They Won the Battle But Lost the War | Guilford Courthouse 1781

On March 15, 1781, British forces under Cornwallis fought Nathanael Greene’s army at Guilford Courthouse.

The British won the field—but at a devastating cost.

In this battlefield tour, we walk the ground where it happened and break down Greene’s three-line strategy, the intense fighting, and how this battle weakened the British army and set the stage for Yorktown.

Sometimes, winning the battle… means losing the war.

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Transcript

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Right here, this ground tells a story that first glance doesn't make much sense. But the British won this battle, but it's one of the reasons why they lost the war. Today we're standing at Guilford Courthouse, March 15th, 1781, and what happened here would change every would change everything in the Southern Campaign. This is where the left flank of the first line was for the Patriots. When Cornwallis marched his army into this area, Gilbert Courthouse Battlefield, he had about 1,200 or 2,100 men. What he didn't fully realize was that Nathaniel Green was waiting for him with roughly 4,500 men. And Green wasn't planning to fight this like a traditional battle. He chose this ground carefully. And you've got open fields out in front, broken by woods, and a road cutting straight through the battlefield. And somewhere out there, the British are advancing right toward you. But here's what's so interesting: Green didn't form his army in one solid line, he built three. Okay, I'm I'm gonna kind of stray from the script a little bit here to kind of give a little bit of detail on that particular matter. Anyways, so as I mentioned, there were three lines. And the first line, second line, third line. The same tactic that was used here at Guilford Courthouse was the same tactic that was used at the Battle of Cowpins, and the particular defense is called an in-depth defense. The only difference between the two here at Guildford Courthouse and the Battle of Cowpens was that here at Guildford Courthouse, Nathaniel Green had spread the three lines out and put a little bit more, put quite a bit of space in between each line, which was one of the few downfalls of the actual um which was kind of one of the things that he kind of messed up on in that particular matter. So it kind of had some negative effects to it, I guess to say the least. So I just wanted to kind of mention that part before we go too much further into this. Anyways, the first line was North Carolina militia right up front along a fence line at the ridge of the woods. Not seasoned regulars, militia. Men who were actually expected to fire and fall back. On the flanks, riflemen were positioned to pick off British soldiers as they came forward. Then behind them was a second line of Virginia militia, backed by artillery. And finally, further back, Continental troops, veterans, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland regiments, some of the strongest troops that Green had. That was the line meant to hold. By the early afternoon, around 1.30, the battle begins. British artillery opens up, and then their line steps forward. They move through the open ground, closing the distance, and at about 150 yards, the Americans open fire. The first line fires their volley, and then they fall back. To the British, it looks like they're breaking, like the Americans are already running, but they're not. This is exactly what Green planned. And then the fight spreads. On one side, Cavalry under Lighthorse Harry Lee is engaged, at which point the final line is forming. This is where the battle begins to be decided. The British hit that last line and it turns into chaos. They manage to capture two American cannons, but then comes the counter-attack. Continental soldiers push back, supported by cavalry under William Washington, and for a moment everything is mixed together. And in that moment, Cornwallis makes a desperate decision. He orders his artillery to fire into the fighting, even though his own men are in it. That's how brutal this battle had become. Now Green has a choice. Stay here and risk losing his army completely, or pull back and live to fight another day. He chooses to withdraw, and the Americans leave the field in order. So yes. But it cost the British. It cost them pretty badly, actually. There was uh if I'm not wrong, if my calculations are right, the British had lost maybe about 30% of their bat or their 30% of their actual force that day. And of course, as you know, they were pr the British were hit pretty hard that day by pushing three through all those three lines, as you can imagine. But of course, there are no real true conditions to continue fighting at that rate. But of course, Cornwallis is forced to pull away from the campaign, at least temporarily, and move toward the coast to regroup in Wilmington. And from there, everything shifts because the next time his army is trapped, it won't be here. That'll be at Yorktown. Right here. The Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Right here. Is where the road begins. And of course, if you want to see and uh experience more real history told on the ground where it happened, uh please don't forget to like and subscribe to Our Living History. And uh check us out on our Facebook group, our private group. Um just definitely join us. And of course, um Keep looking up for updates and hope to meet you all in person. Have a good rest of the day. Kind of as an extra thing to kind of add of this video, um, but according to the Guilford Courthouse or the Guilford Battleground Company, the British guards emerged from the woods, across this open field, and clashed on the right with the American Third Line. In the 1880s, this version of the battle seemed to agree with the historical research of the company, founder David Schneck. And uh convinced that the third line action occurred within here, the original boundaries of the park, he placed the American cavalry oblique on this hill. Benefiting from historical information that has come to light since Schneck's time, park historian or park historians now have a different picture of what happened here. In 1781, the cleared area was significantly larger, expanding toward the courthouse, taking advantage of the terrain. The American third line was actually a ridgeline, a fourth mile east near tour stop six, actually. By focusing on historically accurate terrain, you can better follow the chaotic battle action and its implications. I found that pretty interesting. But anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this video. Uh don't forget to like and subscribe and have a great rest of the day. Oh, okay. Time for a nice good walk. Uh hey y'all, just wanted to uh if you like it, please like and subscribe, and have a great rest of the day.