1. Battlegrounds Shift

2. Fighting in the West More Native Americans sided with British
British Commander Henry Hamilton paid Native Americans for colonists’ scalps
Warfare was more brutal

3. War at Sea Great Britain had major naval advantage
Blockaded several colonial ports
Congress authorized the use of privateers
John Paul Jones - American naval hero
Raided British ports
Won a battle against British warship right off Great Britain’s coast
When asked if he wanted to surrender Jones said, “I have not yet begun to fight.”

4. Fighting in the South
Early on, Americans had several victories in the South
British realized war would be tough and shifted strategy to the South
Done because there were more Loyalists in the South
Wanted to use seapower and Loyalist support to win key battles
Worked initially

5. Early British Success
Late 1778, British General Henry Clinton sent thousands of troops to Georgia
On way down he took Charles Town in South Carolina
One of the worst defeats by the colonists in the war
Clinton returned to New York and General Cornwallis took over
Cornwallis fought Gen. Horatio Gates in SC and beat Gates

6. Hit-and-Run Tactics
Not as many Loyalists in the South as British thought
As British marched through the South, Patriot forces would pop up, fire, and then disappear
Guerilla Warfare
Francis Marion a.k.a. “Swamp Fox” was a successful guerilla warfare commander and had a base in the swamps in South Carolina

7. American Successes British forces started to move North
Told citizens to stop fighting for independence or they would burn their country to the ground
They told this to people who lived in the mountains and were neutral until the British said this
Mountain people allied with the Patriots
Nathaniel Greene became new leader of the Southern Continental Army.
Divided his forces in half and still beat the British
Biggest win was at Guilford Courthouse (even though colonists lost, the British suffered great losses)

8. Cornwallis Retreats Cornwallis wanted to end the war quickly
Cornwallis marched to Virginia
Lafayette led continental forces and pushed Cornwallis back
Cornwallis retreated to Yorktown, VA