An Assessment of Guerrilla Activities in the American Civil War and the National Forces

Abstract

It is noticeable that the problems experienced in such struggles throughout history have repeated themselves in the guerrilla warfare experiments during the American Civil War and the War of Independence. During both struggles, participants in guerrilla gangs did not act in discipline, clashes between gangs and gangs created problems for the public. In addition, the gangs' failure to work in harmony with the army and their resistance to joining the army posed a major problem. The enemy's massacres against civilians in the face of guerrilla warfare added a new dimension to the problems during the war. However, the real big problem stemmed from the fact that guerrilla gangs did not act in accordance with the principles of guerrilla warfare.

It is noticeable that successful guerrilla wars in history have always been successful with people suitable for this style of war. Even in this case, it is very rare to achieve success without the support of a regular army. Apart from this, guerrilla struggles carried out by regular armies also have a high chance of success.

In this study, guerrilla warfare experiments carried out during the American Civil War and the War of Independence were compared. During these two wars, the effects of the guerrillas on the struggle and their activities during the war were evaluated. Additionally, the effect of the regular army in achieving results during the war was analysed.