The Hidden War: British Intelligence Operations during the American Revolution
1990; Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture; Volume: 47; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2938043
ISSN1933-7698
Autores Tópico(s)Military History and Strategy
ResumoI MMENSE problems confronted His Majesty's commanders in North America during the War of Independence. Foremost of these difficulties was the British objective itself-subduing a rebellious people dispersed throughout an area comprising almost one million square miles. Unlike European states, America could not be conquered merely by seizing its major cities; its political-economic power was too diffuse. Moreover, Americans were well armed and organized and would not timidly submit to occupation. They also possessed a political ideology and glimmerings of nationalism that presaged the unbridled violence of the Napoleonic Wars and imposed a daunting array of conflicting requirements on the Royal Army. The British could achieve victory only by conducting continual offensives and maintaining sizable garrisons. Yet available military forces were severely limited. Superior troop quality and naval mobility could only partially remedy the ill effects of Britain's dearth of soldiers. An accurate forecast of rebel intentions and capabilities was needed as well so that British commanders could more precisely husband and allocate their combat resources. But how were the British to gain an accurate idea of what the rebels intended? The technology that now permits the rapid accumulation, analysis, and dissemination of information-military intelligence being the sum of these functions-did not then exist: spies had to rely, for example, on disappearing inks, a stratagem well within the capabilities of presentday Cub Scouts. Furthermore, the vast distances over which the British had to operate often dated even the most accurate intelligence. Yet by I78i the British had largely overcome the many obstacles to effective intelligence and were predicting American intentions and actions with uncanny accuracy. This essay will show how the Royal Army responded to the challenge by examining the experiences of Gen. Sir Henry Clinton, the third commander of the Royal Army. There are several compelling reasons for focusing on Clinton. First, his career and military education were typical of successful British generals. Second, he served longer in America than any of the crown's other
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