Special Operations in the American Revolution

by Robert L. Tonsetic

This Revolutionary War history analyzes the Continental Army’s extensive use of guerilla tactics—the beginning of modern Special Ops.   When the American Revolution began, the colonial troops had little hope of matching His Majesty’s British and German legions. Indeed, Washington’s army suffered defeat after defeat in the first few years. But the Americans had a trump a reservoir of tough, self-reliant frontier fighters willing to contest the King’s men with unconventional tactics. While the British could seize the coastlines, the interior belonged to these brave men.   In this book, author and former US Army colonel Robert Tonsetic analyzes a number of special operations conducted during the Revolutionary War. While Gen. Washington endeavored to confront the Empire on conventional terms, he relied on small units to keep the enemy off balance. The fledgling Continental Navy and Marines, no match for the British navy in sea battles, focused on disrupting British commercial shipping in the Atlantic and Caribbean. When the British and their Native American allies began to wage war on American settlements west of the Appalachians, Washington relied on militias to conduct raids and long-range strikes.   Throughout the war, what we today call SpecOps were an integral part of American strategy, and many of the lessons learned and tactics used at the time are still studied by modern-day Special Operations forces. As this book establishes, the improvisation inherent in the American spirit proved itself well during the Revolution, continuing to stand as an example for our future martial endeavors.

Genres: History, American Revolution, Military History, Nonfiction, American Revolutionary War, Military Fiction, American History

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 19, 2013

About the author

Robert L. (Bob) Tonsetic, PhD, was born in Pennsylvania. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, he entered the Army as an infantry lieutenant. During the Vietnam War, he served as a light infantry company commander and as an advisor to Vietnamese Ranger and Airborne units. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star for extraordinary heroism during the 1968 Tet and May offensives. He retired from the army at the rank of colonel. After completing his doctorate in 1996, he taught at the graduate level at the University of Central Florida. He died in April 2016 in his home in Easton, Maryland.

Reviews

[Breck Baumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

With 27 years of military service that led him to the honorable rank of colonel in the U.S. Army, the late historian Robert Tonsetic aptly used his experience and knowledge to study and write military histories on various wars involving the United States. Complete with his earlier training in Special Forces, it’s fortunate that Tonsetic turned his attention to a less-discussed portion of the Revolutionary War, in which he researched the tactics and practices used in pivotal small-unit actions and operations by the Continental Army. Tracing the blunders of regulated and uniformed soldiers marching in line and step to an unseen enemy, the prologue begins by showing the inevitable adjustment of an old, predictable, and rather useless formation on the first frontier, which would eventually morph into the unconventional guerrilla-style combat used by militia in the War for Independence.

Focusing on ten distinct events during the course of the war, Tonsetic first recounts the 1775 raid on Fort Ticonderoga—providing not only details of the capture, but also informative facts such as the dress and attire of the Green Mountain Boys, their occupations and previous experience in the French & Indian War, and the very weaponry used. Interestingly, Tonsetic weaves modern military guidelines on U.S. Special Forces to point out the deficiency of not having a manual or protocol some 250 years prior—especially in the case of Benedict Arnold recklessly arguing for sole command of the then already-implemented secret expedition. As he moves on to the first amphibious mission conducted by not only the Continental Navy, but Marines as well, Tonsetic appropriately points out both the successes and failures of the Raid of Nassau and it’s broad implications for the years to come.

Paging through each chapter, the reader will be delighted by the convenience of page breaks set up on almost every other page—allowing for easy comprehension and critical thinking. Each chapter also comes with a brief but concise opening, which helpfully introduces the specific engagement or operation that’s about to unfold—as well as the combatants that will be featured. The dangerous exploits and unfortunate tragedies that accompany each battle are told with vivid imagery and description, with two chapters of both Knowlton and Whitcomb’s Ranger units depicted back to back respectively in a fashionable manner that highlights the regiment’s backgrounds, strengths, and weaknesses:

One of the youngest to serve was Private Abiel Chandler who enlisted in 1780, at the age of 15. Private Samuel Fifield was probably the oldest. He also enlisted in the rangers in 1780, at the age of 45. Regardless of their age, every one of Whitcomb’s rangers was hand-picked by Benjamin Whitcomb and his officers, based on their stamina, woodsman skills and ability to operate alone or in small teams. They were capable of performing surveillance and reconnaissance missions in austere harsh environments, and conducting raids deep inside enemy-held territory with little or no outside support. Whitcomb’s Rangers were the forbearers of today’s US Army Rangers and Special Forces.

While John Paul Jones’s daring naval raids and maritime maneuvers on the English coast have been given their own spotlight in prior historical works, Tonsetic masterfully navigates this section with exceptional citations and prose. This familiar and welcome tradition continues on through into the following chapters, which recount the rather brutal partisan warfare in the Northern and Southern Theater alike—involving such notable figures as Lord Cornwallis, Benjamin Lincoln, Francis Marion, Banastre Tarleton, and Thomas Sumter. Indeed, the Battle of King’s Mountain is undoubtedly the highlight of the book—filled with intensity and vivid detail—in which Tonsetic relates Patrick Ferguson’s downfall and the bloodshed surrounding the battlefield.

The last two chapters begin with concise summaries of various “whaleboat” engagements, and end on George Rogers Clark’s march on Vincennes respectively—with the final chapter easily eclipsing the latter in both its scope and excitement. Uncharacteristically, the brief epilogue feels rather forced in its overall message and appeal (running just barely over two pages). Apart from a few minor grammatical mistakes found that can be tied to the editing team, these nitpicky blemishes are far overshadowed by Tonsetic’s comprehension and appreciation for the subject at hand. Serving as a wonderful resource for both minor and major skirmishes and operations during the course of the Revolutionary War, the book includes 9 maps and 23 illustrations—with a selection of photos taken from the author’s own camera lens.

[JD · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that is well written and researched by an author who has hands-on experience in the subject. It is filled with great stories about daring missions during the American Revolution, and though calling all of them special operations may be a matter of opinion, the author does connect some aspects of these raids and actions to modern day special operational doctrine. It is also rich in American Revolution history, a subject I am not too familiar with and this helps complete the stories more. War in that time was still a very gentlemen's game, like when a British officer is confronted by a raiding party he demands to know what their intentions are, more a ask questions first, shoot later mindset.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Granting that pretty much the whole Revolutionary War was a special operation, Tonsetic explores lesser-known examples how patriots overcame the usually more numerous, better-equipped British, Hessian and loyal forces.

Tonsetic examines the evolution of patriot, and occasionally loyalist, tactics over the course of the war. Marines landing in the Bahamas, whaleboat wars in the north, using swamps as cover, forced marches and most important of all surprise were all in the patriot’s tool bag. The fighting ended with a European-style siege at Yorktown, but it was special operations that wore the British down as Washington managed to keep his army and the cause alive.

Well-researched, well-written. Good maps.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book reads as a series of independent military events, with no real attempt to tie them into the doctrine of special operations warfare, or place them in the wider context of the War itself. When the author's analysis does happen it's mostly at the end of the chapter and perfunctory - the longest attempt being the Epilogue. In short, while it was interesting to learn more about the various examples chosen, the text essentially reads as 'this happened, and this happened, and then this' - the narration and analysis being largely absent throughout.

There are also some mistakes with the text in nearly every chapter - the publisher/author guilty of poor proofreading before the final printing - and this can be irritating after repeated instances.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review: http://bit.ly/11Ll36L

Loved this concisely written interesting book. Now, I will admit that a chunk of readers will know the stories in this book, but most will not know specific incidents/points of the stories. Although I read a number of books on this time in history, I did learn a lot from this book.

[Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The First Few Good Men

Tonsetic manages to create an interesting historical account which captures the difficulties, the spirit and courage of all those involved. Interestingly Tonsetic compares the special operations of the 1700s with those of today. Surprisingly enough they compare favorably. The militiamen of Washington’s day prepared themselves much the same as our special ops people do today. Intelligence, weapons and the correct personnel were as important then as now. Tonsetic takes the time to provide biographical information of each major character involved which brings the characters to life. Hardship, courage and sense of purpose are paramount for all involved.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

American Ingenuity

The story of how we got to the use of the Rangers, the Green Berets, the Delta Force and the Seal teams had to start somewhere. This book does a fair job of showing that start in the Revolutionary War. I have been a student of this type of special forces warfare since college. This book was interesting to me, because I learned of some special units that were unknown to me. One point made in this book is that nobody in command knows what to do with these forces. As shown in this book that was the problem from the beginning. If you like the history of the Revolution then this book is well worth reading.

[Andy Herzfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an excellent historically accurate book on Special operations in the Revolution. Robert Tonsetic definately did his research on this and it is written from the perspective of a Special Forces operator. The men and operations in this book clearly blazed a trail for American Special Forces of all types to learn how to effectively conduct high risk combat operations. Missions that required men with above average abilities, training and experience as well as sound planning and tactics adapted to the situations.

[Al Lock · Rating 4 out of 5]

By no means exhaustive, this book does a good job of sampling a variety of Patriot missions from the Revolutionary War which would probably be classified as Special Operations today. The focus has a tendency to be on raids and deep strike missions, from the seizure of Ticonderoga to the raid on Nassau to John Paul Jones' raids on the English coast to the seizure of Vincennes. Still, very well done for the operations that it focuses on.

[Francis X DuFour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of action and adventure, but....

.... some of the situations described really don’t qualify as “special operations” per se. However, the author’s enthusiasm for the subject is obvious and the storied well told.

Warning: any proofreading done on this book is very painfully undetectable.

[Glenn W Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spec ops in the American revolution is a great read and educational book as wellk.

Worth the time and money invested in reading this book. Lots of relativity unknown SF operations and units described a nd lots of action. Would hope the author would follow up with an American Civil War version next ! It too would be a book not to have missed.

[Joseph Donigian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting point of view but maybe biased?

I obviously wasn't around when these events happened, but am student of history and learning. He seems to report these things happening with a modern-day view point of the USA projecting power overseas in the form of black ops. Maybe this was the start, but guerrilla warfare has been around a long time.

[Thomas Hunter Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Source of Information

There were many obscure units and events of the revolutionary war that I had no idea about that were brought to light from this book. It was an easy read with the chapters clear and concise.

[Kenneth W Ortensie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

Very good read on how our special operations got their beginning. Like to read about American Heroes, we do not hear about.

[Ben Savage · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75, more to follow

[Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

I knew nothing on the topic before and found it interesting.

Describes the sf units and operations of both sides.

[Jimmie Kepler · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Special Operations in The American Revolution" by Robert Tonsetic tells nine stories of battles or campaigns during the American Revolutionary War. In each case, the American colonist used unconventional warfare.

Experience the battles/campaigns of the American Revolutionary War. Learn the background of the principal leaders. See American know-how demonstrated by the army, navy and marines in their operations.

My favorite chapters were one and eight. "The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga" is the title and story of chapter one. It tells of Ethan Allen's leadership. "The Whaleboat Wars" is the title of chapter eight. It includes the story of Benjamin Tallmage.

The author is a very good story teller. He brings the events to life through the stories of the participants.

The book fills a void in the literature of the American Revolution.

Added bonuses are the book's bibliography. It is excellent. The operational maps and photos also compliment the narrative.

Casemate Publishing published "Special Operations in The American Revolution" by Robert Tonsetic. It is a must addition to the library of every military historian as well as students of the American revolutionary War.

Dr. Tonsectic has crafted an exciting book.

[Bruce Hesselbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully readable and informative review of Revolutionary War raids, skirmishes and small unit actions from the perspective of what we now call "special operations." Many of the military actions vividly described in this book are unknown to the general public and make exciting reading. The author shows that the small scale actions of the war, no less than the famous battles, were instrumental in the final American victory. Using the modern perspective on special operations helps unify and clarify the accounts of individual heroism and cunning strategy.

[Roderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is easy enough to find a military history of the American Revolution. It is, however, remarkably difficult to find one that tells, in detail, how a battle or skirmish or ambush was actually fought. In “Special Operations in the American Revolution” by Robert Tonsetic, this former U.S. Army Colonel revealed the mechanics of an operation from the viewpoint of the soldier, rather than from the academic who never got close than the general’s report. A refreshing change.

[FLOYD KNOWLTON · Rating 3 out of 5]

The birth of special ops.

An interesting and enlightening look at the origins and accomplishments of early special ops forces during the revolutionary war in North America.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the American Revolution offend overlooked.
Author explains why a mission work or didn't.