American Revolutionary War (Civil War) PDF

Beginnings: The Militia’s War Lexington & Concord to Bunker Hill ❖​ June 17,1775= Bunker Hill ​ Americans seize high ground on Charleston Peninsula ​ British attack 3x ​ Americans ran out of ammo ​ Militiamen flee(panic) ​ GB= 1054 k/w/m...

Beginnings: The Militia’s War Lexington & Concord to Bunker Hill ❖​ June 17,1775= Bunker Hill ​ Americans seize high ground on Charleston Peninsula ​ British attack 3x ​ Americans ran out of ammo ​ Militiamen flee(panic) ​ GB= 1054 k/w/m ( 44%) ​ US= 441 k/w/m (29%) ❖​ Americans are NOT intimidated! ❖​ British “ Bunker Hill” Syndrome ​ Don’t go rushing at American Defense Positions Preparations for a Wider War: June 1775-July 1776 ❖​ Americans ​ Not ready to create a permanent standing army ​ Want to maintain freedom ​ Maintain 6 to 12-month enlistments ​ June 14, 1775= Created the Continental Army ​ June 15, 1775= GEN George Washington given command ❖​ British ​ Recognize that” intimidation” does not work ​ Must create a large army to occupy and control the colonies ​ Hire mercenaries (rather than upset Englishmen) ❖​ George Washington ​ 43 years old ​ Physically tall, strong, and energetic ​ Politically “moderate” (opposed British taxes) ​ Veteran of French and Indian War ​ Prominent Virginian ( J. of P., and House Burgesses) ​ Linchpin connecting New England and Sound. ​ He could be trusted with power. ❖​ February 1776= Seize Dorchester Heights. ​ Washington waited until the army was organized and supplied ​ Distinctions between officers and enlisted ​ Organized army into regiments, brigades, and divisions ​ Instilled discipline ​ Obtained equipment & supplies to attack the British in Boston ( guns and artillery) ❖​ March 1776= British Evacuate Boston ​ Sailed to Halifax, NS War Strategies Plans for 1776 ❖​ British ​ Increase military strength ​ Shift from New England ( most radical) to Middle Colonies( more-loyal) ​ New commander= GEN William Howe ​ British gov’t wanted to break the will of the Americans ​ British generals wanted control territory, minimize casualties, and overawe the Americans  ❖​ Americans ​ Defend colonies ​ Maintain public support ❖​ Howe’s Plan (Encircle “radical” New England and convince Americans to give up) ​ Capture New York City ​ Ravage coastline from NY to ME ​ Occupy the Hudson River Valley ​ Link up w/ British forces in Canada ❖​ Washington’s Plan ​ Defend NYC ​ Hurt morale to abandon the city ​ Deny British an ice-free port ​ Keep open Hudson River for trade & communication ​ Maintain the link between Middle and New England colonies ​ Difficulty to Defend NYC ​ Occupy Manhattan Island ​ Occupy Long Island ​ Occupy Eastern New Jersey ​ British control the sea! Battle of Long Island ( Tactics serving Strategy) ❖​ British Forces ​ 24,000 men (infantry and artillery) ​ Lots of experience ❖​ American ​ Less than a year of experience ❖​ GEN Wm Howe’s Strategy ​ Not trap and destroy continental army on Manhattan Island ​ Drive Americans out of NYC ​ Create the impression of British invincibility ❖​ GEN Wm Howe’s Tactics (intended to minimize bloodshed and destruction) ​ Aug 22, 1776= Staten Island to Long Island (20k men) ​ Five days searching for an approach to Brooklyn Heights w/o direct assault on the American position ​ Washington had ~ 4,000 men on the Heights of Guana ​ Aug 27,1776= Battle of Long Island ​ Howe (10k men) turned the Left Flank of the American line (5 inexperienced men defending) ​ Americans panicked and retreated to Brooklyn Heights ​ Howe plans to lay siege to Brooklyn Heights ❖​ Casualties ​ British= 370k/w/m (2%) ​ American= 1000 k/w/m (25%) ❖​ Aug 28-29, 1776= Evacuation of Brooklyn Heights ​ Howe was lax in his security ​ Washington was exceptional in his audacity ​ Heavy fog over East River ​ Only 3 Americans were captured ​ The Continental Army survived! From NY to NJ (strategies of Persuasion) ❖​ Sept 11, 1776= Staten Island Peace Conference ​ GB= GEN William Howe and Lord Richard Howe ​ US= John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Edward Rutledge ​ British could offer no concessions- unconditional surrender ​ Americans wanted their independence recognized ​ NO AGREEMENT REACHED ❖​ Sept 15,1776= Battle of Kip’s Bay ​ Forced Washington to abandon NYC and Manhattan Island ​ Continental Army retreats across NJ ❖​ Dec 1776= Continental Army in PA ​ Howe goes into “winter quarters” ​ Will attack in spring 1777 ​ Washington plans an immediate attack! ❖​ Dec 16, 1776= Battle of Trenton ​ Hessians= 1400 men// 74% casualties ​ Americans= 2400 men// 4 wounded ❖​ Jan 3, 1777= Battle of Princeton ​ British= 7000 men // 23% casualties ​ Americans= 5000 men // 1% casualties ❖​ Washington retires in Morristown, NJ for the winter Saratoga Campaign (Conventional Interlude) ❖​ British Strategy for 1777 ​ Vacillated between conciliation and annihilation ​ 3 armies converge in upstate NY ​ Isolate New England from the rest of the colonies ​ Howe wanted to capture Washington’s army and/ or Pennsylvania ​ He does NOT cooperate with other British armies ❖​ Howe’s Strategy for 1777 (contradictory) ​ More Conciliation ( stop colonial anger) ​ Secure Pennsylvania territory ​ Assumed Pennsylvanians were loyalists ​ Reestablish loyalist gov’t in PA ​ Disrupt American revel leadership ( 2nd Continental Congress in Pennsylvania) ​ Howe also sought a “decisive battle” with Washington’s Continental Army ❖​ Battle of Brandywine ​ Sept. 11, 1777 ​ Washington decides to FIGHT before abandoning Philadelphia ​ Howe sees an opportunity for annihilation ​ Washington failed to protect his Right Flank ​ Surprised and almost destroyed ​ Howe moves cautiously toward Philadelphia ​ Sept 26= British march into Philadelphia ​ American= 14,600 men (1300 k/w/m) ​ British 15,500 men (587 k/w/m) ❖​ GEN John Burgoyne: Strategy & Logistics ​ 9000 men over 350 miles of wilderness (Quebec to Albany) ​ Large artillery (138 guns) and heavy baggage train (officers’s luxuries)  ​ Guns to avoid frontal attacks by his infantry (i.e. Bunker Hill Syndrome) ​ June 21- Departure via Lake Champlain ​ July 1= Crown Point ​ July 9= Skenesboro ​ July 29= Fort Edward (on Hudson R.) ​ 15 motions ​ Emphasized marching ​ “Inspector General” on May 5, 1778 ​ “Blue Book” (1789-1812) ❖​ Washington creates modern American army: ​ Feb 1778= 38-page letter to Congress: ​ Military must consider Human Nature! ​ “A small knowledge of human nature will convince us that, with far the greatest part of mankind, interest is the governing principle: and that, almost every man is more or less under its influence.” ​ We can’t expect them to keep going without self interest  ​ Increase Pay, Provide pensions, combine under-strength regiments, military police ❖​ May 7, 1778= Washington announced the France- American military alliance ​ “Long live the King of France” ​ Impact on Washington’s Military Strategy: ​ Attack Philadelphia? ​ Attack New York Stae? ​ Invade Canada? ​ Wait and React to British? New British Strategy ❖​ Charles Jenkinson (1st Earl of Liverpool) ​ Strong Political Career ​ Member of Parliament ​ Undersectraty of the Treasury ​ Post-Saratoga Strategy ​ “Abandon New England” and Control Everything Else ​ Canada ​ Ohio & Mississippi Valleys ​ New York & everywhere to the South ❖​ Concentrate Military Ops. in the South ​ Loyalist Sentiment believed strongly in South ​ Support loyalist w/ British Army ​ Gain control of Southern colonies w/ minimal British forces ​ Revolution becomes a “World War” ​ FR= 1778+SP= 1779 ​ Southern ports for naval operations in the Caribbean Sea ◆​ Protect British West Indies and Sugar Islands ​ British hoped for a “Domino Effect” ◆​ Fall of South= Fall of Middle Fall of New England ​ Political Reality in London ​ Growing Opposition in Parliament: ​ 4 years of war & no victory! (mistake?) ​ Finances nearly exhausted” ​ Change in British Commanders (Howe to Clinton) Conclusion of Northern War ❖​ 1775-78= Stalemate in the North ​ Washington developed into a commander ​ Win the war by not losing! ​ Control his aggressive impulses ​ Americans developed into soldiers ​ Farmers —> Soldiers ​ Nature of the war changed ​ Civil War —> World War