ing toward the coast, he fought the last
battle in the State, at Eutaw Springs, near Charleston, September 8,
1781. The advantage was with the British, but the victory was one of
those that are as disastrous as defeat. Their loss was so heavy that
they retreated during the night and took shelter in Charleston. Greene
had completed his work with admirable effectiveness. Without winning
victories he had, by his caution, skill, celerity of movement, and
generalship, almost cleared the South of the enemy, for the only points
held by them were Charleston and Savannah, where they were closely
hemmed in for the rest of the war.

[Illustration: (CORNWALLIS)]

MOVEMENTS OF CORNWALLIS.

Meanwhile Cornwallis was at Wilmington, where he learned of Greene's
movements too late to intercept him. He was confident, however, that
Rawdon was strong enough to overthrow Greene, and he moved northward
into Virginia to join the forces already there, and complete the
conquest of the State. No serious opposition was encountered by him, and
Tarleton plundered the country as he passed through it. Entering
Virginia, Cornwallis found himself opposed by Lafayette, with 4,000
troops, which was hardly one-half the force under his own command.
Orders came from Clinton in New York for Cornwallis to seize upon some
suitable place near the coast, easily reached by the British vessels.
Cornwallis selected Yorktown, on the peninsula between the James and
York Rivers, where he fixed the headquarters of the army, and began
throwing up fortifications.

OUR FRENCH ALLIES.

The time had come when the friendship of France for America was to
accomplish something. In the summer of 1780 Rochambeau landed at Newport
with 6,000 troops, and later they were marched to Washington's camp,
near Peekskill and Morristown. Confident that he now had an army that
could achieve important results, Washington made preparations to attack
Clinton in New York. Rochambeau gave him every help, the allies working
together with the utmost cordiality and enthusiasm.

THE YORKTOWN CAMPAIGN.

Clinton was in a constant state of apprehension, for he had good cause
to fear the result of the attack that impended. Washington's plan,
however, was changed, in the summer of 1781, by the news that a French
fleet and a strong force would soon arrive in Chesapeake Bay and shut
off Cornwallis from all assistance from Clinton. Washington decided to
march southward and capture Yorktown and