Why the British Lost the American Revolution
iation on both sides . 15 This factor ultimately undermined all British efforts for stability in America . This drove uncommitted locals to the Patriot cause .
The structure of the British government also greatly hindered the flow of information . In London , the British Secretary of War was responsible for the army , yet he was not invited to key cabinet meetings during discussions of policy in North America . 16 This created a “ fog of war ” that was disastrous for planning strategy in America . There were other issues with complex and opaque reporting and sharing information . Intelligence was not shared among cabinet members . Some leaders were not rigorous in capturing the intelligence of potential enemy fleets . For example , Lord Sandwich , the First Lord of the Admiralty , was not aggressive when it came to intelligence regarding the movement of the French Navy . This information was vital to operations for London , given that the few ships they had were stretched around the globe , requiring close and exacting stewardship . This was a consistent problem , undermining the overall British efforts in all colonies . For example , Sandwich allowed French warships to leave without receiving alerts when they went to sea for the West Indies . 17 At best , coordination among the various departments of the eighteenth-century British government was fractured and grossly ineffective . 18 There were divergent opinions and a lack of communication among these departments , which created a fog of strategic priorities that might vary by the campaign season . Under the most ideal conditions , these challenges would have hampered the best military leaders .
The overall policy of taxing Americans centered around generating revenue in the colonies , though what was collected in the colonies was insignificant . The real value of the American colonies was a lucrative trade business . Parliament and King George III overlooked this to force the colonies to submit to their authority . Edmund Burke , one of the most eloquent speakers in Parliament , argued against the folly of taxes when the real profit was in trade . He highlighted the growth of exports from Great Britain to North American and the West Indies , which rose from £ 500,000 in 1704 to nearly £ 5,000,000 in 1772 . 19 His argument fell on deaf ears . Merchants in London also began to complain in 1775 , when exports to North America dropped to £ 220,000 , because they had been as high as £ 3 million the previous year . 20 The politicians did not listen and were intent on making the rebel Americans follow their policies .
Policies designed to discourage rebellion isolated those who were uncommitted and pushed colonists to the rebel cause . Furthermore , the British abandoned areas and could not protect Loyalists in the country or once they left key cities . As just one of many examples where British policy worked against them , we can look at England ’ s efforts in the Carolinas . For example , Lieutenant Colonel Lord Francis Rawdon led the Royal Volunteers in the Carolinas and began experiencing issues of desertion . His energetic response was to issue a proclamation that any civilian
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