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Endurance and Triumph
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the redcoats at the Battle of Cowpens. British losses totaled about 900.
American casualties, meanwhile, were only a dozen dead and 60 wounded.
An Army Exhausted
Morgan’s detachment soon reunited with the rest of the army. Corn-
wallis set out after the Americans. To speed up the pursuit, he ditched
his supply wagons. But Greene managed to stay one step ahead. He led
the 2,500 redcoats on an exhausting chase north through the rugged
backcountry
of North Carolina. Finally, on February 14, the American
army crossed the Dan River into Virginia. Lacking boats, Cornwallis
couldn’t pursue any further.
But after a week resting and refitting his troops, Greene crossed back
into North Carolina. He prepared for battle at Guilford Courthouse. He
now had about 4,400 men, though many were untested militia.
The British arrived at Guilford Courthouse on March 15. The grueling
pursuit of Greene had depleted their ranks to about 2,100. The redcoats
were almost 250 miles from their closest supply base. They’d had to
resort to eating some of their horses to stave off hunger. Many of the
men were sick.
None of that seemed to dampen the redcoats’ ferocity. The Battle
of Guilford Courthouse was a brutal struggle that raged for two and a
half hours. At one point, the Americans appeared to be overwhelming
a section of the British line in savage hand-to-hand combat. Cornwallis
ordered his artillery to fire directly into the line, killing Continentals
and redcoats alike.
Greene at last withdrew, allowing Cornwallis to claim victory. But British
During the Revolutionary War, far more soldiers died from
disease than were killed in battle.