Covering The Mouth That Feeds: British Victory ARW

What if instead of attempting to take the interior through military means the British instead adopt a Military-Economic strategy of holding onto vital colonial ports and fortifying their coastal strategic position s in coordination with the navy. To effect clamp down on Colonial ports and sucker major trade in a way like the UNion would accomplish against the South in the Civil War. Instead of comiting several inland battles such as Saratoga that would bleed British forces.
 
Didn't they try and fail with that in OTL anyway? All the major colonial cities and ports- synomous in those days -were captured at one point or another.
 
Didn't they try and fail with that in OTL anyway? All the major colonial cities and ports- synomous in those days -were captured at one point or another.

They captured them but made several blunders attempting to bring the fight to the Continentals in the interior giving what is referred as a home turf advantage of hit and run attrition.
 
They captured them but made several blunders attempting to bring the fight to the Continentals in the interior giving what is referred as a home turf advantage of hit and run attrition.

But then the colonials win.

The Civlil War involved a blockade and invasions of home turf.
 
But then the colonials win.

The Civlil War involved a blockade and invasions of home turf.

Territory, demographics, and economic centers were much different during the Revolutionary War then the Civil War. The end game of such a war scenario would be to moral and economicly make fighting the British non-viable and commit the neutral sections of the population then revolutionaries to working with the British or making peace with them.
 
Even in such a scenario some of the attacks which were made would be required. Phildalphia and the Delaware will still be a key war aim (though if it's been given as a general 'capture all major ports' order we can possibly see it taken earlier when such an action is more effective), and if and when the ports have been secured, it still makes a lot of sense to take control of the Hudson River.

Having said that, this probably does exclude the possibility of large scale campaigns into the south, which paradoxically increases the amount of anti-British sentiment in what was a predominately loyalist area (i.e. they don't really care about us).
 
Territory, demographics, and economic centers were much different during the Revolutionary War then the Civil War. The end game of such a war scenario would be to moral and economicly make fighting the British non-viable and commit the neutral sections of the population then revolutionaries to working with the British or making peace with them.

Well, the British tried this. There was a blockade. They seized New York. So what's the change?
 
The British did this IOTL. They also won almost all the major battles IOTL. To tilt the war against them, there needs to be a means to keep the French, Spanish, and Dutch out of the war, otherwise you get a lot of good ideas but none with meaningful impact to alter the outcome.
 
The British Royal Navy though large and in need of some upgrading if it had been actually fully used could have cut up the American colonies. The British failed in that they did not use their navy enough or correctly and instead used their land forces too much. Prior to Saratoga the Revolution could have been crushed if British Naval squadrons in combine arms with the army seized and blockaded American major ports and bays. The Hudson, Great Lakes, and St Lawrence they would and could have seized Boston, Portsmouth, and Newport News, RI. Cutting off New England. Likewise with the Delaware Bay and Chesapeake patrolled they could seize Baltimore, Annapolis, Philidelphia, Newport Va and Delaware and their major ports. This would have had the effect of demoralizing and cutting off funds for Revolutionaries as did OTL with the taking of Charleston and Savannah. If Burgoyne, Howe, Cornwallis and the others had simply stayed put in the major ports and not gone gala chanting and stirring up the people in the countryside the Continental Army would be unable to dislodge the Continentals who would be penned in te backwoods with their backs to the wilderness. With each region isolated its possible that the British could have destroyed each Rebelling state government and force.

With this the Continental Congress would be bled of money and force which the only option would be to give into the British or seek a compromise. All by 1778, before Saratoga and the French, Dutch, an Spanish could enter the conflict. Even still this strategy would stop any European reinforcements from entering the conflict such as the OTL French attack in Charleston, and perhaps catch the French forces before they arrive in Newport.
 
An interesting idea. The problem is though, that even if say the Brits defeat the Americans at Saratoga, France and the other Europeans powers will be very keen on kicking British arse. I'm of the opinion conflict between France and Britain was inevitable at this point, no matter how the Revolution actually goes, and unless Britain can squash all the rampant guerrillas under Washington, something they were not at all used to, you're basically only getting a more bloody Revolutionary War.
 
So the colonists who in OTL fought on until 1783 despite a blockade would give up earlier when faced with only a blockade?
 
So the colonists who in OTL fought on until 1783 despite a blockade would give up earlier when faced with only a blockade?

Couldn't really call what the British did a 'blockade'. They only really used their naval strength in NYC and it took them until 1780 to decide to occupy Charleston and Savannah. AFTER the French had arrived in force. Then as I have said if te British had not done the completely unnecessary thing of trying to defeat the Rebels In some of the worst logistical blunders of warfare they would have not had a need to fight .

1776: Following the capture of New York City the British under perhaps Hawke occupy key Mid Atlantic and New England ports.
1777: Colonial efforts to dislodge British garrisons fail as British forces are able to force American armies into European style battles and coordinate with the Royal Navy to transport flanking attacks down river ways. Late in the year the British go on offensive securing Philidelphia and attack Colonial forces in Virginia and New Jersey via the Cheaapeake Bay and the Delaware river.
1778: British forces occupy Charleston and Savannah crushing the resolve of the revolutionaries there. Continued ineffectual attacks by the Colonial force leads to a sacking of Washington and disarray amongst the Continental government and army as rival factions fight for control politically. A British Victory at Trenton leads to the Continental Congress breaking up, former rebel state governments in opposition to loyalist state governments sue for compromise and amnesty.
 
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