Show I Il If Independence This is the time of year to remember re re- m member ember the last decisive battles battles bat bat- lies of the Revolution in 1781 which were fought in September Septem Septem- b ber er and October of that yearb year and wl which ch resulted in victory 1 for or the thirteen colonies and independence independence in in- d dependence for Americans MANY AMERICANS have little knowledge of the strat strategy gy and battles of the Revolutionary Re War par In brief brie th the British used three re e strategies hi m an attempt to subdue the colonists Their campaigns w were e ere r e directed against New England the middle middle middle mid mid- dle colonies New York Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania New Jersey Maryland Maryland Maryland Mary Mary- land and Delaware and the South In the beginning the Brith British British Brit Brit- ish h sought victory in each region determined to cut the colonies apart in three chunks INITIALLY they deployed tR et their largest armies against New England next in New NewYork j i fi York and the middle colonies colo cob colonies k nies hies then in the last of the thel l war in their last real chance- chance t agai against St the South Thus the failure of General ri 4 Cornwallis' Cornwallis effort in the I South beginning at Charleston CharlesI Charles Charles- ton and ending at Yorktown k I Virginia was decisive i ii I f THE TIlE BRITISH won many f of the battles in New EngI England Eng Eng- t I i land and d in the middle colonies colo colo- I nies roes but were not able to toi i r cat catch h or trap General Washington Washington Wash Wash- t ington or subdue these areas i in the early years I They were defeated m in their first efforts in the South an i attack on Charleston was repulsed repulsed repulsed re re- c pulsed in 1776 1716 but in their last major drive they ca captured cap cap- Pi P- P i H f turgid C Charleston in 1780 t e some months earlier Savannah Soe Sa So- aMah vannah had fallen with over 1 troops and began their ii long and hard fought campaign campaign campaign cam cam- to subdue the South rl THAT CAMPAIGN CAl lasted Ii a year ear and a half halI and ins ins' involved in- in battles battler from Charleston Charlesl Charles Charles- s' s 1 l ton up to tole le ne mountains in inz z South Carolina and northward into North Carolina The Redcoats won most of them tC technically but after each usually retreated because because because be be- cause their losses were heavier heavier heavier ier and the colonialists were gaining recruits faster to tomake tomake tomake make up their losses THE TURNING point came cameon on October 7 1780 when the Americans won at Kings King's Mountain S. S the C.-the British losing about 1000 o 0 of f 1200 men the first field victory in m the South since the repulse repulse repulse re re- re- re pulse of the B British r i h at Charleston in 1776 1176 But the British were reinforced reinforced rein rein- forced and persevered another another another an an- other year into the fall of 1781 By that time Americans were pushing Redcoats hard Three great partisan leaders were largely responsible responsible- Generals Marion Morgan and Sumter THE NEXT to last confrontation confrontation con con- occurred at Eutaw Eutaw Eutaw Eu- Eu taw Springs 50 SO miles from Charleston on September 8 1781 when General Stewart Stewart Stewart Stew Stew- art fought to a draw The British gathered together together to to- together gether their forces and marched northward to attempt attempt attempt at at- tempt to subdue Virginia and were trapped and surrounded surrounded surrounded sur sur- rounded at Yorktown and surrendered October 19 This meant the last British strategy strate strate- gy had failed the thirteen colonies had finally won in in- dependence |