This edition is published by PICKLE PARTNERS PUBLISHINGwww.picklepartnerspublishing.com
To join our mailing list for new titles or for issues with our books picklepublishing@gmail.com
Or on Facebook
Text originally published in 2001 under the same title.
Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.
Publishers Note
Although in most cases we have retained the Authors original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern readers benefit.
We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.
General George Washington and the formulation of American strategy for the War of Independence
by
Major Kris J. Stillings, U.S. Marine Corps
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Thesis : This historical study investigates the formulation of American strategy for the War of Independence and focuses on General George Washington as the central figure in the development of that strategy.
Discussion : From his early experiences in the French and Indian War to his first days as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington displayed the character and drive needed to forge a nation. Several factors throughout this period would impact greatly on Washington and lead him to the formulation of a winning strategy for fighting the British.
George Washingtons military experiences during the French and Indian War greatly assisted him during the Revolutionary War. His early frontier work instilled the toughness and backwoods savvy he would need to physically handle the stresses of wartime. His work with the British army provided a basis of military knowledge and strategy that would become the foundation of his martial arts. He never forgot his passion for offensive action and his dislike for the defense. His experiences with the Indians and militia from numerous colonies taught him the fine art of coalition warfare and bringing different peoples together for one cause. His continuous requests for more and better supplies and men would give him insight into the huge burden faced by the Congress during the Revolutionary War. Finally, his cool-headed leadership under fire provided the framework on which an entire nation and its sole army would rest. All of his experiences throughout this period helped form the framework of his strategy for the War of Independence.
General Washington became the Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial Army at the same time the British began planning the Campaign of 1776. Washington could not have possibly fathomed the immensity of the task that lay before him. From his knowledge of the British, he understood that England would hold almost every advantage in resources, manpower, and equipment over the newly formed Colonial Army. He knew that the British Army and Navy came from the worlds strongest empire and would present an adversary seemingly impossible to beat. He knew that he would have little help from his government in everything except strong words of encouragement. He knew this war was his to win or his to lose.
Initially, General Washington did not have a firm plan for fighting the British. He was influenced greatly by events and by Congress in his first assessment of the British warfighting intentions. As the war geared up for its first all-out campaign, Washington fell victim to the same misleading assumptions from Bunker Hill as Congress and the rest of his generals. It took many painful lessons at the hands of the British generals to shed the erroneous lessons from Bunker Hill on which the Americans based their initial strategy for fighting the British. Washingtons belief that entrenched American militia on short enlistments could defeat British regulars in a war of post almost cost him and America its independence. Only after several near fatal escapes and the very costly surrender of Fort Washington did Washington finally conceptualize the strategy that would rescue the revolution, save his army, and eventually, win the war for America. Yet, the true genius of Washington is that he conceived this winning strategy while most of the others around him were losing their heads. Washingtons four-part strategy consisted of recruiting a regular army for the duration, protracting the war, never risking a general action, and retreating until the enemy exposed a part of their army to insult or destruction.
Conclusion : The dramatic change in strategy by Washington resulting in the victories at Trenton and Princeton changed everyones view of the war. He combined the exploitation of Englands critical vulnerabilities of wanting peace and not wanting to lose British lives in America with the Colonials only possible strategy for winning, and in doing so, demonstrated to the world that the American cause was real. Against all the odds General George Washington defended his newly formed country at the time it was most vulnerable. His leadership and military genius combined brilliantly to produce the men, the strategy, and the indomitable human spirit needed to give birth to a nation.
Preface
I have been interested in the study of strategy in warfare since my days as a young sergeant on my first Western Pacific deployment. After leaving Hawaii, we sailed straight for Iwo Jima and conducted a battalion sized amphibious landing on the very beaches Marines stormed in 1945. My company then conducted a battlefield tour and discussed, in detail, the plans for the battle and the overall plans for the Pacific war against Japan. I became very interested in the formulation of Americas strategy for fighting Japan and spent the next several years learning about the key players in the formulation of that strategy. I have since studied a variety of wars to gleam an understanding of why they were fought and, more importantly, how they were fought.
However, as a student at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, I realized that I have neglected to study the war that is, without a doubt, the most important to our understanding of who we are as AmericansThe American War for Independence. Dr. John Matthews made this fact very clear to me during a lecture describing the birth of a nation and the heroes that made America possible. I became very interested in learning about the Revolutionary War and decided to investigate the role of General George Washington in the formulation of American strategy for The War of Independence. I thought it would be interesting to look at all the factors impacting General Washington as he struggled to lead America to independence.
I would like to thank my doctoral mentor, Dr. John Blackjack Matthews, for his leadership, patient guidance, and superb advice. I would also like to thank my second mentor, Kerry Strong, Director and Chief Archivist of the Marine Corps University Research Archives, for her excellent feedback and patient reviews. I am also deeply indebted to Dr. Richard Dinardo for his assistance and guidance in the development of several chapters of this paper. I would like to extend a special thanks to Mrs. Maria Simms for the invaluable time she spent editing this paper.
