American Revolution General Discussion Thread

[unsmart]

Back to the sea thing, the American navy was stronger than the British navy since 1794. That was when Old Ironsides was commissioned (USS constitution). Took out 5 British warships in 1812 (when they tried to take back was was theirs ) two of them being at the same time!

 

[Nickolai77]

Back to the sea thing, the American navy was stronger than the British navy since 1794. That was when Old Ironsides was commissioned (USS constitution). Took out 5 British warships in 1812 (when they tried to take back was was theirs ) two of them being at the same time!

I must disagree good sir
-In 1812 Britain deployed 97 vessels- 11 of which where Ship of the Line
This was against America's 20 vessels (none of these where ships of the line, i think 11 of them where frigates however). -America's navy was good- as you point out America had the "Iron sides"- however America's navy was simply to small to be a serious threat to Britain's Royal Navy- throughout the war Britain was able to successively blockade American ports- There are some cases of American coastal settlements handing over sums of money to British warships so they where not bombarded to bits.

In the early 19th century Britain had the worlds largest navy- with around several hundred vessels in commission- Britain also was able to launch the worlds first Iron hulled battleship- the HMS Warrior in 1860- Compared to its European rivals, such as France and Spain, British vessels tended to perform better on one-on one engagements.

One little known fact about the British Navy is that it played a major role in giving South America Independence- As soon as Independence movements got underway in places like Peru,Chile and Mexico- Britain decided that it would be good for trade if these countries where free of Spanish and Portuguese rule, and so Britain asked Spain and Portugal to not intervene with these Independence movements- and just to make sure they parked a couple of fleets just off the coast of Iberian Peninsula.

Britain was also able to govern a quarter of the worlds population, occupying 1/5th of the worlds surface, with an army little larger than that of Switzerland- due to the Royal Navy.

It think it is only after WW1 than the American Navy overtook the Royal Navy.

 

[Combined]

The only reason I liked the revolution is because the Americans fought Communism with all they could, until now, when they start accepting those godless hordes of red filth. Now, not so much.

Also, they did pretty much succeed only because the British let them. Probably unprofitable and far less troublesome to give people freedom than crush them. But if they would've sent a big army, then I doubt the American revolution would have succeeded at all.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Also, they did pretty much succeed only because the British let them. Probably unprofitable and far less troublesome to give people freedom than crush them. But if they would've sent a big army, then I doubt the American revolution would have succeeded at all.

It certainly was far less troublesome for the British to accede, especially since they were also fighting the French, Dutch, and Spanish elsewhere. If they'd sent a big army to crush the revolution (like they did with the Indian Rebellion a century later, the bastards), the army would have come home to find England and a lot of their other colonies occupied.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

1. Are You Glad It Happened?

Difficult to tell. The world would have been a different place without it.

2. Could the Americans Have won without French support?

They could have, but it'd have been much more difficult

3. Could the American victory have been one big stroke of luck?

Not just that but the decision to declare independence was a huge stroke of luck. Similarly the only reason Germany didn't wipe out England in WW2 was a stroke of luck, the Mongol hordes turning back before they got too far into Europe, Columbus discovering America in the first place. All massive strokes of luck.

Hate to break it to you root, but if Sealion had gone ahead, it would have made the defeat of Stalingrad and Kursk look like a puddle next to an ocean of blood. Please recall - The German landings would be, on the whole, seaborne. Who had the largest, most powerful navy in the world at the time?


Great Britain, of course.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Who had the largest, most powerful navy in the world at the time?

Great Britain, of course.

Which would have been great apart from the complete lack of air defences we had against the Luftwaffe. And boats are no good when the harbours were bombed to crud.

But we could fire it another way with Churchill not getting elected, Hitler concentrating on Europe before Russia, many ways for military 'victories' to be overturned purely through luck.

 

[similar.squirrel]

Hurray for patriotic dickwaving =P

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Question 1: I am glad it happened yes I am glad it happened even though I am Irish.

Question 2: No it would not of been possible without the Allies America had.

Question 3: Yes there was a bit of luck here and there.

 

[jackbriggs18]

1) yes, it turned the empires attention Eastwards and back then the east was full of win.
2) I suspect not.
3) Again i suspect so.

In the uk the 18th century isn't really studied in great detail, we tend to look at the fall of the empire more, From the second Boer War to the Suez crisis, if at all.
Most curricular time in my experience goes towards Henry VIII, The early cold war and the first world war.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Who had the largest, most powerful navy in the world at the time?

Great Britain, of course.

Which would have been great apart from the complete lack of air defences we had against the Luftwaffe. And boats are no good when the harbours were bombed to crud.

But we could fire it another way with Churchill not getting elected, Hitler concentrating on Europe before Russia, many ways for military 'victories' to be overturned purely through luck.

Sorry, but firstly, the Luftwaffe had no effective torpedo-bombers or dive-bombers, thus rendering their attacks on the navy pretty useless. A Stuka or a Henschell would have proved laughably easy for the secondery armamaent of a destroyer to knock down, let alone a heavier ship. And the Home Fleet's harbour was in Scapa Flow - well out of range of any German aircraft, and well-protected by the RAF.

Besides, there was a Kriegspeil excercise when they toom the surviving Wehrmacht and British Generals in charge, and attempted to invade and defend england with the forces available. No matter what they did - switch generals, changed weather conditions, disrupt lines of communication, delay the Home Fleet - it always ended the same way. The British Army and the Home Guard ground the Germans into a bloody stalemate, and the Home Fleet sailed down from Scapa Flow and shredded the invasion fleet and most of the Kriegsmarine, at that.

 

[hem dazon 90]

the world "rocky" story is what the revolution can be summed up as

 

[hippykiller]

We let you win that wAR. we couldnt be bothered outting in the effort required to put you in your place as we had more important interests elsewhare in the empire. You should also remember that we were at war in a number of different places at that time so you never faced the full might of the British Empire.
One day, we will come for what is rightfully ours =P

one day every single country that you used to rule will ban together to once and for all destroy you and your country. your empire will fall and England will fall back into the dark ages.

 

[EMFCRACKSHOT]

We let you win that wAR. we couldnt be bothered outting in the effort required to put you in your place as we had more important interests elsewhare in the empire. You should also remember that we were at war in a number of different places at that time so you never faced the full might of the British Empire.
One day, we will come for what is rightfully ours =P

one day every single country that you used to rule will ban together to once and for all destroy you and your country. your empire will fall and England will fall back into the dark ages.

I very much doubt you could get all the countries that used to be in the empire to band against us. For one thing, many of those countries are now in the commonwealth and supply us with troops and the other thing; many of them hate the USA. They would be far more likely to join with the British in conquest of America

 

[Rolling Thunder]

We let you win that wAR. we couldnt be bothered outting in the effort required to put you in your place as we had more important interests elsewhare in the empire. You should also remember that we were at war in a number of different places at that time so you never faced the full might of the British Empire.
One day, we will come for what is rightfully ours =P

one day every single country that you used to rule will ban together to once and for all destroy you and your country. your empire will fall and England will fall back into the dark ages.

I very much doubt you could get all the countries that used to be in the empire to band against us. For one thing, many of those countries are now in the commonwealth and supply us with troops and the other thing; many of them hate the USA. They would be far more likely to join with the British in conquest of America

We will conduct the landings in these:

My friends in Russia inform me that they should be able to supply us with enough for landing all the assault troops. Pray ensure that your regiment captures it's objectives by D+1, else we risk having insufficent space to mount an effective buildup and crushing their counterattacks.

Tally Ho!

 

[S-Unleashed]

USA USA USA USA USA!!!

Now I'm just waiting to see England sink underneath the ocean from here in Ireland.

 

[hippykiller]

We let you win that wAR. we couldnt be bothered outting in the effort required to put you in your place as we had more important interests elsewhare in the empire. You should also remember that we were at war in a number of different places at that time so you never faced the full might of the British Empire.
One day, we will come for what is rightfully ours =P

one day every single country that you used to rule will ban together to once and for all destroy you and your country. your empire will fall and England will fall back into the dark ages.

I very much doubt you could get all the countries that used to be in the empire to band against us. For one thing, many of those countries are now in the commonwealth and supply us with troops and the other thing; many of them hate the USA. They would be far more likely to join with the British in conquest of America

oh trust me, no one will ever try to invade America. just about every single citizen owns a gun. if someone tried to Invade the US they would find the National Guard, Just About Every Single Citizen,and The Entire US Military to fight.

 

[Skeleon]

1. Are You Glad It Happened?

2. Could the Americans Have won without French support?

3. Could the American victory have been one big stroke of luck?

1. I... don't really care. America would probably have become independent by now anyway, like the other countries of the empire. And if not... what difference does it make, it'd just be the same country with a different name.

2. I don't know, to be honest, but I daresay their chances would've been a lot slimmer.

3. Again, I don't know for sure. But I'd say America was just too big to be controlled by the empire indefinitely. So I'm going to assume that, no, it was not luck, it was more or less certain that it'd happen someday.

 

[Duskwaith]

General Lafayette pretty much saved your american asses and was a leading cause in the defeat at Yorktown.

I loved the french guy in the patriot just wreaked of awesome