1. The Path to Victory
Chapter 7, Section 3

2. Bell Ringer
These questions will help you understand fighting methods in the war.
1. Look at the picture (also on page 206). What does the picture suggest about the involvement of civilians in the war?
2. Look at the heading on page What does the word guerrilla mean? Given the picture and this word, what changes in the way the war was fought will this section describe?

3. Key Terms Lord Cornwallis – British general; surrendered at Yorktown
Guerrillas – a soldier who weakens the enemy with surprise raids and hit-and-run attacks
Pacifist – a person morally opposed to war
Battle of Yorktown – the last major battle of the Revolutionary War, which resulted in the surrender of British forces in 1781

4. How did the Americans win the war and make peace?
Armed with a new battle plan, the British were determined to finally end the rebellion.
For a time, it seemed they might succeed. But the Americans fought on, still believing in victory.

5. After losing New England, the British tried to win the war by capturing the South, then marching north.
Charles Cornwallis, the British commander, seemed unstoppable as he swept through Georgia and into the Carolinas.
North Carolina
Charles Towne,
South Carolina
Savannah,
Georgia

6. But the British kept pushing on, battle after battle.
Helping the British was the American traitor Benedict Arnold.
Benedict Arnold
Patriot
had fought bravely for the Patriots
plotted to give West Point to the British
led Loyalist raids in Virginia

7. Savannah and Charles Town
1. Why did their victories in the North bring the British no closer to winning the war?
They couldn’t control the countryside
They did not have enough troops to occupy it
2. What considerations led the British to shift their forces to the South?
They thought if they gained territory in the South, Southern Loyalists would hold it for them
They also expected large numbers of Southern slaves to join them (why?)
Southern seaports were closer to the West Indies
3. Why was the defeat at Charles Town the worst American disaster of the war?
The Americans lost almost their entire southern army

8. American Francis Marion, called the Swamp Fox, used hit-and-run guerrilla tactics to slow the British.

9. The Swamp Fox and Guerrilla Fighting
4. What objective did General Gates and Baron de Kalb have?
Form a new Southern army
Go to Camden to challenge the army led by Cornwallis
5. Why was the battle at Camden important?
This second defeat in the South ended Gates’ term as head of an army
Caused American spirits to fall to a new low
6. What contributions did Francis Marion make to the war effort in the South?
Freed prisoners
Marion and his men cut the British supply line that led inland and north from Charles Town
He provided Gates with helpful knowledge of South Carolina’s coastal swamp lands

10. Finally, American forces rallied at two key battles in South Carolina.
Kings
Mountain
Frontier fighters defeated British and Loyalist troops atop Kings Mountain
Cowpens
Nathanael Greene split his army in two; the western force under Daniel Morgan defeated British fighters

11. The War in the South, 1778–1781
Weakened, Cornwallis continued the march north, into Virginia.
At the same time, Washington rushed to Virginia with American and French troops.

13. The Tide Turns
7. What factors led Washington to name a new commander in the South?
Defeat of Gates at Camden
8. Why did Greene avoid full-scale battles with the British?
Britain had the edge because of superior fire power
Americans let the British chase them and wear themselves out
9. How did the course of the war affect public opinion in Britain?
Fighting dragged on into its 6th year
Some British leaders began to think that American independence would not be so bad

14. At Yorktown, Cornwallis moved his main army onto the peninsula.
He believed that the British naval fleet could reinforce his position there.
But Cornwallis soon realized that he was trapped.

15. American and French troops arrived, blocking an escape by land.
The French fleet also arrived, blocking an escape by sea.
On October 19, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered.

17. The End of the War
10. Why did Cornwallis establish his base of operations at Chesapeake Bay?
His army could receive supplies by ship from New York
11. How did the French and the Americans cooperate militarily to defeat Cornwallis?
A large French fleet arrived from the West Indies and blocked the Chesapeake Bay
Prevented the British from receiving supplies – and from escaping
Washington came north and trapped Cornwallis on land
He was able to do this because a French force led by Rochambeau had joined his army
Bombarded Yorktown with cannon fire