Revolutionary War Dbq Essay

In 1775 the British sent 700 Regulars to Concord, Massachusetts to seize the munitions that were thought to be held there. This would be the start of the American Revolutionary War. A war which is often thought to have been won by the vigor of the Colonists who fought bravely for their just cause, and the great leadership and generaling of George Washington. In actuality, there was a great deal more to it then that. There were a great many factors which shaped the revolutionary army in opening years of the war. These include the quick realization early on that the Colonial army was not the fighting force it was thought to be and that they were unable to provide the supplies needed to maintain a proper fighting force. Poor leadership mixed

The Continental Army suffered a devastating defeat by Howe that would have been even worse if not for a brave stand by William Sherwood and Mordecai Gist and their 400 men form Maryland which bought them the time they needed to make a successful withdraw. Despite this courageous sacrifice, Howe still had an opportunity to complete his victory and possibly end the war by continuing his pursuit and engaging what remained of Washington’s forces. He declined to do this despite of the advice of his subordinates. Perhaps Howe feared another pyrrhic victory such as the one at Bunker Hill, or maybe that the complete destruction of his opponents would turn them into martyrs and in doing so destroying any chance of returning loyalty and peace to the Colonies. Whatever his thinking, his reluctance might have very well saved the Revolutionary

These circumstances offset their obvious disadvantages and allowed them to keep fighting after significant defeats when their ambition perhaps outweighed their ability. Congress made a unique decision from the onset by trying to forge an army out of citizen soldiers who fought for a supreme righteous cause as opposed to a professional army, which they seemed particularly adverse to. They were confident from the beginning that they could fight the enemy on equal terms, even when they lacked the logistics, skilled men, and experienced leadership that the British had. Even though they struggled early on with communication and logistical problems, they demonstrated that they were a force that could sustain multiple defeats and large numbers of casualties and still escape to fight another day. This was in part because of the ease in which it could replace it’s fallen troops compared to the British, but also because of questionable decisions made by the British Generals and their inability to utilize loyalist support. Just when all seemed to be lossed, Washington would be able to come up with some small victory that would keep morale up. These were not decisive or conflict altering victories, but they were enough to keep the cause alive and to stave off defeat in the opening