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Revolutionary War Tactics

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In every major military operation, terrain, troops and weapons often dictate the way the war is fought. The American Revolutionary War was a prime example of this military strategy. It is often said that the Patriots’ use of guerrilla warfare was the reason why the Americans were successful in defeating the British. However, the Americans employed various tactics both on and off the battlefield that led to the ultimate defeat of the British. The American Patriots won the Revolutionary War not through the sole use of guerrilla warfare, but rather through an amalgamation of guerrilla warfare, linear battle tactics, and the employment of espionage.
There is no doubt that guerrilla warfare played a significant part in the American victory over …show more content…

The small arms that the army did have were often defective and gunpowder was scarce. The standard musket used by the militia was inefficient in terms of fighting on the larger scale battle fields. Not only were the bullets completely inaccurate at 300 yards but they were also no longer lethal at that distance. Additionally, the rifles the militia used were their own and not available to the Continental Army as a whole. Therefore, the Continental Army began using the “Brown Bess”, the musket with bayonet attachment that the British Army used. They became available as the Patriots would capture British troops and were also shipped in from European manufacturers. Although it was highly inaccurate and was very time consuming in terms of reloading, considering it was used in mass in the linear formation of the ranks and file of the standing armies, it was highly effective in terms of the volleying of the rounds. At fifty yards, the “Brown Bess” would have an eighteen inch variance. However, in linear formations, this variance could be overcome and injury could still be imposed as soldiers were closely filed together. The musket weighed approximately 13 pounds and released a large amount of smoke after it was fired. Therefore, the linear tactics had to be employed to allow for repeated volleys, firing rank by rank, and thus unleashing more damage at approximately nine rounds per volley. Furthermore, the “Brown Bess” had the capability of attaching bayonets, which were also necessary on the battlefield. The bayonet was inserted down the barrel of the musket, which was imperative for close quarter hand to hand combat when time did not allow to reload the musket and the enemy was too close. Linear tactics also allowed Washington’s use of artillery, although it was limited. Washington utilized light, mobile cannons and field artillery to push back the

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