RightHoJeeves
Banned
Background: By June of 1778 the French had entered the American Revolutionary War on the side of the American rebels. This drastically changed the strategic situation for the British Army who had captured and occupied Philadelphia the previous year. Wary of the threat the French posed to the main British base at New York City the commander-in-chief of the British forces General Sir Henry Clinton was ordered by his superiors to withdraw from Philadelphia back to New York to defend the city.
With sea evacuation not feasible the British Army began a 100 mile march across New Jersey. Aware that such a large force was vulnerable to splintering George Washington decided to attack the British rearguard under Charles Cornwallis at Monmouth Courthouse. Destroying the rearguard would put Clinton in a bind: he could either hurry his forces towards New York and risk his army being divided and defeated in detail or he could stand and give battle to the Americans. Being drawn into a large battle would risk his army being cut off by the French fleet and trapped in New Jersey.
So my question is this: what if the Americans succeed in destroying the British rearguard at Monmouth? OTL this might have been feasibly done but unfortunately for the Americans Washington had given command to General Charles Lee, who badly bungled the job by committing his forces piecemeal against Cornwallis who was able to counterattack and almost rout the Americans.
The POD is that Lee refuses the assignment due to his misgivings and command instead passes to the young Lafayette. Lafayette proves up to the task and successfully defeats Cornwallis. If Clinton is then forced to enter battle could the end result be a situation where he is forced to surrender his entire army when he later finds his retreat to New York City cut off by the French? This might effectively be a Yorktown situation three years earlier than OTL.
With sea evacuation not feasible the British Army began a 100 mile march across New Jersey. Aware that such a large force was vulnerable to splintering George Washington decided to attack the British rearguard under Charles Cornwallis at Monmouth Courthouse. Destroying the rearguard would put Clinton in a bind: he could either hurry his forces towards New York and risk his army being divided and defeated in detail or he could stand and give battle to the Americans. Being drawn into a large battle would risk his army being cut off by the French fleet and trapped in New Jersey.
So my question is this: what if the Americans succeed in destroying the British rearguard at Monmouth? OTL this might have been feasibly done but unfortunately for the Americans Washington had given command to General Charles Lee, who badly bungled the job by committing his forces piecemeal against Cornwallis who was able to counterattack and almost rout the Americans.
The POD is that Lee refuses the assignment due to his misgivings and command instead passes to the young Lafayette. Lafayette proves up to the task and successfully defeats Cornwallis. If Clinton is then forced to enter battle could the end result be a situation where he is forced to surrender his entire army when he later finds his retreat to New York City cut off by the French? This might effectively be a Yorktown situation three years earlier than OTL.