Guilford Courthouse 1781: Lord Cornwallis's Ruinous Victory

Osprey Campaign #109

by Angus Konstam, Adam Hook (Illustrator)

By the Spring of 1781, the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) had dragged on for almost six years and the outcome still hung in the balance. When the British commander Lord Cornwallis launched his invasion of North Carolina in early 1781, his objective was to destroy General Nathaniel Greene's American army. At Guilford Courthouse on 15 March 1781 the two armies met. In a desperately hard-fought battle the small but professional British army succeeded in fighting its way through three separate lines of American troops – but at a dreadful cost. Cornwallis lost over a quarter of his command. When news of the 'victory' reached Britain, a politician remarked; 'Another such victory would ruin the British army'.

Genres: History, American Revolution, Military History, American Revolutionary War, American History

96 pages, Paperback

First published June 19, 2002

About the author

Angus Konstam is a Scottish writer of popular history. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland and raised on the Orkney Islands, he has written more than a hundred books on maritime history, naval history, historical atlases, with a special focus on the history of piracy.

Reviews

[William Guerrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good little book. Well written, with excellent illustrations and maps. A very good choice for a reader who wants more than a cursory overview of the battle but not as much detail as is found in Babits' Long, Obstinate, and Bloody. One quibble--many of the illustrations are uncredited. The drawings are excellent and it is unfortunate that the artist is not noted or credited.

[James Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following a successful campaign in South Carolina Cornwallis entered North Carolina in an effort to bring the Revolution to an end in the South. However, poor supply and communications weakened his army as he sought to bring the rebels under General Greene to battle. Eventually Cornwallis would get his wish at Guilford Courthouse.

Guilford Courthouse saw Virginian and Carolinian militia, stiffened by Continental Line regiments, fight British regulars, German mercenaries and loyalists. They may not have won but General Greene made the best use of the men he had and managed to inflict such heavy casualties that Cornwallis had to retreat to Wilmington to reestablish and refit his men, ceding the fight for the Carolinas to Greene.

This is an excellent book detailing the fight at Guilford Courthouse. I recently walked along the battlefield park there and I am glad that I got this book to put this battle in context. It is well-illustrated and well-written.

[Stevelee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Provided a good, concise, lightweight resource to place in my backpack while touring the battlefield. However, text did not read very fluidly – thought it could have used additional editing - not quite up to the usual Osprey standards. Excellent maps.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too dry!