Why the British Lost the American Revolution
picture of the events that he was caught up in . Some notes and correspondence would not be located and published until the nineteenth century . However , he did recognize that the problem was complex .
Great Britain did not have naval resources due to financial constraints imposed by the Seven Years ’ War . Consequently , they had to make cuts to their navy , which impacted English abilities to patrol the American coast . London was accustomed to conquering islands . This was well within their wheelhouse as a naval power . However , the small English army was not sufficient to occupy large territories ( or land masses ) that required significant troop assets . To put it differently , as historian Andrew O ’ Shaughnessy succinctly states , “ Britain had an army of conquest , but not an army of occupation .” 26 Throughout the conflict , England could capture major cities , though smaller towns and the backcountry required significantly more troops . Similarly , due to financial cuts , the British navy was reduced after the Seven Years ’ War , with the “ rebuild ” not completed until 1778 ; even then , the lack of vessels meant that blocks were drastically ineffective along the vast American coast . 27 To exercise the authority of Parliament , England killed the “ golden goose ,” which was British trade with North America , while incurring significant debt in the process .
The sheer scale of the distance across the Atlantic exacerbated logistics support for the army , while greatly hampering communication between leaders in London and those in North
America . Throughout much of the war in North America , the British army often did not have more than thirty-day supplies , dictating that they forage the land and take what they needed from local farmers when they elected to go on a campaign . This worked against them . The structure of the British government obfuscated clear and concise objectives , while the organization of Parliament meant that some key leaders were not involved in meetings , which would have enhanced communication . England was still recovering from the Seven Years ’ War , and not in a financial position to field a large army and scale up the construction of precious and expensive ships of the line .
O ’ Shaughnessy rightly concluded that British leaders were mistakenly held responsible for England ’ s defeat , being criticized for either being too bold or overly cautious . However , this is misplaced . London failed , “ not as a result of incompetence and blunder , but because of insufficient resources , the unanticipated lack of Loyalist support , and the popularity of the Revolution .” 28 This might be summarized as financial shortfalls , bad assumptions , and policies that drove the popularity of the revolution . Also important and crucial were three other elements . The distance and scale of waging and supporting a war on the other side of the Atlantic , compounded by communication problems , exacerbated by the structure of the British government , must be added to O ’ Shaughnessy ’ s list . He also shrewdly noted that the men who lost North America also retained Canada , grew the Empire in India , and retained key
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