how the war was won

Question 1

fighting with native americans

Answer 1

most sided with britain but they were unreliable and alienated loyalists

Question 2

the british campaign in georgia

Answer 2

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

Question 3

the british campaign in north and south carolina

Answer 3

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

Question 4

yorktown

Answer 4

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