To Subdue America by Conway
Ref: Stephen Conway (Jul, 1986). To Subdue America: British Army Officers and the Conduct of the Revolutionary War. William and Mary Quarterly. Third Series, Vol. 43, #3.
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Summary
A summary of the conduct of British Army Officers in the US Revolutionary War.
British General Howe indicated to Washington that he wanted to fight in a fashion appropriate to the humanitarian mood of the age…in general, the British sought to minimize the stress of noncombatants.
The British thought they were coming as liberators, not as conquerors.
By their very nature, the burning of homes and laying waste of farms made a deeper, more lasting impact than all the kindness and consideration displayed by conciliatory (British) officers.
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Misc Quotes
“The 3 Scalps taken would do more good than if we had killed a hundred of them.”-Grant (12 May, 1776).
“Leniency was really cruelty, since it was interpreted as a sign of British weakness and therefore served only to prolong the struggle.”-British Officers.
“The Ill conduct of the (British) Army in the previous campaign had planted an irrecoverable hatred wherever we went.”-British General Stuart.
“The only way of terminating this affair is to carry devastation and terror on the point of your sword; nothing but the bayonet and torch will ever bring this country's people to reason; nothing will secure these people but fire and sword.”-British Capt. Thomas Davis (19 Jul, 1778).
Since most American's lacked firm principles, they were prone to fall in behind the side that demonstrated the greater muscle.-British Strategic Thinking.
The patriot press, which enjoyed unchallenged access to Americans outside the areas held by the British, naturally enhanced the notoriety of the hard-liners by providing a regular diet of tales of destruction, insult, and injury experienced at the hands of the kings’ troops.
All but a few, in their view, were either totally devoid of principles, and therefore uncommitted, or at heart lukewarm loyalists, fearful of the patriots but inclined to an accommodation with the mother country.-British Capt. Charles Cochrane (19 Oct, 1777).
“I fear it will become a 50-year struggle if we do not adopt severe measures.”-Sterling (25 Jun, 1777).
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Chronology
17 Oct, 1777: France Joins the War with the Colonies against England.-To Subdue America by Conway.
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