Download Content Reading 8-2.5 Key Points The British tried to take

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8-2.5 Key Points
 The British tried to take Charlestown very early in the war, but they failed and did not
return for several years.
 Most of the fighting in the early years of the war took place in the North.
 The Southern Campaign (1780-1781) of the war included the capture of Charlestown and
many battles in South Carolina.
8-2.5 Essential Notes:
Key conflicts of the American Revolution took place in South Carolina and affected the state and
the outcome of the Revolutionary War.
American forces thwarted the British attempt to split the colonies and won a victory at Saratoga.
This victory was a turning point in the war because it led to an American alliance with France.
Soon after their defeat at Saratoga, New York, the British turned their attention to South
Carolina, where they hoped to find a large number of Loyalists. Although the first attempt by the
British to capture Charleston had been thwarted by the tides and the resilience of the palmetto
log fort that became known as Fort Moultrie, the British were successful the second time
around. Charleston was under siege by the British land forces for many days. Charleston harbor
was blockaded and supply lines were cut off. Patriot troops, trapped on the peninsula, were
forced to surrender to the British [May 1781]. Other Patriot forces in South Carolina also
surrendered and were paroled. The British hoped that South Carolina Loyalists and the large
numbers of South Carolinians who remained neutral would help them control the state and
contribute to their winning of the war. However, the British soon changed the terms of the
parole, requiring Patriots to take up arms against their countrymen at the same time that British
and retaliatory Tory forces treated South Carolina harshly- burning churches, looting or
confiscating homes and harassing and exiling citizens. This behavior turned many South
Carolinians against the British and they formed partisan bands. Soon Patriot partisans led by
Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, Andrew Pickens and William Harden were fighting both
the British regular troops and Loyalist forces using hit and run tactics all over the state.
The Battle of Camden was a major defeat for the regular Continental Army because it
signified that almost all of South Carolina was controlled by the British. The South Carolina
militia was not prepared and turned and fled in the face of the regular British forces.
Horatio Gates’ command of the southern arm of the Continental Army was then transferred to
Nathaniel Greene, who understood the need to coordinate with the work of the state’s partisans
in order to fight a destructive war of attrition [termed guerilla warfare] that would unbalance and
eventually destroy the British war effort.
Loyalist forces and British regulars that had been rampaging through the backcountry were
stopped at the Battle of King’s Mountain. Mountain men from both North and South Carolina
were tired of the behavior of the British/Tories and determined to stop it by attacking the mostlyTory forces from behind rocks and trees, inflicting heavy casualties. Although the British tried to
surrender, they were offered no quarter by the Patriots in retaliation for harsh treatment of
Patriots by the British. King’s Mountain is considered a turning point because the British began
to retreat from the Upcountry.
Soon after, the Battle of Cowpens showed the cooperation of the regular Continental Army and
the irregular partisan forces. Partisans had a reputation among the British regular forces of
turning tail and running. The American commander counted on this reputation for his battle plan.
The partisans, under the leadership of Andrew Pickens, led the attack and then fled the field,
tricking the British regulars into thinking that the Americans were again retreating. Instead, the
partisans lured the British forces into the guns of the regular American army. The British were
soundly defeated. This battle was the first time in the war that an American army defeated a
force consisting of mostly British regulars. Cornwallis and the British retreated northward into
North Carolina to fight, then wait for supplies, eventually moving on toward Virginia while
leaving the remainder of their forces posted in the SC backcountry to be evacuated or
systematically reclaimed by partisan troops and/or Greene’s Continental forces as they moved
toward the coast.
When partisan parolee Col Isaac Hayne was captured near Charleston in July 1781, the British
decided to stem the tide of Patriot progress by making his fate an example. After a brief trial,
Hayne was hanged as a traitor to the crown. Nathaniel Greene (commander in the Continental
Army) immediately issued a proclamation stating that he would retaliate and, after the
Battle of Eutaw Springs, he had enough British officers as prisoners to insure that no more
executions would take place. While the Battle of Eutaw Springs was neither the last of 137
battles fought in the state, nor a technical victory because of the unsoldierly plundering behavior
of the hungry and nearly naked Continentals, the irreplaceable British troop losses made it
strategically the final major battle in the beleaguered state. The Battle of Eutaw Springs marked
the clearance of the British from the battleground state and region (with the exception of a few
coastal enclaves that were finally evacuated after Yorktown and during the peace proceedings in
1782) and thus the demise of the British southern campaign.
thwart: prevent from accomplishing
siege: to isolate a place from supplies
parole: the promise, usually written, of a prisoner of war, that if released he or she either will
return to custody at a specified time or will not again take up arms against his or her captors.
rampage: violent or destructive behavior that usually results in destruction
quarter: mercy or pity
beleaguered: having many troubles
enclaves: small group isolated within a larger group
8-2.5 Events to Know…
Capture of Charleston — The British Army recognized the importance of capturing the city of
Charleston. In 1776, the American colonists held off British attacks on the port city. Four years
later, however, the British launched another attack, and Charleston was surrendered to the Royal
Army on May 12, 1780. This launched a Southern Campaign between the British and the
Americans that lasted for two years.
Battle of Camden — An embarrassing loss for the Continental Army shortly after the capture of
Charleston (1780). American General Horatio Gates implemented a strategy that was unfamiliar
to the large number of militia troops in South Carolina, and the result was disaster. The British
easily routed the Americans at Camden (most colonists fled without even taking a shot), and
morale sunk to a new low for the colonists.
Battle of Cowpens — A shining moment for the militia troops in South Carolina. At Cowpens,
the militia troops fired upon the British and then began to flee. When the Royal Army pursued
the militia men, they ran right into a trap. Thousands of soldiers in the Continental Army were
waiting to fire upon the charging British. The victory at Cowpens helped lift morale after the
capture of Charleston, and it was one of the turning points of the war.
Battle of Kings Mountain — A turning point for the colonists during the American Revolution.
At Kings Mountain, American Patriots ran into a group of American Loyalists. A battle raged on
between the opposing groups (there were very few British soldiers on hand), and the Patriots
were victorious. Kings Mountain was more important as an emotional and symbolic victory
rather than a militaristic one.
8-2.5 People to Know…
Francis Marion, Andrew Pickens, & Thomas Sumter—The three main militia leaders in
South Carolina. These men led partisan troops that frustrated the British with surprise
attacks and untraditional warfare. The militias proved to be extremely important to the American
victory in the war.
8-2.5 Terms to Know…
Militia / Partisan Troops — Civilians who are trained as soldiers, but are not part of the regular
army. Using guerrilla warfare, the militia troops were extremely important in helping the
Continental Army defeat the powerful Royal Army. Men such as Francis Marion (AKA “The
Swamp Fox”), Andrew Pickens, and Thomas Sumter were valuable militia leaders.
Royal Army—a/k/a British Regulars…The army of the British government. During the late
1700s, Britain had one of the most powerful armies in the entire world. In a “fair” fight, this
army could easily overpower the Colonial Army, which forced the colonists to rely on more
untraditional tactics (such as implementing militia troops and using guerrilla warfare—see
below).
Continental Army—The army formed by the American colonists to combat the Royal Army
and gain independence from England. It was led by General George Washington (who was
appointed to be Commander-in-Chief). The Continental Army had little money, few men, and a
lack of experience—but it managed to put up a good fight with the help of militia troops (see
below).
Militia / Partisan Troops—Civilians who are trained as soldiers, but are not part of the regular
army. Using guerrilla warfare (see below), the militia troops were extremely important in helping
the Continental Army defeat the powerful Royal Army. Men such as Francis Marion (AKA “The
Swamp Fox”), Andrew Pickens, and Thomas Sumter were valuable militia leaders.
Guerrilla Warfare—An untraditional form of fighting which relies on small combat troops that
are mobile and flexible. During the American Revolution, militia troops frustrated the British by
launching quick surprise attacks and then disappearing into the swamps or woods before the
Royal Army had time to react.
8-2.5—Fighting the Revolution
Militia (Partisans)
military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense,
emergency, law enforcement
Guerilla warfare
The unconventional warfare and combat with which small group
combatants (usually civilians) use mobile tactics (ambushes,
raids, etc) to combat a larger, less mobile formal army.
The guerrilla army uses ambush (draw enemy forces to terrain
unsuited to them) and mobility (advantage and surprise) in
attacking vulnerable targets in enemy territory.
No Quarter
phrase used by the rebels to mean "no quarter," i.e. "take no
prisoners." It came into use after the Battle of the Waxhaws,
where it was claimed that the British Legion slaughtered
members of a defeated rebel force as they were trying to
surrender.
Questions
1. What took place at Fort Moultrie?
2. What was partisan warfare and how did it shape the outcome of the American Revolution?
3. Did the British or the colonists seem to have an advantage early in the American Revolution? Why?
4. What was the outcome of the key battles in South Carolina from 1780 to 1781?
5. Summarize - How did the Southern Campaign shape the outcome of the American Revolution?
6. How did things change over the course of the American Revolution?
7. . Where were most of the battles fought early in the war? Who seemed to have an advantage?
8. Why did the Southern Campaign begin?
9. What was the final result of the war?
10. Partisan warfare proved to be extremely effective in South Carolina during the American Revolution.
How did the partisan soldiers use the geography of the state to fight against more experienced and
organized British soldiers? Why was it important for these men to have a good “lay of the land”?
Primary Source Reading
Thomas Young of Union fought at King’s Mountain under
the command of Colonel James Williams. He was seventeen
at the time. In 1843 he wrote his memories of fighting in the
Revolution:
…[W]e met George Watkins, a Whig, who had just been
paroled by the enemy. He gave our officers information that
we were within half a mile of [Major Patrick] Ferguson’s
party on top of Kings Mountain, and of their position…We
were divided into four parties to attack in every direction. The first attack
was made at the far end of the mountain when we all raised a shout…I
found three men lying down behind a chestnut tree…Some of the bark fell
in my eyes, and we got into another place where we could stoop and be
safe until we had loaded; and then rise and fire with effect. The enemy
gave way in that quarter, and we rushed up…We now had the enemy bottled
up on top of the mountain…They fired, but without effect. They soon
hoisted two flags and surrendered. I had no shoes, and of course fought in
this battle barefoot, when it was over my feet were much torn and bleeding
all over…
After this battle was over, we hung nine, against whom sufficient proof
was made that they had murdered Whigs previously. This battle was
fought on the 7th of October 1780, to the best of my recollection.
1. How old was Thomas Young when he wrote down his memories
of the battle?
2. How good was his memory? What things about the battle did
he remember most vividly?
Workbook pages 103 Making, Doing, Learning…To be a South Carolina Partisan
Answer only the three questions, not the additional research.