Advantages and Disadvantages of the British and American Armies

Advantages and Disadvantages of the British and American Armies

            The British and the Americans had extraordinary advantages along with disadvantages leading to the commencement of the revolutionary war. Thus, with regards to the advantages, the British are seen as having had numerous advantages compared to their American counterparts. These included but not limited to the sophisticated weaponry, uniforms, better training and gunpowder, in addition to having the globe’s finest navy at the time (Head, 2017). Moreover, Britain also had the best economy in the world that would not only enable them to finance the cost of the war but also enable the purchasing of all the necessary supplies. On the other hand, though lacking on a number of fronts, the Americans also had a number of advantages and this included immense knowledge of the terrain, superior weaponry to those of the British and increased acquaintance with the weapons amongst others (Head, 2017). This paper has, therefore, been written with the aim of reviewing the advantages and disadvantages of the American and British Armies during the revolutionary war.

British Army Advantages

Though the British army might not have had the largest army globally by every means and was additionally disciplined and aptly trained. According to Tilly (2017), the British armies were better trained for the pitched battles in which the soldiers were anticipated to not only load but also fire a minimum of four bullets every minute. The British soldiers were also adequately trained on the handling and use of the bayonet riffle. They also received extensive drilling with regards to the line infantry formation, and this ensured that they were adequately prepared to run quickly in case they faced sustained fire.

The other notable advantage that the British had regards the observation that they had not only concentrated on the South as from 1780 going forward but also that the South had the highest number of loyalists and this made the army to count on the loyalist militias to effectively fill up the various ranks and also bring the necessary supplies (Head, 2017). This turned out to be the case in the various parts of the South even as the Americans failed to unite until later in the course of the war when the various colonial states became increasingly interested in fighting the colonialists. However, other states desired to sustain their loyalty to the British crown so as to stop the war from proceeding further.

The other notable advantage that the British had regards the fact that it had the Royal Navy, which had close to one hundred war ships that were in active service even as the Americans did not have any ship (Head, 2017). On the other hand, Americans had a smaller Navy and only had merchant ships that had been converted into naval vessels. The implication of this is that the British were able to effectively blockade wherever they wished to, as well as move their troops between the northern and southern colonies whenever there was a need to do so.

Moreover, the British had the unbeaten record globally and, therefore, appeared as unbeatable given that for the last 100 years preceding the revolutionary war, the British had defeated various nations and, therefore enjoyed successive victories globally defeating powerful nations that included Spain and France (Head, 2017). This made the odds to appear to be against the Americans. In spite of the underdogs in the war emerging victorious, the British was the best globally as its soldier had been adequately equipped while the soldiers were highly disciplined, as well as well fed and paid. Moreover, the British Navy also had dominance over the sea and had more funds for financing the war given that the empire was able to raise resources from its colonies much easily compared to the Americans (Head, 2017). A larger proportion of the funds were also employed in the hiring of the Hessian militias and mercenaries that were employed in the fight against the Americans.

British Disadvantages

Regardless of the observed advantages, the British Army also faced a number of disadvantages. One of the notable disadvantage that the British Army had regards the observation that it was made up of several militias from diverse states in the course of the initial years of the war and were known to break away from the formation in addition to running away. Still, a number of the militias were not trained on how to use riffles aptly and were not good in close combats (Head, 2017). The 1780 Battle of Camden is a good instance of such observations given that General Gates’ inexperienced militia faced the British regulars are this resulted in the militia retreating back much faster than was anticipated. Even though there were a number of aptly trained continental army offices in the field, the militia comprised a larger proportion of the army, and having ran away, the trained armies were also forced to retreat. Throughout the war, only Colonel Daniel Morgan, an American soldier, was the only person who made the effective use of the militia within the pitched battles (Head, 2017).

The other disadvantage faced by British army regards the observation that Britain was greatly divided with regards to their views on what ought to be carried out in Americas. A number of the Britons maintained that Britain needed to let go of its American colonies; however, others wer of the contrary opinion and maintained that Britain should not let go of the Americas as this was likely to result in the loss of pride that the country enjoyed globally. This was quite comparable to conflict that happened later in the course of the Vietnam War.

Americans Advantages

Despite being the underdogs in the Revolutionary War, the Americans also has a number of advantages have some advantages. These included the observation that while the Americans were waging a war for causes they deeply believed in, the British armies were in the battle due to their jobs. The Americans were waging the war so as to attain freedom. Still, Americans also had a number of intangible advantages including the view that the British were fighting far away from their homes and this resulted in vital aspects such as supplies, military orders and troops taking a number of months and days before reaching the armies in the battle field.

Still, Tilly (2017) maintains the alliance with France and Spain was a major boost to the Americans as it not only gave them the much needed courage but also offered the tangible threat that effectively turned the war in favor of the Americans. Thus, the support offered by Spain and France assisted in the weakening the British troops in addition to helping in the turning of what had initially appeared to have been an internal challenge into a global war against the British. Though Americans maintain that the war occurred in a total of thirteen colonies, the British have asserted that it occurred in various places including Ceylon, English Channel, the Caribbean and the North Sea amongst other regions (Head, 2017). This was advantageous to the Americans as it aided in putting strain on Britain’s resources and finances, even as it also saved the various colonies from the total wrath of the British army.

Lastly, leadership is also considered as another advantage that led to the winning of the Revolutionary War by the Americans. Throughout the ranks, the American army had able men who comprehended what they were partaking in. Consequently, though the British commanders have all-encompassing military training, the army generals were greatly divided and were regularly in disagreements with each other (Bowler, 2015). Moreover, nepotism reigned high in the British army as the military officers were mainly promoted on the basis of familial ties and background, political connections, and loyalty to the British Crown as opposed to merit. On the contrary, in the American army, the soldiers were mainly promoted on the basis of individual merits and performance in battle.

Comparison between Henry Clinton and George Washington during the revolutionary war

As the commander-in-chief of the Continental armies, George Washington was tasked with reporting to the 2^nd Continental Congress. Some of George Washington’s duties during the revolutionary war included commanding the army and giving direction with regards to the war efforts for the entire United States, even as the administration of the whole army was under the supervision of the War Board that was instituted in 1776. Washington also held the rank of the general of the continental army and this enabled him to appoint the lieutenant generals. He was, nevertheless, promoted posthumously to the position of the General of all United States Armies in 1976.

On the other hand, Henry Clinton was the Commander of the British Army and has been acknowledged as one of the longest serving Commanders stationed in the United States. Unlike other British commanders and leaders, Clinton is known for having perceived the Revolutionary War as an enterprise that was profitless to Britain. As a result, Clinton was in favor of the peaceful settlement on nearly every term. This is because he perceived the revolutionary war as a business as opposed to a cause (Bowler, 2015). Rather that holding and talking the bigger rebel cities and towns including Philadelphia and New York, Clinton was of the opinion that the Continental Army and George Washington himself were the decisive points in the war, and this, therefore, justified the costly and decisive pursuit.

However, Clinton was unable to convince his superiors who were stationed in Britain. Though Clinton suggested the apt strategic approach to nearly all the military situation he was faced with as the Commander of the British army to his superiors and subordinates, his advices were not followed. This was seen when his superiors including General Howe stuck to the initial plan by ordering the match up the Hudson River. Had he followed Clinton’s strategies and suggestion, Britain would have emerged victorious in the Revolutionary War.

References

Bowler, A. (2015). Logistics and the Failure of the British Army in America, 1775-1783.    Princeton University Press.

Head, D. (2017). The Papers of George Washington: The Revolutionary War Series, Volume 23: 22 October–December 1779 ed. by William M. Ferraro. Journal of the Early       Republic, 37(4), 787-790.

Kennedy, P. (2017). The rise and fall of British naval mastery. Penguin UK.

Tilly, C. (2017). From mobilization to revolution. In Collective Violence, Contentious Politics,       and Social Change (pp. 71-91). Routledge.