Back to the Future: The British Southern Campaign, 1780-1781.
Abstract
This monograph analyzes the British campaign in the Carolinas during the War for Independence from December 1779 through March 1781. The monograph also examines British use of force and the ramifications of the use of force against the southern people and the southern Continental Army. Finally it investigates British attempts to control and mitigate the unconventional threat posed by American partisans and the British attempts to restore civil order and control. The British campaign's complex environment displays marked similarities with several U.S. Army operations conducted since 1990, particularly operations in Panama, Haiti, Northern Iraq and Somalia. As the United States conducts more complex operations, the British campaign in the Carolinas can provide perspectives for today's U.S. Army campaign planner. Current U.S. policy and Army doctrine provide a framework for planning and executing civil-military operations and understanding this complex environment is crucial to their successful execution. Given the complex nature of military operations in the late 20th Century, ignorance of the environment could potentially lead to a future American military disaster. The British achieved several stunning military successes in the southern campaign, but their inability to stop the civil war and reestablish a functioning government for the people of the South proved their ultimate undoing. For these reasons, the British experience in the Carolinas from 1780-81 provides a useful case-study of complicated and complex military operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 21, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA356998
Entities
People
- William D. Brinkley
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College