He links here to other threads where he discusses each of the misconceptions in detail:
Dr. Alexander S. Burns
@KKriegeBlog13h • 25 tweets • 9 min read • Read on X
A thread of threads. 20 misconceptions about the Revolutionary War (or American War of Independence). Americans (proud to be one) are often quite ill-informed about the military struggle which led to our independence from Great Britain.
This isn't your father's rev war. 1/25
I'm a history professor who studies the military history of George Washington's time: ~1739-1789. I teach at a small liberal arts college with a revolutionary mascot, and absolutely love my job, and our history. Spent the week in Philly, seeing cool Americana. 2/25
First of all, we didn't win the war bc we had rifles and they didn't. Mel Gibson is a fictional character, even if riflemen played an important role in engagements like King's Mountain, they were less important in George Washington's army after 1776 3/25
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Although the idea is that Americans nobly volunteered for the war (and many did) that army was destroyed in the 1775-1777 period, and conscription (a draft) played an important role after 1776. This is the single best book on our army: check it out. 4/25
The Libertarian Party jokingly characterized American soldiers as drunken farmers, and that might ring more true than they realize. Americans were motivated to fight by both patriotic and materialistic appeals. 5/25
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There are misconceptions about our enemies: the British and the "Hessians". First of all, we didn't win the war bc we hid behind trees and sniped the British who foolishly stood in lines out in the open. They took cover too. 6/25
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Indeed, misconceptions of how the British army fought the war abound. They were a fast, flexible, and tactically aggressive force, which gave Washington a run for his money, defeating us in many of the major battles of the war. 7/25
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Likewise, the British didn't have the best army in the world at this point, even if they had the best financial mechanisms to support it. Who did? Probably Prussia or Russia. 8/25
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That doesn't mean that the American Continental army was bad: the American military trajectory in the 18th century was similar to Russia, trying to modernize and Europeanize their army on the fly. Washington and Peter I had similar command styles. 9/25
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A final thought on Russia: it was nearly Russian troops, instead of Hessians, who came to fight us alongside the British. You read right, we almost got Red Dawn: 1776 as the origin story of America.
Can we get this made into a movie? I'll consult. 10/25
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There are tons of myths out there about the Hessians: from being drunk on Christmas, to being mercenaries, to how much they plundered and robbed American civilians. Fortunately, I tackle them all in one convenient thread. 11/25
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From British wearing red to Hessians wearing big metal hats, is it any wonder that we won the war when our enemies were so ridiculously dressed? How crazy were revolutionary war uniforms? How impractical were they? 12/25
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And what about those inaccurate smoothbore muskets the troops used? Weren't all firefights at really close range? Like 50 yards? Emphatically, no. 13/25
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Are we really sure the British didn't march slowly to the beating of drums? I've seen it is so many movies and even at reenactments. Yes, we are pretty sure. 14/25
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And with the muskets being inaccurate, weren't bayonets a more important weapon? Didn't most battles come down to hand-to-hand fighting in the Revolutionary War? Again, no. 15/25
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One of George Washington's headaches was trying to supply his men with ammunition. During the Battle of Germantown, his troops ran out of ammo, and started streaming to the rear, showing him their empty ammo pouches. A bad day for loggie guys. 16/25
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Americans loved using buckshot, but were they alone in this? Did the British use it too? 17/25
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Did African and African American men many fight for one side? Didn't the British offer them freedom? Black men fought in most armies of the period, whether in North America or Europe. A number of them served with the Hessians. 18/25
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While George Washington led from the front and inspired his men, he was also not afraid to use the stick alongside the carrot, threatening to execute cowards and men who fled from combat. 19/25
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And what about American soldiers, didn't Steuben say that the Americans were better troops than the other European soldiers? Well, he certainly said they were different, and you and I might interpret that as better. He probably didn't. 20/25
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And was Steuben openly gay? Well, it's complicated, and honestly, a little unclear with the sources we have. A range of possibilities exist. 21/25
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And after all the suffering they went through to win our freedom, did Continental Army soldiers get appreciation from the American people? Surely they didn't just make up a legend that the militia won the war, right? 22/25
If you can't tell from the above, I love studying this period, and trying to understand that past as it occurred, to the best of my ability. Sometimes that means telling cherished stories, sometimes that means revising what we think.
23/25
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Teaching undergraduate students and future military officers about this period has been the best job I've ever had.
24/25
So, as we finish out July 4th weekend, spend some time dwelling on the reality of the Revolutionary struggle, the sacrifices made by the founding generation, and even the assistance that the French, Spanish, and Dutch gave us in winning our freedom. 25/25
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