Revolutionary War Tactics Analysis

Tactics during the Revolutionary War

At the start of the American Revolutionary War the odds were pitted heavily in favor of an easy British victory. The British had the largest empire in the world at the time, the largest navy, and the best trained standing army of the day. America only had a militia, no means of raising money to obtain supplies, and no navy. Also Britain had just finished winning a war to defeat France, which gave the French a reason to help the colonies later in the war. However, even though the British were expected to win, both America and Britain had tactics that were both alike and dissimilar; which in turn played a pivotal role in the outcome of the war. What really helped the colonists during the war was a change
Each European country had developed or was in the process of developing large standing armies. These armies were well disciplined and obeyed orders. An army would face his adversary across the field and progressively march towards them, shoulder to shoulder, in tight formation. When in range the soldiers in the first row would drop to one knee, present arms, and fire in unison on command. Then the soldiers would reload while the opposing force fired upon them. The point was not to kill all of the soldiers in the opposing force but to thin their numbers so it would be easier to charge in with bayonets and succeed. Discipline was crucial to victory because a disorganized army could not stand against a bayonet charge. This is called linear tactics due to the fact that the armies lined up and marched in straight
These soldiers were known as the colonial militia. However, many soldiers of the British regular army believed the colonial militia consisted of low-quality soldiers who came from the scum of society. Most were sure the militia would make little difference in the outcome of the war. In reality, the soldiers of the colonial militia came from all walks of life, endured many hardships, and contributed greatly to the war effort. The ranks of the colonial militia were usually filled by average citizens. They came from all walks of life and different ethnic groups. The colonial militia utilized the use of guerrilla war tactics, which stress both deception and ambush, as opposed to mass confrontation. They used the terrain and fought in a confusing, unorganized fashion which was unheard of by the British. The colonials also used a tactics that was ‘forbidden’ in formal European warfare, the targeting of officers. Orders came from the officers, so if the officers were dead then the army would disintegrate into chaos. This is a very smart tactic on the part of the Americans. It was forbidden in European warfare because all of the officers were aristocrats expected to survive in battle. The commoners were the infantry men and they were the ones that were supposed to die. This was an outrage to the British, the deliberate disrespect the