George Washington and The American Revolution War “Grand Strategy”

By jamesdcreviston Add a Comment 11 Min Read
George Washington and the American Revolution War Grand Strategy

The entire goal of the American Revolution including the penning of the Declaration of Independence was to gain the colonists and the newly formed American nation legitimacy internationally. The Declaration of Independence was written to spell out American ideals and principles, its main purpose was to gain the attention and support of the international community. Without the support of other nations as well as the new nation being seen as a legitimate country, the colonists worried that there would be no international support and that the British would tout them as ungrateful and unruly British subjects. 

Therefore the first strategy of the American Revolution hinged on gaining legitimacy in the eyes of the world. Once one nation saw them as a real country and provided aid or support it allowed them to use the Declaration of Independence as a tool to state the cause and foundation for a new nation free from British rule. However, even among the colonists, there was strife and dissension with some colonists being loyal to the British Empire. 

The British knew that there would be those who were loyal to the crown and those who would try to throw off the yoke of a country across the sea. Thus they sought to divide the nation through what was known as The “Southern Strategy”. The strategy was to make the American Revolution into a civil war that was, “far more savage and personal than anything fought in the North.” This meant engaging campaigns that pitted neighbor against neighbor and brother against brother. In fact, South Carolina alone accounted for nearly one-fifth of battlefield deaths and one-third of battlefield wounds suffered in the entire war—mostly the result of American-on-American violence.

The Southern Strategy was a plan implemented by the British during the Revolutionary War to win the conflict by concentrating their forces in the southern states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. However, the strategy did not get pushed until France became America’s ally. France’s entry into the war in 1778 forced the British to reevaluate the war in America and implement this new strategy. The strategy depended upon the assumption that many southerners remained loyal to the British. 

The Southern Strategy initially achieved success with the British capture of the colony’s major port, Savannah, and the defection of thousands of colonists to the British in 1778. The next year saw the continued success of the Southern Strategy when a Franco-American siege failed to recapture Savannah. After a six-week siege of Charleston by British land and naval forces, the American Army surrendered over five thousand troops and an ample amount of Continental supplies. 

From a military standpoint, the Continental Army was faced with its own legitimacy. Most soldiers were farmers and merchants, who had no formal military training, and what munitions they owned were personal firearms and possessions. In addition, much of the army did not have uniforms. The army also faced disagreements over how it should face the British army with some officers suggesting implementations based on their experience from the French and Indian War.  Ultimately, this inexperience of the Continental Army threatened to derail the new American nation before it even caught steam. 

Part of the delay was the creation of the Continental Army by law. The Continental Congress could decree the need and desire for an army but only raise funds and troops to “preserve a good army”. Thus they were armed with only a small war chest and barely trained troops with training limited to militia units and not European-style dedicated military training. In addition, the morale of the colonies waned as the Continental Army was overwhelmed by losses to the British Army. The Colonial army dwindled in size, and saw that the odds were stacked against them. 

Eventually Washington realized that the American army did not have to necessarily win battles to win the war. They just had to not lose either. This strategy was known as a “war of attrition” or “The Fabian strategy”. As long as the Continental Army existed the Revolution would continue. The Fabian strategy, named after the Roman general who beat the rebel Hannibal through a war of attrition and continuous maneuvering, was adopted by Washington to stave off a direct engagement with the full British army. The goal of Washinton was to avoid a direct assault on the British unless conditions were favorable. Short of that, they would only attack the British forces without any direct engagement.

France finally formally joined the American colonies with military assistance in 1779. Before that, the French had only provided material aid in the form of weapons, supplies, coins, and other provisions. French officers implanted within the conflict, however, proved incapable. The lone exception being Marquis de Lafayette.

Following the loss to the British in New York, Washington along with the remainder of the Continental Army retreated to Valley Forge. It was during the winter quarters at Valley Forge that Washington devised his “Grand Strategy” to combine his Continental Army with the French army and navy to win the fallen city and end the war.

Washington described his so-called “grand strategy” for accomplishing this goal in a series of letters to the Continental Congress. As a result, Congress had given Washington full authority for planning the campaign that would unite the Americans and the French to defeat the British. Washington laid out a careful strategy for retaking New York City. First, the French fleet would defeat the British navy and secure New York Harbor and the Hudson River. Next, American and French soldiers would take all the British garrisons around New York City, both on Long Island and in Rhode Island. Finally, knowing they were surrounded on land and sea, the humiliated British would surrender, thus gaining lasting peace that included American independence.

However, the British preferred to fight in the South, either near Georgia or in the Chesapeake. In 1781, Washington learned that the French navy was anchored off the Chesapeake, trapping the army of British in Virginia. As a result, Washington changed the target of his grand strategy from New York to Yorktown. Washington marched to Yorktown with a total of around 14,000 soldiers, while a fleet of 36 French warships offshore prevented the British from mounting a retreat or aid. The victory at Yorktown gained the Continental Army an overwhelming victory over the British resulting in the final battle of the American Revolution followed by the surrender of the largest British army stationed in America, which was the final nail in the coffin of any chance the Britsh had at winning the war. 

The British removal of their troops from Charleston and Savannah in late 1782 finally ended the conflict. British and American negotiators in Paris included Great Britain formally recognizing the United States’ independence in the Treaty of Paris. In addition, Britain signed separate peace treaties with France and Spain, bringing the American Revolution to a close after eight long years.

What was George Washington’s American Revolution War “Grand Strategy”?

Washington’s “grand strategy” was the campaign that would unite the Americans and the French to defeat the British. Washington laid out a careful strategy for retaking New York City.

– First, the French fleet would defeat the British navy and secure New York Harbor and the Hudson River.
– Next, American and French soldiers would take all the British garrisons around New York City, both on Long Island and in Rhode Island.
– Finally, knowing they were surrounded on land and sea, the humiliated British would surrender thus gaining lasting peace that included American independence.

Later this strategy was used to take Yorktown and break the spirit of the British Army.

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