William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe

William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, was a British general who commanded during the early years of the American Revolutionary War. He led troops at Bunker Hill, captured New York and Philadelphia and repeatedly defeated Continental forces, but failed to destroy Washington’s army or coordinate effectively with other British commands.

Howe's victories around New York in 1776 forced Washington's army into retreat but did not destroy it, and his decision to campaign against Philadelphia in 1777 left John Burgoyne without the support expected during the Saratoga campaign. He captured Philadelphia and defeated Washington at Brandywine and Germantown, yet the rebellion continued. Criticism of British strategy contributed to his resignation and return home in 1778.

Bernard Cornwell’s Redcoat places General William Howe over the British occupation of Philadelphia, so the fictional redcoat Sam Gilpin’s doubts unfold inside the strategy that left Washington’s army at Valley Forge while the British held the city. Lucia St. Clair Robson’s Shadow Patriots brings Howe into the intelligence war around occupied New York and Philadelphia. Robert Harvey’s A Few Bloody Noses assesses Howe as one of the senior British commanders whose choices shaped the Revolution’s early campaigns. Nathaniel Philbrick’s Bunker Hill follows him through the costly frontal assaults on Breed’s Hill, while David Hackett Fischer’s Washington’s Crossing shows the strategic consequences after Howe’s 1776 victories failed to destroy the Continental Army and Washington recovered at Trenton and Princeton.