Today well focus on the Continental Army and this is were situating this very much in the broad history of war and the military, and the Continental Army in a lot of ways is different from other armies that have preceded it, largely because its one that is very much based on ideals and certainly the concept and beliefs rather than sort of your traditional army. So what is the kont minutal army . Where is it, first of all . America. America, okay. So the Continental Army is based in america and it will become the first United States army, but before it was the u. S. Army, it is the army of america, yes. Certainly part of the American Revolution specifically and the united colonies. So when the Continental Army begins its not necessarily the start of the revolution and well begin the story in the beginning of the war. A couple of classes ago we were talking about the french and indian war, and the french and indian war was a war thats fundamentally altered several different nations that have come early and france moved from the north american colony and Many Americans have fought alongside british soldiers and british officers during the war and does anyone recall what the two things that transpired when the group interacted . [ inaudible ] okay. In a lot of ways the british are looking down on the colonists for a number of reasons and that was having to do with tactics and a lack of formal military training and some of it had to do with how they dress and we know theres resistance and theres also a large aspect over who holds the higher rank, and was it a colonial officer outranked the traditional officer and as you recall the british officers of lower rank were saying they outranked any colonial officer which infuriated a young George Washington. So our story begins after the french and indian war so who wants to give me the standard answer. What was it . Taxes and give me the phrase. [ inaudible ] no taxation without representation all right. So from there, from tax e it is also more than that, its about being treated to a full subject, or the full british subject and openly evolved into violence and this starts after the tea party. Theres the boston, and the intolerable acts are going to shut down local government and its going to bring into marshall lmartial law over boston, massachusetts, and they started seizing power and seizing weapons and leading to increased tension and this is a potential chance to see the gun powder and maybe even have revolutionary figures with john hancock and what results . And the shot heard round the word and the shot heard round the world and it is one of the first shots of the American Revolution is fired weighing the British Regulars meet up with colonial militiamen. From massachusetts on lexington and shots are fired. Who fired the first shot . Nobody knows. Exactly, but who did the brit issue say fired . The colonists, rebels and who do the colonists say fired . The british. Good enough. The british and the war begins. This is generally militia unit. A mill earna unit is anyone from the age of 16 to 60. They would lead up roughly once a month and drill in traditional trapping kind of like the National Guard and most american colonists do have some experience with the gun and a musket, largely from hunting or fighting native americans and there was not a military training and the ranks and the shots are fired nomly and the colonists lose and the british win here, but this is a profound moment that is going to begin in the war and Thomas Jefferson is going to refer to this very specifically. He provoked murder, in defiance of the sacred obligations of treaty which even savage nations what is jefferson getting at . Hes saying at it was just straightup and he provoked it and it was too hard that even savages can comprehend okay. There is no ethics behind it. This is fundamentally immoral and he used the term honor as an ethical idea that what the british have done is something that is so barbaric to use the term, that this cannot be looked over. This is beyond life now. This is a justification for war, and we talked about briefly the idea that just the war principle and what makes a war just in almost every circumstance . And theyre presenting themselves as an egrieved party and largely based on everyones class and the philosopher who with the law of nations is very much going to cast the correctness with the morality and the honor of a war based on who starts it. The british start the war and it justifies americans. Meanwhile, we get another battle at concord bridge. Name that because it has a bridge. So the americans are successfully conquered bring even with more trained skills and why do you think this is. You may remember this from the scottish rebellion. [ inaudible ] okay. So you have to and this is where you get the quote, unquote traditional shot heard round the world and this is where americans under orders fire where at lexington both sides are under orders not to fire. So when you think of american cleani colonial militiamen firing we think of the notion of the minute man. So what is a minute man . [ inaudible ] okay. So theyre going to jump out of bed fully clothed and put their hat on with their musket and it takes a minute and a half so whats in a name . The militia men are fighting a similar style and very much coping the native american style and why have the americans developed this style as opposed to the british who have very much an open formation . They have had to defend themselves against the native people who are living with the americans so they had to adapt to their tactics and they learned from indians. They adapt over centuries. Also the british were equipped to fight and they would be marching in the ranks. If we think to the french, and the battle where the british army and theyre defeated by the french using the same tactics. And they had higher numbers to accommodate that. Okay. So they had to accommodate and adapt. Now, the popular perception on the march from concord is they attacked from the tree line and youll see them all down here from the hidden position on the exposed plank and the exposed side of the british army. Whats interesting, though, on this long march back. Now think about this, the british army is marching back after doing an immediate march at night from boston to the outskirts and then marching back with limited ammunition. So you can just be picked off. What you see on this map and youll see these little explosion marks and every time you see that, was there actually a moment where there was a pitch battle and despite the romanticized element of them hiding behind trees and there are battles along it and it will basically force the british to retreat to boston and defend themselves. Ultimately, the british tend to take four or five colonial positions at bunker hill which it owns at retail and the americans had heavy, heavy casua casualties and these are militia forces. There has been a pretty good win loss ratio with a retreat to boston and it was for victory and the idea that the british win and only due to the colonies running out of that emission and its this fight ing in massachusetts that would have a response and the question is is this americas war . Is it massachusetts war . And the Continental Army would be formed by [ inaudible ] under the Continental Congress were going to get George Washington as commander in chief and hes going to say hes serving based on my countrys honor and my own character which is very different from young washington in his early 20s where he actually resigns his commission and he says for his own honor and itss fundamental reversal and he says i am taking this up for the duty to the nation and it has the stability and the premise and i dont function as a sort of military dictator. Meanwhile, theres some opposition ands lot of it comes from this man. The name is charles lee. You may remember him from the twosecond reference and the musical. Hes a general. So charles lee, british trained and hes actually been all around europe and trying to change his ranks and he thought he was one of the people named commander in chief and there are others, as well and we have a lot of respect and he does not think the americans could win, fighting in the traditional european style and he thinks the europeans should be using this guerilla, hit and run militia style and he made the british chase them. Washington is fundamentally opposed to it and washington uses multiple styles and is very much trying to fight the war. More on the traditional european style and there are few reasons why and one of them is hes in trouble with the reputation and how this revolution will be viewed internationally if theres fighting as other europeans do in the civil risized way and they will be respected and if they are not gaining alliances and support and these two will sort of clash many times throughout the revolution ultimately washington would prove and washington will take command and they will now leave the Continental Army in boston, late spring and 1775 and theyre with bunker hill and at first the two sides dont get along and if you think back when we talked about the early colonial warfare, the massachusetts militia in particular elects their officers and in virginia, they were appointed. So whats the problem with elected officers verses appointed officers . And okay, many times it becomes a popularity contest rather than skill and people are often unwilling to go to their friends. When youre voting on who is going in, i feel like maybe more people dont want as much or, like, its kind of a oh, im going to do this because its cool. Oftentimes whoever wins and whatever happens, okay. So washington, though, is going to try to staff his army and hes going to urge a certain type of individual, and nowadays every man and the 18th century it meant Something Different and it was a man of honor and a man of reputation and a man of bravery, and washington said if you are a gentleman and a man of honor and civilian life we can translate that to the military because america does have a military academy and they dont have a professional army, so who are your officers . Who are your soldiers . Just regular people. No formalized trainee and some had dealt with certain needs and it was very limited overall. So here are the british trapped in boston and youll go to the map and heres the british forever retreated and any of these elevated positions, we have american colonial, and the Continental Army and forced the british out to certain areas and they will evacuate boston and the day of that was actually two days ago on march 17th and heres the big overarching mask of the campaign so it can go from 1775 to 1783 and technically the last 1781 and if you are the british, what are your tactics here . How will you beat the americans . Numbers . What is that . Numbers. Superior army, hands down. You get them to cut them off from the rest of the world. How do you cut them off from the rest of the world . [ inaudible ] and then the british will make another tactical decision and they believe that since the war has begun in massachusetts, if you cut off massachusetts, what can you stop . The war. How do you cut off massachusetts . You create a border, almost and cut them off from the ocean. Okay. And you blockade them and you blockade the hudson. Yes. You take new york and go off the hudson. Now this is one of the worstkept military secrets and washington knows you will attack there and the british know youll attack there. Do i attack there . And its the only thing that you can do. The british know that they have a good shot here. Washington, is not only marking the defendants. What is the basic obligation of government . There you go. If they dont do it then they are falling just as the british had and this is the concord. The declaration of independence is read just before the battle of brooklyn with long island, and these are the reasons theyre giving some of the cheap reasons for breaking away from britain and theyve advocated the government up out of this protection and waging war against them. So how do you split with the cake . Its its no longer the team. Hes done something wrong. At the same time the americans are taking issue and particularly the british will hire mercenaries commonly known as hetions and the popular belief is theyre mercenaries fighting purely for money. Theyre actually the army that is rented out by their critics and theyre fighting for their regular position and its actually cashing in on this. So the battle of new york does not go well. In fact, it is numerous retreats and heres washingtons retreat from long island to manhattan island, and extremely difficult moving across any body of water and washington has proved quite successful and the british are easily going to take new york and again, the Continental Army is forced to retreat and crossing the bluffs. Traditionally, a major defeat like this would be crushing to a like this would be crushing to a war, crushing to a commander, but its how washington interprets this and how washington uses this to fundamentally change the way we look at the military and warfare. How does he do that . Well, he studies. Washington is going to complain about his defective education for his whole life, he never went to formal schooling. So how do most american officers learn to become officers . You have a handful like charles lee or Horatio Gates who have been trained by the british. How do most learn . They get a booklet. They get a book. Two of your most successful general, henry knox and Benedict Arnold, American Hero up until a certain time anyway both sold books. So how do they making it a little simplistic, henry knox becomes the head of artillery because he read a book on it. So they are many ways selftaught so they are going to these military texts to learn how to be officers and soldier. Religion upon which true honor is founded, the idea that there is an ethical basis in the military, this concept of honor. Honor consists in the constant practice of virtue and the duty of a soldiers honoree and properly performed. The idea that if you act well in a battle or campaign that you are doing your duty, you can receive honor. Used to be that honor was only for the victor. James wolf who had been a british general that actually died during the french and indian war in quebec is going to say also the character of why you are army. He doesnt want a drunken, vicious, irregular army, a poor defense to the state, but the virtue, courage and obedience in the troops are a sure guard against all assaults to execute their part with honor and spirit. So why dont you want a drunken vicious army raping, pillaging and brutalizing . Because you cant organize them and they cant maintain order so whats the point. If they cant maintain order that fundamentally breaks down the military and the revolution is about ideas so who do you want on your side. Gentlemen. The gentlemen certainly but who else . Youre fighting this war in america. Americans. You dont want to upset the delicate balance between potential patriot, potential loyalist or the, quote unquote, neutrals. Frederick the great, we read about him. Frederick the great, prussian king, prussian general. In this point numbers are an essential point of war and a general who loves his honor, reputation will take extreme care to recruit and conserve his troops. The idea that theyre taking hes concerned with the well being of the average soldier. Whats so shocking about that if you think about war and the common soldier prior to this, whether its in the british army or any pretty much european army, they were the dregs of society. You joined the military because you had no other choice. They were viewed as expendable. What is frederick the great doing here thats fundamentally different. Hes talking about how like the numbers of your army is really important because each individual man could be the tipping point. Okay. Like a Single Person could make you win or lose. You are dependent on the conduct of your soldiers and at the same time for washington what happens if the army is defeated . If he loses too many men . The whole country yeah, thats the revolution. War is over. This is what he has. So theres an understanding of the soldiers are Something Different. Humphrey bland, another british general is going to publish a book that the Continental Army takes seriously. When the officer has the unfortunate of being beat, he has done his duty and acted like a soldier. Youre going to lose, at some point an officer will lose, and it shouldnt be that officers are chasing victory or chasing the potential of victory as long as they put in a valid effort when the odds make sense, they can be honorable. They are performing their duty and washington is literally going to relay this to the marquis lafayette, general and his pseudo son when he says no rational person will condemn you for not fighting against the odds against you but all will censure a rash step if not attended with success. What is washington getting here . Basically its okay if you decide not to make like if the odds are against you dont do it, but if you have a small chance that the odds are with you and you just rush it, then yeah, you have an obligation to preserve the army and some of it is about maintaining the army in the field because the revolution will stay alive, some of it is protecting the men. There is not the complete rank difference that you would see in the british army where you have aristocracy. There is less difference between your gentleman officer and your soldier. So washington is going to use again, going back to what are called fabian tactics. This is the rome general fabius and there are classic defensive tactics first deployed against carthage in the classical era. Fabian strategy which we talked about long ago involves a defensive war, also known as a war of posts. So a defensive war implies fighting when it makes sense for you, forcing the enemy to act. So washington is only going to fight when it makes sense for him, otherwise he is going to retreat. He is going to retreat from new york through new jersey and he is going to have the british chasing him, particularly general cornwall lass who you may recall from such films as the patriots. He actually refers to washington as the fox and he t