Case Studies in Insurgency and Revolutionary Warfare - The Patriot Insurgency (1763-1789)

This case study examines the Patriot insurgency that developed among the English colonies in North America in the mid-eighteenth century and that eventually declared, fought for, and achieved independence from the mother country. There is a wealth of historical studies of the American Revolution, but this case study offers a unique perspective. Instead of simply repeating the well-documented history of the Revolution, we scrutinize the Patriots through the lens of modern insurgency and counter-insurgency doctrine and concepts. The Patriot insurgency offers powerful lessons in how to integrate the components of successful irregular warfare: ideology, political networking, communications, financial organization, logistics, military training, and a host of others. The student of modern warfare can learn much from understanding the worries and triumphs of George Washington, Nathanael Greene, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and others.