After the British victory at the Battle of Camden in August 1780, Major Patrick Ferguson was dispatched to the Southern Colonies. His task was to recruit members to fight for the Loyalist militia and protect Cornwallis’s left flank as he attempted to move through the Carolinas.
Despite the prominent role Cornwallis played in the Revolution, Henry Clinton was blamed for the loss of the American colonies following the surrender at Yorktown.
In 1779, after a stalemate in the north, Cornwallis went south as second in command to Sir Henry Clinton. Clinton captured Charleston in May 1780. Cornwallis pressed on to defeat General Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina, on August 16, 1780.
Captain Isaac Davis, a Massachusetts Minuteman leader, was the first American officer killed in the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Concord on April 19, 1775.
Uncovering History
We invite you to visit the preserved locations along the Liberty Trail and to immerse
yourself in the extraordinary events that determined the fate of a nation.
The primary approach to Norfolk, Virginia, was over Great Bridge, which spanned the Elizabeth River. On the morning of December 9, 1775, British soldiers attacked Patriot forces near the bridge in an attempt to seize the bridge and run off the rebels.
British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton pushed up the Enoree River hot on the trail of Patriot Brigadier General Thomas Sumter.
One of the oldest public buildings in the United States, the Old State House was the seat of government in Massachusetts leading up to the Revolution and after the consolidation of the States. Infamously, the Boston Massacre happened just beyond its steps.
McLeroth and his 64th Regiment were escorting 200 recruits from Charleston to Camden when Marion, with about 700 men, surprised them at Halfway Swamp.
Utilized during the second Middlebrook encampment by the Continental Army, this home served as the headquarters for Nathanael Greene from 1778-1779.
Located within the Santee Wildlife Refuge, this was the last major battle of the war in South Carolina.
In 1780, after the British occupied Charleston during the American Revolutionary War, the Brewton house was used as the British headquarters for Henry Clinton.
Marion Square, named in honor of Francis Marion, is greenspace in downtown Charleston, South Carolina and features remnants of The Hornwork, a large fortification built in 1758 that played a major role in the fight for independence.
Site of the Second Viriginia Convention and Patrick Henry's famous words, "Give me liberty or give me death!"
Now a quiet park in the center of urban Morristown, this green once served as the training and parade grounds of the Continental Army during its 1777 winter encampment.
The Arnold Tavern, constructed in the mid-18th century, served as Washington's headquarters from January - May 1777
Along the banks of the Hudson, one can walk in the steps of Cornwallis' army, which landed at this spot to chase the Continental Army through New Jersey.