Battles in the Revolutionary War

Battle of Guilford Courthouse

    On March 15, 1780, a battle between the Americans, led by Greene, and the British, led by Cornwallis, occurred at Guilford Courthouse, NC.  Greene divided his army of about four thousand four hundred into three lines with the first two lines made up of Virginia and North Carolina militia and the last line made up of Continental regulars.  The first and second line each when attacked by the band of two thousand British men they retreated to the back.  The British did not face trouble until they tried to reach the third line because of rough land in-between the second and third lines.  Greene decided that since he had lost only about three hundred of his army and letting his last line attack would help the British more than his army to retreat leaving the British the winners of this battle.  Cornwallis was in worse shape then Greene, he had to retreat to find a safe camp and supplies.

Battle of Camden

    In Camden, South Carolina on August 16, 1780 the battle of Camden occurred.  This battle was the Americans against the British.  The general for the British was Lord Cornwallis and the general for the Americans was Horatio Gates.  Cornwallis troops of 2,043 were out numbered by Gates troops of 3,100.  In the safety of the night, both troops were trying to sneak up on the other but they ended up meeting each other at a place between two swamps.  The American militia was told to attack the left line of the British but instead a full British line attacked the militia and they retreated.  The right side of the American army was the Continental troops.  This side was standing strong until the British attacked from the back.  The Americans fell and the British won.  The lose because of death and injury for the British was three hundred and twenty four. The Americans lost two thousand to injury, death, and prisoners. This battle secured the British’s hold on South Carolina for the time being.

Battle of Kings Mountain

     When Lord Cornwallis left Camden after his battle, he sent Patrick Ferguson into the Ninety-Six district of South Carolina to protect his left side of his army.  When Ferguson arrived in Gilbert Town he threatened to destroy their homes and hang their leaders unless the patriots laid down their arms, and the patriots became furious with Ferguson. 

        On October 7, 1780 Major Patrick Ferguson and his troops camped out on Kings Mountain, thinking this was an area that would be hard for the patriots to attack. Shortly after Ferguson and his loyalist troops set up camp, the patriots (led by John Sevier, Joseph and Charles McDowell and Isaac Shelby) started to surround the bottom of the mountain.  At three o'clock that day, the loyalists noticed them around the mountain, and the fighting began.  The patriots fired first, but when the loyalist fired back, they soon realized that the patriots were protected by the thick forest.

      After an hour of fighting Ferguson had been shot several times, and the last bullet killed him.  This is when the Loyalist decided to surrender and after an hour and five minutes of fighting, the white flag was raised.  Two hundred twenty-five Loyalist were killed along with 163 wounded and 716 prisoners. Only twenty eight Patriots were killed, and sixty-eight were wounded. Many historians consider this battle the "turning point of the south".

The End of the War

    The Tory War was a bloody civil war between Whigs and Tories (Loyalists).  They fought for their homes and communities.  During these years, the Loyalists were guilty of murder, plunder, arson, and attacks on women.  David Fanning, a Loyalist leader, captured 200 prisoners.  In 1783, the “Act of Pardon and Oblivion” was passed, accepting Tories back into the community.  The Treaty of Paris in 1783, ended the Revolutionary War.