During the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) between Britain and France, George Washington was a young lieutenant colonel under his colonial master. His military experience with the British left a bitter taste in his mouth, however. He was fed up with their arrogance and ignorance, which rivaled their French counterparts'. Indeed, he minced no words in criticizing the British for playing into the hands of the Native Indians allying with the French.
Thanks to the Native Indians, Washington later proved to be good at wearing his British enemy down on an unending trail of hazards. Like the Native Indians, he was often able to pick his battles and battlefields. Unlike the Native Indians though, he never let the British successfully divide and rule his fellow American revolutionaries.
In the course of the American Revolution (1775-1783), Washington's ragtag Continental Army appeared to be retreating most of the time. Assuming a haughty manner toward the Americans, the British army kept advancing, only to catch fever incessantly in the mosquito-infested South. Unlike the Southerners, British soldiers could hardly deal with malaria transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes.* With too many sick and exhausted soldiers in tow, the British force simply couldn't fight any more. It surrendered to Washington in Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781. The war was practically over.
Thank 秋兰. Very interesting story. I only knew people with
Sickle-cell trait are not as affected by malaria compared to normal population. Maybe American troops had better way to avoid mosquito bite than the British, rather than they were physiologically special in antagonizing malaria… I’ll check further.
During the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) between Britain and France, George Washington was a young lieutenant colonel under his colonial master. His military experience with the British left a bitter taste in his mouth, however. He was fed up with their arrogance and ignorance, which rivaled their French counterparts'. Indeed, he minced no words in criticizing the British for playing into the hands of the Native Indians allying with the French.
Thanks to the Native Indians, Washington later proved to be good at wearing his British enemy down on an unending trail of hazards. Like the Native Indians, he was often able to pick his battles and battlefields. Unlike the Native Indians though, he never let the British successfully divide and rule his fellow American revolutionaries.
In the course of the American Revolution (1775-1783), Washington's ragtag Continental Army appeared to be retreating most of the time. Assuming a haughty manner toward the Americans, the British army kept advancing, only to catch fever incessantly in the mosquito-infested South. Unlike the Southerners, British soldiers could hardly deal with malaria transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes.* With too many sick and exhausted soldiers in tow, the British force simply couldn't fight any more. It surrendered to Washington in Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781. The war was practically over.
Author: renqiulan
*Malaria transmission:
Sickle-cell trait are not as affected by malaria compared to normal population. Maybe American troops had better way to avoid mosquito bite than the British, rather than they were physiologically special in antagonizing malaria… I’ll check further.
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