"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America…do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved. "

In this episode, we take a deep dive into military history and examine how both American and British military leaders understood and analyzed the tactical, strategic, and political complexities of the American War for Independence. Topics include the following:

-a description of the first military engagements of the war, the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775

-the Siege of Boston, the Battle of Bunker('s) Hill, and the withdrawal of British forces from Boston

-asymmetries between the Colonial militias and the British Army

-the development of light infantry with rifled weapons who could harass massed formations of regular troops

-the capabilities and limitations of the British Army and the Royal Navy at the time

-an overview of logistics and lines of communication

-the conduct of the war in the first fifteen months as described in the Declaration of Independence

The cover image features a painting of the Battle of Lexington by William Barnes Wollen (1910)