American Revolt (Washington Shot at Murdering Town!)

Revolutionary War under Lee's Command
In OTL Lee argued for a guerrilla war, with the American base of operations in the west (where modern day Cincinatti now stands). Lee conducted harassment attacks against the British only where they were vulnerable. Lee also attacked native Loyalist.

Boston:
Lee did not seriously consider a siege on Boston because he knew he had insufficient troops to force the British out. Henry Knox proposed recovering the cannons from Ticonderoga and force the British from Boston by placing the cannon on Dorchester Heights but Lee rejected the plan. Lee belived the Continental Army must remain mobile and "liquid", in his terms, and thought that artilery would cause the army to develope along too conventional lines.

New York:
Lee realized that New York was strategicly important, but he also realized that it would be completely impossible to hold. Long Island and Manhattan were surrounded by navigable waterways and the English could make an amphibious landing at any point. New York was also very strongly Loyalist so the locals were more likely to support the British than they were to support Lee's troops. So in summer of 1776 Lee ordered Nathaniel Green to take the city and burn it to the ground, thus denying the enemy valuable resources. Green gave the inhabitants two days notice before he set the city ablaze. He also let it be known that he had issued orders to his troops to shoot at any persons attempting to extinguish the flames. Over two thirds of the city was destroyed. The event was extremely polarizing in American politics: Revolutionaries viewed it as a regrettable necessity, Loyalist viewed it as an unforgivable act.

Despite the destruction, General Howe and Admiral Howe used New York as a base of operations when they arrived in America. They were also able to recruit large numbers of Loyalist to serve along side the British army from here.

Continued Guerilla Warfare
The British controlled the ports and major cities and the Americans controlled the countryside. The British had two goals: to gain control of the Hudson and surrounding areas, and to destroy the Continental Army. They found it easy to achieve their first goal and impossible to achieve their second.