Battle of Yorktown
The siege of Yorktown significantly propelled the American colonies as a legitimate power in the western hemisphere. Many variables led to the downfall of the British Army and ultimate surrender to the American army. Though the defeat can be read in history book, it goes without controversy. The British had more experience, better equipment and better leaders. Some of the factors that have to be looked at was the American and foreign military support, Cornwallis defeat and the weapons used to defeat the British army and navy. These were some of the important factors that pushed the young American army into beating a military super power.
September 5th, 1781, a French Naval Fleet inhabited the lower Chesapeake Bay, which
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Using this tactic, they were able to bring the maximum number of muskets to on the enemy. The muskets were very inaccurate at fifty yards. Even with a very well-aimed shot, there was still an eighteen-inch variance. The muskets were heavy, weighing in at over ten pounds. The barrel was at least three feet long, making the musket very difficult to aim. Since smokeless powder was not invented yet, so flint was used as an igniter. This was limited to roughly twenty shots before replacing. Once the first volley had fired, the battlefield was obscured by smoke. In consequence, all soldiers trained to aim at areas rather than individual targets. Once properly trained, the soldiers could fire three rounds per minute under the stress of battle. During the Battle of Yorktown, there are an unknown number of artillery pieces used during the siege but estimated to 375 pieces. During the Battle of Yorktown, there were an average of 1,700 cannon balls sent down range each day, which averaged 1.2 shots every minute. Between the British, French, and Americans, there were four different artillery pieces used during the battle. They were the Field Cannon, the Garrison Cannon, the Howitzer, and the Mortar. The Field Cannon used three different types of shells; solid ball, …show more content…
The French Navy had decisively defeated the British Navy. Consequently denying escape for the British both by land and sea. On September 29, 1781, the Battle of Yorktown began. As Washington moved his Army closer to the British lines, the British would engage them from their cover and concealed positions. Over the next 6 days, the French and Continental Armies would establish their trenches needed to begin the siege. The French and Continental Armies moved artillery pieces into position to engage the British. On October 9, 1781, the siege of Yorktown against General Cornwallis would officially begin. All French and Continental guns were in place. “Both Army’s had plenty of artillery, cannons and other big guns at Yorktown. The British was equipped with 65 artillery pieces, however, Washington’s Army had 124, almost twice as many” (Fradin, 2013, pg.26). At 1700 hours on October 9, Ready says, “George Washington himself fired the first American cannon toward Yorktown” (Fradin, 2013, pg.35). Both Rochambeau and Washington envisioned the battle would last more than one day. The Continental and French Armies completely surround Yorktown before the British surrendered. The Continental and French guns would pound British defenses all night, not allowing time for the British to make
The battle of Gettysburg occurred over three hot summer days, July 1 to July 3, 1863, around the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It began as a meeting engagement, but by its end involved approximately 170,000 Americans. The battle is considered to be the turning point in the American Civil War and is one of the most studied battles in American history. The events that took place at Gettysburg had a tremendous impact on the outcome of the Civil War and the fate of the United States.
In 1776, before the Battle of Brandywine, in what was almost a year long siege, General George Washington and his army managed to drive the British Army out of Boston. However, General William Howe’s British Troops moved south. General Howe and General Washington’s troops met again in the Battle of Long Island. General Howe was victorious and occupied New York City. In the spring of 1777 the British controlled the cities of Quebec and New York, while the Continental Army controlled Philadelphia and Boston. The British plan was to move General Burgoyne’s troops, in Quebec, south, and General Howe’s troops north. This would give the British control of the Hudson Valley and cut New England off from the remaining colonies. The British hoped that this would destroy the American Dream of Independence. However, British Officials in London failed to give direct orders to General Howe to conduct this mission. General Howe decided to pursue his own agenda and capture the city of Philadelphia.
The famous Battle of Gettysburg was a major part of the Civil War. Before the Battle of Gettysburg, the Confederate army had the advantage: however, the events occurring in the months following the historic battle are what truly gave the Union Troops the greatest advantage leading to their victoryThe Turning Point of the Civil War
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.
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.
The Americans weighed fewer than 10,000 pounds, roughly nine rounds per man. The situation was not expected to improve soon. During the night of March 4th, 1776 in Boston. Washington pulled the unthinkable and surprised the British by placing his army up the undefended Dorchester Heights. The British had ships anchored in the Boston Harbor, which were within range of American cannons.
The Union forces suffered one their most significant defeats of the Civil War at the Battle of Fredericksburg on 13 December 1862. The Union army was pushing towards Richmond, Virginia when they were met with a Confederate defensive stand while attempting to cross the Rappahannock River and the subsequent charges towards the Confederate positions. The first three steps of the Battle Analysis process will be covered briefly in this analysis along with an assessment of the significant actions taken. The Union Army was rendered ineffective due to several flaws in the leadership. Poor utilization of available intelligence methods, poor communication between leaders, minimal terrain analysis, and failure to plan for enemy courses of action all contributed greatly to the Union defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
In this paper, I will provide a Battle Analysis and outline the events leading up to and surrounding the Battle of 73 Eastings (refers to a north-south grid line). In addition, I will describe how the United States Army’s (USA) 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment (ACR) defeated forces from the Iraqi Republican Guard (IRG) using speed, technology and superior combat power. Although some consider the Battle of 73 Eastings extremely successful, some consider it a failure due to the large amount of Iraqi forces that retreated towards Bagdad. Lastly, I will analyze how each side used their intelligence assets and what they could have used to change the outcome.
The plans for Yorktown actually started up in May of 1781 when General Washington joined up with French General Rochambeau. The American forces at this time were stationed in the area of New York City closely watching British General Clinton’s forces. Washington knew that General Cornwallis who had been dominating in the south would soon be moving northward to rendezvous with Clinton’s and General Nathaniel Green’s forces. He also knew that if this happened it would be near impossible of defeating the British. As Cornwallis continued his northern track he ran into trouble at the Battle of Cowpens. In fact he lost much of his light infantry and cavalry in the Carolinas. He did score a victory at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, but this would prove to not help him much as he took severe losses and consumed a lot of time.
The defeat of the British at the Battle of Yorktown by the patriots and the French signified the end of the war. French ships and patriots trapped Cornwallis and his troops. Cornwallis surrendered and the British were defeated. Then the Treaty of Paris was drawn up because of the defeat of the British.
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.
On October 19, 1781, the British General, Lord Cornwallis is forced to retreat to a the Virginian peninsula Yorktown. The French Navy surrounds the peninsula with ships, while the Americans soldiers chase the British by foot. Cornwallis is forced to surrender and the Americans win the Revolutionary War.
The British were better equipped to fight in the Battle of Britain than were the Germans. The RAF and the people of London were helpful because the Germans mistook them intelligence, strategy, and targets. The British people had five advantages, including the control of active radar, the enormous ammunition of the Spitfires and Hurricanes, the English fighter pilots' abilities, confusion caused the enemy, and the English people's inspiring unity in the flight.
The Americans had an advantage over the British for a simple reason: they were fighting for something they wanted, rather than the British fighting to “play defense” and prevent American independence. Americans colonists wanted to become an independant nation, have a new system of self governance, claim equal rights for all citizens, and rid themselves from tyranny. The Patriots who fought in the Revolution were primarily fighting for independence from Britain, and it was that similar goal that boosted morale. As stated in the Declaration of Independence American colonists were subject to a “long train of abuses and usurpations” and it was also argued that the British tyranny forced colonists to “alter their former system of government”. Therefore, the Patriots were fighting for a cause that affected their everyday lives which inspired them even more to defeat Britain. The British was fed up with the casualties and heavy taxes to pay for the war they were fighting without cause, while the Americans would have done anything to defeat the British. The American colonists and their want to defeat the British for the rights they deserved was a crucial factor to American victory during the revolutionary