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Endurance and Triumph

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the redcoats at the Battle of Cowpens. British losses totaled about 900. American casualties, meanwhile, were only a dozen dead and 60 wounded.

An Army Exhausted Morgan’s detachment soon reunited with the rest of the army. Corn- wallis set out after the Americans. To speed up the pursuit, he ditched his supply wagons. But Greene managed to stay one step ahead. He led the 2,500 redcoats on an exhausting chase north through the rugged backcountry of North Carolina. Finally, on February 14, the American army crossed the Dan River into Virginia. Lacking boats, Cornwallis couldn’t pursue any further. But after a week resting and refitting his troops, Greene crossed back into North Carolina. He prepared for battle at Guilford Courthouse. He now had about 4,400 men, though many were untested militia. The British arrived at Guilford Courthouse on March 15. The grueling pursuit of Greene had depleted their ranks to about 2,100. The redcoats were almost 250 miles from their closest supply base. They’d had to resort to eating some of their horses to stave off hunger. Many of the men were sick. None of that seemed to dampen the redcoats’ ferocity. The Battle of Guilford Courthouse was a brutal struggle that raged for two and a half hours. At one point, the Americans appeared to be overwhelming a section of the British line in savage hand-to-hand combat. Cornwallis ordered his artillery to fire directly into the line, killing Continentals and redcoats alike. Greene at last withdrew, allowing Cornwallis to claim victory. But British

During the Revolutionary War, far more soldiers died from disease than were killed in battle.