ious for the security of New York City, then
departed, leaving Cornwallis with his much-
desired independent command of 8,000 men.
Beforehand, Clinton carefully instructed his
subordinate to secure the two southernmost
states for the British cause before proceeding
northward.
Cornwallis, probably with Germain’s bless-
ing, was disinclined to follow Clinton’s sound
advice. Advancing inland with 2,400 men, he
encountered the larger army of Gen. Horatio
Gates at Camden on August 16, 1780, and
gave battle. With tactical wizardry, Cornwallis
managed to turn both American flanks simul-
taneously and literally destroyed Gates’s com-
mand. Moreover, he unleashed his mounted
troops under Col. Banastre Tarleton, who
conducted a miniature campaign of terror to
make the rebels cower in submission. On Au-
gust 18, 1780, Tarleton surprised and annihi-
lated a guerrilla band under Col. Thomas
Sumter at Fishing Creek.
With American resistance crumbling every-
where around him, Cornwallis chose to delib-
erately ignore Clinton’s directives. He
launched an all-out advance into North Car-
olina, even though resistance, thanks to Tar-
leton’s barbarity, was stiffening. On October 7,
1780, an American force of militia attacked
and wiped out Col. Patrick Ferguson’s Loyal-
ist column at King’s Mountain, depriving the
British of many useful light troops. Cornwallis
temporarily suspended his offensive and fell
back. Then a new American commander, Gen.
Nathaniel Greene, arrived and daringly di-
vided his command, sending half under Col.
Daniel Morgan to tackle Tarleton’s marauders.
At Cowpens on January 17, 1781, the Ameri-
cans fought brilliantly and destroyed Tarleton
as a fighting force. This defeat spurred Corn-
wallis to pursue the elusive Americans, and
after two months of hard marching he finally
cornered the elusive Greene at Guilford Court-
house on March 15, 1781.
The ensuing conflict pitted 4,400 Ameri-
cans, largely militia, against 1,900 hard-bitten
British veterans. Aware of his qualitative dis-
advantage, Greene arrayed his militia in two
lines, with orders to fire three volleys and fall
back upon his third line of steady Continen-
tals. Disregarding the odds, Cornwallis and
Gen. Alexander Leslie attacked head-on,
taking heavy losses but driving the Americans
back. When Greene’s third line suddenly
charged and brought the Guards Brigade of
Gen. Charles O’Harato a halt, Cornwallis
ordered his artillery fired into the struggling
mass, killing many of his own men. This infu-
sion of firepower prompted Greene to retreat
in good order. Cornwallis had triumphed
again, but at a terrible cost: 93 British were
killed and 439 wounded, nearly a third of his
entire army. Greene, by comparison, had sus-
tained only 78 killed and 183 wounded. Stag-
gered by such losses, Cornwallis felt he had
no choice but to abandon North Carolina, so
he marched into Virginia to join British forces
under Gen. William Phillips,already there.
Before departing, he assigned Francis Raw-
don-Hastingsto command the handful of
outposts remaining in the Carolinas. This
move, again, was in direct contradiction of
Clinton’s orders, but the general could count
on support from Lord Germain for political
cover.
Cornwallis reached the outskirts of Peters-
burg in May 1781, united with Phillips, and
attempted to bring American forces under the
Marquis de Lafayette to battle. Adroit maneu-
vering by that young leader thwarted all en-
deavors to trap him, although Cornwallis man-
aged to ambush Gen. Anthony Wayne at
Jamestown Ford on July 6, 1781. The British
were then advancing upon Portsmouth when
Cornwallis received positive instructions from
Clinton to secure an enclave on the Virginia
coast and await reinforcements by sea. Corn-
wallis obliged and entrenched at Yorktown
with 7,000 men, closely observed by Lafayette
at a discrete distance.
When General Washington, then at New
York, was alerted to these developments, he
organized a brilliant secret march and moved
the bulk of his army southward. By the time
Clinton realized he was gone, Washington had
been joined by large French forces underCORNWALLIS, CHARLES