The War Moves South 125the supposed presence of many Tories in the South,
and the possibility of obtaining the help of slaves, the
British concentrated their efforts in South Carolina
and Georgia. Savannah fell to them late in 1778, and
most of the settled parts of Georgia were overrun dur-
ing 1779. In 1780 Clinton led a massive expedition
against Charleston. When the city surrendered in May,
more than 3,000 soldiers were captured, the most
overwhelming American defeat of the war. Leaving
General Cornwallis and some 8,000 men to carry on
the campaign, Clinton then sailed back to New York.
The Tories in South Carolina and Georgia came
closer to meeting British expectations than in any other
region, but the callous behavior of the British troops
persuaded large numbers of hesitating citizens to join
the Patriot cause. Guerrilla bands led by Francis Marion,
the “Swamp Fox,” Thomas Sumter (after whom Fort
Sumter, famous in the Civil War, was named), and oth-
ers like them provided a nucleus of resistance in areas
that had supposedly been subdued. (For an additional
perspective on this campaign, see Re-Viewing the Past at
the end of this chapter about the movie, The Patriot.)ATLANTIC
OCEANCh
es
ap
eak
eB
ay
MonticelloCharlotteWilmingtonGeorgetownSavannahAugustaWinnsboro CamdenCowpensGuilford Court
HouseCharleston
capturedPetersburgRichmondYorktownBritish advance
Battle (British victory)
Battle (American victory)
Loyalist strongholds
Divided between Patriots
and Loyalists
Patriot strongholds
Indians
Town still held by British,
end 1781Kings MountainMARYLAND
DELAWAREGEORGIASPANISH TERRITORYNEW
JERSEYPENNSYLVANIAVIRGINIANORTH
CAROLINASOUTH
CAROLINAClintonsai
lswithCo
rnwalli
sfromNe
wYork
,D
ec.
17
79Detach
mentCampaign in the South, 1779–1781In 1779 the British moved south, seeking support from
Loyalist strongholds in the port cities of Savannah, Charleston, and Wilmington, as well as some
interior regions. After taking Charleston, the British were harried throughout South Carolina and
North Carolina, prompting their retreat northward to Virginia.