precto | (no subject)

Contrary to popular belief, Americans did not win the revolution through "bush fighting" or anything similar. Also, the accuracy of the average American with a musket was on the same level as a British soldier.

Despite all that, the Americans waged a successful war of attrition. George Washington, when it came to victories, was a terrible general. Where he succeeded the most was pulling a minor defeat out of the jaws of a crushing defeat. Considering that the British goals were

-Defeat the American Army in the field
-Capture George Washington
-Capture the new American leaders
-Prevent foreign intervention

And American goals were

-Outlast the British until they were tired of fighting
-Get foreign support
-Keep an army in the field

It was a perfect way to wage a war of attrition. While Washington may not have been able to deliver the victories, he had an outstanding aptitude towards raising morale, garnering respect, and keeping his command alive.

Despite the history of British military victories, this type of war was new to them. Being used to capturing capital cities to win wars, confusion among Parliament and other British leaders ran rampant when Philadelphia was captured but no sign of American defeat was showing.

Banastre Tarleton had the right idea when it came to fighting Americans. While brutal, it was necessary to wage a terror campaign to break the spirits of those who supported. Unfortunately for the English, he was kept reigned in by his superiors and was delivered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Cowpens, where Daniel Morgan killed/wounded/captured 86% of Tarleton's command.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I would take a class by you.

I would love to finish getting my degree and start teaching.

do it do it do it.

Very nice! I didn't know any of that.

The more you know!

This is pretty much 100% correct. I love history, this is a totally awesome post.

I will say that American muskets themselves where somewhat more accurate at a longer range thanks to a minor technical improvement- They also took somewhat longer to reload, and American militia men had very little training in how to use them, which significantly reduced their advantage such that shot by shot, it didn't ultimately help all that very much.

Some had Kentucky Rifles, which in the right hands were awesome but after forty or so shots, needed to be cleaned. Which was obviously bad in open battle.

Thankfully, Brown Bess muskets and the French variant were in large enough quantities that they could be used by the average person. But they lacked rear sights.

Pretty much this, yes. That and their load time made them pretty terrible for any sort of normal campaign. They really where a few tens of yards more accurate, and that with the myth that the entire war was fought with guerrilla tactics is probably where the "Americans where expert marksmen" myth came from, though.

In it's own way, this contributes its own additional disadvantage- The American's equipment was by and large 'whatever they could get', which makes organization among troops even more challenging than usual.

I've noticed that people really don't understand just how poorly the American army fared before the French stepped in and helped us organize and contributed any degree of actual military experience. Which makes me laugh because of how much most Americans today seem to dislike the French.

It makes me laugh that when fights closed to melee range, American soldiers were specifically taught to rip British guns out of their hands because none of the Americans had bayonets.

And yeah, the only two generals who actually did fairly decently without the French were Benedict Arnold (before his turning traitor) and Nathaniel Greene. Two of the most underrated people in the American Revolution.

Tell that to Glenn Beck.

/watched an episode where he sucked off Washington's historical cock for half an hour and was so distracted I forgot to change the channel.

Don't get me started on my burning rage for that man and his inability to accurately portray anything.

Oh please do! I love hearing people fill him with verbal holes.

Let's just say

myself and the majority of my IRL friends are mostly conservative (more liberal socially)

and we all hate Fox News programs with a passion.

Alex's parents think he's a genius.

You can imagine how awkward this is for us.

I can. D:

My little brother thinks the same.

Thankfully, I can get away with laughing in his face.

oh if only I was so lucky

OH YEAH

Japan got a Nintendo DS and Chrono Trigger.

Patchouli best be preparing herself for classic JRPG action.

YOU JUST GO OUT AND FIND WAYS FOR ALL OF YOUR CHARACTERS TO BUG MINE, DONTCHA?

/not complaining

JAPAN BE ROLLING IN LADIES AND MEN.

UNFORTUNATELY, NONE OF THEM ARE 2D.

she's 2d enough