1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:04,040 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you missed in History Class from house 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:19,119 Speaker 1: Tracy V. Wilson. I'm Holly Frying, and they we have 4 00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: another wedding episode that is once again not about dresses 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: or cakes or flowers or any other stereotypically wedding the thing. 6 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: Uh So, a big chunk of my wedding guest list 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: is going to be traveling to where the wedding is 8 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: happening from out of states. I was putting the other 9 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: a list of things to do and places to see 10 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: in the surrounding area so that folks don't have to 11 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 1: sort of show up for a wedding and then fly 12 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 1: back home again after doing nothing else. And one of 13 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,880 Speaker 1: the places on the list was Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. 14 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: So to be totally clear, I have been to Guilford 15 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: Courthouse National Military Park, although growing up, people from around 16 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: they're just called it the guild Bard Battleground. And I 17 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: know for sure that my grandfather took me there at 18 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: least one time when I was a child, and I 19 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:08,679 Speaker 1: may also have gone there on school field trips. My 20 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: grandparents spent the last years of their lives living in 21 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: a condo that was literally across the street. But my 22 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: brain had jettisoned literally everything about it except for the 23 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:23,399 Speaker 1: fact that there's a big statue of Brigadier General Nathaniel 24 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: Green on horseback, which when you're a small child is 25 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,760 Speaker 1: extremely imposing. I was like, I have no idea what 26 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: even wore this battle was from, which is very embarrassing 27 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:35,960 Speaker 1: to admit, having grown up within, you know, forty five 28 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: minutes of it and been to it before. Um. I 29 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: don't know if you experience this also, Holly, But we 30 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: talked about so many different things in the in the 31 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: podcast that it's like it's like a new wave of 32 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: history comes into my brain and just forces the old 33 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,279 Speaker 1: wave out the back. Oh for sure. And I say, 34 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 1: when it's an area you've grown up with, sometimes there's 35 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: just this sort of weird familiarity blinders that happened where 36 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: you stop seeing it, you know what I mean, Like 37 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: you don't think about it so much. That's the place 38 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: you turn right to go to the thing it's not. 39 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: You forget that it actually has its own significance. Yes, 40 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: So to refresh my own memory and to you know, 41 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: tell everybody else on what was actually a really pivotal 42 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,639 Speaker 1: battle in the Revolutionary War. We are going to talk 43 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: about the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, which took place on 44 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 1: March fifteenth of seventeen eighty one. For those not already 45 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,519 Speaker 1: steeped in American Revolutionary War history, or maybe you have 46 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: just forgotten it, no shame in that. We're all taking 47 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: in lots of information. Uh. The Revolutionary War started in 48 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: April of seventeen seventy five, after a prolonged period of 49 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: increasing tensions between Great Britain and its American colonies. There 50 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: were a lot of factors that went into it. The 51 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: colonies were paying taxes but not being represented in the government. 52 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: The taxes themselves were also quite unpopular. Colonists were required 53 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,960 Speaker 1: to house and feed British troops, which they did not like. 54 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: It went on and on and on one and if 55 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: none of this sounds familiar to you, you can go 56 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: listen to our past episode thirteen Reasons for the American Revolution, 57 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: and you will get all of the details. So, when 58 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: the war actually started, on one side was Great Britain 59 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 1: and the colonists who were loyal to the crown. And 60 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: we're going to call there's the loyalists on the other 61 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: side were a colonists who supported supported the idea of 62 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 1: being independent from Britain, also known as the Patriots. The 63 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: Patriots established the Continental Army, which really was more like 64 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: a collection of all the individual colonies armies at the 65 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,640 Speaker 1: Second Continental Congress in seventeen seventy five, and George Washington 66 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: was its commander in chief. Allied with the Patriots in 67 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: North America were France, a few Native American tribes and 68 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: enslaved Africans, many of whom had been promised their freedom 69 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: in exchange for fighting, and the loyalist forces included hired 70 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: troops from Germany colloquially known as the Hessians, uh many, 71 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: more Native American tribes and other enslaved Africans who had 72 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: similarly been promised their freedom. People who had been previously 73 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: enslaved also fought on both sides. So even though Pettants 74 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:11,480 Speaker 1: will insist that everyone was British at this point, so 75 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 1: this episode will be easy for listeners to follow and 76 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: not super repetitive. We are going to call the Patriots 77 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:20,119 Speaker 1: and their allies Americans from time to time, while also 78 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: calling the Loyalists and their allies the British, so everybody 79 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: is on the same page. We're also not going to 80 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: get into the labels of Whig and Tory, because those 81 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: have entirely different meetings in places that aren't the United States. 82 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 1: The region of what's now the United States that most 83 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: often comes to mind in Revolutionary War history is New England, 84 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,359 Speaker 1: the Sons of Liberty through Tea overboard in Boston. The 85 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 1: first battles were also in Massachusetts in April of seventeen 86 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 1: seventy five. Northern resistance leading up to the war and 87 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,640 Speaker 1: northern battlegrounds usually get a lot of attention in history 88 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: classes on our side of the pond. Even the final 89 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: battle and surrendering Yorktown are towards the northern part of 90 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,239 Speaker 1: the American South, and a lot of the action before 91 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:07,359 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy eight really did take place in the Northern Colonies, 92 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 1: along with parts of what's now Canada. But in the 93 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 1: autumn of seventeen seventy eight, the situation in the Northern 94 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: colonies had become something of a stalemate. So you know, 95 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: at that point the war had been going on for 96 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: about three years. The British started turning their attention to 97 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:27,119 Speaker 1: the South. The idea was that they would take the South, 98 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: rally the support of Southerners who were loyal to the monarchy, 99 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: along with as many enslaved Africans as they could find 100 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,919 Speaker 1: and free and then recruit, and then they would retake 101 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,359 Speaker 1: the North and end the war with the remaining with 102 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: the colonies remaining part of British territory to then end. 103 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: Britain captured the port cities of Savannah, Georgia, on December 104 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: twenty nine, seventeen seventy eight, and, after several other battles 105 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: in the South, the port of Charleston, South Carolina in 106 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 1: the spring of seventeen eighty. The siege at Charleston in 107 00:05:57,080 --> 00:06:00,279 Speaker 1: particular was devastating to the American forces in the Outh, 108 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:04,040 Speaker 1: with the British forces capturing three thousand men and incurring 109 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 1: a loss of only about two hundred and fifty killed 110 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: and wounded from within their own ranks. So the Patriots, 111 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:15,000 Speaker 1: particularly the Southern Patriots, were really reeling and the loyalists 112 00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,560 Speaker 1: really wanted to finish the job. So to talk about 113 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: where this led the two sides from this point, we're 114 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: going to talk for a moment about who was leading 115 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: both of these armies. In command of the army on 116 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: the Patriot side was Major General Nathaniel Green. He was 117 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,279 Speaker 1: born in Rhode Island in seventeen forty two, and he 118 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: had grown up a member of the religious Society of Friends, 119 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:40,880 Speaker 1: also known as the Quakers. Before becoming part of the military, 120 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:43,919 Speaker 1: he served in the Rhode Island Legislature, where he advocated 121 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: for independence from Britain. Although pacifism is really closely associated 122 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: with Quaker beliefs, Green had been interested in military strategy 123 00:06:53,160 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 1: and tactics from a very early age, and he actually 124 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 1: wound up being expelled from a Quaker meeting after attending 125 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:02,440 Speaker 1: a military parade. In the fall of seventeen seventy four, 126 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: when he was thirty two and the threat of war 127 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:08,520 Speaker 1: with Britain was really looming, he helped to organize a 128 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: militia in Rhode Island, which was called the Kentish Guards. 129 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,679 Speaker 1: Because he had always walked with a limp, he wasn't 130 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,760 Speaker 1: considered to be officer material, and he was made a private. 131 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: Green eventually worked his way up to becoming a brigadier 132 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: general in the Continental Army. He played a part in 133 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: several Revolutionary War battles, including the Battle of Trenton, which 134 00:07:28,880 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: we talk about in our previous episode. On the Hessians. 135 00:07:32,240 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: His strategic skills and performance in battle led to his 136 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 1: becoming one of George Washington's most trusted officers. So when 137 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:42,320 Speaker 1: Washington needed someone to secure the South after the fall 138 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,480 Speaker 1: of Charleston in eighteen eighty, General Green was the man 139 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: he sent to do it. Leading the British forces in 140 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: the South was Charles Cornwallis, who was born in London, 141 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: England in seventeen thirty eight. Uh. He had many other 142 00:07:56,800 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: titles which I was originally going to read out, but 143 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: let's just say he was an obvious member of the 144 00:08:02,320 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: British aristocracy, and although he wound up leading British forces 145 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: against the Americans, he actually had a lot of sympathies 146 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 1: for the colonists and their frustrations with the British government. 147 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,440 Speaker 1: He was, for example, one of only five peers to 148 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,560 Speaker 1: vote against the Stamp Act, which was a tax act 149 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: that the colonists pretty strenuously objected to. All told, he 150 00:08:26,080 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: was also a more experienced military man than Green was, 151 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: having become an ensign at age eighteen, served as captain 152 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: in the Seven Years War, and spent three years serving 153 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 1: in Germany before being promoted to lieutenant colonel Cornwallis was 154 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: summoned to North America and promoted to major general in 155 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy five. Once he was in North America, he 156 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: also was part of several of the Revolutionary War's most 157 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: well known battles, including Trenton Brandywine and the capture of 158 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,960 Speaker 1: Charleston in seventeen eighty. He was actually second in command 159 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 1: at that last battle and after and he was left 160 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,800 Speaker 1: in command of all the forces in the South. And 161 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: this kind of brings us up to the run up 162 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: to the Battle of Guilford court House itself, and we 163 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:10,480 Speaker 1: are going to talk about that, but first, if Racy 164 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 1: is cool with it, we will have a brief word 165 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:14,640 Speaker 1: from one of the sponsors that keeps this show going. 166 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: So General Green's task in defending the South from the 167 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 1: British was enormous. The Continental Army and the various state 168 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 1: and local militias that fed into it were essentially brand new, 169 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: and a lot of the men had no military experience 170 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,880 Speaker 1: at all, although there had been plenty of other armed 171 00:09:31,920 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: conflicts in North America before this point. Along with the 172 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: fact that a lot of people just needed to defend 173 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: themselves from various things using firearms, uh this was essentially 174 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: a brand new nation's very first attempt at waging an 175 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: all out war. George Washington himself had never even been 176 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:52,280 Speaker 1: in command of a large army in this way, and 177 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 1: the Patriots themselves were very poorly equipped with uniforms that 178 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,120 Speaker 1: were cobbled together if they existed at all, and the 179 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: hilarious where of British battles dot com. The Americans dressed 180 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: as best they could. That's such a bless their hearts moment. 181 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 1: It's got all this detail about all of the various 182 00:10:12,600 --> 00:10:16,920 Speaker 1: types of uniforms that the various British forces were, depending 183 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:18,760 Speaker 1: on where they were from what they were doing. And 184 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,840 Speaker 1: then it's like the Americans had bluecoats on and a 185 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,720 Speaker 1: bunch of other rubbish. It doesn't actually say rubbish they tried. 186 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:30,000 Speaker 1: On top of all of that, since the Patriots had 187 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,439 Speaker 1: lost Georgia and South Carolina and losses had been heavy 188 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:35,920 Speaker 1: at a number of British victories, there were just not 189 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:40,559 Speaker 1: all that many men left. So general Green strategy was this, 190 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:44,320 Speaker 1: rather than fortifying some location and waiting at it to 191 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:47,720 Speaker 1: defend it, or rather than just going to meet the 192 00:10:47,720 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: British and a poorlonged battle, he kept moving his forces 193 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: perpetually northward northward, and he would fight these brief battles 194 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 1: before strategically moving back. So the Continental Army and the 195 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: militias supporting them weren't really used to fighting in this way. 196 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: They were not used to having to just keep up 197 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 1: this relentless, fast paced migration basically, so it forced the 198 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: British to abandon some of their munitions and it basically 199 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: wore them out in order to try to keep up. 200 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:18,680 Speaker 1: In March of seventeen eighteen, Green stopped at the out 201 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 1: of the way location of Guilford Courthouse and prepared to battle. 202 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 1: The courthouse was situated in rolling hills and surrounded by 203 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:28,960 Speaker 1: a combination of fields and woods, and this gave Green 204 00:11:29,080 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: several potential vantage points on which to arrange his men. 205 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: At this point in history, battles were largely being fought 206 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:39,680 Speaker 1: with the opposing soldiers stretched out in lines, and this 207 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 1: was for two main reasons. One was that some of 208 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,320 Speaker 1: the men were armed with smooth bore rifles, which were 209 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,680 Speaker 1: not very accurate, so having lots of men in a 210 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: line with each other fire at the same time made 211 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:52,839 Speaker 1: it more likely that they were going to hit something 212 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,200 Speaker 1: in front of them. The other reason is that it 213 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,560 Speaker 1: was much much easier for a line of men tightly 214 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:02,080 Speaker 1: packed together and armed with and it's to resist the cavalry. 215 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 1: So soldiers on horseback could very easily cut down soldiers 216 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: who were by themselves. They're in small groups, but horses 217 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 1: were not really eager to charge that line, a big, 218 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 1: thick line of bayonet bearing men. So Green organized his 219 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:20,480 Speaker 1: four thousand, four hundred men into three lines. The first 220 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: that the British Wood encounter was about one thousand men, 221 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:27,600 Speaker 1: primarily North Carolina militia, arranged behind the split rail fence. 222 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:30,360 Speaker 1: The fence made a convenient support that they could use 223 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 1: to steady their weapons so that they could aim better. 224 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,439 Speaker 1: Dragoons and riflemen flanked the first line, with orders to 225 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 1: fall back as the fight progressed so that they could 226 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,200 Speaker 1: defend the other lines. The second line was about three 227 00:12:42,559 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 1: and fifty yards behind that and was primarily manned with 228 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: about eight hundred and fifty Virginia militia. Another four hundred 229 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 1: or so yards behind the Virginia militia was General Green himself, 230 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: along with the regular Continental Army. And we're going to 231 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:58,880 Speaker 1: talk about this battle in terms of these three lines, 232 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: but there were much smaller, ongoing clashes and skirmishes in 233 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: between the lines that went on through the whole day. 234 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:09,839 Speaker 1: General Cornwallis's men had been on the march, and they 235 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:13,199 Speaker 1: were tired, and they were hungry. General Green had actually 236 00:13:13,240 --> 00:13:16,000 Speaker 1: considered attacking them while they were en route, but that 237 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:18,440 Speaker 1: had gone poorly for the Patriots in other battles, so 238 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: he decided against that plan, and rather than allowing his 239 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: forces to rest up before the battle, Cornwallis pressed on 240 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: to attack Green once he heard Continental forces were at 241 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: the courthouse, skirmishing with Patriots at various points along the way. 242 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,319 Speaker 1: As Generals Cornwallis and Green really had very different strategies. 243 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: Cornwallis was kind of like a bulldozer and would just 244 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:43,079 Speaker 1: perpetually advanced. Green, on the other hand, would attack, and 245 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: then he would fall back and regroup, and then he 246 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 1: would attack again, and sometimes just strategically retreat to preserve 247 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:52,680 Speaker 1: his army. And in this battle in particular, Green used 248 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:56,360 Speaker 1: this difference in their strategy to a huge advantage. As 249 00:13:56,400 --> 00:13:59,840 Speaker 1: the British moved into a clearing, both sides fired our 250 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:03,880 Speaker 1: hillary volleys. Then the first line of North Carolina militia 251 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,720 Speaker 1: opened fire. Their first volley was extremely effective, thanks him 252 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:09,520 Speaker 1: part to their use of that fence rail that we 253 00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:12,960 Speaker 1: mentioned to steady their aim. As the British pressed forward 254 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,199 Speaker 1: with bayonets, some of the militia did fire a second shot, 255 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 1: but others fled and didn't return to the battle. A 256 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 1: side note, there are lots of different stories about how 257 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: North Carolina got the nickname of the tar heel State, 258 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:28,600 Speaker 1: and one of them was that the North Carolina fighting 259 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: force was so dedicated to battle that it was like 260 00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: they had tar on their heels. Was not this one 261 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,120 Speaker 1: because some of the guys who fled did not come back. 262 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: The fence proved, not surprisingly to be an obstacle for 263 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: the advancing British troops, as did the cavalry units that 264 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:49,840 Speaker 1: have been flanking that first line. The surviving first wave 265 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:52,520 Speaker 1: of British troops split off to deal with the cavalry 266 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:56,040 Speaker 1: while reinforcements moved in through the center and cleared the 267 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,440 Speaker 1: fence line. Once they did, they found the second line 268 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 1: of Virginia Alicia waiting for them in the trees along 269 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,520 Speaker 1: a ridge. There was a heavy firefight between the British 270 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,200 Speaker 1: troops and the second line before that second line fell 271 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,960 Speaker 1: back to reinforce The Continental Army, like the Virginia Militia 272 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,720 Speaker 1: had been, The Continental Army was arranged on a ridge 273 00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 1: was also reinforced with cannons. The British had to approach 274 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: this advantage point from across an open field, which is 275 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,160 Speaker 1: basically just a killing field. So once again the Loyalists 276 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 1: took very heavy losses as they fought their way towards 277 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 1: the Continental Army on this ridge. As the British got 278 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: into hand to hand combat with the Continental Army, the 279 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 1: Continental cavalry came in, taking advantage of every opportunity to 280 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: cut them down. Eventually, General Cornwallis fired grape shot from 281 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 1: his cannons to stop the cavalry charge, even though that 282 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 1: meant losses to his own side as well. At this point, 283 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:53,600 Speaker 1: General Greene removed all of the remaining Patriot forces from 284 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: the field and retreated to Troublesome Iron Works, which is 285 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 1: the best name I have ever heard, and camped there. 286 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: This retreat meant that, according to the conventions of war 287 00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: at that time, General Cornwallis was the winner of this battle. 288 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 1: But General Cornwallis had lost more than a quarter of 289 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:14,239 Speaker 1: his army along with more than half of his officers, 290 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: while the Patriots on the other hand, had only lost 291 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 1: about six percent of theirs. So while the Battle of 292 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: Guilford courthouses on the books as a British win, it 293 00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: came at a great cost. The battle was really a 294 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 1: turning point in the American Revolution. General Cornwallis fell back 295 00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: to Wilmington's and when faced with the choice of either 296 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:37,440 Speaker 1: retreating to British held Charleston or pressing ahead, he took 297 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 1: his troops to Virginia. He wasn't ever really able to 298 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: recover his forces from the casualties at Guilford Courthouse in Yorktown, Virginia. 299 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 1: Cornwallis ultimately surrendered on October nineteenth of seventeen eighty one. 300 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:53,200 Speaker 1: We're going to talk briefly about the aftermath of all this, 301 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,840 Speaker 1: and also about how this battleground became a National park. 302 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: After another brief word from one of the awesome spats, 303 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: there's who keep us going. So in the end, the 304 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:07,880 Speaker 1: Patriots won the Revolutionary War and the former British colonies 305 00:17:07,880 --> 00:17:11,359 Speaker 1: in North America became the United States. Well, today this 306 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: is definitely framed as a victory in the United States. 307 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,680 Speaker 1: At the time, not everyone was actually happy about it. 308 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:19,160 Speaker 1: There were lots of people in the colonies who didn't 309 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:21,640 Speaker 1: want to be independent in the first place, as well 310 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: as some who were on the fence and came to 311 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:26,679 Speaker 1: support the British after their own lives and livelihood were 312 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 1: affected by the war. Many of the enslaved Africans who 313 00:17:30,720 --> 00:17:33,480 Speaker 1: had fought in the war after being promised their freedom 314 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,639 Speaker 1: for doing so, were ultimately re enslaved, and some of 315 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:39,199 Speaker 1: them were then sent on to work on plantations in 316 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:42,639 Speaker 1: the Caribbean. This included many of those who had fought 317 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: for the British, who the Americans expected to be quote 318 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:51,400 Speaker 1: returned as their quote property. Overall, not many people who 319 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 1: were promised their freedom actually wound up being freed after 320 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 1: the war was over, and this continues to be a 321 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:01,520 Speaker 1: huge paradox in terms of the revolution. In the philosophies 322 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: driving the patriots were about equality and liberty, and the 323 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:07,600 Speaker 1: Declaration of Independence itself has the whole bit about it 324 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:11,160 Speaker 1: being self evident that all men are created equal. However, 325 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,399 Speaker 1: not even enslaved Africans who had risked their own lives 326 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:18,160 Speaker 1: fighting for this cause were considered citizens rather than property 327 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 1: after the whole thing had blown over. Native American tribes 328 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:26,320 Speaker 1: were also dramatically affected by the Revolutionary War. There were 329 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 1: a lot of different tribes and what would become the 330 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 1: United States, and these encompassed a huge range of cultures 331 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: and languages and beliefs and priorities. Really, many of them 332 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:38,879 Speaker 1: had sided with the Loyalists, hoping that the British influence 333 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:43,119 Speaker 1: would slow down western westward expansion in the colonies. Native 334 00:18:43,119 --> 00:18:46,480 Speaker 1: American casualties were particularly high in the war, in part 335 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,480 Speaker 1: because they were often made explicit targets in the field 336 00:18:49,480 --> 00:18:53,240 Speaker 1: of battle. But in addition to that, alliances that had 337 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: existed between various Native peoples were broken afterward as their 338 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:00,240 Speaker 1: members fought on opposite signs. The most prom on an 339 00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:03,960 Speaker 1: example was the Iroquois Confederacy. Four of its member tribes 340 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:06,720 Speaker 1: fought for the British and to fought for the Americans. 341 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,200 Speaker 1: So there was a lot more going on in all 342 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 1: of this than just getting the right to self govern 343 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,199 Speaker 1: in terms of the park. Eventually the city of Greensboro 344 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:19,560 Speaker 1: was named for Nathaniel Greene. Then, in October of eighteen 345 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: eighty six, lawyer David Shank, who was fond of studying 346 00:19:22,320 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: the battlefield, decided he wanted to buy it. He formed 347 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 1: the Guildford Battleground Company which secured a state charter, and 348 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,359 Speaker 1: then the Battleground Company got to work preserving the site 349 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:35,600 Speaker 1: and building monuments to commemorate the battle and the war itself. 350 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,720 Speaker 1: This continued over many years, and then on March second, 351 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:42,320 Speaker 1: nineteen seventeen, the federal government pass legislation that named it 352 00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 1: Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. It was the first such 353 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:50,160 Speaker 1: park commemorating the Revolutionary War. This work building monuments and 354 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:53,560 Speaker 1: doing preservation continued for many years, and then in March second, 355 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: nineteen seventeen, the federal government pass legislation that named it 356 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 1: Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, and this the first national 357 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 1: park commemorating the Revolutionary War in the United States. The 358 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:07,960 Speaker 1: quote on the monument of Nathaniel Green, which were words 359 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,879 Speaker 1: said by George Washington, is quote it is with a 360 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:14,400 Speaker 1: pleasure which friendship alone is susceptible, that I congratulate you 361 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:17,439 Speaker 1: on the glorious end you have put to hostilities in 362 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:22,280 Speaker 1: the Southern States, and that's the Battle of Guilford court House. Fantastic. 363 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: I feel like maybe now my grandfather would be less 364 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:28,439 Speaker 1: disappointed in me for forgetting literally everything he told me 365 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:32,080 Speaker 1: about it on some trip when I probably really wanted 366 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: him to take me fishing instead or get candy. That's 367 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 1: always good. Do you have a bit of listener mail 368 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: for us as well? I do. This listener mail is 369 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: from Jillian and it is about our recent episode about 370 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 1: Calamity Jane, and she says, Dear Tracy and Holly, first, 371 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,000 Speaker 1: let me thank you for your podcast. It's what I 372 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:54,359 Speaker 1: listened to you while I will take my dog, Bruce 373 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:57,359 Speaker 1: Wayne for our daily walks. I love listening to it, 374 00:20:57,400 --> 00:20:59,480 Speaker 1: but if I'm being honest, Bruce Wayne doesn't seem to 375 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 1: care in certain joke about old dogs learning new history. Here. 376 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:06,400 Speaker 1: I've attached to photos of Bruce Wayne because he is adorable. Yes, 377 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,119 Speaker 1: he's definitely adorable, and Bruce Wayne is a great name 378 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:12,200 Speaker 1: for a dog. I'm all for the increase of episodes 379 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:14,439 Speaker 1: about women. Please keep up the good work. I do 380 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,360 Speaker 1: have a tiny note to add for your Calamity Jane episode. 381 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 1: I was an undergrad in South Dakota, and what I 382 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: learned from living in the state, as well as from 383 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,639 Speaker 1: a few sociology classes, is that the preferred name for 384 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:28,640 Speaker 1: the Native Americans in the area is the Oglala or Lakota, Dakota, 385 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 1: or Nakota nations, not the stux nation. Terms Sue comes 386 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: from slaying, combining Chippewa and French and has a derogatory 387 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 1: meaning of serpent. There's an article from the Lakota Country 388 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:41,359 Speaker 1: Times about the history of the name here. Take what 389 00:21:41,359 --> 00:21:43,080 Speaker 1: I'm saying with a grain of salt. I'm white and 390 00:21:43,119 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: certainly not an expert, but especially when talking about current events, 391 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:50,120 Speaker 1: more culturally sensitive to use the nation's dialectical name when 392 00:21:50,119 --> 00:21:53,200 Speaker 1: discussing these groups. A little more information can be found 393 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:56,680 Speaker 1: from a North Dakota Studies article here. Uh. And then 394 00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: finally she gives us two suggestions for future episod. There's 395 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: one of them is about the General Slocum, which is 396 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 1: a story that is very similar to a previous episode 397 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 1: about the sinking of the Sultana. So, Uh, Jillian, maybe 398 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: listen to this Altana want to kind of tide you 399 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:18,480 Speaker 1: over because they are very similar stories. UM. I did 400 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 1: some digging after getting this email, because we try to 401 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:26,000 Speaker 1: make sure that we are talking about people the way 402 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 1: they would like to be talked about. And I actually 403 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: found a huge, huge spectrum in terms of how various 404 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,560 Speaker 1: UH tribes that would have once been called part of 405 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 1: the Great Sioux nation actually talk about themselves, and some 406 00:22:39,119 --> 00:22:42,680 Speaker 1: did use the words to and some did not. Um. 407 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:49,680 Speaker 1: And it seems like from my similarly non expert point 408 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,720 Speaker 1: of view, even having like looked into things and read 409 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:54,719 Speaker 1: a lot of personal accounts and tried to get people's 410 00:22:54,720 --> 00:22:57,399 Speaker 1: personal perspectives on it, um that when it comes to 411 00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:59,679 Speaker 1: like the giant umbrella of all of these tribes, there 412 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,160 Speaker 1: is a lot of discussion about like the sue nation 413 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 1: as a huge thing, but when when we're talking about 414 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:08,160 Speaker 1: individual tribes, it's definitely a lot better to talk about 415 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,520 Speaker 1: their individual names rather than the sort of sue umbrella 416 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:16,120 Speaker 1: that was applied and then used in government uh government 417 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 1: negotiations with the tribal people's Um. It's definitely not a 418 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:24,320 Speaker 1: case where we could have just not used the term 419 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 1: sue at all, because that was the term that was 420 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:31,199 Speaker 1: part of Supreme Court cases and stuff like that. So yeah, 421 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 1: this is a case where they're just seems there seems 422 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,120 Speaker 1: to be a lot of different perspectives and points of view, 423 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,639 Speaker 1: and a lot of them are very dear to people obviously. 424 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,160 Speaker 1: So if you would like to write so us, We're 425 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: a history podcast at how stuffworks dot com. We're also 426 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: on Facebook at Facebook dot com slash miss in history 427 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,040 Speaker 1: and on Twitter at miss in History. Are tumbler is 428 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: miss in history dot tumbler dot com. We're also on 429 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 1: Pinterest at pinterest dot com slash missed in History. Do 430 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: you like Instagram? We have a brand new Instagram it 431 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 1: is I had missed in History on Instagram. Also because 432 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:05,760 Speaker 1: we also have a spreadshirt store which has coffee mugs 433 00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:07,840 Speaker 1: and t shirts and all kinds of other cool stuff. 434 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: So if you want to learn lots more things about history, 435 00:24:11,080 --> 00:24:13,359 Speaker 1: you can come to our parent company's website, which is 436 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. There is a whole history 437 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:18,199 Speaker 1: section full of all kinds of interesting articles, and then 438 00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: there's also missed in History dot com, which is our 439 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,000 Speaker 1: website where you can find show notes and an archive 440 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:25,719 Speaker 1: of every episode we've ever done, and lots a cool stuff. 441 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: So a lots of things to do at how stuff 442 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 1: works dot com or missed in History dot com for 443 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 1: more on this thousands of other topics, is it how 444 00:24:36,520 --> 00:24:50,480 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com