Revolutionary War Research Paper

As the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, the Americans seemed to be entering into a war which did not show odds in their favor. However, they pushed forward with clear intentions of winning the war and gaining their Independence from King George III of Britain. As the British troops traveled by the boat loads to the American colonies, it seemed as though the Americans were no match for the British. At that time, the British Army was considered the best military in the world, and they were sending the soldiers to America by the thousands. The British also had the largest Navy which were known for ruling the seas. The British soldiers were heavily experienced in battle having previously fought against other powerful countries

The American Revolution was fought right here on our home land, which we had knowledge of. More importantly, the Americans had the motivation to fight because they were fighting for their freedom, liberties, and independence from a King. In the eyes of the British King, we were but subjects and we were fighting to become citizens. The American colonist elected very knowledgeable representatives who knew the direction our country needed to go to get where we are today. Thus, the Continental Congress named General George Washington was named the Continental Army Commander in Chief due to his experience as a military leader and ability to reach out to the soldiers. Sometimes unless you have served, you never really understand how much that truly means to soldiers fighting. The last advantage I believe the American military had was when the Continental Congress hired Fredrick Von Steuben, a Prussian military leader, to train our troops at Valley Forge. Over the course of one winter, he transformed our military into a disciplined, confident, and strong force. His training may have been condensed but it brought the American troops to be almost equal in discipline as the British which makes a significant difference on the battlefield. The British faced many disadvantages since the war was being fought in the American colonies. They had to travel far from home

Both sides were similar in the types of weapons used such as muskets, bayonets, cannons, some fought using pistols, sabers, and rode on horsebacks. The British soldiers were highly experienced in battle but primarily fight using linear tactics, meaning they would form in two lines and approach their opponents then engage when approximately 150 feet away. The first line fires and reloads as the second line fires, this is used because of the time necessary to reload the muskets. This type of engagement was used until the leader of either side would give the command to charge. At that moment, Soldiers would charge to the opponent and fight using bayonets and hatchets if necessary. The British soldiers were highly trained in using bayonets to fight, so in this type of battle, they would have the advantage. Although the Continental Army did fight using linear tactics, they used different tactics early on in the war. Some may call it cheating, others label it as “Guerilla warfare”, but either way it was a smart tactic to use. The Americans had knowledge of the land and used the geography of the land to their advantage when possible. This type of tactic was usually used by Gen. Washington’s frontier fighters, they would hide amongst the trees and shoot the Native American scouts leading troops, the British Commanders who road on horseback, then British soldiers who