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Mar 12, 2025 8 min

British War Plans for 1777

from History Distilled Hosted by Team Elendil

In 1777, the British aimed to crush the American rebellion with a two-pronged strategy: isolate New England by capturing Albany, New York, via a three-pronged attack led by Burgoyne, St. Leger, and expected support from Howe. Howe on the other hand wanted to capture Philadelphia to demoralize the Americans. It was the British commanders' lack of coordination and conflicting plans, especially Howe's decision to pursue Philadelphia instead of supporting Burgoyne, ultimately set the stage for crucial events in the Revolutionary War. Thanks to Google Gemini for helping research the subject matter and generating the illustrations used in this video. Works cited 1. Revolutionary War Campaigns - U.S. Army Center of Military History, accessed March 7, 2025, https://history.army.mil/Research/Reference-Topics/Army-Campaigns/Brief-Summaries/Revolutionary-War-Campaigns/ 2. Saratoga campaign - Wikipedia, accessed March 7, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_campaign 3. Revolutionary War Strategy | American Battlefield Trust, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/revolutionary-war-strategy 4. The Northern Campaign of 1777 - Fort Stanwix National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) - The American Revolutionary Episodic, or The Fort Stanwix Blog, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.nps.gov/fost/blogs/the-northern-campaign-of-1777.htm 5. en.wikipedia.org, accessed March 7, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saratoga_campaign#:~:text=The%20Saratoga%20campaign%20in%201777,during%20the%20American%20Revolutionary%20War. 6. Saratoga Campaign - World History Encyclopedia, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2384/saratoga-campaign/ 7. The Saratoga Campaign | American Battlefield Trust, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/saratoga-campaign 8. 11g. The Battle of Saratoga - USHistory.org, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.ushistory.org/us/11g.asp 9. Siege 1777: The British Allied Forces - National Park Service, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.nps.gov/fost/blogs/siege-1777-the-british-allied-forces.htm 10. Philadelphia Campaign - World History Encyclopedia, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2399/philadelphia-campaign/ 11. Battles of Saratoga - Wikipedia, accessed March 7, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Saratoga 12. Philadelphia campaign - Wikipedia, accessed March 7, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_campaign 13. Lesson Plans for the American Revolution - The Philadelphia Campaign, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.historicalconquest.com/single-post/lesson-plans-for-the-american-revolution-the-philadelphia-campaign 14. The Philadelphia Campaign of 1777: Background - USHistory.org, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.ushistory.org/march/ 15. A superb map of the 1777 Philadelphia campaign - Rare & Antique Maps, accessed March 7, 2025, https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/superb-map-1777-philadelphia-campaign/ 16. Saratoga A Military History of the Decisive Campaign of the American Revolution, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.bobfarley.us/1777freedomsgateway/1777printbooks/Saratoga%20A%20Military%20History.pdf 17. American Revolution - 1777 Saratoga Analysis - Army University Press, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/educational-services/military-history/csi-battle-map-american-revolution-1777-saratoga-analysis.docx 18. Philadelphia Campaign - Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, accessed March 7, 2025, https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/philadelphia-campaign/ 19. Campaign analysis for 1776 - Army University Press, accessed March 7, 2025, https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Portals/7/educational-services/military-history/csi-battle-map-american-revolution-1776-analysis.docx Thanks to our monthly supporters Dan

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British War Plans for 1777

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