They were badly clothed, poorly fed, barely trained, and often unpaid. But the American soldiers went up against the finest fighting force in Europe—and won.
Still, the Americans had lost more battles than they had won. How did they claim victory? They followed a strategy created by General Washington after his defeat on Long Island in 1776. From that time on, he fought a defensive war. He avoided large battles and wore the enemy down. Finally, Britain got tired of throwing men and money into what seemed like an endless conflict. Washington’s strategy worked. The end of the war, however, was just the beginning. The battle to form a new nation based on the ideals that had carried the Patriots to victory was just starting.
