Colonial Campaigns Club (CCC)

In the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, British General Cornwallis achieves a phyrric victory over the American forces of General Greene and General Morgan. Cornwallis suffers such severe losses that he abandons the campaign to establish British control over the Carolinas. It is the largest, most hotly-contested action of the Revolutionary War's climactic Southern Campaign. Major General Nathaniel Greene and his army of 4,400 Americans contested the British invasion of North Carolina at Guilford Courthouse. Lt. Gen. Charles, Earl Cornwallis, commanded the tough professional force of 1,900 British soldiers. Greene deployed his men into smaller groups to take advantage of the terrain. The Courthouse battle was fierce. The veteran British troops were severely crippled. Cornwallis lost a quarter of his army (~475 men) and almost a third of his officers. Greene lost only six percent (~265) of his men. With greatly diminished ranks and depleted supplies, Cornwallis withdrew to the coast, 200 miles away.

from us.military.history

http://www.patriotresource.com/battles/guilford.html

Facts unchecked. (just let's me know that someone is reading!)

Cox
NJM

Looks good to me Mike.

Raaather! Lord Cornwallis "trounced"? I guess it depends on whose wig is being powdered, but some accounts declare Guilford a British victory, a Pyrrhic victory, but a victory nonetheless. [:p]

Wasn't it Cornwallis himself who said something to the effect of..'a few more "victories" like that and we shall lost the war'?

"Pyrrhus inherited the throne of Epirus in Northern Greece around 306 B.C.E., and as a young man proved himself on the battlefield again and again. Pyrrhus apparently had great strategic skills, but he also had the reputation of not knowing when to stop. In 281 he went to Italy and defeated the Romans at Heraclea and Asculum, but suffered bitterly heavy losses. The devastation led to his famous statement, "One more such victory and I am lost" -- hence the term "Pyrrhic victory" for any victory so costly as to be ruinous."

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Phil Natta</i>
<br />Raaather! Lord Cornwallis "trounced"? I guess it depends on whose wig is being powdered, but some accounts declare Guilford a British victory, a Pyrrhic victory, but a victory nonetheless. [:p]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Note - the author (again these are copied and <i>briefly</i> edited) did use the term "pyrrhic victory" as well. (And don't confuse Pyrrhus with Priapus - too painf--- no - I won't go there.)

The advantage of writing the headlines: I get the first crack at the spin control! [:D]

So, the British claimed the field (how many points was that hex worth?), but the Americans have the edge in casualties. Scenario: draw (possible minor British victory). Campaign: American Victory. (What's that Phil? Sounds like our 1812 Campaign you say?[:0])

<font color="yellow">Cox
NJM</font id="yellow">

Touche on the spin control Mike. [:D] But you've got our 1812 Campaign backwards, your two wins and a draw led to a drawn campaign...perhaps the luckiest spin for me to date. [:I]

Phil

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Phil Natta</i>
<br />But you've got our 1812 Campaign backwards, your two wins and a draw led to a drawn campaign...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Yikes! Apparently, the mind is the first to go....<i>then again the body was shot for many years now...</i>

It <i>WAS</i> another fine commander that I took the 1812 victory off of.

Cox
NJM

Scott - the full quote is "Another such victory would ruin the British Army." It was uttered by Charles James Fox as he addressed the House of Commons.