The Grand Republican ESSAYS, etc.

British Pyrrhic Victories Win the War for America

By Michael Boyajian

Many battles that, during the American Revolution, were lost by American patriots were actually nothing more than Pyrrhic victories for British forces. This is quite apparent when one reviews the battles fought at Bunker Hill, Long Island, Valcour Island and Guilford Court House.

The Battle of Bunker Hill was a British victory in the end, but it was a costly one in terms of manpower expended and the effect on morale. The British were fighting, the relatively inexperienced minutemen, in classic European style. They marched up Breed's Hill in close, lock-step formation. They were turned back twice by Joseph Warren and the minutemen. On the third advance the Americans were forced back and the British took the hill. However, this came at a very high cost. British casualties were extremely high in comparison to low American losses. This sent shock waves through the morale of the British ranks. Conversely, it gave inspiration to the patriots in that it showed that the British soldier was not an invincible fighting machine. It also may have opened eyes in France, and elsewhere in Europe, as to possible future support of the American cause.

Turning next to the Battle of Long Island we see a different pattern yet a somewhat Pyrrhic victory nonetheless. The British assembled the greatest Armada in history in New York harbor and landed 20,000 troops on Brooklyn on August 22, 1776. This was the largest battle of the entire war. Washington was outmaneuvered and flanked by the British. Maryland militia forces made a gallant stand at Gowanus. This slowed the British advance but in the end the Americans were pinned against the East River in Brooklyn Heights. The British had won the battle and at this point they stopped fighting for the day leaving the remaining American lines alone. That night Washington, with the help of John Glover and his Marblehead fisherman militia, evacuated the entire American army from Brooklyn Heights under cover of fog. This was the greatest military evacuation in history until Dunkirk. It saved the American army, allowing it to fight again another day. Which it did until the war ended in 1783

The next Pyrrhic engagement was the sea battle of Valcour Island. The American naval forces on Lake Champlain were outgunned and outclassed by the British force. Nevertheless, the American forces fought to the last ship. They finally escaped by land. Once again, the British had won the battle. However, the drawn out battle had lasted until late in what was then the fighting season. Because of this the British were unable to take Ft. Ticonderoga at the foot of Lake Champlain. It remained under American control until the next year and delayed General Burgoyne's advance. This was one of the factors that resulted in his defeat at Saratoga. The Battle of Saratoga became the turning point in the war for America and led to direct participation in the war by France.

Finally, there is the Battle of Guilford Court House in North Carolina. The American general, Nathaniel Greene, faced superior numbers under General Cornwallis. The Americans fought extremely hard. This cost the British dearly. In the end the British won the battle. However, they could no longer hold the Carolina terrain with their diminished power and were forced to pull back to the coast. This forced Cornwallis to eventually move his forces to Virginia where the British met their ultimate defeat at Yorktown.

These four battles, although technical victories for the British, actually helped the American cause in one way or another. Some may not represent classic examples of Pyrrhic victories, yet, in fact, taken together they led to the overall American victory in the war.