Battle of Guilford Court House
Battle of Guilford Court House | |||||||
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Part of the American Revolutionary War | |||||||
Battle of Guilford Court House, a portrait of the battle by H. Charles McBarron Jr. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Great Britain | United States | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Charles Cornwallis Banastre Tarleton Charles O'Hara (WIA) | Nathanael Greene | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
2,100[1] | 4,500[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
93 killed 408 wounded 25 missing or captured[2][3] |
79–94 killed[4][5] 184–211 wounded[5] 75 wounded prisoners[4][6] 971–1,046 missing[4][6][7] | ||||||
The Battle of Guilford Court House was on March 15, 1781, during the
The battle was "the largest and most hotly contested action"[9] in the American Revolution's southern theater. Before the battle, the British had great success in conquering much of Georgia and South Carolina with the aid of strong Loyalist factions and thought that North Carolina might be within their grasp. In fact, the British were in the process of heavy recruitment in North Carolina when this battle put an end to their recruiting drive. In the wake of the battle, Greene moved into South Carolina, while Cornwallis chose to march into Virginia and attempt to link with roughly 3,500 men under British Major General Phillips and American turncoat Benedict Arnold. These decisions allowed Greene to unravel British control of the South, while leading Cornwallis to Yorktown, where he eventually surrendered to General George Washington and French Lieutenant General Comte de Rochambeau.
The battle is commemorated at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park and associated Hoskins House Historic District.
Prelude
On 18 January, Cornwallis learned he had lost one-quarter of his army at the Battle of Cowpens. Yet he was still determined to pursue Greene into North Carolina and destroy Greene's army. According to Cornwallis, "The loss of my light troops could only be remedied by the activity of the whole corps." At Ramsour's Mill, Cornwallis burned his baggage train, except the wagons he needed to carry medical supplies, salt, ammunition, and the sick. In the words of Charles O'Hara, "In this situation, without Baggage, necessaries, or Provisions of any sort...it was resolved to follow Greene's army to the end of the World." As Cornwallis departed Ramsour's Mill on 28 January, Greene sought to reunite his command but ordered Edward Carrington to prepare for possible retreat across the Dan River into Virginia. In Greene's words, "It is necessary we should take every possible precaution. But I am not without hopes of ruining Lord Cornwallis, if he persists in his mad scheme of pushing through the Country..."
On 3 February, Greene joined
On 19 February, Greene sent
On 14 March, Cornwallis learned that Greene was at Guilford Court House. On 15 March, Cornwallis marched down the road from New Garden toward Guilford Courthouse. The advance guard of both armies collided near the
Battle
Greene had deployed his army in three lines. Greene's first line was along a split-rail fence, where the New Camden road emerged from the woods. On the right was Butler's regiment of 500 North Carolina militia, plus Charles Lynch's 200 Virginia riflemen, William Washington's 90 dragoons, and Robert Kirkwood's 80 man Delaware Line. On the left was Eaton's regiment of 500 North Carolina militia, along with William Campbell's 200 riflemen, and Lee's Legion of 75 horse and 82 foot. In the middle was a dual six-pounder battery led by Anthony Singleton. Greene's second line was 350 yards (320 m) behind the first: 1200 Virginia militia, led by Robert Lawson and Edward Stevens. Greene's third line was another 550 yards (500 m) to the right rear, in a clearing: 1400 Continentals, including Isaac Huger's Virginia Brigade, Otho Holland Williams's Maryland Brigade, and Peter Jacquett's Delaware Company. Between the Virginia and Maryland units was a battery of two six-pounders, led by Samuel Finley.[10]: 372–373
On 15 March, Cornwallis's column appeared along the New Camden Road at 1:30 P.M, and Singleton commenced firing his two six-pounders, while John McLeod's
The British moved forward. The North Carolina militia, according to Singleton, "contrary to custom, behaved well for militia" and fired their volley. Captain Dugald Stuart noted, "One half of the Highlanders dropt on that spot."
As the British moved through the woods, the contest reduced to small firefights, as the British forced the Virginians back. Cornwallis, despite having a horse shot from under him, led the British clearing of the woods. The British then faced the Continentals in Greene's third line.[10]: 377
James Webster led the first British units out of the woods—the Jägers, the light infantry of the Guards, and the 33rd Foot—in a charge against the Continentals. The British were able to come within a 100 feet (30 m) before they were repulsed by the Continental volley of the 1st Maryland and Delaware companies. However, as the 2nd Guards cleared the woods, they forced the 2nd Maryland to run and captured Finley's two six-pounders. The 1st Maryland then turned and engaged the 2nd Guards. William Washington's dragoons charged through the rear of the 2nd Guards, turned, and charged through the 2nd Guards a second time. A 1st Maryland
Cornwallis then ordered McLeod to fire grapeshot into the mass of fighting men. The grape killed Americans and British but cleared the field of both. Cornwallis then advanced toward the gap left by the 2nd Maryland. At 3:30 P.M. Greene ordered his troops to withdraw under covering fire by the 4th Virginians. Cornwallis initially ordered a pursuit but recalled his men. In the words of Buchanan, "...reduced to slightly over 1400 effectives...Cornwallis, had ruined his army."[10]: 379–380
Aftermath
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2022) |
The battle lasted ninety minutes. The British engaged half as many as the Americans yet won possession of the battlefield. However, almost a quarter of the British became casualties. The Americans withdrew intact, which accomplished Greene's primary objective.
The British, by holding ground with their usual tenacity despite fewer troops, were victorious. However, Cornwallis suffered unsustainable casualties and subsequently withdrew to the coast to re-group, leaving the Americans with the strategic advantage.
In a letter to Lord George Germain delivered by Cornwallis's aide-de-camp, Captain Broderick, Cornwallis commented: "From our observation, and the best accounts we could procure, we did not doubt but the strength of the enemy exceeded 7,000 men...I cannot ascertain the loss of the enemy, but it must have been considerable; between 200 and 300 dead were left on the field of battle...many of their wounded escaped...Our forage parties have reported to me that houses in a circle six to eight miles around us are full of others...We took few prisoners."
Cornwallis wrote about the British force, "The conduct and actions of the officers and soldiers that composed this little army will do more justice to their merit than I can by words. Their persevering intrepidity in action, their invincible patience in the hardships and fatigues of a march of above 600 miles, in which they have forded several large rivers and numberless creeks, many of which would be reckoned large rivers in any other country in the world, without tents or covering against the climate, and often without provisions, will sufficiently manifest their ardent zeal for the honour and interests of their Sovereign and their country."
After the battle, the British occupied a large expanse of woodland that offered no food and shelter, and the night brought torrential rains. Fifty of the wounded died before sunrise. Had the British followed the retreating rebels, the redcoats might have come across the rebel baggage and supply wagons, which remained where the Americans had camped on the west bank of the Salisbury road prior to the battle.
On March 17, two days after the battle, Cornwallis reported his casualties as 3 officers and 88 men of other ranks killed, and 24 officers and 384 men of other ranks wounded, with a further 25 men missing in action.
Greene reported his casualties as 57 killed, 111 wounded, and 161 missing among the Continental troops, and 22 killed, 74 wounded, and 885 missing for the militia--a total of 79 killed, 185 wounded, and 1,046 missing.
To avoid another Camden, Greene retreated with his forces intact. With his small army, fewer than 2,000, Cornwallis declined to follow Greene into the back country. Retiring to Hillsborough, Cornwallis raised the royal standard, offered protection to loyalists, and for the moment appeared to be master of Georgia and the two Carolinas. In a few weeks, however, he abandoned the heart of the state and marched to the coast at Wilmington, North Carolina, where he could recruit and refit his army.
At Wilmington Cornwallis faced a serious problem. Instead of remaining in North Carolina, he wished to march into
General Greene boldly pushed toward Camden and Charleston, South Carolina with a view to drawing Cornwallis to the points where he was the year before, as well as driving back Lord Rawdon, whom Cornwallis had left in that field. In his main object—the recovery of the southern states—Greene succeeded by the close of the year, but not without hard fighting and reverses. Greene said, "We fight, get beat, rise, and fight again."
Legacy
Every year, on or about March 15, re-enactors in period uniforms present a tactical demonstration of Revolutionary War fighting techniques on or near the battle site, major portions of which are preserved in the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, established in 1917. Recent research has shown that the battlefield extended into the area now within the boundaries of the adjacent Greensboro Country Park to the east.
The American Battlefield Trust and its partners have saved more than an acre of the battlefield at the site of the British attack on the first line and have turned the land over to the National Park Service for inclusion in the national park.[21]
Three current Army National Guard units (116th IN,
On Sunday, March 13, 2016, a Crown Forces Monument was opened at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in honor of the officers and men of Cornwallis's army.[25][26]
The town of
See also
- American Revolutionary War § War in the South. Places the Battle of Guilford Court House in overall sequence and strategic context.
- Snow Camp Outdoor Theaterwhich tells some of the story of the aftermath of the battle through the play The Sword of Peace by William Hardy.
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-932714-94-4. p. 286.
- ^ Babits and Howard (2009) page 173
- ^ Rodgers, 1977. p. 224.
- ^ a b c d Guilford Courthouse: A Pivotal Battle in the War for Independence, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan gives 79 killed, 185 wounded. The difference between Savas with 70 and NPS with 79 could be a typo in one of the sources.
- ^ a b Babits and Howard (2009), page 175
- ^ ISBN 978-0807820940), page 441, gives 75 wounded prisoners and 971 missing, totaling the same 1,046 missing shown by Savas
- ^ The maximum figures for killed and wounded (94 killed and 211 wounded) leave 42 fewer men unaccounted for than the minimum numbers (79 killed and 184 wounded).
- ^ Babits, Lawrence E.; Howard, Joshua B. (2009). Long, Obstinate, and Bloody: The Battle of Guilford Courthouse. The University of North Carolina Press. p. 122.
- ^ "Guilford Courthouse National Military Park". Museum Management Program. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. 6 June 2002. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9780471327165.
- ^ [1] New Garden, Battle of by Lindley S. Butler, 2006
- ^ "The American Revolution - (The Battle of Guilford Courthouse)". www.theamericanrevolution.org. Archived from the original on 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
- ^ McGrath, Nick. "Battle of Guilford Courthouse". George Washington’s Mount Vernon: Digital Encyclopedia. Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
In three hours, Cornwallis's army took possession of the field, but it was a Pyrrhic victory.... Cornwallis could not afford the casualties and withdrew to Wilmington. By doing so, Cornwallis ceded control of the countryside to the rebels.
- ISBN 0-915992-06-X
- ^ The British Army of the 18th Century, pg.224
- ^ Tarleton Archived 2017-04-27 at the Wayback Machine; essay by Janie B. Cheaney; retrieved;[ISBN unspecified]
- ^ Showman, The Papers of General Nathanael Greene, Volume 7, page 441, referring to a letter from Major Charles Magill to Governor Thomas Jefferson of Virginia on March 19, 1781.
- ISBN 0-471-32716-6
- ^ Babits and Howard (2009), p. 175
- ^ Savas and Dameron (2010), p. 291.
- ^ "Guilford Courthouse Battlefield". American Battlefield Trust. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
- ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 116th Infantry. Reproduced in Sawicki 1981, pp. 227–229.
- ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 175th Infantry. Reproduced in Sawicki 1982, pp. 343–345.
- ^ Department of the Army, Lineage and Honors, 198th Signal Battalion.
- ^ Crown Forces Monument, guilfordbattlegroundcompany, retrieved 2015-11-02
- ^ Crown Forces Monument, wfmynews2, retrieved 2015-11-02
- ^ Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts: A.J. Coolidge. p. 500.
coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
- ^ "New Hampshire Historical Highway Markers" (PDF). NH.gov. New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources. November 2, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2019.
Further reading
- Agniel, Lucien. The late affair has almost broke my heart;: The American Revolution in the South, 1780-1781 Chatham Press, 1972, ISBN 0-85699-036-1.
- ISBN 978-0-8078-3266-0
- Baker, Thomas E. Another Such Victory: The Story of the American Defeat at Guilford Courthouse that Helped Win the War for Independence Eastern National, 1999, ISBN 0-915992-06-X.
- Chidsey, Donald Barr. The war in the South: The Carolinas and Georgia in the American Revolution Crown Publishers, 1971. Carolina Press, Chapel Hill and London, ISBN 978-0-8078-2094-0.
- Davis, Burke. The Cowpens-Guilford Courthouse Campaign University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002, ISBN 0-8122-1832-9.
- Hairr, John. Guilford Courthouse Da Capo Press, 2002, ISBN 0-306-81171-5.
- Konstam, Angus. Guilford Courthouse 1781: Lord Cornwallis's Ruinous Victory Osprey Publishing, 2002, ISBN 1-84176-411-6.
- Lumpkin, Henry. From Savannah to Yorktown: The American Revolution in the South Paragon House, 1987, ISBN 0-595-00097-5.
- Rodgers, H.C.B. "the British Army in the 18th Century" George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1977
- Sawicki, James A. Infantry Regiments of the US Army. Dumfries, VA: Wyvern Publications, 1981. ISBN 978-0-9602404-3-2.
- Showman, Richard K.; Conrad, Denis M.; Parks, Roger N. (editors). "The Papers of Nathanael Greene, Volume 7: 26 December 1780-29 March 1781." University of North Carolina Press. First Edition Printing (May 27, 1994). ISBN 978-0807820940
- Trevelyan, Sir George O. "George the Third and Charles Fox: The Concluding Part of The American Revolution". New York and elsewhere: Longmans, Green and Co., 1914
- Ward, Christopher. War of the Revolution (two volumes), MacMillan, New York, 1952