NC, USA
Cornwallis Retreats to Wilmington
March 18, 1781
Unable to feed his shattered army in the NC backcountry, Cornwallis marched to Wilmington, arriving April 7 and abandoning the interior to Greene. From Wilmington he turned north toward Virginia — the decision that led directly to Yorktown.
People Involved
Rhode Island Quaker who became Washington's most capable general. Commanded the Southern Department from December 1780, rebuilding the shattered army and fighting a campaign of strategic attrition that expelled British forces without winning a single tactical victory.
British general who won the field at Guilford Courthouse but suffered 27 percent casualties his army could not replace. His grapeshot order into his own troops reflected his desperation. He surrendered at Yorktown seven months later.