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Differences Between British and American Soldiers in The American Revolution

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Human-Written

Words: 579 |

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Updated: 16 November, 2024

Essay grade:
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Words: 579|Page: 1|3 min read

Updated: 16 November, 2024

Essay grade:
Good
arrow downward Read Review

Table of contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Differences Between British and American Soldiers in The American Revolution
  3. British Soldiers
  4. The Continental Army
  5. Conclusion: Factors Contributing to America's Unexpected Victory

Introduction

During the American Revolution, Great Britain was, and had been, the most powerful empire in the world. As the old saying goes, “the sun never sets on the British Empire,” meaning that the British owned land on all sides of the world. They had gained all this land through their immense military, particularly their strong navy.

Differences Between British and American Soldiers in The American Revolution

British Soldiers

British soldiers were trained very well. They were able to perform precise drills, even during battle under heavy fire. They were obedient, efficient, and very skilled with muskets. Under good conditions, a typical British soldier could fire off an average of 14 rounds per minute (Smith, 2010).

The British army was split into three branches: the infantry, the cavalry, and the artillery. The infantry consisted of ten companies of 475 men, making it the largest branch. They endured many hardships, always marching and engaging in combat more than the other two military groups. Yet they were diligent, consistent, and very well trained (Johnson, 2015).

The cavalry consisted of 231 soldiers mounted on horseback. They were of a higher class than the other military groups; men who had received a formal education. They wielded a saber, a special curved cavalry sword. Only two of England’s 18 cavalry regiments served in America during the revolutionary war – the 16th and the 17th (Williams, 2018).

The Royal Regiment of Artillery was a very independent army branch. It had four battalions which were divided into eight companies, bringing the branch to a total of 2,256 men. Each company had eighteen highly skilled gunners and seventy-three matrosses, or gunners’ mates.

The British Royal Navy had 340 ships in total at the beginning of the war, 27 of which were stationed in American waters. That number increased, however, to 70 by the end of the war. The navy was largely made up of debtors, ruffians, beggars, criminals, and foreigners, but good officers made them into skilled crews (Brown, 2013). They operated the best warships in the world, ships that carried between twenty to over 100 guns each, effective in holding the line in a sea battle or scouting the waters and escorting merchant ships. The guns ranged from carronades firing twenty-four-pound shots to large cannons firing thirty-two-pound shots.

The Continental Army

The Continental Army was established by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, appointing George Washington as its commander in chief. Enlistments were originally set as three-year services, but in 1777 Washington convinced Congress to permit enlistments for the duration of the war. While most of the men involved in the conflict were part of militias that fought locally, they were generally untrained and undisciplined (Adams, 2016).

The real credit for American victory lies with the Continental Army itself, a smaller group but comprising men more fit for the bloody war scene. But ill fit nonetheless; although more reliable than the militiamen, the average Continental soldier was still young, poor, unskilled, and had no war experience. For these were the types of men that were easy to pick up off of the streets by recruiting officers. They endured sickness, exhaustion, starvation, blistering heat, and bitter cold. They also faced the largest and strongest military in the world (Hamilton, 2019). The average Continental soldier could fire off four musket rounds a minute, while the average British soldier could fire off fourteen. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and untrained.

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Conclusion: Factors Contributing to America's Unexpected Victory

Seeing the vast difference between the British and the Continental Army, and the seemingly hopeless prospects faced by patriots throughout the war, what factors contributed to America’s unexpected victory? The resilience and adaptability of the Continental forces, combined with strategic alliances, such as with France, played a crucial role. Furthermore, the familiarity with local geography and the drive for independence fueled a determination that helped overcome the odds (Greene, 2020).

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Expert Review
The essay "Comparing The Differences Between The British Soldiers and American Soldiers During The American Revolution" is a well-organized and informative piece of writing. It clearly compares the British and Continental armies in terms of their training, discipline, and weaponry, and provides insight into their strengths and weaknesses. The writer uses formal language and demonstrates a good understanding of the topic. The essay is well-structured with clear paragraphs and a logical flow. The writer's voice is consistent throughout the essay, maintaining a formal tone. However, there is room for improvement in terms of sentence structure and grammar. Some sentences are too long and could benefit from being broken down into smaller, more concise sentences. Additionally, there are a few errors in grammar and punctuation that could be corrected to improve the clarity and readability of the essay.
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What can be improved
The essay "Comparing The Differences Between The British Soldiers and American Soldiers During The American Revolution" is a well-structured and informative piece of writing. The writer effectively compares and contrasts the British and Continental armies in terms of their training, discipline, weaponry, and strengths and weaknesses. However, there are a few areas that could be improved upon. For example, in the second paragraph, the sentence "The British army was split into three branches..." could benefit from being broken down into smaller, more concise sentences for improved readability. Additionally, in the third paragraph, the phrase "wielded a saber, which was a special curved cavalry sword" could be replaced with "used a special curved cavalry sword known as a saber" to avoid repetition. The writer also uses the phrase "ill fit" which could be replaced with a more appropriate phrase such as "unprepared" or "unsuited". Furthermore, the essay could benefit from the use of more complex sentence structures to demonstrate a greater understanding of the topic. In terms of grammar and punctuation, there are a few errors that could be corrected for improved clarity and readability. Overall, with some minor improvements, this essay has the potential to be a well-written and informative piece of writing.

Cite this Essay

Differences Between British and American Soldiers in the American Revolution. (2018, Jun 03). GradesFixer. Retrieved November 19, 2024, from https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/comparing-the-differences-between-the-british-soldiers-and-american-soldiers-during-the-american-revolution/
“Differences Between British and American Soldiers in the American Revolution.” GradesFixer, 03 Jun. 2018, gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/comparing-the-differences-between-the-british-soldiers-and-american-soldiers-during-the-american-revolution/
Differences Between British and American Soldiers in the American Revolution. [online]. Available at: <https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/comparing-the-differences-between-the-british-soldiers-and-american-soldiers-during-the-american-revolution/> [Accessed 19 Nov. 2024].
Differences Between British and American Soldiers in the American Revolution [Internet]. GradesFixer. 2018 Jun 03 [cited 2024 Nov 19]. Available from: https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/comparing-the-differences-between-the-british-soldiers-and-american-soldiers-during-the-american-revolution/
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