San Juan needed concentrated force

A night landing might have improved Britain's chance of taking San Juan before the defenders fully reacted. It required intelligence and local knowledge that the expedition did not possess, however, and capturing the city would not automatically secure all Puerto Rico. A force of roughly twelve thousand troops may have given the invasion a more credible chance. Shipping that number was within contemporary British capacity, especially after the capture of Trinidad. Landing only three thousand troops made surprise a substitute for mass and left Abercromby's rigid plan with little margin when conditions differed from expectation. The conclusion asks viewers to test other celebrated tactics against the same standard: if success depends on enemy incompetence, the method is less reliable than its reputation suggests.