More to Explore
People and Groups
Themes
Events
This Day in History
May 26
American Revolution
Colonel William Crawford proceeds toward the Ohio, 1782
On this day in 1782, American Colonel William Crawford marches his army towards the Ohio River, where General George Washington has charged him with…
Recommended Articles
-
Nathan Hale
(born June 6, 1755, Coventry, Conn. [U.S.]—died Sept. 22, 1776, Manhattan Island, N.Y.) American Revolutionary officer who attempted to spy on the British and was hanged.
-
Sir Henry Clinton
(born April 16?, 1730?—died Dec. 23, 1795, Cornwall, Eng.) British commander in chief in America during the Revolutionary War.
-
Battle of Virginia Capes
(September 5, 1781), in the American Revolution, French naval victory over a British fleet that took place outside Chesapeake Bay. The outcome of the battle was indispensable to the successful Franco-American Siege of Yorktown from August to October.
-
Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge
(February 27, 1776), in the American Revolution, battle in which North Carolina Revolutionaries defeated a force of North Carolina loyalists, in part thwarting a British invasion of the southern colonies.
(March 15, 1781), in the American Revolution, strategic victory for the Americans in North Carolina over the British, who soon afterward were obliged to abandon control of the Carolinas.
After the Battle of Cowpens (January 17, 1781), the American commander Nathanael Greene united both wings of his 4,400-man southern army at Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina. There Lord Cornwallis, with a force of 1,900 British veterans, caught up with the Americans, and a battle ensued. American casualties were light; British casualties were heavy. Wishing to avoid another defeat such as the one suffered by General Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina, the previous August, Greene withdrew his forces intact.
Declining to pursue the Americans into the backcountry, Cornwallis temporarily retired to Hillsboro, North Carolina. Acknowledging his failure to destroy patriot resistance in the South, Cornwallis abandoned the heart of the state a few weeks later and marched to the coast at Wilmington to recruit and refit his command.
Copyright © 1994-2011 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com.
Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
Shop HISTORY
-
Ultimate Collections: World War II DVD Set (slimline)
Own this essential 10-disc anthology of the greatest war of the 20th century.
$34.99
Buy Now -
WWII in HD DVD Set
The only people to see the war like this were the ones who lived it. Until now… Own this best-selling series today!
$14.99
Buy Now -
Swamp People Troy Bobblehead
If the "King of the Swamp" is your favorite of all the swamp people, say so with the Swamp People Troy Bobblehead!
$26.95
Buy Now
Email Updates
Keep up with the latest History shows, online features, special offers and more.
Sign upClassroom Study Guides
-
Vietnam in HD Teacher's Guide (PDF)
Classroom companion for the new HISTORY series Vietnam in HD.
-
April 1865: The Month That Saved America (PDF)
Teacher's Guide to the program covering the last few weeks of the Civil War, from President Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration, to the surrender at Appomatox, the assassination of Lincoln, and the final laying down of arms by the Confederacy.
-
Thomas Jefferson Teacher's Guide (PDF)
Jefferson is an insightful 2-hour presentation on HISTORY which examines his many identities and asks viewers to answer for themselves: who was the real Thomas Jefferson, and what is his most lasting legacy in our world today?
