The American Revolution
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American Revolution
Valley Forge was one of the darkest hours I the war for independence. No one was sure if the Patriots could be strong enough to defeat the British Empire. On that same day the Continental Congress voted for independence. By mid-august the British, under the command of General William Howe had assembled an estimated 32,000 men. The British troops were well equipped, trained, and disciplined. Compared to the British troops, the continental Army was inexperienced and poorly equipped. Throughout the war, it was a struggled to keep its recruits and pay their wages. However over 230,000 men served in the Continental Army, they rarely numbered more than 20,000 at any one time. Lacking tax, the Continental Congress issued paper money. However these were not backed by gold or sliver and became almost worthless very quickly. Fortunately Robert Morris, a wealth Pennsylvania merchant and banker, personally pledged large amounts of money for the war effort. Robert Morris also set up an efficient method of buying rations and uniforms, arranged for foreign loans, and convinced the Congress to create the Bank o f North America to finance the military. The continental Army was not the only force the British had to worry about. They also had to fight the local militias. The militias were poorly trained, but they fought differently. They hid behind walls and trees to ambush the British troops and supply wagons then disappeared. This kind of fighting is called guerrilla warfare and a very difficult to defeat. The British had to win quickly and cheaply; otherwise, opinions in Parliament would shift against the war. The British also had to convince the American people that their cause was hopeless. If the Patriots though they would be hanged for treason, they would never surrender. The U.S. did not have to defeat Britain. The U.S. however, had to simply had to survive until the British became tired of paying for the war. The French, Dutch, and Spanish were all eager to exploit Britains problems. As a result, Britain had to station much of its military elsewhere in the world to defend its empire.
General Howes strategy had two parts. The first part was military. Howe began a massive buildup in New York, hoping to intimidate the Americans and capture New York City. This would separate New England for the Southern sates and demonstrate to Americans that they could not win. The second part was diplomatic.