Piers Mackesy

Of the many monuments built to memorialize the battles of the American Revolution, arguably the most unusual of these is not in the United States but on the island of Jamaica. It is there in the former capital of Spanish Town that one can find, underneath a colonnaded rotunda flanked by two cannons, a marble statue of Admiral George Brydges Rodney. Carved to commemorate his triumph over a Franco-Spanish fleet at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782, it depicts him in the uniform of a Roman general, gesturing with a baton in his right hand while his left hand rests upon the hilt of a sword which itself is sitting atop a shield propped up amidst seaweed and shells.

What makes this statue so unusual is not its incongruous portrayal of an admiral in a Roman uniform, but that it even exists at all. For despite winning numerous battles during the eight years of their war in America, Rodney’s Memorial is the only one erected by the British to glorify one of their commanders for a victory he won in it. In this respect it serves as a perfect metaphor for the way the conflict is understood today, for while there are innumerable books about the war the overwhelming majority of them focus primarily on the American side of it. This is one of the things that makes Piers Mackesy’s book so valuable. Rather than recounting the conflict from the viewpoint of the rebels Mackesy addresses instead how the British responded militarily to the rebellion in their North American colonies, detailing the factors that shaped their strategic decisions and their struggles to turn those decisions into victory.

As Macksey makes clear, the outbreak of war in 1775 caught the British government by surprise. Unprepared for such a challenge, they rushed to mobilize their forces and devise a strategy for them. Underpinning the latter was the assumption that the majority of the colonists were loyal, and that they would rise up in support of the Crown if given the opportunity to do so. Fueled by the assurances of prominent loyalists in the colonies, this belief shaped many of the decisions that would drive British strategy for the next six years, most critically that only a moderate military effort was needed to suppress a challenge posed by an extremist minority.

To that end, the British sought to isolate the rebellion from the rest of the colony. Their plan was to occupy New York City and build it up as a base, then march up the Hudson River to meet a second force sent south from Quebec. This would have the dual effect of cutting off New England from the other colonies and crushing them economically, while rallying loyalists throughout the region against the rebellion. Initially British forces enjoyed considerable success towards accomplishing these goals, as William Howe’s victory over George Washington at the Battle of Long Island forced the rebels to evacuate New York. Ultimate success was thwarted by the Americans, though, when John Burgoyne’s army surrendered to the Americans at Saratoga in October 1777 – a defeat which proved the turning point of the war

Burgoyne’s defeat changed the scope of the conflict for the British. In its aftermath the French joined in support of the Americans, turning an internal rebellion in one corner of the British empire into a much larger struggle for wealth and power. Exacerbating Britain’s difficulties further was the fact that, unlike in previous conflicts, France was now able to concentrate their full financial and military might against the British, without having to wage simultaneously a war on the European continent. And with Spain’s entry into the war in alliance with France in 1779 the Royal Navy was outnumbered on the seas for the first time. Ships and regiments intended for the North American colonies now had to be held back to protect against a possible invasion, or were redeployed to defend British colonies in the West Indies. And with their support in Parliament eroding, North’s government found it increasingly difficult to secure the necessary votes to finance a war with no real likelihood of success.

It was in search of the elusive prospect of victory that the British shifted their attention towards the southern colonies. After successfully clearing Georgia of rebel activity, British forces moved northwards into the Carolinas to deal with the rebellion there. There, however, the encountered the same dilemma that they faced in the north. For while the British could maintain control of the region when they dispersed their regiments through it, concentrating them to face Continental forces jeopardized their gains and exposed the outnumbered Loyalists in the region to retribution from vengeful rebels. It was an effort to resolve this dilemma by cutting off the rebels from their support to the north that Charles Cornwallis advanced into Virginia, only to be trapped in Yorktown when a French fleet cut him off from naval support.

Washington’s victory at Yorktown in October 1781 secured America’s independence, but it did not end the conflict. In its aftermath the French withdrew their fleet to the West Indies to pursue opportunities there. While Rodney’s victory over the French at the Saintes ended the threat to Britain’s colonies in the region, it occurred too late to save North’s government from a vote of no confidence. Thanks to Rodney and the relief of the Franco-Spanish siege of Gibraltar, North’s successor, Lord Shelburne, was able to secure a far more favorable peace than seemed possible when Cornwallis’s army surrendered, though one that still cost the empire their most substantial possessions.

While not uncritical of their efforts Mackesy is generally sympathetic to Britain’s wartime leadership, noting the challenges the faced and their considerable (if not ultimate) successes in addressing them. His assessments are one of the book’s greatest strengths, as unlike far too many historians he does not shy away from rendering judgments and offering his explanation for them. This is of a piece with the book as a whole. Drawing upon a formidable range of archival materials, he uses these materials to inform his incisive analysis of British strategy during their war for America. While some may not agree with his conclusions, they cannot afford to ignore his book, which even a half-century later remains the single best study about Britain’s effort to hold onto their colonies during the American Revolution, and one that is necessary reading for anyone seeking a well-rounded understanding of the factors that shaped the struggle for independence.… (más)