7 Chapter 6 The Commanding General

Chapter 6 The Commanding General The War for Independence lasted from 1775 to 1783. Of course everyone knows how it ended: The colonists won the war. To us it doesn't seem as if it could have happened any other way. But during the war no one could be sure of the outcome. In fact, it seemed as if the colonists had very little chance against England.

独立战争从1775年持续到1783年。 当然，每个人都知道战争的结局:殖民者赢得了战争。 对我们来说，它似乎不可能以任何其他方式发生。 但在战争期间，没有人能确定结果。 事实上，殖民者似乎几乎没有机会对抗英国。

The Continental Army that Washington led went into the war with no training. Soldiers were young, poor, and uneducated. Most were between fifteen and twenty-five years old. Most joined the army because few other choices were open to them. They wanted the pay. There were never enough soldiers. The living conditions were terrible. (In fact, more American soldiers were killed by smallpox and other diseases than from battle wounds.)

华盛顿领导的大陆军没有经过训练就参战了。 士兵们年轻、贫穷、没有受过教育。 大多数人年龄在15到25岁之间。 大多数人参军是因为他们几乎没有其他选择。 他们想要薪水。没有足够的士兵。 生活条件很糟糕。 (事实上，死于天花和其他疾病的美国士兵比死于战争创伤的还要多。)

There often wasn't enough ammunition, or food, or clothes. Soldiers went months without pay. And as the war dragged on year after year, George Washington found it harder and harder to get money for the army's needs. Compared to British generals, George Washington knew little about waging war. (Before taking command of his troops, he bought five books that taught military tactics.) Indeed, out of nine battles he fought in, he only won three.

他们经常没有足够的弹药、食物或衣服。 士兵们几个月没有领到工资。 随着战争一年又一年的拖延，乔治·华盛顿发现越来越难获得军队所需的资金。 与英国将军相比，乔治·华盛顿对发动战争知之甚少。 (在指挥军队之前，他买了五本教军事战术的书。)事实上，在他参加的九场战斗中，他只赢了三场。

The enemy he faced was the mighty British army. It was the biggest and best-trained fighting machine in the world. The British navy owned the seas. British generals and admirals were brave and war-tested. So how, against all odds, did the Americans win? One reason is that they simply stuck it out. The longer the Continental Army hung in the war, the

他面对的敌人是强大的英国军队。 它是世界上最大、训练最好的战斗机器。 英国海军拥有海洋。 英国的将军们都很勇敢，经受过战争的考验。 那么，美国人是如何克服重重困难获胜的呢? 一个原因是他们只是坚持了下来。 大陆军在战争中拖得越久

more likely it became that at some point the British would give up. In a way, the Americans didn't have to win. They just couldn't lose. Over time, Washington became a shrewder general. He came to see that short, surprise strikes against the enemy were better than staging big battles. This wasn't considered a gentlemanly way to fight. (All his days, George Washington was concerned about his image.) But surprise attacks paid off.

更有可能的是，在某个时候，英国人会放弃。 在某种程度上，美国人并不一定要赢。 他们就是不能输。随着时间的推移，华盛顿成为了一位精明的将军。 他逐渐认识到，对敌人进行短暂的突然袭击比发动一场大战要好。 这不是一种绅士的战斗方式。 (乔治·华盛顿一生都在关心自己的形象。)但突然袭击取得了成效。