After the siege of Yorktown, Laurens returned to his home state of South Carolina where Nathanael Greene appointed Laurens to lead Lee’s Legion and his light troops. Along with this command, Laurens’s new responsibilities included the gathering and analysis of intelligence for Greene.

On June 28, 1776, the British attacked Sullivan’s Island. Against impossible odds and outnumbered 2,200 British troops to 435 soldiers within the fort, Moultrie successfully prevented land and sea invasions of Charleston. The British retreated to New York and would not return to South Carolina until 1780.

A Loyalist and Massachusetts governor, Hutchinson supported British policies that fueled colonial unrest, such as the Stamp and Tea Acts, leading to events like the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party.

Morgan’s main adversary was British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton. Tarleton and Morgan’s forces faced each other at Cowpens in South Carolina on January 17, 1781. Morgan emerged victorious and secured his reputation as a skilled military tactician.