Copy the following onto the top twothirds of NB p. 33.
Revolutionary War Battles
Who
won?
New York
Trenton
Saratoga
Charles
Town
Camden
Yorktown
Why did
they win?
What were the
important results?
Copy the following onto the bottom third
of NB p. 33.
Group
Civilians
Soldiers
Guerrilla
Fighters
What were some of the hardships
they faced?
Lesson 7.3: The Path to
Victory
Today we will explain why the war shifted
to the South and summarize the events
that led to the war’s end.
Vocabulary
• guerrilla – soldier who pretends to be a
civilian, and uses hit-and-run tactics
and surprise raids against his enemy
• pacifism – belief that peace should
always be considered preferable to war
• bombard – to attack with artillery
Check for Understanding
• What are going to do today?
• Why is it often difficult to defeat a
guerrilla force?
• If a pacifist believes in peace, why is
our western ocean called the Pacific?
• What does it mean to bombard
someone with questions?
What We Already Know
The British army’s
attempt to separate New
England from the rest of
the colonies had failed.
What We Already Know
France decided
to send
soldiers, ships,
and supplies to
aid the
Americans in
their fight for
independence.
What We Already Know
American Loyalists, who
supported the British cause,
lived in greatest numbers in
New York, in large cities, and
in the South.
Savannah and Charles Town
• The British believed
that most
Southerners were
Loyalists, so in 1778,
the British decided to
invade the South.
• After three years of
fighting, the British
were no closer to
victory.
Savannah and Charles Town
• Although they had captured many
Northern cities, they could not control
the countryside.
• The British thought that if they gained
territory in the South, Southern
Loyalists would hold it for them.
Savannah and Charles Town
• There were two other reasons the British
moved the war to the South.
• First, they expected large numbers of
Southern slaves to join them because the
British promised slaves their freedom.
Savannah and Charles Town
Also, Britain’s West
Indian colonies were
close to Southern
seaports, where British
troops were stationed in
the West Indies.
If the British captured
Southern ports, they could
move troops between the two
regions.
Savannah and Charles Town
• In 1778, the British
captured Savannah,
Georgia.
• Using Savannah as a
base, they conquered
most of Georgia.
The conqueror of Savannah,
Sir Archibald Campbell
Savannah and Charles Town
• In 1780, a British army trapped
American forces in Charles Town,
largest city in the South.
• When the city’s 5,000 defenders
surrendered, the Americans lost
almost their entire Southern army.
• It was the worst American defeat of
the war.
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
10. Why did the British decide to
invade the South?
A. They believed that most Southerners
were Loyalists.
B. They were pursuing Washington’s army
as it retreated.
C. They expected runaway slaves to join
their army.
D. Replacements and supplies could be sent
from British bases in the nearby West
Indies.
E. The Americans had no army in the South.
Choose all that are true!
The Swamp Fox and Guerrilla Fighting
After the loss at Charles
Town, General Horatio
Gates – the victor at
Saratoga – formed a new
Southern army and
headed for Camden,
South Carolina.
The Swamp Fox and Guerrilla Fighting
• Continental soldiers led
by Baron de Kalb
formed the army’s core.
• Its job was to fight the
British forces led by
Lord Cornwallis.
The Swamp Fox and Guerrilla Fighting
• On the way, Gates’
army met a band of
Patriot guerrillas led
by Francis Marion,
known as the “Swamp
Fox.”
• Gates sent Marion to
destroy boats on the
Santee River, to stop
the British from
sending messages to
Charles Town.
The Swamp Fox and Guerrilla Fighting
• In August 1780,
the British
encountered
Gates’ army
near Camden.
• The Americans
were out of
supplies and
half-starved.
The Swamp Fox and Guerrilla Fighting
• Even worse, Gates put the inexperienced
militia along part of the frontline instead of
behind the veterans.
• When the British attacked, the militia panicked
and ran, as did Gates.
The Swamp Fox and Guerrilla Fighting
• De Kalb remained with his
soldiers and received fatal
wounds.
• This second defeat in the
South ended Gates’ term
as head of an army and
caused American spirits
to fall to a new low.
The Swamp Fox and Guerrilla Fighting
• After Camden, Marion’s continued
fighting, operating from a base in the
swamps.
• When a small British force set out for
Charles Town with American prisoners,
Marion’s band attacked them and freed
the prisoners.
The Swamp Fox and Guerrilla Fighting
• Marion’s men also cut the British
supply line using guerrilla tactics.
• Both Patriot and Loyalist formed
guerrilla bands in the South, and they
carried out vicious raids.
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
How did Gates’ errors in leadership
contribute to the American loss at
Camden?
A. He divided his army in a doomed plan
to surround Cornwallis’ forces.
B. He had relied on troops weak with
hunger and low on supplies.
C. He placed inexperienced troops on
the front line.
D. He acted on information provided by
Loyalist spies.
Choose all that are true!
What methods did the Swamp
Fox use to defeat the British?
A. He attacked civilian targets.
B. His men wore civilian clothing
and relied on surprise raids
and hit-and-run attacks.
C. He used explosive devices to
destroy the enemy.
D. His men fought disguised as
British soldiers.
The Tide Turns
• In the South, some battles were brutal.
• In the Battle of Kings Mountain the Americans
killed almost 1,000 Loyalist and British soldiers.
The Tide Turns
Many of the dead had been shot
or hanged after they surrendered.
The Americans killed them in
revenge for Loyalist raids and
an earlier incident in which
the British had butchered
Americans.
The Tide Turns
• After Gates’ defeat at
Camden, Washington put
General Nathanael Greene
in charge of the Southern
army.
• Greene had been a
Quaker, most of whom are
pacifists, but his church
had cast him out because
he believed in the war
against Britain.
The Tide Turns
• Since the British had the edge because of superior
firepower, Greene avoided full-scale battles.
• Instead, the American forces let the British chase
them around the countryside and wear themselves
out.
The Tide Turns
• When the Americans
did fight, they did their
best to make sure the
British suffered heavy
losses.
• As the fighting dragged
on into its sixth year,
opposition to the war
grew in Britain.
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
What strategy did Greene use
against the British?
A. He avoided fighting full-scale battles with
the redcoats.
B. He let them chase his army around the
countryside and wear themselves out.
C. He made sure that the British suffered
heavy losses in every fight.
D. He used small bands of Loyalist soldiers
in surprise raids and hit-and-run attacks.
Choose all that are true!
11. What caused the tide to turn
in favor of the Americans?
A. The best British generals had already
been killed or captured.
B. British soldiers butchered wounded
prisoners and lost Loyalist support.
C. Opposition to the war began to grow
in Britain as the fighting dragged on.
D. France withdrew its naval support of
the British army.
The End of the War
• In 1781, most fighting took place in Virginia.
• In July 1781, the British general Cornwallis
set up his base in Yorktown, Virginia, located
on a peninsula in Chesapeake Bay.
• The site made it possible for his army to
receive supplies by ship from New York.
The End of the War
In August of 1781, a French fleet blocked the
Chesapeake Bay, preventing the British from
receiving supplies and from escaping.
The End of the War
Washington and a large
French force led by General
Jean Rochambeau came
down from the North and
trapped Cornwallis on the
peninsula.
The End of the War
• When British ships tried to
reach Cornwallis, French
ships drove them back.
• In the Battle of Yorktown,
the American and French
troops bombarded
Yorktown with cannon fire,
turning its buildings to
rubble.
The End of the War
• Having no way out, Cornwallis surrendered
his 8,000 men on October 19, 1781.
• Although some fighting continued, Yorktown
was the last major battle of the war.
The End of the War
Leaders of the British
government were
forced to resign, and
Britain’s new leaders
began to negotiate a
peace treaty.
Get your whiteboards
and markers ready!
12. How did Washington defeat
the British at Yorktown?
A. Nathaniel Greene surrendered to Horatio
Gates at the Battle of Camden.
B. King George III ordered Parliament to recall
the British Army from the colonies.
C. Parliament ignored King George III and
recalled the British Army from the colonies.
D. American and French troops forced
Cornwallis to surrender in the Battle of
Yorktown.
Who helped George Washington
win the victory at Yorktown?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Ethan Allen's 'Green Mountain Boys'
Francis Marion's 'Swamp Foxes‘
The French navy
Several Native American groups
What event of 1781 signaled the
end of the Revolutionary War?
A. Nathaniel Greene surrendered to Horatio
Gates at the Battle of Camden.
B. American and French troops forced
Cornwallis to surrender in the Battle of
Yorktown.
C. King George III ordered Parliament to recall
the British Army from the colonies.
D. Parliament ignored King George III and
recalled the British Army from the colonies.