what did william howe do in the revolutionary war?
Battle of Bunker Hill
entailment
 Howe 's career as a military commander was contentious and consumed primarily by conflict with political and military leaders in Georgia and South Carolina . In 1778 , he fought a duel with Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina which was spurred in part by Howe 's conflict with South Carolina 's state government . Political and personal confrontations , combined with Howe 's reputation as a womanizer among those who disfavored him , eventually led to the Continental Congress stripping him of his command over the Southern Department . He was then sent to New York , where he served under General George Washington in the Hudson Highlands , although Howe did not have a successful or significant career in that theater . He sat as a senior officer on the court @-@ martial board that sentenced to death John André , a British officer accused of assisting Benedict Arnold in the latter 's plot to change allegiance and deliver West Point to the British . Howe himself was accused of attempting to defect to the British , but the accusations were cast aside at the time as having been based in a British attempt to cause further discord in the Continental Army . Howe also played a role in putting down several late @-@ war mutinies by members of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Lines in New Jersey and Philadelphia and returned home to North Carolina in 1783 . He again became active in state politics , but died in December 1786 while en route to a session of the North Carolina House of Commons . 

contradiction
 In 1758 , Howe was elected a member of parliament for Nottingham , succeeding to the seat vacated by his brother George 's death . His election was assisted by the influence of his mother , who campaigned on behalf of her son while he was away at war , and may very well have been undertaken because service in Parliament was seen as a common way to improve one 's prospects for advancement in the military . In 1764 he was promoted to colonel of the 46th ( South Devonshire ) Regiment of Foot , and in 1768 he was appointed lieutenant governor of the Isle of Wight . As tensions rose between Britain and the colonies in the 1770s , Howe continued to rise through the ranks , and came to be widely regarded as one of the best officers in the army . He was promoted to major general in 1772 , and in 1774 introduced new training drills for light infantry companies . 

entailment
 Howe 's private fortunes were never stable , and between 1766 and 1775 , he was forced to mortgage land and sell slaves to generate funds . In 1770 , Howe was able to purchase Kendal Plantation on the Cape Fear River , a 400 @-@ acre ( 160 ha ; 0 @.@ 63 sq mi ) rice plantation , but in 1775 , he mortgaged it for around ₤ 214 . While the causes of Howe 's financial misfortunes are unknown , several contemporary critics held that the cause was Howe 's need to keep up appearances among the ruling elite , while Josiah Martin , Tryon 's successor as Royal Governor , believed Howe 's misfortunes were evidence of his potential for malfeasance with the public money . In particular , Martin believed that Howe was intentionally under @-@ staffing Fort Johnston in order to pocket excess funds the colonial assembly had appropriated for the garrison there , which was a common form of embezzlement among previous commanders and other royal officials . Howe , as a legislator and public official , had a poor working relationship with Martin , and Martin deprived him of his appointed offices – the captaincy of Fort Johnston and his position with the provincial exchequer – shortly after the new governor 's arrival . A legislative confrontation in 1770 over the Provincial Assembly 's attempts to pass a law authorizing attachment of real property in North Carolina owned by persons living in England placed Howe in direct confrontation with Martin , who preferred a requirement that colonial subjects seek relief from courts in England rather than in North Carolina . Martin believed that Howe 's virulent opposition to the new governor 's policies was driven by Howe 's anger at being deprived of his valuable appointed positions . 

entailment
 The British gave Arnold a brigadier general 's commission with an annual income of several hundred pounds , but only paid him £ 6 @,@ 315 plus an annual pension of £ 360 because his plot failed . He and his wife settled in New York , where the Loyalist elites at first snubbed them , but were eventually overcome by Peggy 's charm . Arnold began recruiting a new Loyalist regiment , the American Legion , enrolling his young sons in the unit ( at least on paper ) . General Clinton then assigned Arnold to lead an expedition to the Chesapeake Bay . As his force began to take shape in November and December , rumors swirled in the city that many officers were refusing to serve under him . Many of the British soldiers in New York held Arnold responsible for the death of the popular Major André . 

contradiction
 As part of his command duties , Howe was chosen by Washington as president of the court – martial convened to determine the propriety of General Benedict Arnold 's conduct while serving as the commandant of Philadelphia in 1778 and 1779 . During that time , Arnold was alleged to have conducted business with British merchants and to have undertaken private business transactions that were inappropriate given his position , among other improprieties . The tribunal , which met at Howe 's headquarters in Middletown , Connecticut , adjourned for several months due to a threatened British attack but reconvened in December 1779 and closed in January 1780 . During the interlude in the fall of 1779 , Howe was ordered by Washington to move into position to attack the British in conjunction with an expected combined French naval and land @-@ based assault , although the French assault in New York never materialized . The court @-@ martial rendered its decision on January 26 , 1780 , finding Arnold guilty of breaching the articles of war by permitting a vessel from an enemy port into Philadelphia and recommended that he be reprimanded by Washington . 
