SOUTHERN GAMBIT: Cornwallis and the British March to Yorktown

1-219080

Outlines the British strategic and operational objectives, devoting particular attention to the strategy of employing Southern Loyalists to help defeat Patriot forces, reestablish royal authority, and tamp down resurgent Patriot activity. Focuses on Cornwallis' operations in the Carolinas and Virginia that ultimately led to the surrender at Yorktown in October 1781. Reveals the flaws in this approach, most notably a fatal misunderstanding of the nature of the war in the South and of the Loyalists' support. Compounding this was the strategic incoherence of seeking a conventional war against a brilliant, unconventional opponent, and doing so amidst a breakdown in the unity of command. Includes 30 black and white illustrations and 8 maps.