re: #103 Romantic Heretic

As I recall the Minute Men usually got their asses kicked. I remember a scene in that horrid movie Revolution that got that accurate.

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Thanks for posting this, I had not seen it before!

That clip did push my history nerd button, though.

Yes, in general the British Army, during the American Revolution, pretty much could carry an attack when and where they wanted. And, unless the American forces were trained and experienced regulars, or well entrenched, the Brits often went in with bayonets and did not even bother to stop and open fire.
(Effective range for most smoothbore flintlock armed, poorly trained and poorly led militia, with poorly cared for black powder, was probably closer to 50 yards than the several hundred shown in the clip.)

A good book on this is
With Zeal and With Bayonets Only: The British Army on Campaign in North America, 1775-1783 by Mathew H Spring.
It was recommended to me by the historians at Saratoga National Battlefield Park.

The Americans developed multiple ways to counter to this.

For example, there is a famous story about the Battle of Cowpens. The American Commander, Daniel Morgan went to his militiamen and got them to agree to fire two volleys before they ran away. They agreed and honored their commitment.

Morgan had posted several American battle lines and he put his regulars in the final line. By the time the British had fought their way through the earlier lines, they were exhausted and disorganized.