The British
14. The British flag in the year 1776
Allies
- Native Americans - As was said previously, many Native Americans sided with Britain like the Mohawks, Cayugas, Onondagas and Senecas, while others sided with the colonists. It all had to do with which side the Natives believed would protect their homelands and recognize their claims.
- Germany - King George III hired as many as 30,000 mercenaries from Germany, known as Hessians.
- Loyalists - Not all colonists believed that independence was reasonable, and many Loyalists, people who saw themselves as faithful subjects to the King of England, sided with Britain. Some even acted as spies on the Continental Army.
- African Americans - Thousands of African Americans became Loyalists and joined the British because they were promised freedom to any slave who took up arms for the King.
Key Figures
- King George - King George III was crowned King of England in 1760. He did not have the best of reputations, and was known to be stubborn and proud. Also, the people he chose to have by his side and aid him in making decisions didn’t have much knowledge of what was happening in the colonies. This caused them to make poor decisions that angered the colonists, such as the Stamp Act and the Quartering Act. The British government’s inability to listen to the colonists’ argument that they shouldn’t be taxed since they didn’t have representation in Parliament led to the Americans’ quest for independence and the American Revolution. Also, King George was never able to convince the citizens of England that defeating the colonists was essential for the future of Great Britain.
17. A portrait of King George
- General William Howe - Like George Washington, William Howe distinguished himself as an experienced commander in the French and Indian war. Because of this, he obtained a seat in Parliament and in 1772, he was promoted to major general. Howe was greatly opposed to the idea of the Intolerable Acts of 1774 and he argued that Parliament should try to make peace with the Americans. Even so, when offered the position of second-in-command of the British forces in America, he accepted. Howe’s first victory was the Battle of Bunker Hill. He did not escape without losses, however, and it took him three advances to finally beat the Americans. This battle changed Howe’s perspective on the war and caused him to be more conservative. After many more battles which included both wins and losses, he began to feel like he had lost the King’s confidence, and he faced criticism from England at his inability to crush the colonists. He requested to be relieved, and in April of 1778, his resignation was accepted.
18. A portrait of William Howe
- Lord George Germain - George Germain was responsible for directing the British troops. However, he had never set foot in North America, so he didn’t have any idea of how to beat the colonists. Germain changed and amalgamated generals and plans quite often in hopes of leading the British to an effortless victory. Germain’s first successful battle was New York, where he ordered General Howe to capture the city. After this battle, he faced a loss in Trenton and revised the British strategy yet again. This strategy was not effective, and the Continental Army beat the British at the Battle of Saratoga. Again, Germain revised the British strategy, but ended up losing the war at Yorktown.
19. A portrait of George Germain
- General Charles Cornwallis - Charles Cornwallis became a major general in 1775. He served under Sir Henry Clinton in the battle of New York, which the British won. After a successful campaign in the South, Clinton returned to New York and had Cornwallis to control the war in the South. In 1781 Nathanael Greene sent him and his army on an exhausting chase through the South. Eventually Cornwallis chose to go to Yorktown, claiming to be tired of trekking through the countryside. While Cornwallis was settling in Yorktown, Washington set a trap and cut off the British navy from helping Cornwallis. Eventually, he was forced to surrender after the French and Americans opened fire on Yorktown. His military career ended in sorrow and disbelief that he had let the rebel colonists beat his army.
20. A portrait of Charles Cornwallis