History of American: Forum Questions, Coursework Example

The game changer – the Battle of Saratoga and the French alliance

Question 1

The goals of the Burgoyne’s Hudson Valley campaign were to split America along the Hudson line and produce two halves, isolating New England, which became the heart of the rebellion. The campaign failed because Howe did not cooperate with Burgoyne. Before Burgoyne reached Quebec, Howe who was in charge of New York, had decided to move through the sea and had attacked Philadelphia. Henry Clinton was also resentful towards Burgoyne and was not willing to cooperate to make the campaign successful[1]. Germaine also imposed strict rules on Carleton that were to limit any aid given to Burgoyne. He, however, left Howe to freely carry out any plans he wished. Burgoyne also failed to attain the number of men that he required to carry out his plan. He had a thousand less men out of his original plan. There was also a problem in the American side as Schuyler was reappointed as the Commander of the army. Schuyler made the routes of passage difficult for Burgoyne to get to New York.

If Burgoyne had successfully reached New York, that would have been a success in the cutoff of New England from the other colonies. This would have disrupted cooperation among the colonies, resulting in giving Burgoyne and his group a chance to win the war.

Question 2

The Philadelphia and Burgoyne campaigns were of much help in influencing the French Support. These delayed the reinforcements and supply to Howe, giving time for Washington to ask for support from France. Washington was able to get more men from France, who supported him in the war against the British. Thus, Washington was able to acquire three ships that were bearing aid. The French support helped the Americans with the professional military knowledge that they lacked (Sparknotes Editors 2005, p. 32). This support would have been the sole route that enabled America to gain independence.

Questions to respond to for this week’s forum

Question 1

Despite the many failures of Washington, this is the year that America signed the Declaration of Independence. The signing of the Declaration of Independence was a momentous event because it opened the minds of the Americans to fight for their independence. This is the document that played a decisive part that convinced the foreign powers to support America and the other rebelling countries. Thus, America realized that gaining independence was not peaceful and that they were to fight for it. By the end of that year, the Battle of Trenton happened, with the first war won by America[2]. They were able to take over Delaware from the Hessians. This victory extended to Princeton in early 1777. This brought back the strength America needed, thus the year 1776 became the year of a new nation.

Question 2

America was lacking enough men in the army. There was also insufficient money and weapons to be used in the war. This was a marvellous opportunity for the British to inflict defeat over America.

Question 3

The British had more men for the war and could have won if they attacked the same night they arrived. Their procrastination to attack the next day costed them a whopping win because the same night, the Americans left to another city; Princeton. This did not give the British time to prepare for the attack.

Question 4

The American Army would have disintegrated, and this would have been the end of the war as the British would have taken over. The other cities could have remained under the colonization of the British. This is because if the army was beaten, the spirit to continue with the war would have died. Other army men would have been killed leading to little manpower to carry out the subsequent fight for independence. In addition, the British had the opportunity to capture Washington, but they followed the commands not to go further until Howe joined them.

Question 5

The weather change to winter was one of the elements beyond the control of either sides. This caused coldness that could not be tolerated by the army. Thus, the British Army was sent to winter quarters[3]. This also caused Washington to surrender the fight until the end of winter. The remaining men of Washington were also few to fight the British. The roads had also turned muddy by December and transport was an issue.

Question 6

Washington failed to join efforts with Magaw to defeat the British and prevent them from capturing Fort Lee. This left Fort Lee badly guarded, thus easy for the British entry. This would have been contributed by fear that Washington would have been captured and cause more risks. He failed to keep the military men together, leading to the departure of 2000 men. With the numerous defeats in the previous wars, Washington’s military could have feared for their lives, leading to the departure. He placed strong guards on three passes to Long Island and left the fourth with only five men. This gave the British an easy entry point. This could have been contributed by the insufficiency of the military men on the side of Washington. He also failed to coordinate attacks in April when Clinton arrived in a poor condition, after spending three months at sea. This would have guaranteed a win as Clinton’s men were weak to fight. Clinton would have withdrawn easily at that time.

Question 7

Some mistakes were experienced despite the agreement Washington made with his officers. For example, not combining with Magaw was because of pressure from the officers to avoid as much as possible, not to be captured. The other mistake came up because of the vague agreement with the officers.

Question 8

Lack of enough militiamen to fight the British would lead to automatic defeat. This could lead to the death of the army and thus the revolution could not be attained. The British could continue with their colonization of America.

Question 9

Postponing of the attacks was the most significant mistake that Washington made. This gave the enemy time to prepare and put more reinforcements in place. With this, Washington would not easily win the war, thus harming the success of the Revolution[4].

Question 10

Washington and his army had a tendency of withdrawing and escaping the attacks carried out by the British on the realization that they were not entitled to win. This was the secret to their survival, despite the many mistakes made by Washington.

Question 11

The string of near-disaster led to the demoralization of America’s militiamen, which led to the departure of some of them. This further led to the outnumbering by the British[5].

Question 12

One of the lessons that Washington learnt from the string of near-disaster was the importance of immediate attacks and the importance of uniting militiamen during war.

Question 13

The lessons learned by Washington helped him realize the importance of immediate attacks that he used in early 1777, to win the attacks. He was also able to unite 5000 militiamen, whom he previously could not help in the war that eventually brought winning in America[6].

Question 14

This was the time America eventually realized the first win over British. Despite the many defeats that were experienced, America was able to rise against the British Army, thus winning the war.

Bibliography

John F., Almost a Miracle: The American History In The War Of Independence, USA; Oxford University Press, 2007.

Rene, C. and Hook, R., American War of Independence Commanders, Elite 93, Os Publishing, 2003

Middlekauff, R. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789, USA: Oxford University Press Inc, 1982

Sparknotes Editors, The American Revolution (1754-1781), Barnes and Noble Publishers, 2005.

[1] John F., Almost a Miracle: The American History In The War Of Independence, USA; Oxford University Press, 2007.

[2] Middlekauff, R. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789, USA: Oxford University Press Inc, 1982

[3] Middlekauff, R. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789, USA: Oxford University Press Inc, 1982

[4] John F., Almost a Miracle: The American History In The War Of Independence, USA; Oxford University Press, 2007.

[5] Rene, C. and Hook, R., American War of Independence Commanders, Elite 93, Os Publishing, 2003

[6] Rene, C. and Hook, R., American War of Independence Commanders, Elite 93, Os Publishing, 2003