Towns

SC, USA

Eutaw Springs

Lesson plans and classroom materials.

Winning Without Winning: Greene's Southern Campaign Strategy

8-12 · 2-3 class periods

What you'll get

  • 5 primary sources with analysis prompts
  • Quiz with answer key (5 questions)
  • 3 printable handouts
Print full packet
8-122-3 class periodsCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.3: Analyze in detail a series of events described in a textCCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sourcesD2.His.1.9-12: Evaluate how historical events and developments were shaped by unique circumstances of time and place

Learning Objectives

  1. Students will trace the key engagements of Greene's southern campaign from December 1780 through September 1781
  2. Students will analyze Greene's strategic logic: fighting to impose casualties rather than to win decisive battles
  3. Students will evaluate the Battle of Eutaw Springs as a case study in tactical inconclusion and strategic success
  4. Students will assess what the southern campaign reveals about the relationship between military means and political ends

Essential Questions

  • Can you win a war by not losing battles? What does that look like?
  • How do we evaluate military success — by who controlled the field, or by who achieved their strategic goals?
  • What does the southern campaign tell us about the difference between tactical and strategic thinking?

Procedure

Primary Sources

General Nathanael Greene to the President of Congress: Battle of Eutaw Springs, September 11, 1781

National Archives and Records Administration · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Stewart to Lord Rawdon: Eutaw Springs Dispatch, September 1781

Public Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom) · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

Pension Applications: Eutaw Springs Veterans, North and South Carolina

National Archives and Records Administration · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

South Carolina State Records: Eutaw Springs District, 1781-1782

South Carolina Department of Archives and History · PRIMARY · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

View source

Eutaw Springs Battlefield Preservation Documentation

American Battlefield Trust · INSTITUTIONAL · Tier 1 — Primary/Academic

View source

Handouts & Materials

Eutaw Springs Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

Primary Source Analysis

graphic organizer

Structured analysis of Revolutionary-era documents

Key Figures Profile

worksheet

Research template for Revolutionary figures

Eutaw Springs in the American Revolution

Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.

1.

What makes Eutaw Springs significant in Revolutionary history?

AIt was the site of important Revolutionary events
BIt had no connection to the Revolution
CIt was founded after the Revolution
DIt was a British stronghold throughout the war
2.

Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.

TTrue
FFalse
3.

Name one event that occurred in Eutaw Springs during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.

4.

Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives when studying history?

ADifferent people experienced events differently
BIt makes history more confusing
COnly one perspective is ever correct
DPerspectives don't matter in history
5.

Describe one connection between this town and another Revolutionary-era town we discussed.