how the war was won Flashcards
fighting with native americans
most sided with britain but they were unreliable and alienated loyalists
the british campaign in georgia
britain defeated patriots at briar creek 1779 - georgia’s population well divided between patriots and loyalists
important to treat local population well
lincoln’s forces outnumbered the british
d’estaing’s fleet returns and besieges savannah but it collpases
france go back to the carribean
d’estaing was inneffective - desertion was a problem for lincoln’s american troops but holding georgia was a problem for britain
if the british were well organised and treated the americans well, they could be successul
the british campaign in north and south carolina
cornwallis does well taking charleston in 1780 - worst disaster for americans in war 5000 prisoners taken
tarleton defeats patriots at waxhaw - no quarter
clinton goes to new york leaving cornwallis behind - patriot forces gain the upper hand in the interior of north carolina
gates leads an army into south carolina - defeated by british at camden - destroys his reputation
tarleton defeats patriots at fishing creek in august 1780, cornwallis invades north carolina in september but south carolina rose behind him which forces cornwallis to return to south carolina
patriot and loyalist militias turn the backcountry of carolinas and georgia into a wasteland of plunder and slaughter
nathanael greene takes command of the patriots in the south
january 1781 - tarleton defeated by morgan at cowpens
cornwallis tries to get green out of the south and wins at guildford house in march 1781 but with heavy losses
greene retreats to south carolina
blame - cornwallis can’t keep south carolina stable
what does this show? - tarleton alienated local support - no quarter. clinton said all should openly support britain or be treated as rebels - too harsh and made neutrality impossible
yorktown
cornwallis decides to go to virginia rather than return to south carolina and deal with greene.
may 1781- has reinforcements now 8000 men. cornwallis wants to move towards the sea to communicate with clinton in new york. builds a base at yorktown - hopes to be supplied by british navy- but french navy under de grasse appear. admiral rodney had not sent enough force to crush them in caribbean.
washington and rochembeau decide rather than attack new york cornwallis is a better target. combined army of 16,000 trap cornwallis on yorktown peninsula.
french navy also controlled chesapeake bay. br had delayed sending land troops to cornwallis- cornwallis surrenders after 3 week siege.
huge shock for prime minister north - not the end britain still had new york and 30,000 troops in america and de grasse had sailed back to carribean
blame - british navy repelled french and british land troops which delay in reaching him, cornwallis’s mistake not to keep south carolina
what does this show? - british forces lack effective cooperation - too much is left to men in the field