Revolutionary War Tactics

datsun40146

datsun40146

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Hello everyone! This semester at UK I am taking an exploratory class to finish up my History minor. One of the requirements is a comparative book report on anything related to the revolutionary period IE roughly 1710ish to 1790ish, the topic is designed to be very open ended.
The topics I decided to explore are revolutionary war tactics and how they changed as the weapons and arms of the war evolved. Can anyone recommend any books on the subject of revolutionary arms and tactics and the effects they had on one another?
 
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On the Muzzleloader forum board they have a Rev War subsection. You have to join in order to read and post there. www.muzzleloadingforum.com

There are members that have explored the historical aspects of the War and are more than willing to share.

As far as the war, The British colonial stores of First Model long land pattern Brown Bess and the 2nd models in the colonies, were quickly raided and seized. Many French Fusil's de Chasse and Ordinaire were pressed into service. A mix of English Ketlands to Prussian Potsdam muskets were in supply. Even much earlier Dutch Club Butt fowlers were pressed into service. French Charleville muskets were also used.

I think a good look into the American long rifle would be a great place to start your research. Long range marksmanship using these guns, and sniping the British troops, along with the tactics the colonists used would make a interesting subject. Indian style tactics and how the colonists had adapted to them would be another....

Muskets of the Revolution & French & Indian Wars, the Smoothbore Longarm in Early America, including British, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and American Weapons book by Bill Ahearn . .

Soldiers of the American Revolution, by Don Troaini

Swords & Blades of the American Revolution, by George C. Newmann

United States Martial Flintlocks by Robert Reilly
 
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Try to find yourself a copy of "Firepower - Weapons Effectiveness on the Battlefield, 1630-1850" by Major-General B.P. Hughes. It's EXACTLY what you're looking for.

It's probably out of print, but I got my copy at Half Price Books. You should be able to find a copy on Amazon for a reasonable price.

Another issue which you may either not know about or have considered is "span of control". It's a basic military science concept, and refers to the number of combatants that a leader at a particular echelon of command can effectively control. Massed formations were necessary, not just because of the limitations of smoothbore flintlock weapons, but because without tactical communications more effective than bugles and whistles, decentralized control and fragmented formations would have led to utter chaos on the battlefield.

Wolfe, Washington, Burgoyne, Napoleon, Wellington, Blucher and Suvorov fought the way they did because that was just about the only way they COULD fight effectively.
 
I continue to be amazed at the depth and breadth of knowledge on this forum. All I know is that the British wore red coats, marched in straight ranks, while the Americans dressed in buckskins and hid behind rocks and trees. Maybe that had something to do with the outcome? ;)

You guys are great. I think I will have to check out some books and get up to speed myself.


Bullseye
 
The role of the rifleman in the Revolutionary War has been somewhat overexaggerated, it was not until the Main Army was properly trained and drilled by Baron Von Steuben at Valley Forge that it could be declared the equal of the British. The one battle where riflemen truly distinguished themselves was Kings Mountain and at Bemis Heights when Timothy Murphy shot General Simon Fraser that took the spirit out of the British attack.
 
BLACKHAWKNJ said:
The role of the rifleman in the Revolutionary War has been somewhat overexaggerated, it was not until the Main Army was properly trained and drilled by Baron Von Steuben at Valley Forge that it could be declared the equal of the British. The one battle where riflemen truly distinguished themselves was Kings Mountain and at Bemis Heights when Timothy Murphy shot General Simon Fraser that took the spirit out of the British attack.
Click to expand...

Bingo. Despite what our romanticized idea of the American Revolutionary fighting man might be, we turned the tide with European tactics. Without Von Steuben we might be speaking...well...English.
 
"Patriot Riflemen During the Ammunition Crisis at the Siege of Boston" in 1775 by Hugh Harrington

Hugh T. Harrington is an independent researcher living in Georgia.

Without the Rifleman units from Pennsylvania, the fledgling Revolution might have ended in Boston.


Link...to the Article.

http://www.americanrevolution.org/riflemen.html
 
For a look at American tactics in the first battle do a search for Hezekiah Wyman.
He had a rifle and knew how to use it.

Also search the phrase, "circle of fire." On the way back from Concord and Lexington the Regulars ran into that tactic.

Later in the war there was more reliance on typical European tactics.

"Mad Anthony" Wayne wrote a letter to his superior, possibly Gen. Washington asking that rifles be withdrawn from members of his command in favor of muskets and bayonets.
 
Get a copy of David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize winner, 1776. It will give you some real insight into the tactics and military thinking of that era. Read it with an atlas of New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts maps at your side to see where the battle sites were.

Bob
 
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Hi:
I don't think the "Tactics" changed until after the American Civil War (War of Southern Independences). The development of weapons did but not the tactics. The American Riflemen was a different type as they fought tactics learned from frontier indian warfare.
Jimmy
 
I may be wrong but the typical weaponry didn't change much at all during the 18th century. There was only minor difference between the British Brown Bess and the French standard musket, and only minor detail changes to each. Sure some American units used rifles, but they were a minority. Kings Mountain was the exception to that rule. Also with the exception of the frontier, smoothbore muskets, or fowling pieces were the normal household long arm among the civilian population.
 
jimmyj said:
Hi:
I don't think the "Tactics" changed until after the American Civil War (War of Southern Independences). The development of weapons did but not the tactics. The American Riflemen was a different type as they fought tactics learned from frontier indian warfare.
Jimmy
Click to expand...

Also referred to as the "War of Northern Aggression".
 
The weapons changes and subtle tactical changes associated with the American rifleman was not as large a factor as generally believed except maybe a few places such a Kings Mountain. Most of the battles were still massed formation, which the Americans had to learn, largely the result of efforts by von Steuben (edit: ahh, I see von Steuben has already been mentioned by earlier posters, and rightly so!). The one tactical change in weapons that is interesting is the use of American riflemen to specifically target and pick off British officers at distance. This was considered an abominable and ungentlemanly practice. Indeed, an interesting difference in class distinction between the combatants!


I find the emergence and development of guerilla warfare under leaders like Francis Marion, and tactical moves by Nathaniel Greene using natural landscape features and local knowledge, very interesting. Also, there was the use of population terrorism tactics by Banastre Tarleton.
 
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google "Patrick Ferguson" & "freguson rifle"

A little research will show how fate was on the U.S. side & how things could have been reversed but for a serious error in judgement by the British commanders.

The colonists nearly missed facing a repeating breech loader in muzzle loader days.

Jim
 
I own one of the original copies of this book....

The Writings of George Washington
Being His Correspondence, Addresses Messages and Other
Paper, Official and Private

Selected and Published from the Original Manuscripts

Consider this a primary document.

It is over 550 pages of script from Washington dealing with the War for Independance.....in his words. Letters to and from his Generals, family, friends, Congress, supporters, and detractors. It starts in July of 1777 and continues to April 14th 1778.....

An important book. So much so that it has been transcribed and made available on the Internet...

Here is a link to a online transcription of the book I found...
grin.gif


http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/WasFi05.html
 
For a tactical masterpiece, study Nathaniel Greene's battle plan for the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in N. C. (Greene was a Quaker, but felt the cause so just he must take up arms. He was known as "The Quaker General". He survived the War, but lost virtually everything during it, and died in a state of near poverty.)

Marvelous use of the resources at hand.

Basically, since he had little resources, he led the Brits on a wild goose chase around the coountry for 2 or 3 weeks, tiring them out, and forcing them to abandon supply wagons and other heavy resources to follow him in rough country.

He stood at Guilford CH with a brilliant plan that involved 3 lines. First two were to fire volleys and fall back, everyone ultimately standing at the last line. This plan would help to overcome the colonials' lack of training, ability, and possession of the bayonet, which of course the Brits relied on heavily.

Long detailed story worth studying.
At one point, it looked so likely that the Americans would carry the field that the Brits fired grape into the melee at the battle line where their own troops were engaged in CQB! A Brit major was killed by his own side's grape, but it did break up the line, and Greene's forces faded into the woods at their rear.

Technically a Brit victory, but so costly they never fought another major battle in the South, and moved most troops to the North.
 
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Greene was probably inspired by Daniel Morgan's tactics at the Cowpens.
He positioned his militia in front of his main battle line, since he knew they would probably break anyway he told them that all he expected was two volleys, then they could withdraw. He put his riflemen in the first line as skirmishers. He positioned his troops on high ground so the British would basically be attacking up hill, he kept his dragoons in reserve so he launch a rapid counterattack if necessary. He ended up achieving a double envelopment and annihilated Tarleton's force.
The drill manuals of the period are the original source for tactics as the drills were the tactics.
 
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