American Revolution, also called United States War of Independence or American Revolutionary War, (1775–83), insurrection by which 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies won political independence and went on to form the United States of America.

1. Ganizani Nkhambule
Student at Africa University-
Zimbabwe

2. TASK:
Account for the defeat of
the British army at the end
of the American War of
Independence.

3. PREAMBLE
Topics to be discussed:
Brief history of the American
War of Independence.
Reasons for the defeat of the
British army.
Conclusion

4. BRIEF HISTORY OF
AMERICAN WAR OF
INDEPENDENCE
 American Revolution, also called United States War of
Independence or American Revolutionary War, (1775–83),
insurrection by which 13 of Great Britain’s North
American colonies won political independence and went
on to form the United States of America.
 The war followed more than a decade of growing
estrangement between the British crown and a large and
influential segment of its North American colonies that
was caused by British attempts to assert greater control
over colonial affairs after having long adhered to a policy
of salutary neglect.
 Until early in 1778 the conflict was a civil war within
the British Empire, in the end British surrender at
Yorktown in Virginia.

6. REASONS FOR THE DEFEAT
OF THE BRITISH ARMY
1) The British Army was weak and
unorganized
British were like volunteered army, it
lacked peace time spending, ineffective
recruitment in the decade since the
Seven Years War and during the
outbreak of the war, they were in a
dilapidated state.

7. 2) Americans took up arms out of
patriotism.
The colonists were zealous and eager
to fight and liberate themselves from
the British rule.
It seemed to the British regulars that
every able-bodied American male had
become a soldier.
While, the British hired some Hessian
troops from various German
principalities, who were fighting for
money.

9. 3) The limitations of Britain’s military
resources
Britain had only recently emerged
victorious from the Seven Years’ War
against France in 1763, the War had
sucked British economy- led to the
Quartering Act.
Thence, it was not in a position to
provide and equip the troops for the
battle.

10. 4) The involvement of the French,
Spaniards, and the Dutch in the War.
Great Britain’s wartime concerns
stretched far beyond the shores of North
America. In addition to facing colonial
opposition, the embattled King George III
also warred with France, Spain, the
Netherlands.
For instance, the Spanish harassed
British shipping across the North Atlantic
Ocean by capturing or sinking supply
vessels bound for North America.
This gave the Americans an upper hand
during the war.

11. 5) Friction within the British Ranks
Detrimental factors on the other side of
the war, additionally contributed to victory
in the colonies.
Chaotic British partisanship and political
turmoil at home, for instance, led to
military friction and discontent abroad.
For instance, the rivalry between Sir
Henry Clinton, and his subordinate
General Charles Cornwallis.
In the end the British army withdrew from
the north in 1778, this ultimately showed
the defeat of the British army.

13. 6) A Failed Southern Strategy
 Britain took some time to rethink its plan.
Eventually, British war leaders agreed that the war
would shift to the south, aiming to re-establish
control in the less militant southern colonies.
 Starting in South Carolina, with the capture of
Charleston on May 11, 1780, Britain aimed to
subdue the southern colonies region by region,
raising loyalist forces to keep the peace while the
small British army moved on to the next target.
 This second British strategy unravelled when the
loyalist forces proved unable to match the fiercer
patriot militia. Whenever the British army left an
area, resistance would flare up behind it.
 The British war effort eventually ran out of steam
and ground to a halt at Yorktown. On October 19,
1781, Cornwallis surrendered his battered army to
the Americans — the British strategies had failed.

14. 7) Partisan/Irregular Warfare
 During the Revolutionary War, armies typically
engaged in linear warfare, where soldiers formed a
line of battle and stood side by side while
delivering massive volleys of musket fire
 When irregular militias entered the fray. The
impact of partisan tactics was particularly felt in
the South, where dense swamps and heavily-
forested highlands prevented the linear
deployment of British forces.
 For instance, one of the best know guerrilla
fighters during this period was South Carolina’s
Francis Marion, otherwise known as the “Swamp
Fox” for his deadly cunning and ability to
disappear into the shadows.
 The Southern patriot militia or partisan forces,
acting alone or in combination with Continentals,
were the salvation of the American cause.”

15. 8) The decision to seek peace and accept the Treaty of
Paris
 Yorktown resulted in the end of the war, not because the
British position in America collapsed overnight, but
because the political will in London was no longer there.
 Defence priorities had changed following the entry of the
French into the war and, by 1782, the British were
prepared to accept the loss of the colonies.
 Despite holding New York, Charleston and Savannah, and
with over 30,000 troops left in America, the British
Commons resolved to end military measures against the
Americans in February and Lord North resigned on 20
March.
 Peace of Paris Peace talks commenced in April under the
new ministry led by Shelburne, evacuations of the British
strongholds were ordered and the Peace of Paris was
signed by Britain, the USA, France, Spain and Holland on
3 September 1783. Its most significant clauses were: the
recognition of American independence and its new
boundaries

17. • Other Reasons:
Britain had to send an army 3,000 miles
away to fight.
Took a long time for orders to cross the
Atlantic.
Home field advantage.
Assumed they would receive more
support from the loyalist.
Obsessed more with taking cities rather
than destroying Washington’s army.

18. CONCLUSION
The British army failed to defeat the in
American War of independence due to;
unpreparedness, poor planning and
lack of cooperation, and all these
meant that Britain was destined to fall
during the American War of
Independence.