American and British Strengths and Weakness

American and British Strengths and Weaknesses.

Kelly’s Blog

The American Revolution was a mind blowing battle when you compare the strengths and weaknesses of the two armies involved. The war was between the British and the American colonists. Comparing the resources that both armies had it is amazing that the colonists were able to beat the british and claim their independence. During this time the British Army was the strongest one in the entire world with a winnig streak of battle against both the French and Spanish. The British troops had access to better food, ships, uniforms, artillery and ammo than the colonists did. The Colonists could not afford better supplies, actually they could barely afford minor supplies such as blankets and shoes. The British army was much larger than the army the colonists had, and some of the colonists even remained loyal to the British crown. So in the beginning of the war it looked as though the colonists had no chance, however those same colonists never gave up hope and gave the war all they had.

Although odds were against the colonists they did have some advantages over the British. Even though they had less of an advantage the colonists had a valid reason to fight in the war. They were fighting for freedom, which was a large part of most of them left Britain for the New World to begin with. Britain was just being greedy, and after all they had treated the colonists very poorly when they were in control before the colonists rebelled. The colonists fought for what they believed in and fought on their home turf that they knew better than the British. This was a great advantage because guerilla warfare came into play and changed warfare forever. Guerilla warfare allowed the colonists to take control and created a turning point in the war. The British had a hard time defending against guerilla warfare because it was both unexpected and they did not have the knowledge of the territory that the colonists did. Eventually the French created an alliance with the colonists which really changed the odds of the war to be in the favor of the Colonists. All of these things had a great affect on the fate of the war. Although the British started out with more strengths and the odds being in their favor, the colonists did not let their weaknesses stop them eventually leading them to victory in the American Revolution.

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The British Troops had been successful in the past, defeating powerful nations like France and Spain.  Therefore, at first, the odds were against the Colonists.  However, both the British Troops and the colonists had strengths and weaknesses that would make this war interesting.

One of the British Troops greatest strengths was money.  The British was wealthy and because they were wealthy, the army was equipped with "6' muskets and bayonets attached" (U.S History Resources).  Money also helped the British troops by making sure their soldiers were well fed, well equipped and well paid.  If the soldiers were well fed and well paid, the men wouldn't stray and the troops would be able to recruit more people. Another strength British had over America was strength in numbers.  Feldmeth reports that there were "7.5 million British men versus only 2.5 million colonists" (U.S History Resources) and it was well organized with this many people.  Money allowed the British Troops to hire Hessians, the best of the German troops, to help fight America.  Since there were a lot of soldiers, it allowed the British Troops to last longer.  The British also had strength on the water.  Britain had the best naval force at that time and was able to attack from the water and from their professional army on land.            

Although there were great strengths with the British Troops, there were also several weaknesses.  One of the military difficulties the British Troops faced, was who led their soldiers.  They had second-rate generals who did not do an ideal job leading.  They would treat their soldiers poorly. According to Feldmeth, "There was brutal treatment such as a soldier being lashed 800 times for striking an officer" (U.S History Resources).  Along with the poor leadership, they had insufficient supplies necessary to battle.  The armies were 3,000 miles away from home.  This only made matters worse since they were not familiar with the lands and were far away from family, friends, and their life.  Another weakness was the fact that the British didn't really have a clear desire to defeat the Americans since it would just mean the Americans not getting independence.  Lastly, although they had a huge population, Feldmeth states that the downfall was that "orders took months to reach the front of the line" (U.S History Resources).  Commands would have changed or been misheard which would have caused problems on the line.

Unlike the British Troops, the Colonists had an outstanding leadership.  With Washington running military, the Colonists fought defensively. Feldmeth states that the "The Colonists were better marksmen, being accurate at 200 yards" (U.S History Resources).  The Colonists were also at an advantage for being on home turf.  They knew the area, which gave them an advantage since they had a self-sustaining agricultural base.  Also, they had a "moral advantage by supporting a just cause and having a positive goal to reach" (U.S History Resources).  Americans were fighting for their rights, their independence and their liberty.  Finally, the alliance with the French was a huge strength for America in this war.  This alliance gave the Colonists a tangible threat and extra courage.  

Although the Colonists had home advantage and great leadership, they also had several weaknesses.  First of all, as Feldmeth writes, "The colonies were badly organized which made them disunited for war" (U.S History Resources).  The Colonists also faced economic difficulties.  There was little metallic currency available and inflation lead to increased prices on everything.  Not having money meant not having good military supplies.  Just like the British Troops, they had inadequate supplies, specifically firearms and powder.  Since there wasn't much money and inflation caused prices to increase, shoes and clothes were scarce.  According to Feldmeth, "At Valley Forge, 2800 men were barefoot" (U.S History Resources), which was not easy to battle in.  Finally, there was an abundance of American soldiers, however, they were unreliable which caused stress on the colonists.    

In conclusion, the British had money, more people and a better army and navy but didn't have a clear desire to fight and was far away from home.   The Americans had better leadership, home advantage and had a goal to fight for freedom.  However, they didn't have as much money, had unreliable soldiers, and had unorganized colonies.