Describe the challenges faced by the British and American military leaders in fighting the Revolutionary War.

Both the British and the Americans faced military challenges in the Revolutionary War. The British faced several challenges. They had to defend the entire empire. It would not be sufficient to defend only part of the empire. The British also had overconfident military leaders. Some made poor decisions. General Howe did not follow the military plan for Saratoga. Instead of going to Saratoga, he went the opposite direction to Philadelphia. General Braddock carried so many...

Both the British and the Americans faced military challenges in the Revolutionary War. The British faced several challenges. They had to defend the entire empire. It would not be sufficient to defend only part of the empire. The British also had overconfident military leaders. Some made poor decisions. General Howe did not follow the military plan for Saratoga. Instead of going to Saratoga, he went the opposite direction to Philadelphia. General Braddock carried so many wagons of luxury items with him that he moved very slowly. Finally, the British soldiers were fighting in unfamiliar territory. They did not know the lay of the land like the colonial generals did.

The American commanders faced many issues as well. They were often short on supplies and manpower. The new government had very little money to purchase supplies and weapons. The soldiers they had were often poorly trained. In many cases, soldiers deserted and went home. The American generals did not have an effective fleet to compete with the British fleet. They had to rely on help from other countries.