+ Timeline of Events + Revolution Day by Day + Revolutionary Stories + Revolutionary People + Anniversary Initiative + Revolutionary Links	Experience the Revolution through its key events. Many of the places mentioned in this section can be visited today.           Charleston falls to the British May 12, 1780 The British take Charleston, S.C., capture a large patriot army, and deal the rebels one of their worst defeats of the war. The Charleston move is part of a broader British strategy to hang on to the southern colonies, at least, now that the war is stalemated in Pennsylvania and New York.     Kings Mountain victory revives patriot hopes October 7, 1780 Patriot militia from the Carolinas, Virginia, and present-day Tennessee surround and defeat a force of loyalists under Major Patrick Ferguson at Kings Mountain, S.C. Indicating the deep divisions within America, Ferguson is the only British soldier on the field-Kings Mountain is truly a battle among Americans about their future. Visit The Park: Kings Mountain National Military Park     The American tide continues at the Cowpens January 17, 1781 Continental soldiers and patriot militia under General Daniel Morgan defeat a British force under Banastre Tarleton at Cowpens. Coming on the heels of the victory at Kings Mountain, Cowpens helps convince worried patriots that the British southern strategy can be countered. Visit The Park: Cowpens National Battlefield     Costly British victory at Guilford Courthouse March 15, 1781 British troops win a costly victory over Continentals and militia at Guilford Courthouse, N.C. The battle is part of General Nathanael Greene's strategy of engaging the British on ground of his choosing. Without winning a single clear-cut victory, he will succeed in wearing down the British army through hit-and-run tactics and set-piece battles. Visit The Park: Guilford Courthouse National Military Park     Longest siege of the war at Ninety Six May - June, 1781 The isolated British garrison at Ninety Six is laid siege to by patriot forces under Gen. Nathanael Greene. The approach of a British relief column leads Greene to make a final, unsuccessful assault on the fort on June 18. The events at Ninety Six underline the fact that Britain has too few troops to hold the southern hinterlands. Visit The Park: Ninety Six National Historic Site     Large British army surrenders at Yorktown September - October, 1781 A joint French and American force traps a large British army on Virginia's Yorktown peninsula. Unable to evacuate or receive reinforcements because a French fleet has driven off a British fleet, General Cornwallis is forced to surrender. Although New York City and Charleston, S.C., will remain in British hands until a peace treaty is signed two years later, the war for American independence is essentially over. Visit The Park: Colonial National Historical Park < previous | next >
	Last Updated: Friday, 27-Jun-2003 13:37