The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

1972 THE WAR FOR INDEPEDENCE 347again, believing that it was moreimportant to keep an army in·thefield than hazard the Americancause on the chance of gainingpersonal glory. He said after beingdriven from Long Island: "Weshould on all occasions avoid ageneral action, or put anything tothe risk, unless compelled by anecessity into which we oughtnever to be drawn."5 He persevered,persevered when beset bycritics in Congress and the states,by the shortages and inadequaciesof his army, by superior armies,by a war of attrition in the lateryears, and by mutiny of some ofhis forces. He had not only to directhis armies against enemyforces that frequently outnumberedhis, were better equipped,better disciplined, and better supportedbut also to keep up a continualcorrespondence with Congressand with state officials togain support and to get men andsupplies. Small wonder that heoften longed to return to Mt. Vernonand pursue his own affairs.Yet he persevered for more thaneight years, from 1775 to 1783.There were, of course, othergenerals and officers whose leadershipand ability contributed to theAmerican cause. Among themwould be listed: Benedict Arnold(until his betrayal), Henry Knox,Anthony Wayne, NathanaelGreene, and Daniel Morgan. TheContinental Army benefited much,too, from foreign volunteers, notably,Lafayette, De Kalb, and VonSteuben. And there were privatesoldiers, whose names do not adornthe pages of books, but who endureduntold misery to remainwith the Continental Army andprovide the troops without whichgenerals are of no account.The British ForcesOn paper, the British were sofar superior to the Americans thatno contest might have been expected.They had the most powerfulnavy in the world. They had anestablished government, the recognitionof foreign powers, centralizedtaxation, established credit, amuch larger population on whichto draw, much greater productivecapacity, and an existing and disciplinedarmy, though it was small.They hired thousands of Germansto supplement their own forces.Moreover, Loyalists in Americamight support them.But the task of the British wasmuch more complex and difficultthan that of the Americans.Armies had to be transportedacross 3,000 miles of ocean in unpredictablesailing ships. Not onlythat, but the army and navy hadgenerally to be supplied fromhome, and this transport was frequentlyexposed to Patriot privateersalong the thousands of miles