In late 1776, General George Washington desperately needed a victory. His Soldiers morale was slumping, and public attitude was deteriorating. Washington had set his sights on Trenton, but for him to assure some much needed success; he needed intelligence on the British’s camp at Trenton. He turned to a strong patriot, John Honeyman who agreed to embed himself as a spy for General Washington. Washington sent Honeyman forth from his home in Philadelphia to Griggs town, New Jersey which was 17 miles from Trenton. Honeyman settled in and posed as a butcher and a loyalist to the British King. Honeyman immediately made numerous contacts with the opposition and was soon regularly supplying beef to the Hessian troops stationed at Trenton, and consistently gaining their trust. The demand for beef was continues as the Christmas holidays approached, and Honeyman became familiar with the Hessian camp and the roads around the town. This is exactly what General Washington was looking for, an informant that new the inside of the opposition. General George Washington was a firm believer in intelligence and especially the hidden secret of the intelligence world and stated, “The necessity of procuring good Intelligence is apparent & need not be further urged--All that remains for me to add is, that you keep the whole matter as secret as possible. For upon Secrecy, Success depends in most enterprises of the kind, and for want of it, they are generally defeated, however well planned & promising a favorable issue.” George Washington
At the end of 1776 the destiny of the Continental Army and its commander, George Washington, were at a low fade. Despite the great optimism inspired by the publication of Paine’s Common Sense and the Declaration ...
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...next day the Army had won their first major victory. After the battle of Trenton, Honeyman continued spying for General Washington. Honeyman played his role as a loyal man to the British so well that the patriots who were not in on this secret ring had latter caught and jailed him for treason. When General Washington had gotten word of this he Colonel Jacob Hyer to step in and arrange bail so that Honeyman was not hung for treason.
The overall effect of the battle of Trenton was out of all proportion to the numbers involved and the casualties. General Washington and his troop’s efforts at Trenton spread across the colonies and the psychological governance achieved by the British in the previous year was no turning. Congress and the American people were stunned that such a strong German contingent could be surprised in such a manner with such little resistance.
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Show MoreThe American Revolution saw the rise of the American spy, and the father of these spies was George Washington, commander in Chief of the Continental Army. The siege of New York demonstrated the importance and dire need for an intelligence to General Washington. Unfortunately, the difficulty, at least initially, lay with finding people willing and able to serve in this manner.
At the beginning of the Philadelphia Campaign, General Washington was not sure of General Howe’s plan. That changed when General Howe ...
Although unknown to the Congress when they appointed Washington to lead the colonies, he would prove to be a great military genius. Washington was simply selected because he was a rich Virginian with everything to lose. In 1776 at the Battle of Long Island, Washington proved that he was a great military leader. Washington narrowly escaped to Manhattan Island, crossed the Hudson and finally reached the Delaware Rive with the British on his tale. Washington was known as a " sly fox" because of his tricky maneuvers to get his troops out of dangerous situations. A few weeks later Washington showed his sly ways once again when he captured a thousand Hessians the day after Christmas. Without Washington's amazing military mind, and his sly maneuvers the Americans never would have defeated the British.
Washington's selection to be the leader of the Continental Army was the wisest choice that the newly formed Continental Congress could have made. Washington's selection as Commander of the Continental Army did more to win the Revolutionary war than any other decision made during the conflict. His personal character epitomizes perfectly the five traits required in a successful general: wisdom, sincerity, humanity, courage, and strictness. (Sun Tzu p. 65) These five crucial traits will become apparent and Washington's strategy to win the War of Independence is elaborated on further
According to Britishbattles.com lucky for the Americans came out of the battle with only 4 wounded soldiers and only 2 froze to death. However, the Hessians came out of battle with 20 murdered and about 100 injured but 1000 were captured. Trenton proved a much needed encouragement. Some good effects is that the Continental army finally won the battle that they desperately needed to win. Also, Washington proved he could unit soldiers from different colonies and make them a national force. Some bad news is the British lost a lot of men from being captured and some being murdered. I guess there is more good news for the Americans than for the Hessians.
In the summer of 1775, The Americans prepared to attack the British in Boston. But Washington was informed that they were shorthanded on gunpowder. The Americans had 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 British army woke up the next morning and was amazed to see how much hard work took place that night by the American army. Since the British army was surrounded they had no ot...
During the War for American Independence, 78 men were commissioned as general officers into the Continental Army by the Continental Congress. Many of these generals commanded troops with differing levels of competence and success. George Washington is typically seen as most important general, however throughout the war a number of his subordinates were able to distinguish themselves amongst their peers. One such general was Nathanael Greene. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Greene would become Washington’s most important subordinate, as demonstrated by Edward Lengel’s assessment of Greene as “the youngest and most capable of Washington’s generals.” Washington and Greene developed a strong, positive and close relationship between themselves. Greene began his life in the military after having been raised a Quaker. With limited access to literature and knowledge in his younger years, Greene became an avid reader which equipped him with the knowledge necessary to excel as a general during the war. Through his devoted study of military operations, firsthand experience and natural abilities as a soldier, Greene became an excellent military commander. He would become known for his successful southern campaign, during which, he loosened British control of the South and helped lead the war to its climax at Yorktown. Throughout the war, he was involved in a number high profile battles where he built a reputation of being an elite strategist who also understood unconventional warfare, logistics, and the importance of military-civil affairs and had a natural political/social acumen. The thesis of this paper is that Greene’s proven reputation of being a soldier, strategist and statesman would cause him to become the second greates...
This conclusion seemed to contradict every presumption about Great Britain’s imperial power. In all other conflicts, the British seemed to win decisively but the problem in the American Revolution lies with Britain underestimating the colonists. The British were blind to America’s symbolic presence as an end to an imperial structure. France and Spain aided the colonists in hopes of defeating the tyrannical empire. Britain underestimated George Washington and the Continental Army. Over time, the colonial militias trained in the European fashion and transformed into a challenging force. Ultimately, the most distinctive miscalculation of the British was the perseverance of the colonists and their fight for freedom. While Britain was fighting for control over yet another revenue source, America was fighting for independence and principle. The difference between the motivations was the predominant factor in deciding the
The Battle of Trenton was not just about capturing the Hessians. Many events lead up to this war changing battle. When winter came, the American Troops were in a bad position. The soldiers were in need of food and also warm and new clothing. Washington begun to see his army fall apart and troops leave due to expiring enlistments. Washington knew that to keep this army together then there must be a victory to bring back hope. Washington also knew that a victory would also have to come before the Americans bared down for the winter. British troops returned to New York for the winter leaving Hessian troops at small outpost around Trenton to defend after winning Trenton in a previous battle. The British and American armies both should be done with fighting and getting ready for the winter and the...
On October 9, 1781, General George Washington surrounded General Lord Charles Cornwallis at the Virginia port city of Yorktown with 8,500 American soldiers and around 10,000 French soldiers. The bruised up British army contained only around 8,000 soldiers. The Siege of Yorktown lasted eight days, and Cornwallis had to surrender to American forces. The British loss crushed their southern army and forced them to give up on the war. The surrender of Yorktown could easily be one of the greatest moments in American history. Not only did the surrender signal the end of the war, but it also signaled that independence had been won by the colonies. No longer would the colonies have to answer to Great Britain and the tyrants that ruled it.
Despite the low expectations for the American colonies, they amazed the world as they rose to the occasion by taking advantage of their military assets, even those they did not know they had. For instance, George Washington proved to be a valuable asset for the American colonies. Washington was already held in high esteem prior to the Revolution for his few, but impactful, military accomplishments prior to the Revolution and for his praise-worthy character. (Schweikart and Allen 74) Because of his lack of experience commanding, he learned to excel in familiarizing himself with new tactics and responsibilities very quickly. (Mount Vernon) He used strategy to make up for what he lacked in supplies or force. In 1776, he valiantly crossed the Delaware river for a successful surprise attack on Trenton and days later successfully took Princeton, two undertakings which contributed significantly to the American victory along with Washington defeating Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1...
While Greene could be considered a great leader, another Patriot, Nathan Hale, was very heroic when he risked his life to spy on the British. Hale knew that this was a risky plan, but when George Washington needed someone to step up, he was the one to do so (Stewart 38). Dressed as a normal citizen, he crossed Long Island from Norwalk (Anderson 96). Hale spent a week gathering information and hiding his notes in his shoes (“Patriot Nathan Hale”). As he was on his way back with the crucial information about the British army’s plans that Washington needed, General William Howe caught him (Anderson 97). Howe found papers that talked about how his cousin was a British sympathizer under Howe’s command and he had betrayed him. Hale was ordered
It was the evening of Christmas, 1776. The voice of an army sergeant shouted, “Everybody, up this instant! We’ve got a battle to win!” George Washington’s order awoke us soldiers, and we prepared for a rough night, as General Washington knew it would be more than strenuous to get the Continental Army, made up of 2,400 men, across the Delaware River especially in such harsh weather conditions. The plan was to attack in the morning since the Hessians would be celebrating Christmas tonight, they will hopefully be too tired to put up a fight tomorrow morning. The cold, brisk air intruded into the tent, as the rest of the soldiers arose from their slumber, not knowing what the day would bring them, or should I say, night.
In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.
...e gun, it seemed, the greater the owner‘s pride in it.” (McCullough 33) The Continental army certainly did not look like an army yet these people were brought together in this fight for freedom and prevailed even winning the support of Americans who had no hope the British would be defeated.” Merchant Erving had sided with the Loyalists primarily because he thought the rebellion would fail. But the success of Washington‘s army at Boston had changed his mind as it had for many” (McCullough 108). The reader must comprehend the power of this accomplishment for the rag-tag army. “Especially for those who had been with Washington and who knew what a close call it was at the beginning-how often circumstance, storms, contrary winds, the oddities or strengths of individual character had made the difference- the outcome seemed little short of a miracle.” (McCullough 294).