their own.The logistics of the war was a plunk for major(ip) reason for the Americans victory. Britain encountered more logistical problems in the war which all contri preciselyed in round way to its defeat. Howe thought that driving the Amer ican ground forces from the encounterfield in any plain would return that battleground to loyalty to the circus tent or at least neutrality. withal this was non the case. Britain was only able to correspond areas that the military occupied so so when the army moved it had to abandon the area it previously occupied. As a take when a British force was discomfited its only hope was to retreat to a fortified port and so if the navy was non there with its usual overtake power, the army would be in earnest trouble, as exemplified with the Battle of Yorktown.Another logistical problem was that the British army could not expect supplies from any area it did not occupy and also the areas Britain did occupy were excessively small to provision the British army.iii indeed they had to be dependent on supplies from Britain but even this was lots a major problem as the obtaining of these supplies was held up administratively. The British Treasury and Admiralty did not co-operate w ith each other to declare provisioning efficient or effective. For example in 1776 Admiralty agents insisted that army suppliers be certify and applications accompanied by exact weight manifests. Therefore, as ships were blotto at stop up and applications do in London, voyages could be slow up for weeks and sometimes months and as a run hampered the British war effort.Britain also suffered a number of transport problems that further entangled proceedings. In October and November 1775, 36 supply ships loaded withhundreds of tons of food and supplies left Britain to make sure the 11,000 soldiers, sailors and marines in Boston would have a comfortable winter. However the ships witnessed some of the worst storms of the century and many another(prenominal) sunk, were captured or fled towards the West Indies. In the end only 13 supply ships reached Boston by which time most of the food had gone(p) bad.iv So thusly transport problems are another(prenominal)(prenominal) logistica l problem that contributed to Britains defeat.Food that did reach America created another problem for the British, as there were no good means to store or distribute the food. Therefore the food often sat on the ships holding them up when they could have been used for battle or getting more supplies.Logistical problems also hit the British army outright as they could only operate freely as long as the supplies they could claim lasted. Therefore they had to move as soon as they ran out of supplies, even if it was not militarily expedient. So as the army was continuously moving it could not force an American army to battle, which created a epic advantage for the colonists as they could decide when to fight.vSo overall Britain had to deal with many dispersal and communication problems and despite having more supplies than the enemy, because of the to a higher place problems this turn up to be no advantage.A third major reason for the patriots victory revolved rough the militar y system of both sides. On three notable cause Britain do terrible mis downstairsstandings in battle that contributed massively to their overall defeat. At the Battle of hole Hill in 1775, Britain went against all judge military practice by struggle American forces on Breeds Hill, having to go up a steep and grassy pitchers mound in the open carrying sixty jam packs whilst the colonists were under cover. Of three British fall upons, the colonists won two and Britain suffered a 50% waiver of soldiers and didnt make another dysphemistic for four-spotteen months. On top of this, the battle seriously strengthened American morale and gave chapiter over a yr to build an army and prepare for the close battle. viAt the Battle of long Island in 1776 Britain made a massive strategic error of not exploiting their success. The British army had marched unexpected straight into the rear of the colonists and quickly agonistic a retreat. Britain had thousands of fresh serviceman available and had the momentum but allowed the colonists to avoidance from Brooklyn to Manhattan by boat. Therefore Britain disconnected their shell chance of destroying the Continental army, capturing chapiter and agreeable the war.viiThe last major military mistake by Britain was in 1777 when General Howes plan to attack Philadelphia instead of going to Albany to help Burgoyne backfired when the Continental sex act fled Philadelphia. Therefore Burgoyne had to send further supplies and host to support Howe instead of using them on his way to Albany. Howe underestimated the colonists efficiency to evade the British and made a massive mistake because Burgoyne needed those troops, supplies and Howes help at the Battle of Saratoga.In cease phone line, the colonists displayed some excellent tactical maneuver and strategies at vital times that turn up extremely important in their victory in the war. During the collective battles known as the Battle of Saratoga in 1777, at F ort Stanwix Britain were at first in control. However the patriots sent Hon Yost Schuyler to the fort and he promoted a superstition that caused the Indians to desert the fort and as a result caused the British to retreat to Oswego and abandon their siege. Therefore the great evasive action at Fort Stanwix proven vital as the British were previously in a great mystify in the battle.At Bennington, the patriots played another great trick sending men disguised as loyalists to mingle with British troops. They went to the rear of the British army and when the patriots attacked they false against the British. So again the great evasive action shown by the Americans provided a massive victory and the British suffered huge casualties and loss of supplies that proved significant in the war.A last example of the great tactics used by the patriots was at FreemansFarm, when American riflemen forced a retreat in the first British assault after jibe from the tops of trees and then in the e ndorse assault caused huge losses to Burgoynes army after being situated on a low hill.viii This battle carried additional significance as the victory brought an American alliance with France, which as explained before was polar in the outcome of the war.However, whilst discussing military strategy it is also important to acknowledge the section played by the terrain as a factor for Americas victory. Britain be it difficult to cope with the many rivers and vile roads that they encountered and there were no fully grown open fields where the cavalry could manoeuvre. It was sublime to see Britain using whole regiments and condition fire across open ground. The territorial dominion thus prevented Britain from moving rapidly to stifle rebels and from making the most of their superior decline in ball lines of battle. So therefore Americans benefited from their own familiar terrain. As they did not have the fire discipline or military expertise and skills to fight formal battle s, it was suited to their guerrilla warfare image battle techniques.Washington was also significant to the shape and outcome of the war. By 1777 Washington had fought Howe five times and lost every(prenominal) one, however Washington neer lost his army.ix He was a big stabilizing force and from his militia experience, was excellent at managing an army and keeping it together. As a Southerner, Washington was also vital in bringing southern support into a war that originally was being fought in the main by New Englanders.However most importantly Washingtons tactics on two notable occasions were massive factors in the outcome of the war. scratch line in 1776 at the Battle of Long Island, whilst in serious trouble, Washington enabled an escape for the colonists from Brooklyn to Manhattan by boat. In doing this, Washington prevented Britains best chance of winning the war.second in Virginia in October 1781, Washington was important in leading five thousand French and two thousand American troops across Pennsylvania into Virginia. Washington moved them so fast that Britain didnt even knowof the Yorktown attack until it was too late. This piece of military head by Washington soon led to a British surrender and subsequently signalled the end of the war.The fourth and possibly final major reason for the Americans victory revolved around the contrastive motivation and affectionateness of the two sides. The patriots were always willing to continue fighting because they had a strong desire to win their independence and loved their homeland. On the other founder British soldiers were not fighting for a cause that directly bear upon them as they were in a country nigh three thousand miles from home. Therefore as the war continued patriot attack increased whereas British morale went down.In the colonies, the desire to fight the British was never in question. Before the outbreak of war Thomas Paines pamphlet frequent Sense was able to sway unexclusive senti ment in favour of complete independence and against King Georges tyranny. During the revolution Paine continued to stir up ecstasy and patriotism in America with The Crisis with comments such as, Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered all the same we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph.xTherefore The Crisis affected soldiers and civilians in all levels of society, increasing morale, authority and belief. Paine marched with troops, understood them and kept them fighting under horrible circumstances. Thus, Paine played an important billet in the patriots victory.Propaganda also played a big section in influencing public opinion. Anti-British cartoons were popular by dint ofout the colonies and influenced the public. The inhumane treatment of American prisoners was a main topic of propaganda and there were many newspapers detailing atrocities by the British for example, the fact that more prisoners of war died than were k illed in action. Therefore the use of propaganda was very influential and dark many loyalists against the British.So overall in conclusion, I have identified four major reasons why the Americans won the state of war of Independence. Foreign aid from France was vital through their money, supplies and military force. France also helped bring Spain and Holland into the war and without them the colonists would have found it difficult to win. Secondly, Britain suffered many logistical problems including the obtaining and distributing of supplies and also communication problems. With regards to military strategy, Britain made a number of strategic errors and struggled to come to terms with the difficult terrain, whereas the colonists under the influential command of Washington made some excellent tactical decisions in battle. Finally the Americans displayed great motivation and passion to secure victory and independence and never lost their desire to fight. In contrast British soldiers were not directly affected whatever the result of war and this proved crucial.i Bonwick, Colin. The American Revolution (Macmillan, 1991) 86ii Henretta, James. America A apothegmatic History (St. Martins, 1999) 147iii Bowler, Arthur. Logistics and the ruin of the British Army in America 1775-1783 (Princeton, 1975) 239iv Perret, Geoffrey. A Country do by War (Vintage Books, 1990) 20v Heller, Charles. Americas First Battles 1776-1965 (Lawrence, 1986) 24vi Perret, 15vii Heller, 31viii Perret, 42ix Leckie, Robert. The Wars of America (Harper & Row, 1981) 179x Perret, 34BibliographyBailyn, Bernard. The ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Harvard College, 1967Bonwick, Colin. The American Revolution. Macmillan, 1991Bowler, Arthur. Logistics and the Failure of the British Army in America 1775-1783. Princeton, 1975Conway, Stephen. The War of American Independence 1775-1783. Arnold, 1995Heller, Charles. Americas First Battles 1776-1965. Lawrence, 1986Henretta, James. America A Concise History. St. Martins, 1999Leckie, Robert. The Wars of America. Harper & Row, 1981Perret, Geoffrey. A Country Made by War. Vintage Books, 1990