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Guerilla Tactics In The Revolutionary War

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Parmentier WOSSE 18-003 INSURGENCY The Revolutionary war was a catalyst to bring a nation together and introduce insurgency and guerilla tactics to help beat a more formidable opponent. Insurgency tactics used by the militia brought the British Army to a point of shame, by disrupting and wearing down the fighting spirit of the British. We will look at the first insurgency and how militiamen, made of farmers and tradesmen, used insurgency, and guerilla tactics, to wear down the British army and help the Colonial army, win the war. Phase one- Survival: The building phase was completed at this point from wars fought in previous years. Many had fought in the French and Indian War where they learned how to fight and use guerrilla tactics. The …show more content…

They wanted to be a country of an independent and democratic government, to govern themselves under a system that would give them equality. Phase two- Small Scale Offensive: The first small scale offensive took place on April 19, 1775 in the towns of Lexington and Concord. General Thomas Gage, a commander in the British North America was to make a raid of ammunition and to arrest some known radicals Boot, 2013). General Gage’s men consisted of infantrymen and grenadiers and were extremely well trained soldiers, met a small number of militia of local farmers armed with muskets. The militia commanded by Captain John Parker knew he needed to keep the advantage and told his men “Don’t fire unless fired upon!” (Boot, 2013). No one knows who fired the first shot, but some militia was killed in this short fight. The British continued their march to Concord, where hundreds and then thousands of militia met them (Boot, 2013). The British did not like the fighting tactics of the militia and a British captain was heard saying “The most …show more content…

Regulars and militia focused their attacks on scouting missions of small groups of British soldiers, making it hard to replenish the British with supplies, and this helped drive the British out of the north. After losing in the north, the British moved to the south taking Savannah and then a few years later Charleston, according to Boot, “the biggest British success” (Boot, 2013). With no Continental army left to fight in the south, a group of veteran militia, of the Cherokee War played an instrumental part in beating the British down and destroying their resolve at this time. They employed guerrilla tactics ambushing the enemy and then hiding in the local swamps and forests. The tattered Continental army along with militia used conventional and non-conventional warfare to weaken the strength of the British driving them out of south. After years of fighting the Americans, the British ended up in Yorktown. The regular army with help from the French defeated the British at Yorktown in the last battle of the war. This could not have been possible without the help according to Boot “of the bedraggled South Carolina irregulars” doing their part to weaken the British in battles in earlier years (Boot,

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They were sent to Lexington, to destroy the militia stash of weapons. Why would the militia, who weren’t even sure of the British’s journey to their town fire first? The British were on the offensive, “...and upon their sudden approach, I immediately ordered our Militia to disperse and not to fire. Immediately said Troops made their appearance, and rushed furiously, fired upon and killed eight of our party without receiving any provocation therefor from us.” -Captain

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General Pakenham was also guilty of this. In one particular fight, Pakenham led his soldiers to their deaths because he refused to wait to attack. Remini says, “Arrogant and overconfident, he undoubtedly assumed that he was facing an inferior force of undisciplined frontiersmen who would run as soon as charging infantrymen with fixed bayonets came barreling at them” (140). If this was the attitude of the leader of the British soldiers, there is no question that the other soldiers must have thought the same. In reality, though, the Americans were “expert marksmen” and “disciplined soldiers” who would defend the city with all their might (71).

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They were told to fire three times at approaching British. The final and last line was the main force. By the time the British had reached the third line, they were tired and very worn out.

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Some guns were fired at us from the first platoon.” This quote is important because, he states that the British shot first. And the British say that “ lay down your guns or we will kill you all. The colonists didn’t lay down their guns so, the British

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In June of 1775, 2,400 British soldiers met 1,600 militia members at Breed 's Hill. While the battle took place at Breed 's Hill, it 's famously called the Battle of Bunker Hill. In the middle of the night the militia members quietly set up at at Breed 's Hill. This forced the British to battle uphill. While it seems like the colonists had all the advantages, they ended up losing because they were extremely low on ammunition.

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In the early 1760’s, the tension between the people in Boston and the British soldiers started to grow until in early 1770, when the two groups reached their breaking point. On March 5, 1770, a group of men started intimidating a British soldier; he soon called for assistance but eventually the crowd had grown to practically one hundred people. Captain Thomas Preston and seven other soldiers arrived, trying to calm the situation down, but to no avail. A soldier fired into the crowd followed by the other soldiers firing soon after, resulting in five people being killed. Captain Thomas Preston happened to be arrested and charged with murder.

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”3 Because of Francis Marion’s tactics, the Lieutenant failed in his attempt to find the militia. Joining General gates in the Battle of Camden, Marion was in command of the Williamsburg Militia.3 The militia consisted of irregulars such as farmers, whites and blacks, free and slave, and Native Americans. It’s believed that this band of men was the first integrated fighting force in America. This militia never fought in head-on warfare. Instead, they defeated many larger enemy groups and had many victories using guerilla warfare.

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the American Revolution, the most significant was the use of guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare is a form of warfare fought by irregulars in which quick, small-scale actions against orthodox military are executed. The Continental Army’s use of this tactic, as well as their success with it, is prevalent throughout the war. Though large field battles were fought in the revolt, the Americans attempted to avoid such fights and used more of a “hit-and-run” methodology. In small groups, colonial soldiers would deteriorate British forces with quick, unexpected attacks.

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Yorktown or Bust: Barker, Robert J. Becker, Joshua D. Behrens, Bryce E. Beier, Jared B. Noncommissioned Officer Academy On 17 Oct 1777, the colonist victory at Saratoga was a morale boost for the colonial army and a blow to the ego of the English. Early 1781 most of the war in northern colonies had grown stagnant. General George Washington and General Sir Henry Clinton were at a stale mate in New York.

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In the first place, the British soldiers had great strengths in the American revolution,

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The American Revolution or Revolutionary War, was a battle fought between the years of 1775-1783. In this battle, Great Britain and the original thirteen colonies of America, fought for America’s independence. From this war, America was able to separate itself from Great Britain and claim its independence, making America a free country. There were a large number of reasons as to why the Revolutionary War began. First, the British were still in control of the thirteen North American colonies.

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(Exposition) (NR) When the British marched into the South, Maurice Thompson said that Jackson was the only man who could defeat them. So, in January, many American patriots of all different back rounds and lifestyles, came together to stop the growing world power of Britain. Then the redcoats, led by General Pakenham, charged the American bunker. The U.S. citizens (Antonomasia for Americans) blazed volley after volley. Again the panicked British charged and their ranks were broken.

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Military conflicts often produce unanticipated social transformations. The case of the American Revolutionary War is no exception. The war had awakened a new class consciousness through the struggle over who would rule and who would fight. Slaves and Indians began to see their way of life change by the outcome of the war and women began to expand their role within the home. But, not all things changed for these groups.

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As the British men approached the colonists on the ‘Green’, they appeared to be a strong, moving force. They wore fine clothes, the colonists: casual. They were orderly, the colonists: unorganized. However, there was a difference that contrasted both armies. Skill and the need for freedom.

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In 1775, the American colonies won the Revolutionary war against Great Britain. The war resulted in America’s independence from Britain and contributed to major fundamental changes in American history. The Americans had a number of advantages that helped them win the war against Britain, however they also faced tremendous difficulty prior to winning the war. To begin, the Americans were outnumbered against a professional, fully equipped army of 50,000 British troops. Unlike the British army, the American army consisted of 20,000 inexperienced troops and faced desperate shortages of firearm, uniforms, and food.

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