Evolution of Warfare

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Evolution of Warfare

• The American Revolution
• 1775-1783
• MOI

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Learning Objectives

• Contrast/compare the expressions strategy of
  attrition and partisan warfare, and apply them
  to the American Revolution
• Discuss British and American strategy and
  objectives, and note how they changed during the
  course of the American Revolution
• Contrast the Continental Army with the
  professional armies of the 18th century and show
  how this difference dictated Washingtons
  strategy
• Explain how French intervention tipped the
  balance in favor of America in the War for
  Independence

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Causes

• Two causes
• Taxation
• Quartering of troops to defend against Indian
  forays after expulsion of French
• British felt colonists should pay
• Acts of Trade Navigation ignored(smuggling)
• Stamp Act, Revenue Act, Quartering Act
• No Taxation, without Representation!

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Causes

• Real causes
• Colonists had intellectual differences with
  British government (king vs. parliament)
• Colonists had spirit of self-independence brought
  about by frontier life
• Colonists believed in democratic form of
  government vice oligarchy

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Other factors

• Colonist goals distinct from mother country
• British victory in French/Indian War freed
  colonists of need for protection from French
• 1763 - British move to tighten imperial control
  (station 10,000 soldiers along American frontier
  _at_ colonist expense)

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Definition of Terms

• Attrition - gradual weakening
• Partisan - irregular troops
• Guerilla warfare - irregular troops fighting
  small-scale, limited actions against larger
  orthodox military forces

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Application of Terms

• Strategy of Attrition - adopted by Washington due
  to economy
• long lines of communication
• English enemies in Europe (need to protect
  homeland)
• popular support in England for colonies (prospect
  of long war might cause England to abandon cause)
• Down side - division in colonies

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Application of Terms

• Partisan Warfare
• local militias supported nucleus of continental
  soldiers
• tactics well suited to means and background
  (Cowpens is classic example)
• Irregular troops- citizen soldiers

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American Strategyand Objectives

• Population - 1/3 rebel, 1/3 loyalist, 1/3
  indifferent.
• Loyalists provided more support to England than
  rebels provided to Continental Army
• Two wars - foreign war against major European
  power civil war
• Strategic defensive for most of war

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Lexington Bunker Hill

• Lexington gave impetus to siege of Boston
  battle of Bunker Hill
• Bunker Hill affected military policy
• convinced that regular military was unnecessary
• Gen Howe henceforth failed to press victories
• The battle served to prove to the American people
  that the British Army was not invincible. It
  became a symbol of national pride and a rally
  point of resistance against British rule.

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Concord and Lexington

• Concord
• Col Barrett on the North Bridge
• 3 companies of minutemen and one alarm company
  under Prescott
• British opened fire on the approaching rebels
• British won initial battle but a 16 mile gauntlet
  was formed by militia
• Broke the British discipline
• Ruthless on both sides
• Losses British 273 Rebels 93

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Battles

• Concord and Lexington Apr 1775
• Paul Revere One if by land, two if by sea
• Left at 2200 at night
• Lexington
• Rebels tried to leave and were fired upon, did
  not lay down weapons
• Capt Jonas Parker and 7 others killed
• One British soldier wounded

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Battles

• Entire population was under arms and fought the
  British (Lord Percy) back to Boston
• British lost 259 men
• Militia Proved its value
• Result was that Gage was not surrounded on Boston
• Continental Congress formed the Army of the
  United Colonies under Washington
• Benedict Arnold Emerged

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Battles

• Bunker Hill
• British Gage wanted the rebels off the hill
  (Bunker and Breeds)
• Ordered Howe to take Bunker Hill
• Howe attacked Breeds hill twice without success
  and finally a third time and was successful
  (rebels out of ammo)
• Cost British 1,054 Rebels 441
• Very heavy for both

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General Washington

• After Bunker Hill he was forced to change to more
  Fabian Tactics by avoiding battle whenever he
  could.

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Battles

• Saratoga Campaign
• Ticonderoga
• LtCol St. Clair 2500 plus 900 militia
• Burgoyne for the British with a force of British,
  Germans and Jagers
• British landed and occupied the high ground
• St Clair withdrew to Saratoga

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Battles

• Saratoga Campaign
• 1st Battle 19 Sept 77
• Gates holds strong but with German reinforcements
  Burgoyne defeats him
• 2nd Battle 7 Oct 77
• Arnold rallies the Americans to victory
• Burgoyne surrenders on 17 Oct 77

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Saratoga

• Turning point in revolution
• British now held only N.Y. City, Part of R.I.,
  Philadelphia
• France recognized U.S. signed treaty of
  alliance (1778)
• France colonies now more aggressive

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Southern Campaign

• Gen Greene - war of maneuver against Cornwallis
• marched and counter-marched against main armies
• used partisan bands under Lee, Pickens, Sumter,
  Marion to harass flanks, cut off supplies, attack
  posts put down loyalist aid

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Southern Campaign

• Intentionally violated principle of mass
• Divided forces could live off land
• More rallying points for local militia
• Tempted Cornwallis to split his force
• Sacrificed mass for maneuver
• Combination of regular and Guerilla warfare
  speedily reduced British occupation

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British Strategyand Objectives

• British Ministry Plan
• Occupy territory to break up union of patriots
• Blockade coast to prevent
• re-supply from sea
• Destroy organized armies
• Suppress Guerilla warfare

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British Strategy and Objectives

• Plan actually carried out
• Make N.Y. City headquarters (occupy)
• Secure from NYC to Hudson Valley to Canada
• Cut off New England - hotbed of sedition and
  source of supplies, ideas, encouragement
  reinforcements
• Actually only held one port (Newport) in New
  England

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British Strategyand Objectives

• South of NY the line was Chesapeake Bay
• Strong positions in Maryland and Virginia.
• Attempt to isolate the middle from the south and
  prevent communication.
• Controlling the south Occupy Charleston and 2 or
  3 points along the Santee River in SC.

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British Strategyand Objectives

• Advantage Royal Navy - freedom of maneuver along
  coastal strip
• Disadvantage no critical point to maneuver
  against along coast, unable to physically control
  all the territory

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British Strategyand Objectives

• Economic warfare
• Blockade
• Counterfeiting
• ruining value of continental money
• making own purchases with Gold

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British Force

• Classic 18th century European Army
• Linear tactics
• Well-trained soldiers
• Loyalty dedication suspect in England
• Sympathy for colonists
• Hessians (mercenaries) employed

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American Force

• Most forces _at_ home for local defense - few forces
  for continental army
• Prior to von Steuben - little discipline
• Steuben served under Frederick
• Made I.G. of Washingtons Army
• Streamlined musket loading uniformity
• Standardized training - speed and tactics
• Discipline instilled

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American Force

• Used rifle more than British
• Most useful in Guerilla actions
• Of great value in wooded areas
• slow rate of fire
• lack of bayonet
• inferior to musket for open-field fighting

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Battles

• Cowpens 1/17/81
• Great American Victory
• Turning Point? Changed the psychology of the war
• Morgan against Tarleton
• Americans
• Camped at Cowpens between two small hill tops
• Motivated by Morgan at night by the campfires

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American Force

• Cowpens (Jan, 1781)
• Numerically equal forces, but Americans were 3/4
  militia
• Continental infantry on hill, leaving flanks open
• Militia riflemen in front
• 1st line fires two volleys, falls back
• combined line fires until British presses
• Then fall back to rear become reserve

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Battles

• British
• Attacked head on with Dragoons (British Calvary)
  on the flanks and artillery in the center
• Thought it would be an easy victory and that the
  Americans would flee quickly.

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Battles

• Americans
• Anticipated Tarletons tactics
• Formed in three lines
• Sharpshooters out front behind trees
• Andrew Pickens Militia 150 yds back
• Two volleys and fall back
• Howards Continentals 150 yds back

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Battles

• Cowpens Actions in the field
• Sharpshooters picked off many British Officers
  and Dragoons
• Dragoons retreated and the sharpshooter fell back
  to the 2nd line
• 2nd line got off two volleys and fell back to the
  3rd line but were caught by a second charge of
  the Dragoons
• William Washingtons Patriot Cavalry came out of
  nowhere to join the battle and routed the British
  Dragoons

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Battles

• Cowpens Actions in the field
• Infantry on both sides continued to fire volley
  after volley
• British advanced at a trot
• Morgan rallied the Americans
• British 71st Highlanders came from the reserve
  and charged the American line
• Howard on the right flank ordered his units to
  face slightly right and face the charge.
• Order was confused as to retreat.
• Americans started falling back

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Battles

• Cowpens Actions in the field
• Morgan confronted Howard and turned the
  retreating forces around.
• The British thought the Americans were in retreat
  and had broken ranks to pursue.
• The Americans turned and delivered devastating
  volleys into the British forces.
• American conducted a fierce bayonet charge and
  broke the British lines.
• American forces then conducted a double
  envelopment of the British
• British Infantry surrendered

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Battles

• Cowpens Actions in the field
• Tarleton fled and dueled William Washington.
• Made it to Cornwalis camp to tell him of the
  news
• 1 hour battle
• 110 KIA, 200 WIA 500 POW for the British
• 12 KIA, 60 WIA for the Americans

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Impact of French

• French anxious to regain international position
• Helped in three other significant ways
• Loans
• Use of French ports for American privateers
• Protected American vessels near French Waters

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Judging English Failure

• Initial plan could have worked
• Didnt act with resolution hoping for
  conciliatory measures
• Adequate forces never provided
• British didnt use strategic initiative to
  advantage
• No Unity of Command
• No defined objective
• Lord Germain directed to much from England
• Lacked timeliness, knowledge and may have been
  incompetent

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Impact

• well regulated militia
• Trained and organized under a uniform system in
  all states and could be called into national
  service
• balanced rights with obligated military service
• impact of peoples army fighting for cause vice
  professional army
• new concept of total war for total victory
  (conscription/draft)

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Impact

• Changed tactics
• Rifle
• increased range
• improved accuracy
• made linear tactics difficult
• British adopted American tactics
• skirmishes
• cover
• concealment

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Weapons of the War
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Flintlock musket and pistol
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Weapons of the War

• Rifles were used more in the south and during
  guerilla type operations for accuracy.
• Took too long to reload for the battle field.
• Could not use bayonet

American long Rifle
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Weapons of the War

• Musket balls were undersized for quick reloading
• Bayonets were mounted on them
• Paper cartridges
• NO sights
• Used volleys to compensate for the inaccurate
  muskets
• French provided most of them

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Weapons of the War
Artillery
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Weapons of the War

• Cannons were smoothbore muzzle loaded
• 3, 4, 6 pounders mounted on wooded carriages
• Up to 800 yds. range

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Weapons of the War
Saber
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DISCUSSION

• Political, social, economic aspects of American
  Revolution
• Weapons development during this period
• Difference between attrition and partisan
  warfare.

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MOOSEMUSS

• Mass
• Objective
• Offensive
• Surprise
• Economy of Force
• Maneuver
• Unity of Command
• Security
• Simplicity

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Any Questions ?