Thinking Strategically

We need a long-term direction to inform our daily decisions

The Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17, 1775 by John Trumbull, 1786 (public domain - Yale University Art Gallery)

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” — Sun Tzu, c. 5th century BC

The American Revolutionary war produced a fair number of heroes. Certainly, George Washington, Henry Knox, and Nathaniel Greene are top of mind.

But there were some intelligent commanders on the British side as well, aside from their stinging defeats like Burgoyne surrendering at Saratoga and Cornwallis at Yorktown.

General William Howe led the charge against the colonial troops on June 17, 1775 in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Some 1,000 Americans dug in on Breed’s Hill in Charlestown (the battle’s name is a misnomer, as the troops were supposed to be on nearby Bunker Hill) and were outnumbered by a superior force of 2,200 British.

The redcoats charged the plucky colonists three times before the latter ran out of ammunition and were reduced…