Description
From the Revolution’s outbreak at Lexington in 1775 until 1778, the states (or colonies according to the British) located south of the Mason-Dixon Line were largely ignored by the British high command. Instead, the war raged in Canada, New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. However, with Britain’s disastrous defeat at Saratoga, NY in 1777 and the resulting American alliance with France, Britain turned its attention to conquering the South, beginning with Georgia and the Carolinas. Success in the lower South would then be the springboard for finishing off Virgina, Maryland, and Delaware. This strategy came perilously close to success. This lecture will focus on the brilliant leadership of US General Nathaniel Greene whose strategy for combatting British General Charles Cornwallis in the lower South ultimately led to Cornwallis’ move to Yorktown and subsequent surrender to Washington, thus bringing the war to an end.
