Why the British Should Not Have Defeated the Americans in the Revolution In the second half of the eighteenth century, the British were faced with rebelling colonies. Finally realizing that they had to fight to keep their colonial possessions, the British sent troops to America. Once the battles began in America, the British were not impressed with the colonial military, but the weak militias soon proved to be effective. With foreign aid from France, American devotion, and the lack of British vigor, the Americans soon discovered the open doors of independence. In my opinion, the American advantages and the British disadvantages proved to be the downfall of the English in the American Revolution. Even though the British army was larger, the American army proved to have talented fighters. The Continental Army and the state militias were essentially the two military organizations of the Americans. Throughout the war, the Americans employed only 231,771 men, which meant that the American forces rarely numbered over 20,000. Compared to the British, the American army was small, but their military tactics and skills were excellent. From a distance of 200 yards, an American rifleman could easily kill a British soldier. Many men observed that the British plainly fired in the general direction of the Americans, while the Americans aimed for the heads of the British. Also, the Americans had many more competent and talented leaders. George Washington and Benedict Arnold were two of the most brilliant American leaders.During this time period, the British firing techniques were not effective. The commanders lined up their troops in lines, one line in front of the other. Then, the British soldiers fired, knelt down, and then reloaded their weapons. While the British were standing in the open, the Americans used guerrilla tactics and fired upon the British while using the trees as protection. When the British retreated, they marched ...
