| Major General Nathanael Greene's southern campaign had been astonishing. He took command of the Grand Army of the Southern Department in December 1780. Over the course fo the next ten months he marched his ragged, shoeless, and hungry men 2,600 miles crossing countless streams and rivers in the process. They fought five major battles: Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, Hobkirk's Hill, Nintey-Six, and Eutaw Springs and only "won" once. Victory, defined by the standards of the 18th century, belonged to the British who won the set piece battles. But tactical achievement could not offset Greene's eventual strategic victory. The South, that had been so handily overrun by the British in the Spring and Summer of 1780, was at last free.
Guilford, Vol. III in GMT's American Revolution Series depicts two of Nathanael Greene's most famous engagements: Guilford Courthouse and Eutaw Springs. After weeks of maneuver, American and British forces were clashing at the crossroads hamlet of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina on 15 March 1781. British General Cornwallis' veteran army was dwindling daily due to lack of supply. He was gambling on local Tory support and sought a battle of annihilation to crush the Americans before his own forces withered away.
Greene also sought a major battle. He now had over 4,000 troops, twice as many as the British. His army was as strong as it was ever likely to be, but he was painfully aware that the nearly 3,000 militia in his ranks could not be relied on to stay. Each commander hoped to deliver the coup de grace.
The Battle of Eutaw Springs was fought on 8 September 1781 forty miles from the British base at Charleston. It was noteworthy for a number of reasons: the parity of the opposing forces, the fierce quality of the fighting, and the fact that American militia and partisans under Francis Marion (The Swamp Fox) fought in a set-piece fashion and held their own. Like Guilford, the battle was considered a British victory, but the British withdrew to Charleston never to emerge again. They were right back where they had started. |
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