02/08/2023
Somehow, the most ridiculous myths are still making rounds to this day in spite of attempts to bust them. These myths have been spread by unreliable historians such as Washington Irving and Rupert Hughes, and a certain TV show starring Leslie Neilson.
This brand of myth touts the alleged superiority of American weaponry and tactics. The oft-repeated line is that Americans were using new and exciting methods while the arrogant British clung steadfastly to their muskets and linear tactics like a bunch of old fuddy-duddies trying to beat a computer with a pencil.
Some partisan militia employed guerilla tactics to ambush supply trains or other vans on the road, particularly in the Southern Campaign as the British troops went inland of Charlestown. However, in the grand scheme of things, battle was being done, on both sides, according to the conventional wisdom of the day - linear tactics. The most powerful militaries - Great Britain, France, and other European armies would continue to do so long after the American Revolution ended. They were meeting in open fields, marching in columns, firing volleys on command, and then clearing the field with bayonets. For much of the war, the Continental Army was largely failing even at that until foreign help such Baron Von Steuben drilled them into shape. The British did not “lose” the war as much as they cut their losses, not because we bested them. Support from other Europeans, chiefly the French, effectively won the war.
Another myth is that Americans were using rifles instead of muskets. This isn't true. While it is true that there were special corps on BOTH sides using rifles for increased accuracy, Land Pattern (Brown Bess) Musket were standard for both armies. True, they were less accurate, but they were far faster to load, less expensive, and sturdier for bayonet charges. Some of the militia were using rifles if that was what they had in hand, but it was by no means the standard. Most Colonial homes had a musket and shot ready to be called up with the militia, anyway. And they received more from allies such as France.
