ABSTRACT
In the first century of American history-writing it seems to have been a necessary part of the national creed that the War of Independence was won primarily by the tactical prowess of the rebels on the field of battle. The truth of course is that in so far as the war was won on the battlefield it was won by the attrition of British resources and the avoidance of decisive defeat—to which the British commanders greatly contributed. The decisive factors in the American success were strategic. But even supposing that the loss of America would be disastrous, the administrative difficulties of the task facing the Ministry were appalling. The American colonies had been permanently settled, creating a new race which was producing its own political and social traditions, which had a somewhat imponderable economic value to the mother country, and whose sentiments were rapidly drifting away from sympathy with the British people.
