The Saber and Scroll
quickly . The British were unprepared for this type of warfare . This generated significant problems for British commanders , dictating tactical changes in the British army . The adjustments were gradual , though the transition from “ old world ” to “ new world ” warfare took place in the British ranks during the first few years of the war . 4 However , the partisan militia was a conundrum that the British never fully had an answer for , other than dispatching cavalry officers such as the infamous Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton .
Today , the British dilemma in North America would be categorized as a “ wicked problem ,” or one in which there is no ideal solution , only varying solutions that might create other challenges . The crux of the conundrum for leaders in London was that they failed to properly grasp the political complexities in the colonies . This drove strategic errors , operational miscalculations , and ultimately , undermined confidence in leadership . 5 Six broad areas must be addressed to frame a discussion of what went wrong for the British in the American colonies . They are :
1 . The complexity of fighting and sustaining an army at a distance
2 . Communication across the Atlantic
3 . Assumptions about the scale and nature of the insurrection
4 . Policies framed to shape colonies behavior
5 . Structure of the British government , or command and control
6 . Financial challenges for England
This essay will elaborate on each of these points to illustrate the complexity and multifaceted challenges behind the British failure in the American colonies . A conclusion will capture the British dilemma and argue that they cut their losses , expanding their empire while eliminating the unsolvable “ American problem .”
The distance between Boston and England is roughly 3,200 nautical miles , requiring a minimum of six weeks of travel by ship , perhaps longer due to inclement weather and currents . Most of the military supplies for the British army were shipped from various ports in England and Ireland . They did not come from the colonies . However , there were some supplies procured from the colonies such as hay , though this was largely to supplement shipments from the mother country . In 1775 , London established contracts for seven companies to supply a thousand tons of food a month to provision the garrisons in North America . 6 They typically fell short , delivering supplies in poor condition , improperly sealed and packaged , leading to spoilage . It was common for supply ships to arrive at American ports filled with rodents that had devoured and ruined the shipments . It was also typical for ships to arrive with moldy or weevil-infested bread , rotten potatoes and vegetables , and dead livestock . For example , in 1775 , supply ships arrived in Boston from Ireland and England with significant damage ; there were 5,200 barrels of unusable flour among other spoilage . 7 British contractors in America were charged with maintaining a six-month stockpile of reserve in
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