Lsn 3 Rev War

Revolutionary War: 

Revolutionary War Lesson 3

Agenda: 

Agenda METT-TC: Revolutionary War Overview Characteristics of the Offense: Trenton Characteristics of the Defense: The Cowpens Principles of War: Yorktown

METT-TC: 

METT-TC Mission Enemy Terrain and Weather Troops and Equipment Time Civilians

Mission: 

Mission Colonists Gain independence British Maintain colonies within the British Empire

Enemy: Aug 1776: 

Enemy: Aug 1776 British 24,000 soldiers Average soldier was 30 years old with 10 years service Muskets, bayonets, light field guns Two or three ranks of infantry supported by light field guns Powerful Navy (30 warships, 400 transports) More experienced, better led, more thoroughly disciplined and trained Howe knew generals from their Seven Years’ War record (Doughty, 38-39)

Terrain: 

Terrain New York City Ice free port Important to American communications along and across the Hudson River Important to American morale Location at the confluence of the Hudson and East Rivers would cause Washington to divide his forces among Manhattan, Long Island, and New Jersey (Doughty, 38)

New York City: 

New York City

Weather: 

Weather Traditionally armies in the Revolutionary War era went into winter quarters Washington would use this to gain surprise at Trenton in Dec 1776 Valley Forge, Dec 1777 to May 1778

Troops: Aug 1776: 

Troops: Aug 1776 Colonists 28,000 soldiers Average soldier was 20 years old with less than a year of service Muskets, bayonets, light field guns Two or three ranks of infantry supported by light field guns Used simplified British tactics (experience from Seven Years’ War) No Navy Great disparity in quality between militia and Continental Army Many generals imposed upon Washington by Congress or state governments (Doughty, 38-39)

Troops: Colonists: 

Troops: Colonists Fearing that the creation of a regular army might ultimately deprive them of their liberty, they initially sought to win through inspired citizen soldiers (unskilled militiamen) Failure of this premise led to creation of Continental Army (Doughty, 30)

Troops: Colonists: 

Troops: Colonists Continued apprehension caused leaders to pursue more evasive and delaying strategies and to rely on militiamen more than they wished Continued dependence on militiamen and partisan caused leaders to simplify marching and drilling command more by persuasion and instruction than by coercion integrate militiamen and regulars in tactical dispositions (Doughty, 30)

Time: 

Time Washington assumed command of the Continental Army on 2 July 1775 Most of his men’s enlistments expired 31 Dec It wasn’t until Feb 1776 that Washington had raised enough men, ammunition, and artillery to consider attacking Boston (Doughty, 35) It took Washington and Rochambeau from 21 Aug to 26 Sept 1781 to march their armies from NY to VA prior to Yorktown (Doughty, 64)

Civilians: In General: 

Civilians: In General Both sides understood from the beginning that they were fighting for the allegiance of a people and for the destruction or preservation of one state and the creation of another (Doughty, 30)

Civilians: Colonists: 

Civilians: Colonists Had to defeat the British and control the loyalists without losing popular support or destroying the republican principles for which they fought (Doughty, 30)

Civilians: British: 

Civilians: British Argued that they were protecting loyalists from the tyranny of a few ambitious rebels Various strategies Intimidating the rebels with a show of force Combining force and persuasion to break the rebellion without alienating a majority of the colonists Enlisting the support of loyalists in a gradual and cumulative restoration of royal government (Doughty, 30)

Characteristics of the Offense: 

Characteristics of the Offense Trenton

Characteristics of the Offense: 

Characteristics of the Offense Surprise Concentration Tempo Audacity (FM 3-0, p. 7-4)

Trenton: 

Trenton The British followed up their success on Long Island with a series of landings on Manhattan Island Compelled Washington to retreat, escaping finally over the Delaware into Pennsylvania with about 3,000 men. Howe then went into winter quarters

Trenton: 

Trenton In December 1776, Washington determined to make a surprise attack on the British garrison in Trenton, a 1,400-man Hessian force Hoped that a striking victory would lift the badly flagging American morale. Reinforcements had raised Washington's army to about 7,000

Trenton: 

Trenton On Christmas night (25-26 December) he ferried about 2,400 men of this force across the ice-choked Delaware. At 0800 hours they converged on Trenton in two columns, achieving complete surprise. After only an hour and a half of fighting, the Hessians surrendered. Some 400 of the garrison escaped southward to Bordentown, N. J., when two other American columns failed to get across the Delaware in time to intercept them. About 30 were killed and 918 captured. American losses were only 4 dead and a like number wounded.

Trenton:Characteristics of the Offense: 

Trenton: Characteristics of the Offense Surprise Took advantage of British being in winter quarters and in poorly defended, dispersed locations Bad weather and limited visibility Christmas had reduced British security

Trenton:Characteristics of the Offense: 

Trenton: Characteristics of the Offense Concentration Washington led 2,400 men across the Delaware at McConkey’s Ferry above Trenton and then proceeded by two columns on different routes, converging at opposite ends of the main street in Trenton Tempo Washington’s forces attacked before the British could react

Trenton: Concentration: 

Trenton: Concentration

Trenton:Characteristics of the Offense: 

Trenton: Characteristics of the Offense Audacity Washington knew he had to do something to restore morale and act decisively before the 1776 enlistments expired Risked poor weather, previous poor performance of troops, and dividing his force In house to house fighting, American inspiration and initiative would counter British superior training and discipline

Characteristics of the Defense: 

Characteristics of the Defense Cowpens

Characteristics of the Defense: 

Characteristics of the Defense Preparation Security Disruption Massing Effects Flexibility (FM 3-0, p. 8-2)

Cowpens: Preparation: 

Cowpens: Preparation Nathanael Greene was commander in the Carolinas and Georgia Only a little over 1,000 Continentals and bands of ill-disciplined militia against Cornwallis’ 10,000 men Had to create circumstances to achieve success

Cowpens: Preparation (cont): 

Cowpens: Preparation (cont) Greene divided his army into two divisions which he posted to the northwest and northeast of Cornwallis’ camp at Winnsboro Allowed him to better feed his own men, sustain the militia, and harass the British Tempted Cornwallis to divide his main body, making it more vulnerable Cornwallis did this in Jan 1781, sending 1,100 men (commanded by Tarleton) to attack Greene’s western division (commanded by Morgan)

Cowpens: Security: 

Cowpens: Security Greene’s strategy was luring Cornwallis away from his bases of supply Morgan applied the “troops” portion of METT-T and recognized his militia was ill-disciplined Deployed militia in two lines, 300 and 150 yards in front of his Continentals He asked each militia line to fire twice before retreating behind the Continentals A small force of 125 cavalry was posted in the rear to cover the exposed flanks

Cowpens: Disruption and massed effects: 

Cowpens: Disruption and massed effects Americans executed as planned Militia in the first lines checked the British cavalry and fired two effective volleys into the infantry before retreating behind the Continentals British rushed after the retreating militia and became disordered Continentals fired repeated volleys into the British British disintegrated against American counterattack

Cowpens: Massed Effects: 

Cowpens: Massed Effects

Cowpens: Results: 

Cowpens: Results Americans suffered 6.2% losses (12 killed and 60 wounded) British suffered 90% losses Cornwallis became obsessed with Morgan and turned to pursue him Morgan retreated into Virginia (flexibility) In a month Cornwallis had marched 225 miles without achieving decisive battle

Principles of War: 

Principles of War Yorktown

Principles of War: 

Principles of War Objective Offensive Mass Economy of force Maneuver Unity of command Security Surprise Simplicity

Yorktown and Selected Principles of War: 

Yorktown and Selected Principles of War Objective Trap and defeat Cornwallis’ army on the York Peninsula Offensive Two parallel siege lines followed by an assault Mass Allies had an overwhelming advantage in numbers (16,000 to fewer than 8,000)

Yorktown: Maneuver: 

Yorktown: Maneuver

Yorktown: Unity of Command: 

Yorktown: Unity of Command More appropriately, unity of effort Joint (Army and Navy) Combined (Americans and French) Rochambeau (French) and Lafayette (French) cooperated on land with Washington De Grasse (French) sealed off the Chesapeake with the Navy

Homework: 

Homework Read Doughty p. 81- 92. Concentrate on the principles of war of maneuver the turning movement (e.g., Cerro Gordo) amphibious operations (Vera Cruz) and security reconnaissance by the engineers