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Second Battle of Saratoga
Importance of strategy and tactics in war
The battle of Saratoga
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General George Washington’s Army has defeated the British Army, and has let the American Colonies live to see a free future! This great journey has finally come to an end, but it did not come without any bumps in the road. The Patriot’s most shocking betrayal happened because of Benedict Arnold, the traitor. He was once a great American Patriot, but he is now on Britain’s side. However, that did not stop Washington’s Army to continue marching forward. After the American victories at the Battles of Oriskany and Saratoga, France signed the Treaty of Alliance. After the British heard that France was coming over to help fight, they moved down south, where there are a lot of loyalists. This is why the Patriots were sadly defeated at Savannah, Charleston, …show more content…
He planned to trick General Clinton, who was staying in New York, into thinking that Washington’s army was going to attack him. So, Washington let some fake strategy plans float into General Clinton’s hands, letting him worry about a fake battle. While Clinton prepared for the “battle,” Washington and his army snuck away and began marching to Yorktown, Virginia, which lays on the Chesapeake Bay. As the army marched down south, Comte de Rochambeau instructed Francois de Grasse, the French Navy Commander, to keep the British Navy from rescuing the vulnerable soldiers in Yorktown. With the French soldier’s help, we kept the soldiers in Yorktown trapped. The British Navy fleet was defeated, and Washington’s army was marching towards Yorktown, so Cornwallis could do nothing but …show more content…
His orders were to dig a trench that was a half mile long in the moonlight. The soldiers worked fast, and vigorously to get the job done. By dawn, there were 13 artillery units and 18,000 soldiers ready to fight in the trench. The siege of Yorktown had begun, and the courageous Patriots were ready to fight. Our men fired round after round, bombarding the British with 1,700 rounds of artillery each day! Every day, our men got closer to victory. Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s trusted aide, led an attack against British redoubt #10. Accompanying him was Colonel John Lourens, who took 80 men to the back of the redoubt to begin the assault there. Alexander Hamilton took the remaining 320 men to begin the assault on the front side. These brave men were able to overpower and defeat the British soldiers at redoubt #10. Another French Commander led a French Army unit to redoubt #9, a tougher redoubt to overthrow. However, these men fought intense musket fire and were able to take over redoubt #9. As a result of our men taking over both redoubts, the British General, Cornwallis had few options
The spies were tasked with acquiring and passing information to General Washington concerning British activity in and around New York. The Culper Spies were instrumental in providing Washington with excellent intelligence; yet the most important piece of information may have been the discovery of Benedict Arnold’s plot to give West Point to the British. Unfortunately, it is uncertain whether the spy ring actually played a significant part in the capture of Arnold’s co-conspirator, John Andre, and thus saving West Point from the British. This uncertainty is either due to a lack of available information or differing accounts concerning the role of the Culper Spies.... ... middle of paper ...
It could be said that if Howe and the British continued the attack, this rebellion could have been put down right away. This will not be the first time that Howe fails to do this, and it will lead to him being replaced later in the war by Sir Henry Clinton. Even though his army was thoroughly defeated, Washington is able to get his troops off of Long Island back to Manhattan in the middle of the night, this will also not be the last time that Washington is able to get his &n The author briefly discusses the troubles at Kip’s Bay and Fort Washington. The next subject that Buchanan goes into is Washington’s retreat through the state of New Jersey. The key part of this retreat is when Washington crosses the Potomac River he collects all boats from both shores of the river.
In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.
...e gun, it seemed, the greater the owner‘s pride in it.” (McCullough 33) The Continental army certainly did not look like an army yet these people were brought together in this fight for freedom and prevailed even winning the support of Americans who had no hope the British would be defeated.” Merchant Erving had sided with the Loyalists primarily because he thought the rebellion would fail. But the success of Washington‘s army at Boston had changed his mind as it had for many” (McCullough 108). The reader must comprehend the power of this accomplishment for the rag-tag army. “Especially for those who had been with Washington and who knew what a close call it was at the beginning-how often circumstance, storms, contrary winds, the oddities or strengths of individual character had made the difference- the outcome seemed little short of a miracle.” (McCullough 294).
Although unknown to the Congress when they appointed Washington to lead the colonies, he would prove to be a great military genius. Washington was simply selected because he was a rich Virginian with everything to lose. In 1776 at the Battle of Long Island, Washington proved that he was a great military leader. Washington narrowly escaped to Manhattan Island, crossed the Hudson and finally reached the Delaware Rive with the British on his tale. Washington was known as a " sly fox" because of his tricky maneuvers to get his troops out of dangerous situations. A few weeks later Washington showed his sly ways once again when he captured a thousand Hessians the day after Christmas. Without Washington's amazing military mind, and his sly maneuvers the Americans never would have defeated the British.
Washington's dedication to the cause of the American Revolution inspired and impressed everyone. He was a great general, and astute politician, and a symbol of the cause for independence. He was a master in the art of war. Bibliography:.. Bibliography Handel, Michael I. Masters of War.
When Washington got there, the French claimed that they owned the land and refused to give it up. Washington reported this to Governor Dinwiddie, and was ordered to go back and construct a fort so they could defend their territory if there was a war against the French. While constructing a fort, named Fort Necessity, Washington and his men shot a small group of French men, because they would not leave the area. It turned out that they had shot French spies. A few days later, the French attacked the unfinished fort which resulted in Washington losing a third of his army.
The Americans decided to wait for the British to be only 150 feet away when that came around a lot of the British were dead and wounded. But in 1775, George Washington came along and decided he was taking charge because he thought he knew what he could do to make everything better. During the Month of March, George decided to go put the cannon on top of a big hill higher so they can see Boston and aim it right at it, Washington even though they won he knew that this Battle still wasn’t over.
... divide, tire and elude the British by conducting long marches. When engaged in combat, Greene emphasized placing heavy losses on the British, even at the expense of the success of the battle. Greene masterfully coordinated his subordinate officers and relied on them to produce results. He freed the south of British control and helped to set up the surrender at Yorktown.
Washington understood that what lies ahead would be difficult, considering he would be facing the most powerful country in the world. But he probably didn't expect his worst problems to come from his own army, which was an undisciplined and untrained group that would eventually tamper with his great patience. Through it all, he would stay determined and always try to stay one step ahead of the enemy. In the summer of 1775, the Americans prepared to attack the British in Boston. But Washington was informed that they were shorthanded on gunpowder.
Glover thought that Washington’s plan was crazy and impossible. However, because he viewed it as a last resort, Glover agreed to do his part in the plan, which was to get Washington’s men across the Delaware River, even though Glover did not think that he could do it. Nevertheless, Gates was against Washington’s plan. Gates said that the Hessians had “strength and supplies,” which Washington’s Army lacked. Gates wanted Washington to surrender. Washington did not listen to Gates, instead he did not surrender and he went through with the attack on the
In 1775, Benedict Arnold had taken his first victory-Fort Ticonderoga. The Battle of the fort occured on May 10, 1775. Arnold and four-hundred soldiers stood opposite of the fort on Lake Champlain and waited for the scouting units to return (CIA). When they had returned, they told Benedict that the fort had only housed fourty-nine British soldiers, a megar amount compared to Benedict's. But the scouts had also noted that there were only two boats that could transport Benedict and his soldiers, therefore only a hundred or so men actually particapted in the capturing of Fort Ticonderoga (History Ticonderoga). Benedict still wanted to suprise the soldiers, so they attacked Ticonderoga's south gate, where only one sentry was stationed. Benedict damanded their surround once they had rose from their sleep. The British troops complied and the fort was won with no casualties and not a single shot fired (CIA). With the fort under the patriots control, the army gained a hundred cannons that the army despreately needed (fourty-three of which were transported and used by General Knox against the British at Boston) and a passage from New York into Canada( History Ticonderoga)which led Benedict to his next military excersion.
The battle of Saratoga was a significant turning point in the American Revolutionary War. This key conflict was, in fact, two significant battles that shaped America’s struggle for independence. The battles were fought 18 days apart in the same location - 9 miles south of Saratoga, New York. John Burgoyne, the British General, had an initial strategy to divide New England from the southern colonies. This was at first successful when the British took Pennsylvania, but hit a snag when Burgoyne met the Continental Army at Freeman’s Farm on September 19, 1777 - the first of the Saratoga battles. This was a tactical victory for the British, but it came at a price, as their casualties were heavy. It was known that the British won this Battle at Freeman’s Farm, but in actuality, they didn’t have many troops left. On October 7, in the Battle of Bemis Heights, the second Battle of Saratoga, Britain attacked America again as Burgoyne took the offensive. The troops crashed together south of the town of Saratoga, and Burgoyne's army was broken and his command captured. At this battle, the Americans were able to capture a large number of British troops, ultimately resulting in Burgoyne’s surrender on October 17, 1777. The Battle of Saratoga is well known to be “one of the most important victories of the conflict and an early success for the colonists.” The victory gave new life to the American cause at a critical time. Americans had just suffered a major setback at the Battle of Brandywine. They had also received news of the fall of Philadelphia to the British. Significantly with the success at Saratoga, France gained the confidence to enter the war as an American ally. The Battle of Saratoga was a war-altering conflict between the America...
After the two costly battles, Cornwallis finally reached Virginia and met up with General Clinton’s reinforcements. His force would now equal around 7,000 soldiers. Cornwallis ...
Late in the war, 1778, was the point of Britain being close to defeat. Current commander of British forces was Lt. General Henry Clinton trying to stop this rebellion. He was thinking on how to do this with the North of America under Patriot control. Clinton then decided on turning to the South of the United States (www.theamericanrevolutiong.org). Fighting was becoming heavy between the militia and the United Kingdom’s forces (www.theamericanrevolution.org). However, General Clinton had once been to the South of the U.S. before, but failed in taking a key city (Charleston, South Carolina) by sea on June 28, 1776 (www.theamericanrevolution.org).