Washington actually proved one of the worst generals of all time, losing battle after battle, although heoffered a strong and stubborn figure as symbol and rallying point. Had the battle-hardened British commandersbeen ruthlessly determined instead of complacent and actually more than a little indulgent towards theirAmerican cousins, there is little doubt the Revolution would have died quickly (of course, the same localgrievances and ambitions would years later have flared up again in some other form). In the end, it was Frenchassistance, as I've detailed in "France's Great Folly," that made the Revolution a success, althoughthis was rarely acknowledged later by Washington, an attitude still widely displayed today.