Approximately a third of the Americans were Loyalists and wanted no part of this insidious rebellion. They have been written out of this story. It is all rebellion and insurrection.

General Howe should have been relieved forthwith and replaced with a necessarily forceful General who would bring this rebellion to heel. Why the counter insurgency people are delusional idiots in every generation .... the best psyops is victory

George III’s unwillingness to drop the hammer was a disaster. At the helm of the empire, he wanted to be conciliatory without first winning a victory. Howe had this low energy & vacillating position as well. Speed, experience and resources were the Empire’s advantage

Washington does do exceptionally well in a difficult fighting retreat through New York City. Hard to overstate how difficult this was to do well at any time but esp in 1776. A veritable Gallipoli style withdrawal/escape from Long Island. Howe should have been relieved

Actually feel quite sorry for Washington during his retreat - his Army is doing its best but war in this time was impermanent and soldiers leaving / deserting were common (inc in British / European armies). To some degree, Washington had just to survive. But even that was hard.

Attacking Trenton on Christmas Day was a genius move by Washington - and for a British Army that had recently employed similar cunning in fighting the French, unforgivable that Trenton’s defenders were not better prepared and ready. Especially the Hessians.

Simply amazing to contemplate what Howe thought he was doing - he was at the head of an enormous British force with command of the seas and yet he ponced around the northern American colonies trying to be loved by the rebellion he was meant to crush. The ultimate Whig

Watching this, am less upset now by the American rebellion than by how hopeless Howe was as the King’s commanding General in the American colonies. Howe was the Admiral Byng of the British Army and Howe deserved a similar fate

Capturing Philadelphia meant the British taking on new mouths to feed with winter approaching and when Howe should have had his army pursuing Washington at speed. There never seems to be any grand British plan here - truly "muddling through"