HIST 386 Chapter 6: The End of the Revolution
The End of the Revolution: 1779-1783
Georgia and South Carolina
In the latter years of the Revolutionary War, the British shifted their strategic focus to
the southern colonies, confident of their abilities to recruit support among Loyalists
there.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Evaluate the successes and failures of the British Southern Strategy
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key Points
• The British “Southern Strategy” relied upon the conviction that the South
harbored many Loyalist sympathizers, a hypothesis that would ultimately be
proven false.
• In December 1778, British forces succeeded in capturing Savannah, Georgia,
which became their base for operations throughout the South.
• The additional loss of Charleston, South Carolina, and its troops was a serious
blow to the American cause, temporarily collapsing American military
operations in the South.
• British strength in the Carolinas was greatly undermined by their inability to
raise
additional troops from among Loyalist sympathizers in the region. Too few
Loyalists enlisted, and those who did were left isolated and vulnerable once the
British army moved out of their territory.
• Though unsuccessful, Greene’s Siege of Ninety Six led the weakened British
forces to abandon Ninety Six and Camden, effectively reducing the British
presence in South Carolina to the port of Charleston.
• The final major engagement of the Revolutionary War in the Carolinas took
place in Eutaw Springs, South Carolina, in September 1781. Nathanael
Greene, supported by 2,600 troops, engaged 2,000 British forces under
Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Stewart.
• Though the tactical victor of the Battle of Eutaw Springs is contested, the
engagement so weakened the British that they withdrew to Charleston, where
Greene held them for the remaining months of the war.
Key Terms
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• Battle of Camden: A major victory for the British over the colonial army on
August 16, 1780. The British victory paved the way for their invasion of North
Carolina.
• Nathanael Greene: A major general of the Continental Army in the American
Revolutionary War.
• Battle of Eutaw Springs: The final battle in South Carolina during the
American Revolutionary War, occurring in September 1781. It was tactically
inconclusive, but still forced the weakened British army to withdraw to
Charleston.
In 1778, the British turned their attention to the South, hoping to draw upon a strong
Southern Loyalist base. Expectations for this support base were fueled by accounts
of Loyalist exiles in London who had direct access to American Secretary George
Germain. Keen to recover their lands, exiles exaggerated the level of potential
Loyalist support in the South to encourage the British to undertake a major operation
in the southern colonies.
The misconception that the British would eventually find substantial support for their
actions in the South held until the final days of the war. As evidence of this, British
General Charles Cornwallis stated in a 1780 message to his superior officer that,
“Our assurances of attachment from our poor distressed friends in North Carolina are
as strong as ever.” As the British campaign in the South progressed, this assumption
was shown to be incorrect.
In addition to looking for Loyalist support, Britain also hoped to “scare” Americans
back to the crown by raising fear of massive slave revolts. As a part of the Southern
Strategy, the British encouraged slaves to flee to their strongholds, promising them
freedom. The strategy backfired, but tens of thousands of African Americans sought
refuge with the British, and at the conclusion of the war, some 20,000 African
Americans left with the British, preferring an uncertain future elsewhere to a return to
their old masters. African Americans ended up in Canada, Britain, the West Indies,
and Europe. In 1792, 1,200 black Loyalists who had settled in Nova Scotia left for
Sierra Leone, a colony on the west coast of Africa established by Britain specifically
for former slaves.
Engagements in Savannah
On December 29, 1778, a British expeditionary corps of 3,500 men from New York,
under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell, captured Savannah,
Georgia. In October 1779, French and Revolutionary forces attempted to retake
Savannah. Under the leadership of General Benjamin Lincoln, this effort was a
spectacular failure with combined French-American forces suffering approximately
900 casualties compared to 50 British casualties. With Savannah secured, British
Commander-in-Chief Henry Clinton launched a new assault on Charleston, South
Carolina, which he had failed to capture in 1776.
Major Operations in the South, 1780–1781
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Clinton moved against Charleston in 1780, blockading the harbor in March and
bringing 10,000 troops to the area. His advance on the city was uncontested. Inside
the city, General Lincoln commanded approximately 2,650 Continentals and 2,500
militiamen. In early March, Clinton began constructing siege lines and commenced
bombardment of the town.
On May 12, 1780, General Lincoln surrendered 5,000 men—the largest surrender of
U.S. troops prior to the American Civil War. With relatively few casualties, Clinton had
seized the South’s biggest city and seaport, winning perhaps the greatest British
victory of the war. The loss of the city and its troops was a serious blow to the
American cause because it temporarily collapsed American military operations in the
South. Following the victory at Charleston, General Clinton turned over British
operations in the South to his second-in-command, Lord Cornwallis.
The Continental Congress responded to the fall of Charleston by dispatching General
Horatio Gates, a celebrated hero in the Battle of Saratoga, to the South with a new
army. However, Gates promptly suffered one of the worst defeats in U.S. military
history at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina on August 16, 1780. This loss set
the stage for Cornwallis to invade North Carolina.
The success of Cornwallis in the Carolinas was greatly undermined by Britain’s
inability to raise large Loyalist armies. Too few Loyalists enlisted, and those who did
were left isolated and vulnerable once the British army moved out of their territory.
British attempts to raise Loyalists in North Carolina were effectively crushed when a
Patriot militia defeated a large force of Loyalists in the Battle of Kings Mountain on
October 7, 1780.
General Gates was replaced by George Washington ‘s most dependable
subordinate, Continental General Nathanael Greene. Greene proceeded to wear
down his opponents in a series of operations referred to as the “Race to the Dan,”
named for the Dan River that flows near the border between North Carolina and
Virginia. In the “Race to the Dan,” the British won many tactical victories, none of
which culminated in any broad strategic advantage. In almost all cases, the “victories”
strategically weakened the British army due to large numbers of casualties, leaving
the Continental Army intact to continue fighting.
In the late spring of 1781, Greene led the Siege of Ninety Six in an attempt to secure
the village of Ninety Six, South Carolina. Though unsuccessful, the actions of Greene
and allied militia commanders led the weakened British forces to abandon Ninety Six
and Camden, effectively reducing the British presence in South Carolina to the port of
Charleston. The final major battle of the Carolinas took place in Eutaw Springs, South
Carolina, on September 1781. Nathanael Greene, supported by 2,600 troops,
engaged 2,000 British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Stewart. Though
the tactical victor of the Battle of Eutaw Springs is contested, this engagement so
weakened the British that they withdrew to Charleston, where Greene held them for
the remaining months of the war.
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Document Summary
In the latter years of the revolutionary war, the british shifted their strategic focus to the southern colonies, confident of their abilities to recruit support among loyalists there. Evaluate the successes and failures of the british southern strategy. Key points: the british southern strategy relied upon the conviction that the south harbored many loyalist sympathizers, a hypothesis that would ultimately be proven false. Loyalists enlisted, and those who did were left isolated and vulnerable once the. Greene, supported by 2,600 troops, engaged 2,000 british forces under. Lieutenant colonel alexander stewart: though the tactical victor of the battle of eutaw springs is contested, the engagement so weakened the british that they withdrew to charleston, where. Greene held them for the remaining months of the war. Key terms: battle of camden: a major victory for the british over the colonial army on. The british victory paved the way for their invasion of north.
