Third Phase of the War: The South

British dissent during the War British government had never been fully behind the war The defeat at Saratoga and the intervention of the French worsened this condition This lack of commitment began to sway public opinion in England against the war British were forced to commit less troops

New British Strategy British decided to use the division of the colonists against them Decided to enlist the American population (they felt the majority) which were still loyal to the Crown Centered this strategy in the Southern colonies because they felt the Loyalist support here was the strongest

This strategy was a dismal failure British greatly overestimated the amount of Loyalist support in the South British encouraged slaves to join with the British for freedom A large number did, angering Southerners even further Southern terrain allowed for more guerilla warfare

Politicizing the war By moving to the South (previously an isolated area) the British forced many who had no opinion on the war and the British to pick a side Due to the morale of the Patriots and actions taken by the British, most decided on independence

Benedict Arnold A hero of the early battles of the war, General Benedict Arnold, shocked American forces, in particular General Washington Convinced the Patriot cause was hopeless, Arnold conspired to surrender West Point to the British However, the conspiracy was leaked before the act could take place Arnold spent the rest of the war hiding in the safety of a British camp

Victory! Cornwallis’ Campaign in the South British decided to replace General Howe with Sir Henry Clinton as the commander of all British troops in America Clinton then selected Lord Cornwallis as head of the Southern Campaign Moving inland to the South, Cornwallis crushed a Patriot army under Nathaniel Gates Congress recalled Gates and Washington gave command of his army to Nathaniel Greene, considered to be the greatest Colonial General, including Washington

Victory! (continued): The Final Turning Point Using guerilla tactics, Patriot riflemen killed, wounded or captured 1,100 Tories Cornwallis was using as an auxiliary force Cornwallis retreated to Yorktown, Virginia where he had hoped to evacuate his troops Pushed there by a French and American army, and then surrounded by the French Naval Fleet, Cornwallis was trapped Cornwallis, claiming to be sick, sent a deputy to surrender an army of more than 7,000 men