Teacher Resources
Savannah
Inquiry Question
How does knowledge of local terrain change the outcome of battles?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell to Lord Germain: Dispatch on the Capture of Savannah, December 29, 1778
PRIMARY · Public Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
5 analysis prompts
General Benjamin Lincoln: Correspondence during the Siege of Savannah, September-October 1779
PRIMARY · Massachusetts Historical Society
5 analysis prompts
Vice-Admiral Comte d'Estaing: Dispatches on the Siege of Savannah, 1779
PRIMARY · Archives nationales (France)
5 analysis prompts
Account of the Death of Count Casimir Pulaski at the Siege of Savannah, October 9, 1779
SECONDARY · Library of Congress
5 analysis prompts
British Garrison Records: Savannah, 1779-1782
PRIMARY · Public Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
5 analysis prompts
Downloads
Ready to Print
Student packet, teacher guide with answer key, and quiz — each formatted for classroom printing.
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Lesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Students will explain how Campbell used terrain intelligence to outflank Howe's defenses
- 2Students will describe Quamino Dolly's role and discuss why his motivations are historically significant
- 3Students will analyze why Georgia was chosen as the entry point for the British southern strategy
- 4Students will explain the consequences of Savannah's fall for the rest of the southern war
Explore Further
Savannah in the Knowledge Graph
The lesson packet draws from these pages. Use them to extend the lesson or give students primary source context.
Comparative Study
Connected Towns
The corroborate prompts in the student packet point to these towns. Teachers can assign cross-town comparisons.
Charleston
SHARED EVENT
The British southern campaign moved from Savannah (captured 1778) to Charleston (captured 1780); Lincoln's failure at Savannah led directly to his withdrawal to Charleston and the subsequent British siege there.
Guilford Courthouse
SHARED PERSON
Nathanael Greene commanded the Southern Army formed after Savannah and Charleston fell; his campaign from Guilford Courthouse through the Carolina interior was the direct response to the collapse that began at Savannah.
Charleston
COMPARISON
Major southern ports that fell to British forces.
Assessment
Savannah in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history. · 5 questions · Answer key in Teacher Guide PDF
What makes Savannah significant in Revolutionary history?
multiple choice
Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.
true false
Name one event that occurred in Savannah during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
short answer
+ 2 more in the full quiz PDF
Ready to Print?
All three documents below — student packet, teacher guide, and quiz — are formatted for letter-size classroom printing.