CHAPTER CXXXI.

PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, CONTINUED.— Events at the South.

1. WE have been carried forward a little in the history of the war, in

GENERAL GREENE.

order to finish the story of Arnold. Let us now return to Washington and the American army, whom we left stunned with amazement at the conduct of the traitor, at West Point.

2. The troops wintered-17801781, for the most part in New Jersey, as they had done the year before. In the spring of 1781, the Pennsylvania troops, to the number of thirteen hundred, revolted and rebelled for want of pay. It was found, on examination, that their complaints were well founded. Their claims being met, the rebellion ceased.

The

3. Little was done at the north, during the year 1781, except what has been mentioned in connection with the story of Arnold. theatre of war was principally at the south. General Greene had succeeded to General Gates, as the commander-in-chief of the army there, and affairs soon began to wear a more favorable aspect.

4. A brilliant victory was gained, January 17th, of this year, by a part of General Greene's army, under General Morgan, at a place called the Cowpens, in the western part of South Carolina, near King's Mountain, over a detachment of British troops under Colonel Tarleton. Thʊ latter had one thousand of the best men of the army; the former about five hundred regulars and a few raw militia, only half clothed and hal fed.

5. The Americans, with a loss of only twelve in killed and sixty wounded, took five hundred prisoners, besides twelve standards, two pieces of artillery, eight hundred muskets, thirty-five baggage wagons,

CHAP. CXXXI.-2. Where did the American troops winter 1780-1781? What of the troops in the spring of 1781? 3. Who succeeded General Gates in command at the south? 4. Describe the battle of the Cowpens. 5. What was the loss of the Americans? What prisoners and baggage fell into their hands?

WAR AT THE SOUTH.

273

and one hundred horses, and killed one hundred and wounded two hundred men. So disastrous

GENERAL MORGAN.

an event gave a permanent check to the progress of the British troops in the Southern

states.

6. At the time of the defeat of Tarleton, Lord Cornwallis was on the point of invading North Carolina, but he now went in pursuit of General Morgan, who made a rapid retreat. General Greene, suspecting Cornwallis' intentions, set out with his troops to reinforce Morgan. Having left the main body of his army at the left bank of the Pedee River, opposite Cheraw, he arrived, and took command of Morgan's division, closely pursued however by Cornwallis.

7. By a series of masterly movements, and great good fortune, the season seeming to

aid him and his troops, Greene baffled his pursuers, until at last, having joined his forces and received several reinforcements, his army amounting to forty-four hundred men, he took a station at Guilford court-house,* and awaited the enemy.

8. Here on the 15th March, he was attacked by the British, commanded by Cornwallis in person. A severe engagement followed, in which, though the enemy lost in killed and wounded about five hundred men, they were at last victorious. The Americans lost about four hundred men, mostly regular troops-the militia having fled at the beginning of the battle. But the result of the engagement to the ritish was little less injurious than a defeat.

3. Another battle was fought, on the 25th of April, near Camden. The British had fortified the place, and left Lord Rawdon and nine hun

6. What of Lord Cornwallis? 7. What of the movements of General Greene? 8. What of the battle at Guilford court-house? 9. What of the battle of Camden?

*Guilford court-house was about six miles south of the present Greensborough, in North Carolina, eighty miles north-west of Raleigh. Camden, in South Carolina, as already stated, is one hundred and ten miles north-west from Charleston.

dred men to guard it. General Greene, with twelve hundred men attacked them, but was at length obliged to retreat without accomplishing his purpose.

10. But all these victories of the British were dearly bought, and were fast reducing their strength. The defence of Camden alone, though successful, had cost them nearly three hundred out of nine hundred men. It was therefore concluded, not only to evacuate Camden, but also all their other posts in Carolina, except Ninety-Six* and Charleston. Here they still had strong forces.

11. The former place, Ninety-Six, was attacked by General Greene on the 18th of June, but he was again unsuccessful, though the British some time afterward evacuated the place and retired to the Eutaw Springs, forty miles north-west from Charleston. A close engagement took place at these Springs, September 8th, in which both sides claimed the victory. The British lost, in killed, wounded, and missing, eleven hundred men; the Americans half as many.

12. This finished the war, for the time, in South Carolina. The British retired to Charleston, and General Greene, satisfied with driving them out of the country, did not molest them further. For his good conduct at Eutaw Springs and elsewhere, Congress presented him with a British standard and a gold medal.

CHAPTER CXXXII.

PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, CONTINUED.-Naval Operations.

1. THE naval operations of the Revolutionary war have been alluded to in connection with the story of Paul Jones. A few other engagements, in the years 1779, 1780, and 1781, remain to be mentioned.

2. Some time in the spring of the year 1779, the Hampden, a twentytwo-gun ship that sailed from Massachusetts, engaged an English vessel, five hundred miles north of the A-zores'. In this action, though the Hampden was obliged to haul off, the British were not disposed to triumph. This is said to have been one of the most closely contested actions of the war.

10. What was the effect of their success upon the British? 11. What place was attacked by General Greene? What of Eutaw Springs? 12. What of General Greene? lid the British retire?

CHAP. CXXXII-2. What of the Hampden?

Where

*Ninety-Six was in South Carolina, one hundred and fifty miles north-west from Charleston.

NAVAL OPERATIONS.

275

3. During the summer of 1779, Commodore Nicholson, with two ships, one of thirty-two guns, and the other of twenty-four, made a cruise, in which he took many prizes, but fought no important battle. The Providence, of twelve guns, this year took the Diligent, a British vessel of equal size; and the Hazard, of fourteen guns, took the British vessel Active, of eighteen guns, after a bloody battle of thirty minutes. 4. During the early part of the year 1780, while the French fleet, under Count d'Estaing, was in the West Indies, the British, by means of their superior force, were able to capture or destroy a considerable part of the little navy of the United States. The Providence, twentyeight guns, the Queen of France, twenty-eight, the Boston, twentyfour, the Ranger, eighteen, and several others, successively fell into their hands.

5. On the 2d of June, a most severely contested action was fought, some five hundred miles eastward of the coast of Virginia, between the Trumbull, of twenty-eight guns, Commodore Nicholson, and the Wyatt, Captain Coulthard, of thirty-two or thirty-six guns. The Trumbull had thirty-nine men killed and wounded; the Wyatt nearly a hundred. The latter, though severely injured, escaped.

6. In October, of the same year, the Saratoga, of sixteen guns, Captain Young, captured a British ship of war and two brigs, after a short but very spirited action. The Saratoga was run alongside of the enemy's vessel at once, and her men boarded her and fought for victory on the deck of the enemy's ship, and against a force double their own.

7. During the year 1781, the Alliance, of thirty-two guns, Captain Barry, had several engagements with vessels nearly her own size, in all of which she was victorious. The principal of these was on the 28th of May. On this occasion she fought two ships, one of sixteen guns and another of fourteen. Both were taken.

8. The Trumbull, still under the command of Commodore Nicholson, had a most sanguinary engagement, on the 8th of August of this year, off the Capes of Delaware, with the British frigate Iris, of thirty-two guns, and the Shark, of eighteen, in which the Trumbull was finally captured; but not till she had first almost disabled the Iris.

9. Some other engagements took place on the ocean, both in 1781 and 1782, but they were chiefly of the same general character with those described above. Let us now return to the war in the Southern states, and especially the operations of Cornwallis.

3. What of Commodore Nicholson? What British ships were taken in 1779? 4. What was done by the British navy in the year 1780? 5. Describe the action of the 24 June 6 That of October. 7. What was done by the Alliance? 8. What of the engagement be tween the Trumbull and the Iris and Sbark? 9. Other engagements?

CHAPTER CXXXIII.

PERIOD OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, CONTINUED.

render of Lord Cornwallis.

1. Soon after the battle at Guilford court-house, Cornwallis left

at Petersburg, and hastened with his troops to meet him.

2. As La Fayette approached Petersburg, Cornwallis offered him battle; but finding his forces greatly inferior to those of the British, he chose to retreat, and wait for reinforcements. Meanwhile, Washington and other officers at the north were making every possible preparation for an attack upon New York; and were already concentrating their forces, including the French, under Rochambeau, at Kingsbridge.

3. About this time, Cornwallis received a reinforcement of troops, upon which, after various movements, he marched to Yorktown,* near the head of York River, on its southern bank, and forthwith began to fortify the place, as well as Gloucester, on the opposite side of the river. His whole force now amounted to about seven thousand men.

CHAP. CXXXIII.-1. What did Lord Cornwallis do soon after the battle at Guilford court-house? What of the French fleet? What did La Fayette then do? 2 What was being done by the American and French forces? 3. What of Cornwallis? His force? *Yorktown, the capital of York county, in Virginia, is a small place, situated on the south side of York River, about seven miles from its entrance into the Chesapeake. It is seventy miles south-east of Richmond.