Post by GordonG on Jun 30, 2018 21:01:54 GMT -5
Beyond the fireworks and the BBQ, I enjoy the joy and the unity celebrated by all Americans on the 4th. From a historical point of view I am in awe of all our founders and deeply appreciative of everyone that fought for our independence. The revolutionary war started with Washington's defeat of the British in Boston. Overconfident, he then took to his army to New York City and found that he was badly outnumbered by the British. Perhaps the most important decision made during the war was Washington's decision to retreat from Brooklyn. According to what I have read, the British outflanked the Americans by landing on Long Island and quickly defeating the Americans at Gowanus Pass. However Howe did not listen to his subordinates and lost the opportunity to prevent a retreat from Brooklyn Heights. Fog played a critical role in preventing the British Navy from being able to attack the ships used by the continental army to retreat across New Jersey.
Events that turned the tide of the war in favor of the Americans were:
Battle of Trenton (Dec. 26th, 1776). This American victory came after a crushing series of defeats and a major retreat across New Jersey. It also came just before the enlistments of the majority of Washington’s army were about to expire. The victory boosted morale and encouraged many of the soldiers to extend their enlistments. Without the victory Washington likely would have had no army left.
The Battle of Saratoga (Sep. 19 and Oct. 7, 1777). This was the first American victory over a major British force. The British army of nearly 8,000, commanded by renowned General Burgoyne, was sent south from Canada through Lake Champlain to the Hudson River Valley with the goal of cutting off New England from the rest of the colonies. The British felt doing so was a key to victory. Burgoyne expected Gen. Howe in NYC to march north and meet him at Albany. Howe on the other hand had other ideas.
The impact of the American victory was two fold. Had Burgoyne succeed, British domination of the Hudson Valley would have been a major blow to the Patriot cause. Second, the American victory gave the Patriots a new found confidence, raised morale, encouraged enlistments and proved to the French that the Americans were a viable fighting force worthy of their support.
The arrivals of Lafayette and von Steuben (1777). Though a number of foreign officers joined the American side, non were more important to the American cause than Marie Paul Joseph, Marquis de Lafayette and Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. Lafayette, though only 19 years old when he arrived, proved to be a brave and able battlefield commander and was popular among the men and officers. Lafayette bacame a friend, confidant and advisor to Gen. Washington. He played a key role in the southern theater leading up to Yorktown. More importantly, during the war he returned to France a hero, and it was largely through his lobbying efforts at the court of King Louis XVI that the French poured troops, a navy and more money into the war.
Von Steuben was an undistinguished, mid-level Prussian army officer and mercenary who came to the US, possibly to escape debt. Yet he brought with him Prussian discipline and a textbook knowledge of European drills and battlefield tactics including use of the bayonet. During the winter of 1777–78 he trained the Continental troops at Valley Forge, instilling a level of discipline heretofore unseen in the American army. He also trained many officers in his methods, who were sent out to train other troops. By the time the American Army took to the field in 1778 they were no longer untrained, undisciplined rabble.
The Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778). Under the tutelage of Baron von Steuben, a now fully trained American Army faced a large British force and battled them toe to toe, musket to musket, canon to canon, on British terms. Though the battle was officially declared a draw, the Americans held the field and the British retreated under the cover of darkness. Their main force under General Clinton was never again to engage Washington’s army in a major battle.
The Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens (Oct 7th 1780 and Jan 17,1871 respectively). The British launched their southern strategy” hoping to conquer the southern states and successfully captured Savannah and Charleston. From there they expanded their territory, recruited a large number of Loyalists and marched largely unimpeded through the Carolinas and destroyed the southern American army at the Battle of Camden.
At Kings Mountain, Patriot militia defeated a large force of Loyalists under the vaunted British Major Patrick Ferguson and this slowed Cornwallis’ planned advance into North Carolina. At Cowpens the American force under Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan defeated an army of top notch British units under Lt-Col. Banastre Tarleton. These victories, particularly Cowpens, slowed the British steamroller and demoralized British and Loyalists while energizing the American side. The set in motion the events that would ultimately lead to the British taking refuge in Yorktown VA (and we all know what happened after that).
The Arrival of Adm. DeGrasse’s Fleet (August 1781). Washington had long planned to assault the main British force occupying New York City, but French Gen. Rochambeau felt it was a foolhardy plan. Instead he convinced French Adm. DeGrasse to bring his fleet to the Chesapeake. Once Washington received news that DeGrasse was on the way to the Chesapeake, he changed plans and marched his army south, along with Rochambeau’s 5,000 French troops to confront the British under Gen. Cornwallis at Yorktown. The arrival of the French fleet kept the British fleet at bay and prevented Cornwallis from evacuating by sea. An army under generals Greene and Lafayette kept watch to make sure Cornwallis didn’t break out via land. Without the French fleet under DeGrasse, Cornwallis would have likely evacuated Yorktown and reinforced Clinton in New York.
The Siege of Yorktown (Sep. 28 – Oct. 19, 1781). With Cornwallis bottled up by the French fleet in Yorktown, Washington and Rochambeau joined Greene and Lafayette and laid siege to Yorktown. Every night the Americans dug siege trenches bringing them closer to the British outer defenses. The British were continually bombarded by sea and land. The Americans were neutralizing the outer British defenses one by one and once they captured the final two British redoubts, their guns were brought to within easy range of Yorktown, resulting in the British capitulation.
Yorktown wasn’t necessarily a fatal blow to the British. They still had a large force occupying NYC, along with forces occupying Savannah and Charleston. But it was a decisive victory for the Americans. Support for the war had been waning in Britain and collapsed after the the British defeat at Yorktown. The war was to officially continue for another two years, but was effectively over after Yorktown with no major engagements taking place after the fact.
Events that turned the tide of the war in favor of the Americans were:
Battle of Trenton (Dec. 26th, 1776). This American victory came after a crushing series of defeats and a major retreat across New Jersey. It also came just before the enlistments of the majority of Washington’s army were about to expire. The victory boosted morale and encouraged many of the soldiers to extend their enlistments. Without the victory Washington likely would have had no army left.
The Battle of Saratoga (Sep. 19 and Oct. 7, 1777). This was the first American victory over a major British force. The British army of nearly 8,000, commanded by renowned General Burgoyne, was sent south from Canada through Lake Champlain to the Hudson River Valley with the goal of cutting off New England from the rest of the colonies. The British felt doing so was a key to victory. Burgoyne expected Gen. Howe in NYC to march north and meet him at Albany. Howe on the other hand had other ideas.
The impact of the American victory was two fold. Had Burgoyne succeed, British domination of the Hudson Valley would have been a major blow to the Patriot cause. Second, the American victory gave the Patriots a new found confidence, raised morale, encouraged enlistments and proved to the French that the Americans were a viable fighting force worthy of their support.
The arrivals of Lafayette and von Steuben (1777). Though a number of foreign officers joined the American side, non were more important to the American cause than Marie Paul Joseph, Marquis de Lafayette and Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. Lafayette, though only 19 years old when he arrived, proved to be a brave and able battlefield commander and was popular among the men and officers. Lafayette bacame a friend, confidant and advisor to Gen. Washington. He played a key role in the southern theater leading up to Yorktown. More importantly, during the war he returned to France a hero, and it was largely through his lobbying efforts at the court of King Louis XVI that the French poured troops, a navy and more money into the war.
Von Steuben was an undistinguished, mid-level Prussian army officer and mercenary who came to the US, possibly to escape debt. Yet he brought with him Prussian discipline and a textbook knowledge of European drills and battlefield tactics including use of the bayonet. During the winter of 1777–78 he trained the Continental troops at Valley Forge, instilling a level of discipline heretofore unseen in the American army. He also trained many officers in his methods, who were sent out to train other troops. By the time the American Army took to the field in 1778 they were no longer untrained, undisciplined rabble.
The Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778). Under the tutelage of Baron von Steuben, a now fully trained American Army faced a large British force and battled them toe to toe, musket to musket, canon to canon, on British terms. Though the battle was officially declared a draw, the Americans held the field and the British retreated under the cover of darkness. Their main force under General Clinton was never again to engage Washington’s army in a major battle.
The Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens (Oct 7th 1780 and Jan 17,1871 respectively). The British launched their southern strategy” hoping to conquer the southern states and successfully captured Savannah and Charleston. From there they expanded their territory, recruited a large number of Loyalists and marched largely unimpeded through the Carolinas and destroyed the southern American army at the Battle of Camden.
At Kings Mountain, Patriot militia defeated a large force of Loyalists under the vaunted British Major Patrick Ferguson and this slowed Cornwallis’ planned advance into North Carolina. At Cowpens the American force under Brig. Gen. Daniel Morgan defeated an army of top notch British units under Lt-Col. Banastre Tarleton. These victories, particularly Cowpens, slowed the British steamroller and demoralized British and Loyalists while energizing the American side. The set in motion the events that would ultimately lead to the British taking refuge in Yorktown VA (and we all know what happened after that).
The Arrival of Adm. DeGrasse’s Fleet (August 1781). Washington had long planned to assault the main British force occupying New York City, but French Gen. Rochambeau felt it was a foolhardy plan. Instead he convinced French Adm. DeGrasse to bring his fleet to the Chesapeake. Once Washington received news that DeGrasse was on the way to the Chesapeake, he changed plans and marched his army south, along with Rochambeau’s 5,000 French troops to confront the British under Gen. Cornwallis at Yorktown. The arrival of the French fleet kept the British fleet at bay and prevented Cornwallis from evacuating by sea. An army under generals Greene and Lafayette kept watch to make sure Cornwallis didn’t break out via land. Without the French fleet under DeGrasse, Cornwallis would have likely evacuated Yorktown and reinforced Clinton in New York.
The Siege of Yorktown (Sep. 28 – Oct. 19, 1781). With Cornwallis bottled up by the French fleet in Yorktown, Washington and Rochambeau joined Greene and Lafayette and laid siege to Yorktown. Every night the Americans dug siege trenches bringing them closer to the British outer defenses. The British were continually bombarded by sea and land. The Americans were neutralizing the outer British defenses one by one and once they captured the final two British redoubts, their guns were brought to within easy range of Yorktown, resulting in the British capitulation.
Yorktown wasn’t necessarily a fatal blow to the British. They still had a large force occupying NYC, along with forces occupying Savannah and Charleston. But it was a decisive victory for the Americans. Support for the war had been waning in Britain and collapsed after the the British defeat at Yorktown. The war was to officially continue for another two years, but was effectively over after Yorktown with no major engagements taking place after the fact.