War Tactics By George Coin

British Warfare British Warfare during the American Revolution was very bloody. Troops would line up in columns of 3 or 4 and fire volleys. Soldiers lined up very close together and left themselves exposed to enemy fire. This was considered the only way to fight with honor.

British Warfare Cont. The accuracy of the British guns was very poor and reloading the guns took a very long time to accomplish. After a few volleys, bayonets would be attached and the armies would charge at each other. Bayonets are sharp sword like objects that would be screwed onto the gun.

American Warfare American Warfare was very similar to British Warfare due to the fact Colonists were British themselves. The American army was not very organized and would sometimes break formation. To overcome large forces of British troops, the Minutemen hid behind trees and other cover to combat the British.

Proper Warfare The British believed that fighting should take place in open fields during the day. Fighting at night was unheard of. Guerilla tactics were considered dishonorable. From the British perspective, fighting in lines, shoulder-to- shoulder, was the only honorable way of fighting.

Advantages of Linear Warfare Linear Warfare made it very easy to command and control the troops. Firepower was concentrated on a specific target or area causing great devastation to that area. Short range and great volume of troops made large dents in the front enemy lines.

Disadvantages of Linear Warfare Lines of troops all together in one small area made it easy for artillery and guerilla warfare to combat linear warfare. Troops in linear formation were easily killed because they were in close range of one another.

Advantages of Guerilla Warfare Guerilla warfare was carried out by stealth, leading to many surprise attacks. One soldier could easily kill another soldier and remain out of sight. Guerilla warfare allowed a smaller army to take on a larger army in combat.

Disadvantages of Guerilla Warfare Commands were hard to issue when guerilla tactics were in play. Guerilla warfare was very unorganized and was responsible for some friendly fire. If a soldier was found, there usually weren’t others close by to come to that soldier’s aid.

The Revolutionary War The Revolutionary War was fought with both linear and guerilla warfare. Guerilla tactics were a major factor in some of the Continental Army’s victories. British forces were extremely well trained in linear warfare making them a deadly enemy.

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