Revolutionary Heroes of the Southern Campaign - Generals Greene and Morgan and Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion

Revolutionary Heroes of the Southern Campaign - Generals Nathanael Greene, Daniel Morgan and Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion

The Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War was the central theater of military operations in the second half of the American Revolutionary War, 1778–1781.   It encompassed engagements primarily in Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Tactics consisted of both strategic battles and guerrilla warfare.

In October 1780, Washington appointed General Nathanael Greene as the commander of the Continental Army in the southern theater, where he was involved in several engagements, primarily in Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina.  After taking command, Greene engaged in a successful campaign of guerrilla warfare with his top generals in the theater, Daniel Morgan and Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion, against a numerically superior British force led by Charles Cornwallis.  He gained several strategic victories at Guilford Court House, Hobkirk's Hill, Eutaw Springs and Cowpens eroding British control over the American South.  Major fighting on land came to an end following the surrender of Cornwallis at the siege of Yorktown in October 1781, but Greene continued to serve in the Continental Army until late 1783.

On October 13, 1780, Daniel Morgan received his promotion to Brigadier General.  Morgan met his new Department Commander, Nathanael Greene, on December 3, 1780, at Charlotte, North Carolina.  Greene did not change his command assignment, but did give him new orders.  Greene had decided to split his army and annoy the enemy in order to buy time to rebuild his force.  He gave Morgan's command of about 600 men the job of foraging and enemy harassment in the backcountry of South Carolina. 

Morgan chose to make his stand at Cowpens, South Carolina. On the morning of January 17, 1781, they met British Lieutenant Colonel Tarleton in the Battle of Cowpens.  Morgan had been joined by militia forces under Andrew Pickens and William Washington's dragoons. 

Morgan's plan took advantage of Tarleton's tendency for quick action and his disdain for the militia, as well as the longer range and accuracy of his Virginia riflemen.  The marksmen were positioned to the front, followed by the militia, with the regulars at the hilltop.  The first two units were to withdraw as soon as they were seriously threatened, but after inflicting damage.  This would invite a premature charge from the British.

The tactic resulted in a double envelopment. As the British forces approached, the Americans, with their backs turned to the British, reloaded their muskets. When the British got close to the Americans, they turned and fired at point-blank range.  In less than an hour, Tarleton's 1,076 men suffered 110 killed and 830 captured; 200 British prisoners of war were wounded, a huge victory for the Continental Army in the Southern Campaign. 

Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion showed himself to be a singularly able leader of irregular militiamen and ruthless in his terrorizing of Loyalists.  Unlike the Continental Army, Marion's Men, as they were known, served without pay, supplied their own horses, arms and often their food.  Marion's Men operated from a base camp on Snow's Island in Florence County.  Marion rarely committed his men to frontal warfare but repeatedly bewildered larger bodies of Loyalists or British regulars with quick surprise attacks and equally sudden withdrawal from the field.  Marion not only annoyed and harassed the British and their loyalists, but he and his men became experts at rescuing Continental prisoners, one time breaking 150 of them out of their prison camp at once.  After their capture of Charleston, the British garrisoned South Carolina with help from local Loyalists, except for Williamsburg, which they were never able to hold.  The British made one attempt to garrison Williamsburg at the colonial village of Hilltown but were driven out by Marion at the Battle of Black Mingo.  Tarleton named Marion the "Swamp Fox" because he could never catch him in the woods or swampy areas of the lowcountry of South Carolina.

We review several short videos and comment on them, and then we go over the 25 Interesting Facts about Greene, Morgan and Marion - these heroes of the Southern Campaign.

 

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