The British Retreat Back to Boston
Concord, Lexington, and Boston, MA
Smarting from the defeat at Concord, Major Pitcairn of the Royal Marines ordered his men to retreat back to the fortress of Boston. As historians, it is hard not to feel a sense of déjà vu. British armies could have been totally annihilated several times throughout history: Washington’s retreat after Braddock’s defeat, the retreat from Corunna, and Dunkirk are some examples that come immediately to mind. From a contemporary viewpoint, Vietnam, and Afghanistan are paramount in one’s thoughts.
The British Army fought best on flat ground when it was in close coordination with the Royal Navy. At Concord, the naval advantage, as well as that of numbers, was negated. Major Pitcairn felt that the best decision was to retreat.
There are two schools of thought about attacking fleeing armies. The first can be found in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War,
Never attack a retreating army for the soldiers desire to get home will let nothing prevent them.
This consul is the complete bouleversement of Stonewall Jackson who said,
Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow; for an army routed, if hotly pursued, becomes panic-stricken, and can then be destroyed by half their number. The other rule is, never fight against heavy odds, if by any possible maneuvering you can hurl your own force on only a part, and that the weakest part, of your enemy and crush it. Such tactics will win every time, and a small army may thus destroy a large one in detail, and repeated victory will make it invincible.
What were the rebels thinking when they began taking shots at the fleeing British? In this case, lack of unit cohesion prevented them from destroying the 700 man force in its entirety. As a result, the patriots would have to fight many of the same men again at Bunker Hill.
Paved roads are something that people take for granted in this country. In 1775, the roads were dirt. The average soldier was a grunt who did not have a horse. The eighteen miles from Concord to Boston was done via foot cavalry. Thirst and dehydration were threats just as potent as the enemies’ musket balls.
The tables quickly turned for the British. It can be said that it was like that throughout the whole American Revolution: one side temporarily gained advantage over the other. Single battles turned hunters into the hunted.
One can imagine the fear of the retreating British Army. Snipers could be hiding behind any tree; an ambush could be coming at any point. Pitcairn undoubtedly wished that he had cavalry and artillery with him. The survivors must have felt a great sense of relief when they returned to Fortress Boston.
