British Defeat in the War of Independence

British Defeat in the War of Independence: A Combination of Logistics, Global Involvement and Deluded Southern Campaign

The American War of Independence, 1775-1783, was a war that the British underestimated and were not properly prepared to fight. The war began due to a variety of factors such as the British taxing the Americans yet giving them no representation, the restriction on expansion pass the Appalachian Mountains and also a desire to rule themselves.Theoretically the British were far superior, with their experienced combat troops, when compared to the inexperienced Continental Army and State Militias. Nonetheless, the American forces managed to defeat the British Army and win liberty and independence for the 13 colonies. The British were defeated due to several key factors such as logistics, international involvement and poor leadership/strategic decisions particularly in the South. The following essay will focus on these areas and how it caused the British to lose what seemed an easy war. This defeat was achieved firstly, by the logistical restraints that hampered Britain’s war effort, followed by the international community’s interference (France, Spain and Holland) and lastly, the campaign in the South and the way in which the British acted and fought will be assessed to see how and why the British were defeat.

The defeat of the British in North America was in part due to logistical issues confronting their war effort. These issues consisted of the inability to supply themselves, the sheer size of supply line made it overly-ambitious and far-stretched, and the absence of any adequate, operational logistical organisation. The British fell short in overcoming these issues and therefore were unable to conduct a successful campaign. The British Army and the government were at the beginning of the war completely unprepared to support and provide provisions to the soldiers fighting in America as they held the false belief that the Army could be supplied by...