2  Bonhomme Richard vs. the Serapis  Map of major southern battles  Siege of Charles Town  Waxhaw Massacre  Battle of Camden  Battle at Kings Mountain  Cowpens

3 Bonhomme Richard vs. the Serapis Jones joined the Navy in 1775, commanded the Bonhomme Richard led raids near British Islands His biggest victory was against the British ship Serapis in 1779, larger with more firepower than the Bonhomme Richard During the battle, the Bonhomme Richard was severely damaged, and the British commander asked Jones if he wished to surrender. Jones replied, “I have not yet begun to fight!” Finally Jones defeated the Serapis. However, the victory did not gain much recognition in the U.S. John Paul Jones

4 Major southern battles

5  Clinton and Cornwallis, accompanied by 8500 soldiers sailed south to the city of Charles Town (today known as Charleston, South Carolina), an important port and strategic location.  General Benjamin Lincoln commanded American forces at Charles Town.  Clinton and his forces arrived at Charles Town on April 1, and held the city in siege until early May.  Under the constant bombardment of the British, much of the city was burned, and the local government demanded that Lincoln surrender. He did.  While many hoped that the surrender of Charles Town would lead to a popular uprising against the British, none occurred. Siege of Charles Town, April-May 1780 Charles Cornwallis After Clinton’s transfer to NY he was the southern commander

6  350 Virginia militiamen went to assist in the defense of Charles Town, but found the city had fallen to the British before they could get there  American Commander Col. Abraham Buford decided to return to Virginia, but British Col. Banastre Tarleton pursued them with double Buford’s force  Buford decided to surrender. However, under questionable circumstances, Tarleton’s men slaughtered at least 113 Americans as they tried to surrender. Over 150 were wounded, and many of them died in the next two days Tarleton Waxhaw Massacre May 1780

7 This battle was a disaster for American forces, with 680 troops killed, including General Johann de Kalb, who had come from France with Lafayette to assist the American cause. British losses were minor, with only 68 killed. In addition to the death toll, the American army lost nearly all its supplies in the southern department. The Battle of Camden August 16, 1780

8 Many call this battle the “turning point” in the American Revolution because it eliminated British strength in the south. In the battle, American Loyalists under the command of Major Patrick Ferguson were routed by rebel militia. Losses for the Loyalists were extreme, with 157 men killed, and over 650 taken prisoner. The frontier militia suffered only minor losses, with 28 of over 900 troops killed in the battle. The Battle of Kings Mountain October 7, 1780

9 Cowpens January 1781 British General Tarleton had been ordered by Cornwallis to destroy American General Daniel Morgan’s army. He planned to achieve that goal at Cowpens. Morgan Tarleton

10 Morgan ordered his army to meet at the “Cow Pens”, and reinforce. Tarleton, intent on destroying the army, sent his men in to attack, unaware that Morgan had set up three lines of troops, a line of skirmishers, another line of militia, and a third line of Continental troops.

11 Morgan’s strategy was to draw Tarleton’s forces into the main line of Continental troops. The skirmishers would fire two shots and retreat, with Morgan hoping that Tarleton and his men would pursue. The strategy worked perfectly. Tarleton’s men next encountered the militia, and endured a loss of 40% of their officers; without them British troops became confused. The militia line reorganized, and along with the Continental troops, fired into the advancing British forces. Tarleton was forced to flee, and the battle was a significant victory for the Americans.

12  Campaign map  George Rogers Clark  “The Hair Buyer”  The march to Vincennes

13

14  Born in Virginia in 1752  Elder brother of William Clark (of the Lewis & Clark Expedition)  Moved to area of Virginia known as “Kentucky” in  Clark organized resistance to Indian raids coming from various forts in the Northwest. Indians were paid by the British to raid American settlements in Kentucky and take settlers’ scalps.  In 1778, Clark was given permission by Virginia Governor Patrick Henry to attack forts in the Indiana and Illinois area to stop the Indian raids. George Rogers Clark

15 Lieutenant Colonel Henry Hamilton was the main reason for the Indian raids Clark sought to eliminate. Hamilton, located at the British fort in Detroit, established a policy to pay Indians for every scalp of Virginian settlers that they brought to the British. This policy especially angered the colonists, and they sought to end the British threat by attacking the forts from which the Indians were being sent, Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes. “The Hair Buyer”

16 In July, 1778, Clark led a force of approximately 150 men to capture three forts, Kaskaskia and Cahokia in what is today Illinois, and Fort Sackville, in Indiana. Clark easily captured all three forts by fall 1778, and he planned to spend the winter at Kaskaskia. However, Colonel Hamilton marched from Detroit to Vincennes and re-took Fort Sackville, capturing the token force Clark left behind. Hamilton’s plan was to wait until the next spring, and then attack Clark’s forces at Kaskaskia. Realizing Hamilton would have superior numbers against Clark in a spring campaign, Clark decided to attempt a near-impossible feat: travel overland in the middle of winter and attack Hamilton while his forces were in smaller numbers. The March to Vincennes

17  Yorktown  Cornwallis’ surrender  Treaty of Paris  Results of treaty

18 Washington and his forces marched from New York to Virginia and joined with French and American forces led by Lafayette, and De Grasse. Their plan was to trap Cornwallis at Yorktown. Cornwallis was surrounded by the French fleet as well as the 17,000 men commanded by Washington, De Grasse, and French General Rochambeau. Washington’s March to Yorktown 1781

19 The city was surrounded and under heavy fire as Cornwallis’ position was assaulted by nearly 17,000 men led by Washington, De Grasse, and Lafayette. On October 14, two British positions were captured by French and American forces. Cornwallis realized that his position was hopeless, and offered to surrender. On October 19, Cornwallis formally surrendered.

20 Cornwallis surrendered himself and over 8000 men as prisoners of war. This signified the last major battle of the Revolution. According to reports, Cornwallis at first did not offer his sword to Washington in the surrender, but had a subordinate officer do so. Washington responded by having one of his subordinate officers accept the sword. The war officially ended almost 2 years later with the Treaty of Paris. The surrender

21 The Treaty of Paris 1783 This painting of the signing of the treaty, by artist Benjamin West, was never finished because the British commissioners refused to pose.

22  U.S. Independence  British evacuation of frontier forts  U.S. territory boundaries extended from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River, and from the Great Lakes to Florida  Fishing rights to U.S. fishermen off the Canadian coast  Restoration of Loyalist property  Lawfully contracted debts were to be paid to creditors on either side  Exchange of prisoners of war Treaty provisions

23 As a result of the Treaty of Paris, the United States not only gained independence, but also gained substantial geographic territory.