British despair during the American War

[Patangko]

Letters shed new light on British despair during the American War of Independence
A remarkable archive of letters has thrown new light on the despair of British commanders during the American War of Independence.

By Philip Sherwell in New York

Their downbeat perspective contrasts dramatically with the exhortations of George III and his ministers in London who come across as hopelessly out-of-touch and absurdly optimistic.
The documents, part of a collection that have been in private possession for more than two centuries, reveal a much gloomier analysis by British generals than previously believed.

According to the collection which goes on sale at Sotheby's in New York in a series of auctions beginning in April, they began to despair of victory almost as soon as the conflict began in 1775.
A letter from Gen John Burgoyne, dated 25 June 1775 in Boston gives an early assessment of how bad things looked.
"Our prospects are gloomy," he told an unidentified lord in a letter written after the first two battles of the campaign in Massachusetts – a humiliating defeat to a local band of militiamen followed by a victory but with heavy losses at Bunker Hill.
He described the British position as "a crisis that my little reading in history cannot parallel" and predicts even at this early stage that the Crown would only be able to subdue the rebellion with the help of German or Russian allies.
"Such a pittance of troops as Great Britain and Ireland can supply will only serve to protract the war, to incur fruitless expense and insure disappointment," he said.
The Burgoyne letter is part of the collection of papers and correspondence of Sir Henry Strachey, who had a ringside seat on the momentous events as chief aide to the Howe brothers who led the British war effort. He later held a similar role at the Paris peace negotiations.
In March 1777, Sir Henry writes that the American revolutionaries are much more "obstinate" than realised by the "short-sighted folks in England".
The items on sale include a copy of George III's famous royal proclamation of August 1775 "for suppressing rebellion and sedition" – one of fewer than 20 still known to be inexistence.
The collection reveals attitudes from George III and his political aides in London that bordered on plain delusional as they failed to grasp the realities 3,500 miles away.
Lord Germain, secretary of state for the colonies, demonstrated a particular condescending contempt for the rebels that appeared to blind him to the realities on the ground.
In a letter in Oct 1776, he referred to their "pernicious designs" and accused them of "misrepresentation and perversion of facts" that "fatally blinded the eyes of a deluded multitude". He denounced their use of "violence and threats in search of a Redress of grievances which never existed".

Telegraph.co.uk: news, business, sport, the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph

Already in those days. Interesting never the less.

[robuzo]

Very foolish war. Gets a whole chapter in Barbara Tuchman's "March of Folly". Thanks for posting the link. Can you link to the article instead of just the newspaper's site?

OK found it http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...ependence.html

[barbaro]

My family is of British heritage.

I am proud of this. (No, they are not expats in Thailand or some other third world country.)

I am related to a British sea Captain, of which a body of water in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada hold.

Thank you, thank you,

So, please, watch the negative comments about my current nation of citizenship, which I feel privaleged to have.

[Marmite the Dog]

Quite simply, the British crown placed very little value on the American Colonies and was more worried about the French threat against the Caribbean Colonies which were vastly more important.

Whilst the WoI was going on, the British Navy was upgrading about half of its fleet and the following year when France attacked Jamaica, the Navy was told to protect it 'at all costs'. It duly did so and once again annihilated the French Navy. The upgraded British Navy ships had copper plated hulls which allowed them to run rings around their French counterparts.

[chitown]

....annihilated the French....

Seems to sum up France in military history no?