Western History 122: How did the Revolutionary War evolve from 1779 to 1783?

1779 started well for the Continental forces with victories at Port Royal Island, Kettle Creek and Vincennes. However the British recorded a victory at Battle Creek. In June 21^st, the American situation was bolstered by Spain declaring War on Britain. The American General “Mad” Anthony Wayne captured Stony Point, NY in July and two months later John Paul Jones (the father of the US Navy) captured the man-of-war, Serapsis, close to the British coast. However the American drive was stalled at Savannah..

John Paul Jones - Father of the US Navy source:librarypoint.org

The winter between 1779/80 was one of the harshest on record  and it served to stall most fighting in the early part of the year. However when the war resumed the British started off strongly capturing Charleston and winning at Waxhaw Creek.  In August another British victory was secured at Camden. A month later Benedict Arnold’s plan to cede West Point to the British was revealed. 

As the year progressed momentum  shifted toward the Continental side. King’s Mountain proved to be a spectacular victory that left the British General Charles Cornwallis’s forces reeling. Soon afterward Washington would place his Southern forces under the command of Maj. General Nathanael Greene.

Nathanael Greene source: researchingtheamericanrevolution.com

Nevertheless the American comeback was jeopardized by a troop mutiny over unpaid wages in early 1781. An American victory at Cowpens was counterbalanced by British success at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.

In March of 1781 the Articles of Confederation (forerunner to the US Constitution) was adopted by the Continental Congress, whose guiding principle was to ensure the  sovereignty of the states. At its core was a “league of friendship” between the states.

Articles of Confederation source: sesp.nortwestern.edu

On the war front the results were again mixed . Greene was defeated at Hobkirk’s Hill and Eutaw Springs but the Americans did succeed in recapturing Augusta, GA.

On the 15^th of September though the war  made a dramatic turn. The French fleet drove the British navy from Chesapeake Bay. On October 19^th Cornwallis’s British troops were defeated at Yorktown and blocked from escape by the French fleet. It was the beginning of the end for the British.

Battle of Yorktown source: history.com

Surrender of Cornwallis source: flickr.com

By March 1782, Lord North the British Prime Minister who had actively pursued the war resigned. On July 11^th the British evacuated Savannah and by November 30^th the Preliminary Articles of Peace were signed. On December 14^th the British left Charleston, SC.

The Signing of the Treaty of Paris source: medium.com

·        Congress ratified the preliminary treaty in April 1783 with the final agreement, the Treaty of Paris signed between Great Britain and the United States on September 3^rd.  The Americans had won their Independence. British troops finally evacuated New York City on November 25^th.