Overview
The British generals and admirals played a significant role in the American Revolution. One prominent figure was General William Howe, who served as the commander-in-chief of British forces from 1775 to 1778. Howe was an experienced military leader and led successful campaigns in New York and Philadelphia. However, his cautious approach and failure to decisively defeat the American Continental Army allowed the war to prolong and eventually contributed to the British defeat.
Another notable British general was General Charles Cornwallis, who played a pivotal role in the Southern theater of the war. Cornwallis is best known for his surrender at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, which marked a turning point in the war. Despite his tactical skills and initial successes, Cornwallis faced challenges due to a lack of support and resources, ultimately leading to his defeat. The British also had capable admirals, such as Admiral George Rodney and Admiral Richard Howe, who commanded the British navy and engaged in naval battles with the American and French fleets. Overall, while the British generals and admirals demonstrated competence and skill, their strategic and logistical limitations, as well as the resilience of the American forces, eventually led to their ultimate defeat in the American Revolution.
List of British Army General Officers who served in North America during the War of Independence
An assessment of the character and competence of the British officer corps by British Major James Weymss, including brief biographical and rank information, see Assessment of British General Officers
Secondary Sources and Collected Essays
Billias, George Athan, ed. George Washington’s Opponents – British Generals and Admirals in the American Revolution. New York: William Morrow, 1969.
The Billias book contains twenty-two essays written by scholarly historians – twelve essays on Continental Army generals and ten essays on British generals and admirals. British military leaders featured are Thomas Gage, Sir William Howe, Sir Henry Clinton, Sir Guy Carleton, John Burgoyne, Charles, Lord Cornwallis, Richard, Lord Howe, Admirals Arbuthnot, Gambier, and Graves, Sir Samuel Hood, and Sir George Rodney. The essays serve as a good starting point for the investigation of the admirals and generals and their performance during the American War of Independence.
O’Shaughnessy, Andrew Jackson. The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire. Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013.
O’Shaughnessy’s fine work features chapters on the nine most influential British political and military leaders in which he identifies critical decisions leading to the British defeat in North America. The first two chapters provide a view from London and feature King George III and Lord North. For the Revolutionary War’s initial period (1776-78), he highlights the Howe Brothers, John Burgoyne, and Lord George Germain. Next, he describes Sir Henry Clinton and Charles, Earl Cornwallis for the British Southern Campaign. His last chapters describe the roles of Admiral Sir George Rodney and The Earl of Sandwich.
O’Shaughnessy’s book is the best evaluation of British leadership.
Journal Articles
For a comparison of the prior military experience of the British generals as compared with the Patriot generals, see an article entitled Revolutionary Rookies in the Journal of the American Revolution.
Researching the American Revolution 