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A portrait of George III. was hanging over the fireplace placed there when Americans loved to call him their King. Greene turned the face to the wall, and wrote on the back of the portrait: "Hide thy face, George, and blush." 580

A few days later the men that Greene had sent forward united with Morgan's at Guilford Court House (now Greensboro), North Carolina. Knowing that Cornwallis was in hard pursuit of him, Greene himself hurried forward with his force to cross the Dan. The American commander won the race, and succeeded (February 14, 1781) in crossing the stream then swollen to a torrent by heavy rains. The British came up just as the last boat had reached the opposite bank. Cornwallis found an unfordable river in front of him, and not a boat to be had.

231. Battle of Guilford Court House (1781); Cornwallis's retreat to Wilmington; Hobkirk's Hill; Ninety-Six; Eutaw Springs. Greene, having obtained reinforcements, now had nearly twice as many men as Cornwallis; but they were largely raw recruits, wretchedly armed, and short of provisions, while the force under Cornwallis was made up of veterans. The American commander recrossed the Dan, and (March 15, 1781) fought the battle of Guilford Court House (Greensboro). Cornwallis won the day, but lost so many men that he was forced to retreat to Wilmington, where a British fleet had established a depot of supplies.

A little later Greene astonished Cornwallis by suddenly moving back to South Carolina to fall on the British force left there in charge of Lord Rawdon. This was too much, and Cornwallis wrote (April 23, 1781): "My situation is very distressing." Finally, not knowing what else to do, he decided to advance into Virginia and unite with the British forces there.

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Meanwhile Greene met and fought Rawdon (April 25, 1781) at Hobkirk's Hill, just outside of Camden. Rawdon gained the day, but as Major Henry Lee and Marion had cut his communication with Charleston, the British commander had to abandon Camden and retreat. Greene summarized his experi

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ences in a letter to Washington, saying: "We fight, get beat, and fight again." 622 He next began the siege of the British post at Ninety-Six, but failed to take the fort, and shortly after fell back to the hills of Santee to refresh his men.

The southern campaigns of the Revolution, below Virginia, ended with the battle of Eutaw Springs (September 8, 1781). Greene said of this battle : "It was by far the most obstinate fight I ever saw.' Both sides claimed the victory. Practi

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cally Eutaw resulted in success for the Americans, for the British, unable to hold the field, fled to Charleston and shut themselves up there.

Greene had never gained a victory in the South, yet, following Washington's example, he had exhausted and baffled the enemy. More than this, with the help of Marion, Sumter, and other partisan leaders, he had practically recovered possession of the Carolinas.

232. Cornwallis enters Virginia; ravages the country; Lafayette's movements; Yorktown. Meanwhile Cornwallis in pursuance of his plan (§ 231) had reached Petersburg, Virginia (May 20, 1781), and had increased his force to about seven thousand men. The British commander was confronted by Lafayette, who was waiting for Wayne to arrive with reinforcements.

Cornwallis (May 20 to June 26, 1781) sent out a force of a thousand cavalry, mounted on Virginia race-horses, to ravage the country. They seized or destroyed about $15,000,000

worth of property.

The British commander laughed at Lafayette, and boastingly wrote: "The boy cannot escape me." It so happened, however, that "the boy" intercepted Cornwallis's letter, and not only managed to escape him, but seriously harassed all his At length, acting in obedience to what he considered imperative orders from Clinton, Cornwallis, with his seven thousand troops, retired (July 30, 1781) to the peninsula of Yorktown.535

movements.

233. Washington prepares to attack Cornwallis; what the French did. Washington had been planning an attack on New York. He now pressed De Grasse, who commanded a powerful French fleet in the West Indies, to come to his help. De Grasse decided that he would sail not for New York, but for Chesapeake Bay. This fact changed Washington's plans (August 17, 1781), and with the coöperation of the French commander he resolved to strike Cornwallis instead of Clinton.

Count Rochambeau's army of four thousand French regulars had been stationed at Newport, Rhode Island, since 1780. The Count now moved to the vicinity of New York to act with the Continental Army in its attack on Yorktown. Less than six months had passed since the American commander expressed grave doubts whether he could manage to keep the army together for the summer. He then wrote: "We are at the end of our tether . . . now or never deliverance must come.' At last deliverance had come.

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Washington contrived, as he said, to completely "misguide and bewilder" Clinton, who was made to believe that the Americans were getting ready to attack New York. At length, when everything was prepared, Washington suddenly broke camp (August 19, 1781). Leaving Heath with four thousand men to hold West Point, he set out with his combined French and American army of six thousand troops to march across the country.537

But when the great movement was actually in progress, and part of the force had reached Philadelphia, a formidable obstacle arose. The men demanded their pay. Washington begged Robert Morris (§ 213) to raise some "hard money” for him. Morris borrowed $20,000 of Count Rochambeau ; the sight of the bright silver coin put the Continental Army in good humor, and smoothed the way onward.58 Fortunately, too, just at this juncture Colonel Laurens arrived at Boston with 2,500,000 francs given by the French King to the Ameri

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