The American Revolution: the war for our independence. This revolution opened the door to our liberty, freedom, and basically what America is now. Most Americans have heard the stories of famous battles, important people (George Washington for instance), and everything in between. However, this was only for our side of the American Revolution and a small fraction of people have been told of Britain’s campaign of the revolution. The only thing people have been told was the Britain lost the war. What of Britain’s triumphs, strategies, and everything that happened in the span of a few years? Not many people know it, but the British struck a major blow against the Patriots in the last few years of the war. Even though the United States won the American Revolution, Britain struck a major blow against the colonists when the British successfully and brutally took the town of Charleston, South Carolina.
Late in the war, 1778, was the point of Britain being close to defeat. Current commander of British forces was Lt. General Henry Clinton trying to stop this rebellion. He was thinking on how to do this with the North of America under Patriot control. Clinton then decided on turning to the South of the United States (www.theamericanrevolutiong.org). Fighting was becoming heavy between the militia and the United Kingdom’s forces (www.theamericanrevolution.org). However, General Clinton had once been to the South of the U.S. before, but failed in taking a key city (Charleston, South Carolina) by sea on June 28, 1776 (www.theamericanrevolution.org).
Meanwhile, back in London, England, the British government were thinking the same thing General Clinton was thinking: turning efforts toward the southern part of the United States (www.theameric...
... middle of paper ...
...com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. .
The Post and Courier. "The American Revolution in South Carolina - The Siege of Charleston." The American Revolution in South Carolina - The Siege of Charleston. The Post and Courier, 4 July 2010. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. .
University of South Carolina "Patriots ELA Powerpoint." 2012. 27 Mar. 2014
Rickard, J. "Siege of Charleston." 2005. 31 Mar. 2014
Alastar Packer "Siege of Charleston in the Revolutionary War - Alastar Packer." 2012. 31 Mar. 2014
George Washington took control of the revolutionary army on 2 July 1775. He took over at outside of Boston, before this his experience was limited to wilderness travel and soldiering. His soldiering experiences had been mainly for his home state of Virginia. The first battle that was of significance in this book was the Battle of Long Island. At this battle Washington and the rebel army are soundly defeated by General Sir William Howe and the British army. After this battle was fought Howe did not follow-up the victory with quick action as the Americans retreated. It could be said that if Howe and the British would continued the attack this rebellion could have been put down right away. This will not be the first time that Howe fails to do this, and it will lead to him being replaced later in the war Sir Henry Clinton. Even though his army was thoroughly defeated Washington is able to get his troops off of Long Island back to Manhattan in the middle of the night, this will also not be the last time that Washington is able to get his
Eastby, Allen G. "Battle of Brandywine: Setback for the Continental Army." Military History 12 1998: 58-64. ProQuest. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Historians may argue that the British lost the war more than the Colonists won it. Simply looking at the statistics of the British three to one ratio over the colonists, and their overwhelming wealth and naval power, it is virtually impossible to believe that the Americans came out victorious. During this war, the newly emerging colonists proved to the rest of the world that they were becoming an upcoming world power. Although unknown at the time, Washington would prove to be a military genius. This would benefit the colonists in many ways. The colonists, although only one-third of them were pro-war, were patriots who were willing to die for their country. The colonists had more to gain from the war then the British had to lose, thus creating more of an incentive to win. The colonists also had aid from other countries such as France and created allies that would eventually be useful in other wars. The Colonists won the war more than the British lost it because of Washington's great military skills, their patriotism and motives to triumph, and aid of foreign countries.
In the second half of the eighteenth century, the British were faced with rebelling colonies. Finally realizing that they had to fight to keep their colonial possessions, the British sent troops to America. Once the battles began in America, the British were not impressed with the colonial military, but the weak militias soon proved to be effective. With foreign aid from France, American devotion, and the lack of British vigor, the Americans soon discovered the open doors of independence. In my opinion, the American advantages and the British disadvantages proved to be the downfall of the English in the American Revolution.
Charleston, along with the original colonies was growing tired of British taxation. In September 1774, five representatives from Charleston traveled to Philadelphia to participate in the First Continental Congress. On 19 April 1775, the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War took place during the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Throughout the fall of 1775, Patriots in Charleston drove out the last British ships and prepared defensive positions for the impending war (Stokley, 1886). The weather in June of 1776 was hot and muggy on the South Carolina (SC) coast. The SC coastlines are extremely fertile and green with lots of foliage for cover and concealment. Any large vessel at...
Revolutionary War: The Battles of Lexington and Concord The battles of Lexington and Concord were neccessary battles to the American Revolutionary War because they started the very thing that made our country free. Many people have always wondered how the historic American Revolutionary War got started. Sure, they have heard the stories of Paul Revere and the Midnight Ride: There was even a poem written about his ride, but Paul Revere didn’t start the war.
McPherson, James M.; The Atlas of the Civil War. Macmillan: 15 Columbus Circle New York, NY. 1994.
...ct most of his military blunders came in the year 1776. But he always learned from his mistakes. McCullough also examines the mistakes the British made, that may have cost them the victory in the war. 1776 is truly eye opening. It takes a more human look at men like Washington and his generals, and is full of letters and stories written by actual soldiers from both the British and American armies. One of the things that I enjoyed about this book was the way McCullough manages to also show the way the British felt towards the Americans and their opinions and thoughts about the rebels. The book ended on a high note, with Washington's historic crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas night. It was the turning point of the war for the future president and his army, and it provided the first great victory for the young American county. The rest, as they say, is history.
• Weigley, Russell F. The Partisan War: The South Carolina Campaign of 1780--1782. University of South Carolina Press, 1970.
Major General Benjamin Lincoln and his army of “12,000 patriots” (Siege of Charleston) are going up against the British Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton and his army of “2,500,000 British”
Also known as the siege of Charleston, The battle of Charleston was an important battle that took place near the end of the Revolutionary War. General Clinton of Great Britain, believed that if he controlled the south, Tories would support Clinton and they would out number Washington and win the war. On the continental side, congress decided to replace Maj. General Robert Howe with Maj. General Benjamin Lincoln as the Southern Department commander because of the loss suffered in Georgia. In May 1779, Lincoln was able to reoccupy Augusta, Georgia, and join French Admiral d'Estaing in fighting to savannah. d'Estaing abandoned the siege a month later and fled south to the west indies for the winter. Without d'Estaings’ support, Lincoln was forced to retreat to Charleston, South Carolina.
In the fall of 1777, Martin’s division was one of those called to Pennsylvania, where British forces led by General William Howe had managed to take the rebel capital ...
The American Revolution was a turning point in American history. However, this revolution would not have been plausible without outside aid. The patriots did not have the capability to win the war on their own, but with aid from the French, excellent leadership, and a home field advantage they were able to succeed.
The Revolutionary War was a war between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain from 1775-1783 during the American Revolution. The American colonists fought the British in hope of freedom and separation from Great Britain. “This was the completion stage of the political American Revolution whereas the colonists had denied the rights of the Parliament of Great Britain in governing them without any representation,” ("American Revolutionary War."). The Revolutionary War consisted of many different bloody battles on American soil. The war resulted in an American victory because of many historical reasons. The factors that contributed to an American victory of the Revolutionary War are British debt, distance between America and Great Britain, war tactics, French involvement, and important battles.
...he fact that they had no political power and were controlled by a country that was thousands of miles away from them. The American Revolution began as a conflict over political and social change, but soon developed into a dispute over personal rights and political liberty. A decade of conflicts between the British government and the Americans, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to war in 1775, along with The Declaration of Independence in 1776. Americans united as one and knew that they wanted to be an independent country, have their own laws, rights, and not be colony of the Great Britain. They fought hard for their independence and people lost their lives in the process of it but in the end they succeeded. Never give up, keep fighting till the mission is accomplished just like the Americans did when they were fighting for their independence.