Since the dawn of time, humans have nevertheless always engaged in wars among-st each other. Be it from the days of Imperial Age, Stone Age or the modern day world, we have never really enjoyed the bliss of peace. The most horrific tragedy in such an event are the men fighting on the front lines whose contribution are forgotten like water in the ocean.
There have been countless wars and countless heroes who have lost their lives. Myths have been generated about such events which people believe to be true.
Some of these are listed below:
1. The American Revolution
The Myth:
Most Americans be like “MYTH?!!?”, Its the freaking American Revolution. To them, well my friends, you are sadly mistaken. Sure, the French stepped in late in the war, but by the time they bothered to show up, the colonists had already proven they were a solid bet. Even after the Americans won Saratoga, French assistance was underwhelming and plagued.
Reality:
During the centuries of American Revolution, the French contribution cannot be forgotten (even though it has in the sands of time). The truth is, the 13 colonies could have never earned their freedom without the French’s intervention. The whole American Revolution was essentially a proxy battle between the British and the French.
To the French, America was nothing but another theater in their grand blood feud against Britain. They were all about making the Englishmen eat every last available dick, and since they noticed they could use the colonists’ struggle for independence as a handy feeding pen, that’s exactly what they did.
The French began providing arms and ammunition to the Americans in 1776. Before the battle of Saratoga, the French sent 25,000 uniforms and boots, hundreds of cannons and muskets – all the things the colonists would require for the forthcoming war. France provided a overwhelming number of 90% of gunpowder.
However, the Most important French contribution to the Revolution was least mentioned. They were out to weaken the British forces — particularly their naval strength — in order to take the fight to them, perhaps even conquer them. That’s why, for much of the Revolutionary War, the British ships tasked with kicking America’s ass had to survive 12 rounds with the French navy before they could even think of crossing the Atlantic. France gleefully fought the British, eventually teaming up with Spain, declaring a war, attacking from all sides, and even setting up an invasion force. In those battles, America’s independence was a cactus in the desert.
The history books conveniently forget the amount of effort time, money and equipment were sent by the French.
2. Americans won the war with Guerrilla tactics and Frontier Savvy
The Myth:
Colonists were guerrilla fighters extraordinaire. They made a huge difference in the war outcome with constant raids, skirmishes, and ambushes, essentially going Home Alone on the British forces left and right.
It makes such an awful lot of sense: In the blue corner, we have a bunch of determined colonists who were on their home turf, lightly armed, and relatively inconspicuously clothed. In the red corner: tightly organized regiments of scarlet-clad soldiers with stiff upper lips, marching in lockstep through the forest like live Duck Hunt targets. Of course the Colonial forces took the opportunity to employ the kind of guerrilla tactics that wouldn’t be seen until, well, two centuries later.
Reality:
As enticing as the image of clever American guerrillas winning the war by hiding behind trees and shooting British troops who are standing in formation in open fields is, it couldn’t be further from truth. While guerrilla tactics did play a plucky part in the proceedings, they were always a condiment rather than meat. Ordinary pitched battles decided the outcome of the war.
Which was smart, because the Patriots never actually had the advantage when it came to guerrilla-ing. British troops had at least as much guerrilla chops as the Colonies, as pretty much all significance Native American Tribe had sided with the Redcoats — even the guy who literally wrote the book on being an Army Ranger fought for the British.
There was also the matter of suitable firepower. The predominant muskets of the day had a maximum range of about 100 yards, and to actually hit what you wanted, you had to be way closer. These weapons required organized, concentrated fire to direct a “wall” of lead at the enemy, in the vague hope that something might actually hit someone. Also, the muskets took about 20 seconds to reload, and the opponent tended to have at least some cavalry around. So any Colonial commando attempting an ambush was under significant risk of finding out firsthand how much less than 20 seconds it takes for a saber-swinging dragoon to cover 100 yards on horseback. In fact, forget about the horses — while you’re struggling with your musket, the British soldiers could just nonchalantly stroll up to you and send you to an agonizing, perforated demise. See, despite the color of their coats, they weren’t just some idiot henchmen waiting to be shot. They were trained soldiers with bayonets fixed at the end of their muskets — sharp bayonets that they could use very well.
3. Colonists Defeated the Mightiest Army!
The Myth:
The American Revolution is an 18th century David and Goliath tale. The Americans defeated the mightiest army of its time — a force that was vastly superior in every way, except for their love of freedom.
Reality:
When war broke out, the Colonies boasted a population of 2.5 million. Even with just a third of them actively supporting the revolution, and just, say, a quarter of them able-bodied men, the British still had a hell of a crowd to contend with … especially when you consider the fact that just 40,000 British Soldiers were expected to subdue them. That’s 40,000 soldiers facing 2.5 million people, spread out over thousands of miles, each of them a potential enemy until proven otherwise.
Colonists never, ever faced the fearsome British army of the late empire. For the most part, the field armies tasked with suppressing the rebellion were softened units that hadn’t seen combat in a decade. As for asking for backup, no matter how belated: There was none to send. In 1776, the total manpower of British military might reached 96,000. That was their entire worldwide strength. With these men, the British were fighting the Patriots, while holding Caribbean possessions, while manning their stations at Gibraltar and Minorca, and Ireland, and Gold Coast territories … and defending England itself.
So, yeah. It was not David versus Goliath as much as it was lots of Davids plus France versus a handicapped and distracted Goliath. Maybe that’s why almost as soon as the war began, the British were trying to get out of it. Lord North, the chief minister, feverishly begged the king to let him resign, as he felt he wasn’t up to the task of subduing a rebellion. So, the Brits were not only grossly outnumbered, but had freaking Chicken Little running the show.
And that was just the beginning. When France entered the war, they didn’t mess around: They swooped in with over 300,000 soldiers, and they equipped the Continental Army with new weapons with a range and accuracy that were vastly superior to British infantry weapons.
Original Article : http://www.cracked.com/article_20306_5-myths-about-revolutionary-war-everyone-believes_p2.html
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