10. Admiral Richard Howe complained to London over the makeup of his forces
Richard Howe, brother of Sir William Howe, commanded the British fleet in American waters in 1776. The Howes and their commanders in London had a strategy which included the capture of major American cities, followed by a blockade of the entire coast. Following the failure of the attack on Charleston and the escape of Washington’s Army from New York, Richard recognized that he lacked the number and types of ships needed to complete his mission, especially since so many of his ships were needed to protect the transport and supply vessels required to support military operations conducted by his brother and other British commanders.
The following summer Howe’s ships supported the attack on Philadelphia, while privateers and Continental Navy vessels operated with relative impunity from ports in New England and the south. The bulk of Howe’s command, the ships of the line and frigates, had little to do after their convoying and ferrying operations were complete, while American ships raided British merchantmen. Gradually the hidebound Admiralty realized the need for more sloops and brigs in North American waters, by which time the French had joined the war, and there was a need for ships of those types in European waters too.