How far do you agree that the military failings of Burgoyne in 1777 were the principal cause of the

British defeat in the war against the American colonists?

The 1774 Coercive Acts had laid the platform for the American colonists to strive for independence
against the British forces. That being said, with Massachusetts being declared in a state of rebellion
on the 9th of February 1775, Britain had prepared for war. In this context, ‘principal cause’ can be
defined as a point at which the defeat of the war became inevitable, and was seen as the turning
point in Britain’s control of the American colonies. Although the military failings of Burgoyne had
planted the seed for the defeat of the British in the war against the American colonies, this cannot
be considered the breakthrough factor as the intervention of the French and Spanish forces had
played vital part in Britain’s changing priorities from initially defending the colonies to defending
their home territory, thus rendering the loss of the colonies of secondary importance. Therefore, the
military failings of Burgoyne can be considered the principal cause of Britain’s defeat in the war to a
small extent.

General Burgoyne’s military failings can be considered the least important cause in opening up the
possibility of Britain’s defeat in the war. The Battle of Saratoga, taking place in February 1777 had
acted as the basis for Britain’s eventual loss in the war. Burgoyne had placed bets that he would be
home by Christmas. In addition, his plans were largely un-coordinated. For example, at the point
which he could have retreated and saved his army, he chose to gamble that General Clinton’s army
would progress north fast enough to prevent his troops bearing the full brunt of Gates’ attack.
Consequently, Burgoyne found himself completely surrounded in Saratoga by effectively double the
number of American troops – and was thus forced to surrender. This was a prerequisite for the
inevitable British defeat as the lack of co-ordination and arrogance had prevented Britain from
excelling and hence such difficulties were entirely of their own making. That being said, this factor
can only be considered of minor importance as the Battle of Saratoga, having taken place in 1777,
was still very much in the early stages of the war, and thus meant that Britain’s prospects still
remained somewhat favourable. Ultimately, Britain still had the political will to keep fighting and
thus cannot be considered a key turning point.

General Cornwallis’ defeat at Yorktown can be considered the second most important cause in
bringing about Britain’s defeat. Following Saratoga, General Cornwallis decided to restrategise, and
move Britain’s focus down south in order to capitalise on the pockets of loyalist support he believed
to exist. In spite of Britain’s eventual defeat, General Clinton’s assault on Charlestown in 1780 can be
considered a success. However, Britain’s defeat at Yorktown was the result of George Washington’s
military experience as he was able to lead an army of 16,000 American and French troops into
Yorktown, allowing them to lay siege on British troops for up to 3 weeks. George Washington’s
strategically strong military campaign had been essential to dealing a mortal blow to the British
military’s dwindling prospects in the war. Furthermore, Britain’s weaknesses in Yorktown had only
been made more apparent by the fact that for example, the loyalist stronghold they believed to exist
in fact didn’t. In addition, the lack of co-ordination between the military generals was only became
further exacerbated, as the British were forced to split forces and ultimately, weaken their attacking
army. This put them at the mercy of inadequate communication and open sea lanes. Ultimately, the
battle of Yorktown can only be considered of secondary importance as it should be noted, that it
took place after the French and Spanish intervention in the war. That being said, having taken place
after such a key turning point in Britain’s priorities, this meant that their sense of political will and
drive for success had largely been depleted. The fact that the Americans were fighting for political
freedom of the colonies whereas, for the British, they were no longer interested in protecting the
colonies but instead, their territorial homeland only further reinforces the importance of the role of
the French and Spanish intervention in the war.

The Intervention of French and Spanish forces can be considered the most significant cause in the
defeat of the British. Benjamin Franklin had worked to establish an agreement with the French
because of the defeat of General Burgeone at Yorktown in 1781. The inspiration behind the French
joining the Americans as an ally was due to the long rich history of rivalry between the British and
French, which can be tracked back to loss of the territory in the seven years’ war. In June 1778, the
French had signed a treaty which marked their entry into the war. French and Spanish intervention
had played a vital role in the change in British prioritise as, until 1778, 65% of British troops were in
north America. However, by 1780 this had dropped to 20%. This proved significant as previously, the
British were fully focused on defending the 13 colonies which they had controlled. However, with
the intervention of the french and Spanish forces, this marked a turning point for the British as now
the objective was to defend their homeland rather than keep hold of the colonies. In addition, the
importance of the French and Spanish intervention can also be seen by the fact that in 1778, 41
percent of the British navy was in America; however, by 1780, this had dropped to 13 percent. This is
significant as it further exacerbates Britain’s changing priorities – defeat became inevitable as their
focus had shifted, and maintenance of the American colonies had instead been abandoned in favour
of holding onto their possessions in the West Indies and increasing their presence in India.

Overall, General Burgoyne’s military failings can be considered a primary cause in Britain’s defeat of
the American colonies to a small extent. The defeat at Saratoga came at an early stage, therefore,
this had only laid the platform for the British defeat, as there was still time to undermine the
American colonists. This also meant there was a political willingness on behalf of the British to seize
control of the thirteen colonies and thus maintain control. Moreover, the defeat at Yorktown can be
considered of secondary importance as it further exacerbated the fact that the British did not have
the political determination to defeat the patriots, largely because of their changed priorities. The
French and Spanish intervention in the war can be considered the most significant factor as the
intervention in 1781 had marked a complete turning point in Britain’s priorities – they were no
longer focused on maintaining the American colonies but instead, defend their homeland and their
Empire. In this way, the changing priorities had cemented their defeat, as the lack of political
determination thus made defeat inevitable.