Two hundred fifty years ago the British Empire was the biggest, strongest military power on Earth. It was well supplied, well manned and had more ships than any other nation at the time.
Yet, the American forces somehow overcame the numbers to emerge victorious in their rebellion.
They had little money, few supplies, and a large part of the fighting force were volunteers who often slipped off to their farms to make sure the crops were planted and the family was fed before returning to the front lines.
From the get-go, the Revolution almost failed repeatedly. At Lexington and Concord, even before the Declaration was signed, the colonists nearly lost to the British who had turned out to seize their weapons and jail the leaders. The would-be rout turned into a running battle that ended with the British returning to the safety of Boston. Less than 30 days later, the rebels were pinned down at Brooklyn Heights when Washington slipped away under the cover of darkness, moving men, arms and supplies across the East River to safety. Even moving with stealth and speed, it is unlikely the retreat would have been accomplished before daylight, but a heavy fog descended on the river, offering cover to the end of the escape.
Meanwhile, New York remained undecided, leaning toward loyalty to the Crown. This allowed the British to assemble their forces and ready themselves for the invasion of the colonies.
Then there was the aftermath of Washington’s victory at Trenton in 1777. After the army had crossed the frozen Delaware River on Christmas night and capturing the Hessian troops, the army was trapped between two pinchers of the British near Princeton in open country. But the Continentals somehow escaped detection, and disaster. Washington’s leadership on that day was credited with keeping the on that day was credited with keeping the army out of the grasp of the redcoats.
That fall, at Saratoga, it seemed like the end had come. A well-planned British offensive was set to cut off the Americans in New England and stop the flow of fighters, weapons and supplies. But two of the three leaders of the redcoats – William Howe and General St. Leger, were delayed or defeated on the way and only General Burgoyne arrived, with only one third of the anticipated troops. Benedict Arnold led a charge that broke the British lines and contributed heavily to the American win.
Less than a year later, at the Battle of Monmouth, the British had all but sealed the victory. They had superiority on the field and could have eliminated the threat posed by Washington’s army then and there, if they had held their positions and taken the field. But the Americans simply refused to yield and maintained their stalwart defense. But once again the victory – more accurately a stalemate – was by the slimmest of margins.
The army might have been crushed at Valley Forge and Mother Nature was nearly the ally that the British needed to tip the scales. But the army survived somehow and the French waded into the fray at the last moment, strongarmed by Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. Had the French delayed any longer, the Revolution might well have failed.
So it was, be it luck, pluck, sheer stubbornness or the covering veil of fog, that the Revolution did succeed and the American nation was born.