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The Path to Victory

The Path to Victory. The War Moves South. After 3 years, Brits. no closer to victory… change strategy in 1778 – move war to South Believe Southerners = Loyalists + slaves would join Brit. Army in exchange for freedom

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The Path to Victory

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  1. The Path to Victory

  2. The War Moves South • After 3 years, Brits. no closer to victory… change strategy in 1778 – move war to South • Believe Southerners = Loyalists + slaves would join Brit. Army in exchange for freedom • Dec. 1778 - Savannah falls to Brits. 1780 – Charles Town falls + huge Southern Army loss

  3. Gen. Gates assigned to create new army. • Takes them to Camden, S.C. to challenge Brit. Gen. Lord Cornwallis, even though Am. in no condition to fight. • Gates put inexperienced militia in the front, they panicked and ran. Another humiliating defeat.

  4. Gen. Nathanael Greene put in charge… Am. victory at Cowpens - Jan. 1781 . Though Brits. had advantage (firepower), Am. stay one step ahead (knowledge of land). • Greene’s strategy – wear Brits out and ensure lots of casualties. Cornwallis loses too many men, retreats to Wilmington, DE.

  5. The End of the War • Cornwallis frustrated with setbacks in Carolinas, decided to go north into VA, setting up a base on the Yorktown peninsula. This would be a fatal mistake. • Wash. army marches, arriving August 1781, French navy in position to block Chesapeake Bay.

  6. Battle of Yorktown – Brits had built small forts, called redoubts, meant to keep artillery at a distance. • Am. captured more and more, getting closer to town. Cannons reduced buildings to rubble. • Cornwallis had no way out. • Surrenders October 19, 1781

  7. Though the war was not yet officially over and fighting would continue in the South, Yorktown would be the last major battle of the Revolution. • Peace negotiations begin Sep. 27, 1782. Treaty of Paris officially signed Sept. 3, 1783.

  8. Homework • ONE paragraph (5-7 sentences) response:Was the Revolutionary War unavoidable?

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