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Cpt. alfred thayer mahan11/21/2023 For any large-scale engagements, however, the Americans needed allies, and this is where the French became so important to the war effort. John Paul Jones himself was mostly involved in activity of this sort, making it very easy for his many victims to characterize him as a simple pirate. The largest warships the Americans would willingly engage would be similarly sized and armed frigates. Therefore, they mainly resorted to preying upon British merchant vessels through privateers, which dealt a blow to their economy and hampered its ability to send new supplies to their troops in North America. Overwhelming odds forced the patriots to cede control of the Atlantic Ocean. They knew they had no chance of destroying the British fleet head-on, nor could they launch offensives against the vital naval bases located across the Atlantic. We can see how this enormous disparity in technological access severely limited military options for the Americans. Britain, meanwhile, had over seventy "ships of the line," the standard battleship of the day, which could potentially field over twice as many guns as the average frigate. Many of the colonists were very experienced sailors, particularly those that worked in the port cities of Boston, New York and Charleston, but the largest and most heavily armed ships they had available to them were called frigates, which were well designed for patrolling ocean routes and escorting merchant ships (as well as preying on them), but not for large pitched battles. The only country in Europe that could have possibly rivaled the English fleet in size was France. All of this was well-suited an island country with various colonies overseas to manage as well-"the empire on which the sun never sets," is how one observer adeptly described the British Empire. Since the late 17th century, Britain's navy was the most powerful in the world, thanks to both the size of its fleet, as well as the experience and professionalism of its officers and crew. When discussing the American navy in the Revolutionary War, as well as the War of 1812, it is necessary to contrast it with what it was up against: The Royal Navy of Great Britain. And while these three wars have no shortage of stories about personal heroism and legendary figures, geography, politics, and technology can have a far greater impact on the course of war. It is for this reason that although the land battles of America's first major wars are more well-known, the role of the developing United States Navy played a vital role in preserving and progressing the war efforts in the Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil War. with additional men or supplies with ease through a strong navy, it can also prevent the enemy from doing the same. Not only can a country supply armies, forts, cities, etc. According to Mahan, oceans lakes and rivers are pathways, not barriers, but nations must have the initiative to take advantage of them. In the late 19th century, United States navy captain and theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote that he could see a direct link between national prestige and maritime (naval) authority. Often historians discuss force in the form of armies, but in all three of the major wars in early American history, the navy had a very or even equally important impact on the course of the fighting. Prussian general and military theorist Carl von Clausewitz defined war as "simply the continuation of political intercourse with the addition of other means," most often meaning violent force. The purpose of war is rarely ever to simply kill or capture the more people than the other side. Saved Land Browse Interactive Map View active campaigns.Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History.Support the American Battlefield Protection Program Enhancement Act.Protect the Heart of Chancellorsville Battlefield.Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields. Help Acquire 20 Sacred Acres at Antietam.Help Us Save Hallowed Ground in Tennessee and Kentucky.Help Restore History at Gettysburg, Cold Harbor & More.Help Save 125 Battlefield Acres in Virginia.Help Preserve 32 Acres at Chickasaw Bayou and Champion Hill.Don’t Let Data Centers Destroy the Wilderness.Virtual Tours View All See Antietam now!.National Teacher Institute July 13 - 16, 2023 Learn More.USS Constitution In 4 Minutes Watch Video.African Americans During the Revolutionary War.The First American President: Setting the Precedent.
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