A lesson plan for children that sounds awfully familiar.
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Factors that Handicapped the Crown's Ability to Wage Effective War
# The royal government and generals had no firm purpose for waging the war. They had no logical aim. Military victories and control over a section of land could not create favorable postwar conditions and/or relations. They sought some type of compromise; yet, there was no real basis for negotiations. Once the war had started, the Americans could not see anything of value in what Britain offered in return for a permanent peace.
# There was no center of the enemy that Britain could capture and end the war. The Continental Congress moved from city to city, and each Continental army fought almost as an independent army. There was no one that the British army could defeat that would quickly bring about the surrender of the entire colonial opposition.
# Britain greatly underestimated the colonists' resolve to win the war once it began. They expected the people to give up their resistance once thousands of troops landed in America. They expected colonial support for their leaders to crumble, especially because none of the colonial leaders had had any previous experience in leading a national government or a major war.
# British commanders seriously underestimated the skills, talents, maturity, and charisma of George Washington.
# Because of its huge debts, the royal ministry had to wage war economically. It had to take shortcuts or do without certain things; these actions added to the caution and delays.
# Fighting against their own countrymen was both a psychological and emotional handicap for soldiers as well as civilians on both sides of the ocean.
# The element of time continuously handicapped British operations. Communications and transportation, both across the Atlantic and within the colonies, were slow and ineffective. The typical transatlantic voyage took four to six weeks. Seasonal weather conditions played a major role in the quality as well as length of the journey.
# Delays in news, orders, and supplies were costly. The uncertainties surrounding arrivals or replies frequently led to either undue caution, unnecessary delays, or uncertain expectations in key situations, which later proved costly. Speed of communications and transportation was never considered so vital so frequently in any of Britain's previous wars.
# The use of foreign mercenaries proved a useful propaganda weapon for the colonial press. These foreigners were viewed as hired killers of the king to fight against the king's own people.
# The Crown's army suffered from extreme overconfidence. Regular officers and men were sure of victory, especially after examining the appearance of the colonial militia and initial battle behaviors of the colonists.
# The British depended on the bayonet instead of shooting accuracy. This was crucial in some areas where accurate distance shooting could change conditions on the battlefield.
# Military etiquette used on European battlefields, as developed by Frederick the Great, had to be modified. The British preferred to fight in the traditional Continental style throughout the war.
# Crown officers were more gentlemen than soldiers. They were used to the comforts of life as if they were still in England. Every Crown general's way of life as an English gentleman had to be maintained at all timeseven on the march and near the battlefield.
# There were few advocates of a so-called soft peace with the colonists. Many ministers of Parliament wanted harsh terms and payments. Thus, the colonists assumed that it was a do or die struggle on their part.
# Britain was mostly self-sustaining. Britain's ability to maintain a large army overseas and to support its population at home was limited. Britain's merchant marine was further handicapped due to the lack of protection from attack or capture on the open seas. For example, over 750 military and nonmilitary cargo ships were captured by colonial ships in one twenty-month period. The merchants were also restricted because of the closing of colonial and ally ports to their ships.
# Britain was not prepared for a war, much less a long, intense war. Not until after the Battle of Bunker Hill in July 1775 did England even begin to think in terms of war rather than merely rebellion. It tried to avert a war. Even as late as July 1776, it still hoped to end all hostilities. Britain never planned for a long war and always waited for the one decisive victory.
# Britain had no allies to help fight a war to protect its overseas empire. After the Seven Years' War, no one would support it. With the exception of hiring troops from Germany, Britain had to fight entirely alone.
# Britain tried not to go to war with France. A war with France meant a war with Spain. Britain had to avoid a two-front war effort because it could not finance or capably wage a two-front world war. It hoped a concentrated effort in the colonies would bring about a quick conclusion before the Americans could convince the French to aid them.
# Britain constantly sought and hoped for Loyalist support on a large scale. This support was never received. Its armies could never get a large number of Loyalists to help them control any particular area. Moreover, the generals and Parliament also never did what was needed to gain and keep the Loyalists' support because they tended to ignore or de-emphasize the support that the Loyalists did give.
# Overseas warfare was difficult to wage due to the problem of distance. The 3,000 miles that separated the colonies from the British Isles took between four and twelve weeks to cover. In addition, the troops often arrived sick and weary from the voyage, and most of their horses died in transit.
# The Royal Navy was in poor condition many old or poorly repaired ships, and thus it was very ill-prepared for any heavy-duty operations. After 1765, few warships were kept in full condition and even fewer were built.
# Britain frequently won with smashing victories at the last minute. It did not begin to really try to win the war until 1778. By then it was too late because France and Spain had entered the war. |
