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How Did George Washington Face Off Against The British Army

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In David McCullough’s national bestseller, 1776, he illustrates the struggles that the colonial army went through in facing the powerful british army lead by General William Howe. The American army faced dark times: suffering food shortages, rough weather, and undisciplined troops. Yet under the leadership of General George Washington the colonial troops were able to clash with the British army to establish their independence as a nation. Throughout the novel, the underlying theme was perseverance emphasised by the various obstacles that General Washington and his army had to overcome during the year 1776. Even though George Washington lead the army of common folk to the best of his abilities he was still ill-prepared to battle the British …show more content…

Based on the evidence provided in the novel 1776, General Washington was not prepared to face off against the superior british forces because the Americans fell short in many crucial aspects that would make it important to win a war against a powerful army. This is not due to the leadership of George Washington. Many people of the time and present day historians believed that Washington was the best man suited for the job. Not only had he had experience in the French and Indian War, but he was a sound strategist and revered amongst his men. Even though George Washington was quite qualified for his position as a general, he was not ready to face the British. Washington and his army lacked fundamental instruments of war which made it nearly impossible to fight against another army. There came a time during 1776 in which the Colonial army had access to less than 10,000 pounds of gunpowder and they had to ration that to an extent where they allowed “enough only for about ten rounds per man” (McCullough 28). This situation is similar to that of Russia when faced in the Crimean War. They had access to so little supplies that the generals made it so that the troops had to run out onto the battlefield and use the weapons of the diseased. Not only did the American army not have the necessary supplies to fight, the troops lacked the morale …show more content…

David McCullough aesthetically incorporates the first person perspectives of the soldiers and generals to illustrate the events and struggles of the year 1776. It gives a phenomenal representation of the generals and the mindset of each set of troops when faced with particular challenges. This novel is significant to AP history students to read because it lays out the events in a chronological order in order for the reader to comprehend the momentum swings of the war. Each of the crucial moments is explained not only from the perspective of the soldiers, but also form a historian’s standpoint. Due to the layout of the novel, a reader longs to proceed reading the text. This is almost unseen when reading a textbook which tends to come out as boring and tedious to an AP history reader. 1776 is genuinely a good, informative novel that provides the necessary knowledge to the young readers in an entertaining

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In 1776, one of the most popular and well known founding fathers led the fight for independence in the royal colonies. In David Hackett Fischer’s book, “Washington’s Crossing”, he describes the troubles and even the unknowns of Washington’s experiences during the Revolutionary War. Fischer goes into detail about the first approach of the British as their massive naval fleet surrounds the state of New York all the way up to the point when the British became the defensive force rather than the offensive. “Washington’s Crossing” illustrates how the American Revolution wasn’t just pure success as at the beginning of the war, the Americans took many losses that almost completely crushed the revolution entirely. However, eventually the tides would

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Anna Wilson Ms. Keri Hamrick HIS 201 June 6, 2015 Review of 1776 1776 by David McCullough is published by Simon and Schuster. In 1776 David McCullough perfectly illustrates how the American army was always on the edge of defeat during the year of 1776. The story was limited to only one year with little background information; this causes confusion. Those who do not have a good understanding of the American Revolution will have an especially difficult time deciphering what the book is describing.

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America’s battle for independence was a long, hard-fought war that began even before the American Revolution. Since the Sugar Act of 1764, America had shown signs of rebellion, each outburst getting worse as tensions rose between the Colonies and Britain. The novel 1776, by David McCullough, takes off in 1775, just after the Revolutionary War has begun. Closely following Washington, the novel takes the reader to the trenches to experience their losses, retreats, stalemates, and glorious victories. McCullough covers a wide variety of themes, ranging from military tactics, to the core government behind British Society.

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He starts the book at the beginning of the war and works toward the close of the Revolution. This layout allows for Royster’s main themes to develop as the war is reaching its peak points. As the book develops these key themes begin to intertwine and their significance becomes clear. The reader begins to understand how the American ideals are tied to their relationship with the Continental Army. One of Royster’s key arguments is that the revolutionaries’ loyalty to the war was based on the national character.

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I 'm a very good math person so I 'm always running numbers through my head and thinking of the odds and Washington 's army didn 't have the best odds you could easily tell more than half of them were sick and that 's a lot more than is usual for an army. At any point the British could come and attack us and they would easily win. My second reason is the food shortage and limitation. I have to eat every so often because i 'm always hungry, Washington 's

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1776 is a narrative story that tells about the years that changed American history forever. McCullough covers all of the struggles and battles we had to go through in this war and focuses on the events of 1776. From the early losses at the Battle of Long Island to very important victories at places like Trenton and Princeton. McCullough paints a picture of what George Washington and his troops went through, but does so that a reader who has never experienced anything like it before can understand. The book talks about the political, military, and personal dynamics that changed the outcome of the revolution, highlighting the determination, sacrifices, and ingenuity of the patriots.

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We are given sufficient information of the other commanders who were involved during this time including General Howe, Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox, and others. McCullough provides the reader with a history for each man, allowing us to see where each of the men came from so that we could better understand their motivations as they moved through the war. In the end David McCullough did a great job in the book he explained to us what was happening from the different point of views of people. I felt that the book was organized he

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George Washington was infuriated by Lee’s decision and took command of the army. After reshaping his soldiers, he attempted to attack the British and failed. After hearing word that a French militia

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The British drove away the Americans. However, despite the losses, the soldiers performed well. Washington 's once-unskilled army was on their way to becoming the well-trained force that would win the war. The battle was Washington 's second loss in less than a month.

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On their travels they came across a local “pub” and an old man sitting out front, As they stopped to find water, the old man overheard them talking about the war. The old man stopped them and asked if they were talking about the continental congress. They shook their heads yes, and the old man had more to add on “That Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin voted to form a continental army, with George W. as the commander and chief, then the continental army fought the Battle Of Bunker Hill in June 17th. It was very bloody and ended with a victory for the British.” The old man went on “a little while later old G.W. had a hard time keeping those darn English out of Boston and by 1776 the war was in high action, and many people recruited to the war to replace those who have fallen.

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These men were poorly trained and equipped. This was a huge disadvantage because the British army was well supplied, and trained. General Washington adapted to the warfare differences and taught his men guerilla warfare. Despite being considered

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Soldiers that would endure the hardships and fight for the independence of themselves and their families were vital to America prevailing over the British. Washington had fought with the British in the French and Indian War. He knew the landscape and the tactics of the British Army. This proved important to the success of the

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Leaving Valley Forge In 1780 I see myself as a free American living without British rule. My decision is to not re-enlist in the Continental Army. Over the fall of 1777, General Washington set up a camp for the winter called Valley Forge. I am leaving Valley Forge for three reasons which are: there is a lot of sickness, I want to go home, and most of all, I do not want to die.

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Washington most likely wouldn’t have won the battle without Espionage. Espionage (spying) during the Revolutionary War was important because they used the Culper Spy Ring, both sides used it, and there are a lot of famous spies. In the Revolutionary War, they had spies that used the Culper Spy Ring. The ring was used for sending private messages to Washington about the British army.

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On June 15, 1775, Washington was appointed Major General and Commander-in-Chief. Of course, he was the first choice, with his military experience and good charisma to suit the job. Although Washington was best fitted for the job, he was not accustomed to having such a large army and an open-field style of battling, unlike the British. Even then, George Washington was smart and cunning enough to keep his army ahead of the enemy. At Valley Forge, Washington’s 11,000 men severely depleted over the winter, losing around 2,000 soldiers mainly from typhus, typhoid, dysentery, and the flu, but even with this great loss, Washington’s army came out of the winter season in a relatively good condition.

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