In 1776, the – had the mightiest army and navy in the atlantic world. the – had to create an army—the –—from scratch and sustain it. to defeat the british, – realized that the americans had to turn unreliable – into a disciplined fighting force and try to wage a long, costly war, wagering that a –, where american endurance was the key, would force the british to give up in order to cut their losses.