CHAPTER 7 • SECTION 3
Savannah and Charles Town Fall In December 1778, the British captured
the port of Savannah, Georgia. (See Map A on p. 215.) They then conquered
most of Georgia. In 1780, a British army led by General Henry Clinton
landed in South Carolina. They trapped American forces in Charles Town
(now Charleston), the largest Southern city. The Battle of Charles Town ended
when the city surrendered. The Americans lost almost their entire Southern
army. It was the worst American defeat of the war.
After that loss, Congress assigned General Horatio Gates—the victor at
Saratoga—to form a new Southern army. Continental soldiers led by Baron
de Kalb formed the army’s core. Gates added about 2,000 new and untrained
militia. He then headed for Camden, South Carolina, to challenge the army
Cornwallis. (Cornwallis had assumed control
led by the British general Lord Cornwallis
of British forces after Clinton returned to New York.)
In August 1780, Gates’s army ran into British troops outside Camden.
(See Map A on p. 215.) The Americans were in no condition to fight. They
were out of supplies and half-starved. Even worse, Gates put the inexperienced militia along part of the frontline instead of behind the veterans.
When the British attacked, the militia panicked and ran. Gates also fled,
More About . . .
The Battle of Camden
Considered to be one of the worst
American losses in the Revolutionary War,
two huge armies clashed at the Battle of
Camden, August 6, 1780. Around 3,400
Americans faced 2,200 British soldiers,
yet Britain prevailed in a crushing victory.
Besides losing critical military supplies, the
Americans suffered a significant loss of
life. Americans suffered 2,000 casualties
compared to just 324 British casualties.
CONNECT
To Today
CONNECT
To Today
Military Communication
MILITARY COMMUNICATION
One method of military communication that
was first used by the American army during
the Revolutionary War was the bugle. The
commander would assign different actions
to specific calls. The U.S. Army still uses the
bugle call as a method of communication
to signal various activities to be done
throughout the day.
In the 18th century, military communications were
painfully slow. Ships from London might take up to
four months to bring orders to British generals.
Mail did not travel much faster within America
itself. British General Cornwallis was frustrated by
the “delay and difficulty of conveying letters” and
“the impossibility of waiting for answers.” Not only
were journeys long, but bands of Patriots made sure
that British lines of communication were constantly
disrupted.
• How was the bugle a useful method of
communication during the Revolutionary
War? (Possible Answers: It was loud;
different calls communicated signals that
the enemy could not understand.)
CRITICAL THINKING ANSWERS
1. Draw Conclusions British; They
had to communicate across the ocean
by ship, while Americans could send
messages by land much quicker.
2. Evaluate Possible Answers:
Reinforcements, supplies, or rescue
teams can be sent as needed; those
in command have access to more
information; knowledge of enemy
movements can lead to fewer casualties.
A woman gives a
message to an officer of
the Continental Army.
Today, wars are fought with the help of technology
that provides instant communication. Computers
and satellites relay information quickly between
sea, air, and ground forces. For example, a video of
an attack on enemy forces in Afghanistan can be
sent via satellite to the Florida command center and
then relayed live to the White House.
CRITICAL THINKING
1. Draw Conclusions Which side in the Revolutionary War
would have suffered most from slow communications? Why?
2. Evaluate What are the advantages of today’s faster communications?
214 Chapter 7
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
Struggling Readers
English Learners
Use a Map
Language: Punctuation &
Print Cues
Have students take turns locating
Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston,
South Carolina, on a map of the United
States. Have students refer to the map
scale to measure and calculate the
distance in miles between the two cities.
(about 85 miles) Finally, have students
estimate how long they think it would
take an army to march that distance.
Have students share their calculations
and compare results.
214 • Chapter 7
A modern soldier relays
battlefield information.
Point out the parentheses in the text
on p. 214. Explain that the parentheses
either provide readers with background
information or guide readers to a
resource that will support what they just
read. Have students reread the passage
on p. 214 and determine the purpose
of each use of parentheses. Then have
students write a sentence about the
Revolutionary War in which they correctly
incorporate the use of parentheses.
CHAPTER 7 • SECTION 3
War in the South 1778–1781
Map
0
0
50
50
Charlotte
Gates
SOUTH
CAROLINA
100 miles
War in the South 1778–1781
N
Connect Geography
E
W
Co
C
an.
S
Wilmington
C
Fort
Ninety-Six
Camden,
Aug. 16, 1780
ion
or
ar
nw
alli
s
Jan. 1781–April 1781
M
Winnsboro
B
100 kilometers
NORTH CAROLINA
King's Mt.,
Oct. 7, 1780
Map
Dec. 1778–Oct. 1780
A
American forces
British forces
Ch
Charles Town,
G E O R G I A May 12,1780
American victory
0
Savannah,
Dec. 29, 1778
0
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
80°W
50
50
100 miles
British victory
100 kilometers
Connect Geography
History
1. Place Where did the British begin their attacks in the South?
but de Kalb remained with his soldiers and
received fatal wounds. This second defeat in
the South ended Gates’s term as head of an
army. American spirits fell to a new low.
History
ANALYZE Point out that the two maps
show the same geographic region during
two different time periods.
ANSWERS
1. Place Savannah, Georgia
2. Identify Problems and Solutions
Possible Answer: to get more supplies for
his army
2. Identify Problems and Solutions Why do you think
Cornwallis headed for the coast after the Battle of Guilford?
More About . . .
Guerrilla War Although the Americans had been defeated at Camden,
the British were having difficulty controlling the South. The countryside
was hostile and filled with more rebel sympathizers than Loyalists. Rebel
guerrillas repeatedly attacked British messengers. This made it difficult for
British forces moving inland to keep in touch with their bases on the coast.
British commanders in the South were discovering what General Burgoyne
had realized in the North: the countryside was a dangerous place for the
British army.
One of the most famous rebel guerrilla leaders was Francis Marion, called
the “Swamp Fox” because he led cunning attacks from his base in the
swamps. An American officer described Marion’s guerrilla band: “Their
number did not exceed 20 men and boys, some white, some black, and all
mounted, but most of them miserably equipped.” Despite their poor equipment, Marion’s men were able to cut the British supply line that led inland
from Charles Town.
General Greene Takes Charge After Gates’s defeat at Camden, Washington put Nathanael Greene in charge of the Southern army. Greene was
one of Washington’s best generals. In January 1781, he sent part of his army
south to confront Cornwallis. In a formal, linear battle, the Americans won
a spectacular victory at Cowpens. (See Map B above.) The victory proved
that Americans had mastered the formal battle tactics of the British.
Cornwallis’s main army now pursued Greene up into North Carolina.
The British still had the advantage in a full-scale battle due to their greater
The American Revolution 215
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
Struggling Readers
Gifted & Talented
Time Line of Southern Battles
Map Battle Sites
Have students create an annotated time
line of the war in the South. Students
should refer to the maps on p. 215 of
their textbooks. In addition to the date
and location of each battle, students
should write a one-sentence summary
for each entry on their time lines.
Have students choose just one battle site
shown on the two maps on p. 215. They
should:
• find the local area in an atlas.
• trace, shade, and label the area’s
geographic features, including
longitude and latitude.
• add arrows, symbols, captions, and a
key to explain the events of the battle.
• write a paragraph summary of the
battle and its impact.
The Battle of Cowpens
The Battle of Cowpens proved to be a
significant American victory. Named after
the level pasture grazed by cattle, one
reason this site may have been chosen was
because food was readily available for both
horses and men. The horses consumed
grass, while the troops slaughtered freerange cattle and ate fresh beef before and
after the fight.
Teacher-Tested Activities
Meg Robbins, Wilbraham Middle School,
Wilbraham, Massachusetts
I divide the class into pairs to identify a battle
or event in Section 3 and to write about it
from opposing perspectives.
• I read aloud the quote by 16-year-old
James Collins (on page 213). Then I tell my
students to imagine they too are a young
soldier fighting in the years 1778–1781 as
the war moves south.
• I have them decide who in each pair is “A or
B” and then assign “B” to British and “A”
to the American side.
• Next, each must choose a leader and
imagine being in that general’s contingent,
just after the same major battle has
occurred.
• My students enjoy naming their characters
and writing a letter home, describing:
where you are, who your leader is, what
is happening (including battle tactics), and
what this fighting has been like for the
soldiers.
Teacher’s Edition • 215