Essay about 1776 Book Review

It was not looking good for the Americans. The army was heavily decreasing in numbers. The men who joined the army a year ago were either dead physically or dead inside. It was so bad that George Washington, the leader of this monolithic mess had to come down personally, and beg, plead, beseech the soldiers into staying. Do to countless hours of imploring and the countless nights of praying he finally got what he wanted on December 26, 1776. The Battle of Trenton inspired the colonists. This victory meant the colonists still had a chance. Imagine the surge of excitement the colonists were felling pumping through their veins when they read that new paper headline “America Counters, Defeat of the Hessians.” People were signing up left and right. The enlisting stands that only had tumbleweeds for customers, now was swarmed by young entranced colonists looking to make a difference. The George Washington that dropped down on his hands and knees pleading for these men to not leave now had way more than enough troops then he knew what to do

Washington's reevaluation of the situation after the failure in New York was the strategy he should have adopted from the start of the war. His knowledge of war fighting was learned by direct observation and experience. In this, he realized to win he must more that all else, preserve the integrity of the Continental Army. "Washington concluded that if the army could be kept alive, the Revolutionary cause would remain alive." (Weigley, p. 12) In gaining this insight, Washington set about on a new course to victory in that the "Art of War" is demonstrated.

The greatest event of Washington’s military career came on October 19, 1781 when he defeated Cornwall is at Yorktown. Cornwall is surrendered his entire army of more than 7,000 men. The fighting was finally over, although it would still take two years to form a formal peace treaty.

The importance of this raid lay in the fact that they captured much-needed cannons and gunpowder.

The Battle of Trenton persuaded men to reenlist so Washington would still have an army in the new year. Washington planned on surprising the British in Princeton, but decided to wait considering Ewing and Caldwalader never made it across the river. A week later, on January 3, 1777 Washington recrossed the Delaware River with his troop into Princeton. The battle lasted less than an hour, but around one hundred British men were killed or wounded and they captured two hundred. The Americans only suffered forty casualties (Dupuy 83-84). These two wins boosted the patriot’s morale and helped Washington rise back to the top as a military commander (Murphy). These two victories also convinced America that the war was not over yet, there was still hope. Overall winning these battles created a spark of hope and a wave of electricity. There were many battles Washington led, but

Though it is a historical book, 1776 has many different themes waiting to be analyzed and dissected. One theme would be the theme of leadership being a major key to success. Throughout the book, McCullough seems to emphasize the fact that even though the American army was minimal, vastly outnumbered by the British, strong leadership was what truly mattered. Not only did this mean the Commander-in-Chief George Washington, but also other commanding officers such as Nathanael Greene and Henry Knox. If the American rebels did not have such strong leadership, both on the field and when inspiration was needed, victory would have been very much postponed or not existent at all. McCullough writes “ good officers were mandatory” and “officers must be better paid, better trained (pg 226).” While the army itself is very important, the commanding officers serve as a driving force that directs the firepower in a certain direction and, in turn, towards victory. Another example would be when soldiers witness their commander, George Washington, rushing onto the field despite the dangers that lay ahead and how important his life was to the cause. One soldier wrote that he would “never forget what [he] felt… When [he] saw him brave all the dangers

The Battle of Yorktown gave General Washington the advantage he needed to win. General Washington, with the help of the French saw the opportunity to end the war by cornering General Cornwallis at Yorktown. (The History Channel Website, n.d.) Prior to the surrender of General Cornwallis to General Washington at Yorktown, the British were winning several battles. General Washington needed to do something before he had no other options left. General Washington’s forces were low in numbers and strength but knew the land to give them an edge in being rooted out by the British. (Lanning, 2005) General Washington used time and heavy militia to replenish his losses but did not have the troops to capture British Garrisons. (Lanning, 2005) The British in turn, could not pass the militia aiding General Washington. (Lanning, 2005)The militia, fighting alongside continental troops, had the land and the support of the people who aided their cause during the battle. The stalemate continued with no sign of either side budging. Guerilla-style operations were used to win many fights and battles that General Washington’s own troops could not. (Lanning, 2005) General Cornwallis, saw Yorktown in Virginia as a viable location to gather resources for future encounters with the Americans. General Cornwallis moved northward from the Carolinas toward Virginia and occupied Yorktown with an estimated 6,000 to 9,000 British troops. (Lanning, 2005) (The History

“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” This quote in a letter to James Madison, from George Washington, on March 2nd, 1788, explains that once the push for liberty comes through and change is made, it is like the snowball effect. At this point of the war, there were constant losses for the Continental Army they were lacking faith and hope for their liberty. The soldier’s enlistments were also very near to their end and time was going by fast; many were prepared to leave and not signing up again. Overall, the Continental Army was headed towards failure. They needed something to give them a push in the right direction. The battle that raised high spirits in the army was The

The Revolutionary War was a dreadful war leaving almost 70,000 U.S. and British soldiers dead or wounded. The war lasted eight years with America, France, Spain, and the Dutch on one side and Great Britain on the other. On October 19, 1781 the last major land battle took place, the Battle of Yorktown. Similar to other battles in the Revolutionary War, the Americans were fighting for independence from the British and as threats from them kept increasing, the situation did not get any better. George Washington is recognized to having inspired the victory achieved over the British forces. The tactics, skills, courage and the collaboration George Washington sought with the

The Battle of Long Island was fought between British and American troops during the American Revolution. The battle began on August 27, 1776 and ended on August 29th 1776. the British army was led by General William Howe with an army of nearly 20,000 soldiers. The Americans, with 10,000 soldiers, were led by General George Washington. After successfully capturing boston on march 1776 from the british, george washington had decided to start moving south of new york. As predicted by washington, the next target for the british would be New York City. Washington had tried his best to plan a way to defend the city, however it was difficult since he did not have a strong naval force. The british had an advantage this way. Washington’s battle plan

They anticipated for a final battle which was yet to come. George Washington, as their commander saw his men go through tough battles, a serious disease, and have many men desert the camp. But Washington still had hope in America and its strong warriors.

The Americans were ill equipped for the battle carrying muskets left over from King George’s War (1744-45) and Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713) that were taken from New England and were made up of 19,000 poorly trained militia and volunteers (Schechter 143). This inexperienced American force, despite commanded by the great General Washington, left a wide open flank, which Howe easily took advantage of unfortunately. He discovered an undefended flank through the Jamaica Pass and took advantage of it ravaging the American defenses from the side. The sheer numbers of British forces and weapons outflanking them, which was nearly twice the size of the U.S. forces there, overwhelmed Washington and his men forcing them to retreat to New Jersey. The Battle of Brooklyn was a demoralizing defeat for the Americans as Washington would never be able to recover New York City from the British. It was the largest (in terms of numbers) battle of the entire American Revolution and saw the most Hessian involvement with three full regiments (Soleki). And, it was also the first battle fought by the newly formed United States

Washington was a pivotal figure in the early French and Indian war time. This battle started for Washington when he was selected as the British emissary for the French frontier. The British later accepted his offer probably because of his connection to the Ohio company. He was then sent to gather information about the French, and learn of their plans. After Washington returned from his long journey he had told the British crown everything he knew which then made the British determined to drive the French out of Ohio. He was then promoted to Lieutenant colonel. Washington had a very hard time during this war for multiple reasons. Supplies, food, and horses were getting scarce and a lot of the men didn't even know how to fight. Later on a specific

The Continental Congress established Washington leader of the American Revolutionary forces. The next year he forced the British to leave Boston, lost New York city and passing the Delaware river in New Jersey. As an answer of his plans, Revolutionary forces kidnaped the 2 main British combat

The battle of Yorktown was placed on the September 28, 1781 to October 19, 1781. George Washington was the General aided by the French general de Rochambeau to help the patriots defeat the British. The French sent 7,800 soldiers to battle. The battle of Yorktown was the last battle of the Revolutionary war with the British negotiating an end to the war and gave the colonist freedom. The French bombarded the British all around them leading the British to no reinforcement leading to victory for the Americans. "If we do not deceive our own men, we will never deceive the enemy" General Washington www.miliary-quotes.com