So if I have a battery of two terminals, my understanding is that a uniform electric field will be created between the terminals.
The surplus of electrons on the negative side should then experience a Lorentz force from the negative terminal to the positive terminal, and begin accelerating. Assuming no magnetic field, $F=ma=qE$.
So why would attaching a conductor between the terminals or leaving them exposed to air have any effect on the current flow? The electrons are experiencing the same acceleration due to the electric field, whether there is a conductor between the terminals or not - so they should move at the same speed, causing an equal current flow.
