Britain losing its thirteen colonies Flashcards
How large was the British army? What were they able to hire boosting this?
Despite the large force what were the limitations of these soldiers?
How could the Navy be of use?
Where did they base themselves?
What was good regarded Britain’s economy at the time?
-Britain had a large army of nearly 49,000 soldiers and was able to hire German mercenaries.
-However, many soldiers were inexperienced and required elsewhere in the empire at the same time.
-The Royal Navy could reinforce British troops and blockade and attack American ports.
-They did this from basing themselves in colonies in Canada and the Caribbean.
-Britain’s economy was well-established and diverse so it could supply the war effort and finance it.
What issue did Britain face with supplying troops in America?
What was the problem with transferring soldiers onto land?
How did London frustrate its British generals?
What strategic issues were Generals faced with?
Which two nations joined the war forcing England to focus on them and not the Colonies?
Why could Britain never completely block imports?
-Supplying troops in America was very challenging as Britain had to supply troops across an ocean and then hold the seaboard to send troops inland.
-As Britain could only hold the seaboard, troops had to go inland with very long supply lines which was dangerous and difficult to sustain.
-British generals suffered from a lack of direction from London and often expected reinforcements that didn’t arrive.
-They were not able to lead a war that would alienate Americans through starving them and there was no obvious colonial centre to attack.
-When France and Spain joined the war, Britain focused on them and not the American colonies.
-Britian could never completely block imports because the coast was too long.
What gave American soldiers a boosted morale compared to the British?
Whose Pamphelt did Washington read to his soldiers?
How were American soldiers better prepared for land battles?
What was George Washington strategically successful in doing?
Did slaves support the British or the Patriots?
How did America’s economy give them a disadvantage?
What could Congress only issue to finance the war?
-Founding a nation on democratic principles was ideologically exciting so this drew many neutrals to the ‘Glorious cause’ and soldiers were ideologically committed to it.
-Washington would read Thomas Paine’s Common Sense to soldiers encouraging them.
-The Americans were on home soil and were used to the extremes of the climate and terrain.
-George Washington was successful in constantly evading British forces by regrouping and his forces were never pinned down.
-Slaves overwhelmingly supported the British.
-There was not much of an American economy and industrial production was limited.
-Finance was weak as Congress could only issue paper money to finance the war.
What was the problem with General Burgoyne? How did he create many of his own issues?
What plan did he have with Clinton and Howe?
What did he fail to do? (retreat?)
Where was he surrounded? What was he forced to do?
What peace did he negotiate? How did Congress respond?
How is this viewed in regard to the events of the war?
-He was over confident.
-He carried 30 vehicles of baggage.
-Burgoyne had planned to move south from Canada to meet Clinton in the Hudson Valley to separate New England.
-The plan was not coordinated with Clinton and Howe so he chose not to retreat when this would have saved him- he expected help from other armies.
-Burgoyne found himself surrounded at Saratoga, NY by Gates’ troops and was forced to surrender. (+5,000 soldiers)
-The peace that was negotiated allowed Burgoyne’s troops to lay down their arms and march to leave America.
-Congress didn’t accept this and the troops were kept as prisoners until the end of the war 1783.
-This is viewed as the first key turning point of the war.
Who led a diplomatic mission to win French support?
Was he successful? What other event encouraged French support?
Was Franch motivated by revolutionary sympathies?
When did France join the war? Spain?
-Benjamin Franklin led a diplomatic mission to France to win support from France.
-Franklin was personally successful in his role but France saw that the war was winnable from Burgyone’s defeat at Saratoga.
-NO. France was motivated by rivalry with Britain- not revolutionary sympathies.
-France joined the war in June 1778 and its ally Spain followed in 1779.
Before France and Spain had joined the war What % of British troops were in America?How much after?
How much of the Navy were initially in North America? After?
Where had French intervention been vital for the victory at York town?
By 1781 where had Spanish forces cleared British troops from?
Why had the forfeiting of the Thirteen Colonies become acceptable in British eyes?
-65% of British troops were in North America. This dropped by 20%
-41% of Navy before France & Space joined. 13% after.
-Intervention of the French fleet at Chesapeake Bay under de Grasse was vital in the British defeat in Yorktown (1781).
-Spanish forces had cleared British troops from the Mississippi Valley by 1781.
-Britain came to see the loss of the American colonies as acceptable given the threat to its mainland, its Caribbean colonies and India.
Following the defeat of Saratoga, where did Britain focus its attention on based on the belief they had more loyalists?
What place did Britain take from the Patriots in 1780? What did British forces still rely on?
What caused British defeat at Yorktown?
When did General Cornwallis surrender? What was the subsuquent remark make by PM Lord North?
What was the issue with British reinforcements? Was there really a strong loyalist presence in the south?
How large was the French and American force?
-Following Saratoga, Britain’s attention went south where it anticipated more loyalists.
-Charleston was taken in 1780 but Britain still relied on being near the sea.
-The British defeat at Yorktown was a result of France holding Chesapeake Bay while Washington lay siege to Britain at Yorktown.
-Cornwallis surrendered in October 1781.
-PM Lord North remarked “Oh God, it’s all over.”
-British reinforcements arrived 5 days too late.
-NO. Population in the south did not prove a loyalist stronghold as the British had hoped.
-16,000 French and American forces led by Washington as well as the French fleet controlling the Bay would ultimately lead to British defeat.
