In Unlikely Victory, Thomas Fleming talks about thirteen different scenarios where the Americas could have lost the Revolution. It is truly amazing how if one little thing had gone differently how different history would be. In Unlikely Victory there are a certain four ways that have stood out to me personally. One of them is what would have happened if Washington's army hadn't gotten away to Manhattan Island and the British had trapped them. Another one is what would have been different if Captain Ferguson had shot Washington. The third is the scenario that Daniel Morgan would have lost at Cowpens. Lastly, the scenario that British's plan had worked at Bunker Hill.
The first scenario that stood out to me was the one where Washington's army hadn't got away to Manhattan Island. At the battle of Long Island Washington's army of about ten thousand men went against the British's army of about thirty thousand men. The British "devised a flanking strategy" (Fleming 164) that left part of Washington's army trapped in Brooklyn Heights. They got very lucky though, a fog came about two days later that left the British unable to see anything or keep track of Washington's army. Fleming says that if Washington's army hadn't gotten away things would have been very different, and I agree with him. Just as he says in his Article if they would not have gotten away the war would have pretty much ended there. Although, I do disagree that the Congress were acting foolishly when it came to recruiting the army. I think that the Congress at the time were just doing what they thought was the right choice. If Washington wouldn't have strategized an escape through the fog on that night I think that the whole Revolution would have been changed. Like I said earlier if they would have been trapped by the British and not gotten away the war would have been done right then and there.
The next one is the situation where Captain Ferguson would have shot Washington.
