Chapter 6 Lesson 3 Battlegrounds Shift Essential Question

Chapter 6, Lesson 3 Battlegrounds Shift Essential Question: Why does conflict develop?

Quick Review America is in a war with a richer and more equipped Britain Spain and France have come to help America with money and support (although it still isn’t looking good for America) Slavery is now being questioned by many of the states Women are beginning to question their traditional roles Loyalists are now being outcast from American society by those who are fighting for Indepenence

Fighting in the West Native American groups sided with the British because they were less threatening than the Americans West of the Appalachian Mountains the British and native Americans raided American settlements Chief Joseph Brant and Henry Hamilton led brutal attacks on the Americans George Rogers Clark wanted to end these attacks and set out to capture British posts. He captured Kaskaskia and Vincennes in July. Henry Hamilton then took it back from the Americans in December. Clark vowed to get it back and in February 1779, he forced the British surrender which secured the Americans position in the west

The War at Sea Britain's powerful Navy had a major advantage They’d set up blockades, a measure that keeps a country from communicating and trading with other nations, which kept supplies from entering or leaving American harbors

Privateers To break the blockade, Congress ordered 13 warships, but only 2 made it to sea and several were captured Congress authorized 2, 000 ships to sail as privateers, privately owned ships outfitted with weapons, whose goal was to capture enemy merchant ships and cargo Crews were easy to find for this profitable business During the war, privateers captured more ships than the American navy did

An American Naval Hero One of the greatest war heroes was a daring American, naval officer, named John Paul Jones September 1779, his ship, the Bonhomme Richard, met the British ship, the Serapis, and they fought for hours In the end Serapis surrendered and John Paul Jones was a hero in the Americans eyes

Fighting in the South Americans had won several battles in the south Battle of Moore’s Creek Saved Charles Town Saratoga The new British plans was to focus on the Loyalists in the South (since there were so many) and to use sea power in order to win important victories At first, they were successful………

Early British Success Late 1778, British General Henry Clinton sent 3, 500 troops to Savannah where they occupied most of the city and controlled most of Georgia In 1780, he attacked Charles Town, they surrendered and took thousands of prisoners of war When Clinton left to go back to New York, he left Cornwallis in charge of the forces in the South. Pretty soon, Patriot General Horatio Gates came to challenge Cornwallis. The British won the first encounter, but Cornwallis soon found he could not control the area he had conquered!

Hit-and-Run Tactics British counted on strong Loyalist support, but they received less than they expected As British forces moved through the countryside, they were attacked by Patriots who appeared suddenly, fired, then disappeared. This tactic caught the British off guard. Francis Maron was a successful Patriot known as the “Swamp Fox” and he operated out of the swamps of South Carolina. He was quick and smart and frustrated British soldiers.

Spain’s Help Spain declared war with Great Britain in 1779 Spanish governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez shipped tons of ammunition and supplies to the Americans via the Mississippi River With his help, George Rogers Clark, captured key posts of Kaskaskia and Vincennes Galvez also raised an army to fight the British Galvez’s forces drove the British out of the Gulf of Mexico region

American Successes The British moved northward through the Carolinas and warned the locals to give up their fight for independence The Americans receiving this warning were fiercely independent mountain people who had not been Patriots, nor Loyalists…until the British warning made them mad! They formed a militia army to force the British off their land they killed or captured 1, 000 British soldiers. This victory brought new support from Southerners October 1780 - Nathanael Greene replaced Gates as the commander in the South. Greene split his army into two: one section defeated the British at Cowpens and one section joined Francis Marion’s raids In March, Greene combined his forces and met Cornwallis’s army at Guilford Courthouse, Greene was forced to retreat, but the British suffered great losses

Cornwallis Retreats Cornwallis realized the British had to act quickly More French troops were coming to North America and the Patriots held Virginia which meant supplies and Troops were heading south April 1781, Cornwallis marched north to Virginia and his troops conducted raids Washington sent Lafayette and General Anthony Wayne to push Cornwallis back Cornwallis took shelter at Yorktown The battle for the South was entering its final phase