Decisive battles of the ARW?

I have to confess total ignorance on this one...

Given the OTL starting conditions, were there any battles where different leadership or weapons or something could have turned the outcome? I've seen a claim for King's Mountain being winnable, had Ferguson rifles been in play. Anywhere else?

I'm willing to accept any reasonable change after the war begins, including adding U.S. allies (Spain or Holland?), weapons (like the Ferguson, anything in trial or limited use, or a prototype that gained official attention), & such (a leader falling off his horse & breaking his neck when he lived OTL, or taking a bullet when his horse got it OTL, I'm fine with).

As for "decisive", if the U.S. still wins but France loses territory, or the Brits do, that didn't happen OTL, fine by me. (Less interesting is a U.S. loss, but if that's how it goes...;))
 
Personally I feel that if Benedict Arnold hadn't been screwed by the Continental Congress and some self-serving officers he could have really done some damage to the British.

And without Von Stuben's training the troops Washington would have had a MUCH tougher time of it.

If Greene hadn't used the tactic of letting the Militia fire one volley and then retreat then Cowpens could easily have been a disaster...
 

Derek Pullem

Kicked
Donor
The decisive battle never happened - Brooklyn Heights.

If Howe had decided to press on and assault the position on Brooklyn Heights after Long Island there is a good chance that the half the Continental Army could be destroyed along with most of its leadership.
 
Monmouth and it's aftermath. Had the French fleet arrived a day sooner, the entirety of Clinton's command would've been destroyed and you'd have gotten a Super-Yorktown five years early.
 
Cowpens, Trenton, Ticonderoga and Saratoga.
So what would you change, & how?
Had the French fleet arrived a day sooner, the entirety of Clinton's command would've been destroyed and you'd have gotten a Super-Yorktown five years early.
I like it, but was there slack in the French movement schedule to account for it? Could they have made better time en route? I presume, had things gone as you propose, there'd be a U.S. victory equally earlier?:cool:

I also recall an evacuation where, IIRC, the Brits were late (or left too early), & had that changed, the Continentals would've been screwed.:eek: (Or do I have my forces reversed? :oops: )
 
Definitely Brooklyn Heights And especially Trenton. Had von Rall (who supposedly been sent a warning by a Loyalist) had his troops ready and waiting for Washington, it's very likely a decisive British victory happens possibly including the death/capture of Washington and destruction of his army. Result: British control of New Jersey and no Continental victory at Monmouth. This was early enough in the war that the fence-sitting part of the population will slide over to the Loyalist side. The French and Spain will probably look to disengage as quickly as they can.
 
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