Winning the War in the South

Explain why the British decided to start

fighting in the south.

Discuss how the British were defeated at Yorktown

List the Terms of the Treaty of Paris

Describe why Americas won the War.

Section Objectives

Sir Henry Clinton Nathaniel Greene Daniel Morgan Battle of Cowpens Francis Marion Benedict Arnold Comte de Rochambeau Battle of Yorktown Treaty of Paris Guerrilla Siege ratify

Key Terms and People

The south was home to many British Loyalist. Sir Henry Clinton thought if the British

marched through the south loyalist would join. His plan seem to be working. Clinton took

Savannah, GA and Charleston and Camden in SC.

Why the South

In the Carolina backcountry Patriots and Loyalist launched violent raids against

one another.

British Troops and Loyalist became increasingly cruel causing moderates to side with the Patriots.

Nathanael Greene & Daniel Morgan

Gen. Greene’s military skills were considered

2nd only to Gen. Washington. In 1780, Greene became the Commander of

the Continental Army in the South. His knowledge of the geography enabled him to

force the British to fight him on grounds that were beneficial to his troops.

He had British Gen. Cornwallis chasing his army and wearing them out.

Greene and Morgan Help turn the Tide

Gen. Morgan, in 1781, scored a major victory

at the Battle of Cowpens in SC. He used clever tactics to defeat the British.

Morgan divided his troops into a front and rear lines.

He order the Front line to fire only two volleys and retreat

When the British would advance they would walk right into the line of fire of the second line.

Greene & Morgan Continued

Francis Marion aka “The Swamp Fox”His soldiers would use guerrilla, or hit and run tactics, to harass the British. They would attack quickly and disappear just as quick.

General Charles CornwallisGen. Cornwallis changes his plan. He will attack VA

instead of the Carolinas.

Cornwallis abandons his plan to take the

Carolinas and moves his troops to Virginia. He figures if you take Virginia you can cut off

the supply routes to the south. Cornwallis figures that since Benedict Arnold

was able to capture the Capital Richmond, that Virginia was ripe for the picking.

Why the Change?

Benedict Arnold the TraitorThe one time American commander had defected to the

British during the Revolutionary War.

While commander of West Point, Arnold

plotted to secretly turn the Fort over to the British.

Arnold was an ambitious man who felt unappreciated.

Arnold felt he was not given enough credit for his victories, and felt he should be compen$ated.

His raids on Connecticut and Virginia enraged Patriots. George Washington ordered he be hanged, but he was never caught.

Benedict Arnold

Battle of Yorktown

Cornwallis was hoping for success and found it at

first in Charlottesville, VA. His raids forced the VA Legislature and Thomas Jefferson to flee.

American Troops under Lafayette, with insufficient troops, help to slow Cornwallis advances.

Then Cornwallis makes a major mistake. Ignoring orders to march part of his army to NY he

retreated to Yorktown peninsula. He felt confident that British ships would supply

him there.

Breaking down Yorktown

Washington sees an opportunity to trap

Cornwallis. He marched his army south from NY to help

the French soldiers under Comte de Rochambeau.

The combined armies rushed to join Lafayette in VA.

Meanwhile, a French Fleet headed to Chesapeake Bay and closed the trap.

Cornwallis was cut off form supplies.

Breakdown Continued

By the end of September American and

French troops laid siege on Cornwallis’ Army. Cornwallis held out for several weeks, but the

casualties were mounting. On October 19th 1781, Gen. Cornwallis

surrendered his army.

Surrender!

Treaty of Paris

In 1782, Congress sent Benjamin Franklin,

John Adams, and John Jay to Paris to work out a treaty. The treaty recognized the US as an independent

nation. It extended east to west from the Atlantic

Ocean to the Mississippi river, and north and south from the Great lakes to the Spanish Florida border.

Americans agreed to pay Loyalist for property they had lost yet most claims were ignored.

Terms of the Treaty

Geography- the British had to fight on very

distant lands and over a vast region

Foreign Aid- Primarily the Spanish in the southwest and the French.

Patriotism-the patriotic spirit and fighting skills of the Americans also played pivotal to the victory.

Why the Americans Won