Timeline of the American Revolution/1781
1781
Upside Down
Nathanael Greene's masterful strategies as well as Franco-American cooperation secured victory in the South. After Greene frustrated General Cornwallis' designs in the Carolinas, the British general moved to Virginia where the Allies trapped his army. Yorktown was not the end of the war, as Washington and his generals had to contend with the British garrisons that remained.
January
Pennsylvania and New Jersey troops mutiny over pay and enlistment grievances. To prevent further spread of revolt among army, Washington and his officers deal harshly with the mutineers, executing several men.
January 17
Daniel Morgan wins one-sided victory against British at the Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina.
February 14
Continental Army under Greene's command exhausts Cornwallis in marching contest, covering forty miles in sixteen hours.
February 20
Congress appoints Robert Morris, “The Financier of the Revolution” as Superintendent of Finances. During trying financial period, Morris astutely manipulates accounts to keep the war effort funded.
March 1
States formally ratify the Articles of Confederation.
March 15
Greene further weakens British stamina in a fierce clash of arms at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina.
April 25
Finding his position untenable, Greene withdraws during the Battle of Hobkirk's Hill, South Carolina.
May 9
Spanish capture British outpost at Pensacola (Florida).
July 6
Finding himself outnumbered nearly 10 to 1, Anthony Wayne saves his troops from capture by charging straight into Cornwallis’ men at Green Spring Plantation, Virginia.
August 21
Combined armies of Washington and Rochambeau slip away from New York before the British can discover them missing, marching south to confront Cornwallis in Yorktown, Virginia.
September 5
The Battle of the Virginia Capes and subsequent naval operations prevent the British fleet from entering Chesapeake Bay to rescue Cornwallis.
Greene fights sharp action at Eutaw Springs, South Carolina, and orders another tactical withdrawal.
September-October
Allied siege of Yorktown, Virginia, by land seals Cornwallis’ fate.
October 19
Cornwallis surrenders along with his full contingent of 8,000 troops, marking the beginning of the end for the British.
November
The Netherlands extends the first of four crucial loans to the United States.
Continental Army returns to Hudson Highlands and New Jersey for its seventh winter encampment.
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