1781: The Decisive Year of the Revolutionary War

by Robert L. Tonsetic

The Treaty of Paris in 1783 formally ended the American Revolutionary War, but it was the pivotal campaigns and battles of 1781 that decided the final outcome. 1781 was one of those rare years in American history when the future of the nation hung by a thread, and only the fortitude, determination, and sacrifice of its leaders and citizenry ensured its survival. By 1781, America had been at war with the world's strongest empire for six years with no end in sight. British troops occupied key coastal cities, from New York to Savannah, and the Royal Navy prowled the waters off the American coast. The remaining Patriot forces hunkered down in the hinterland, giving battle only at opportunities when British columns ventured near. But after several harsh winters, and the failure of the nascent government to adequately supply the troops, the American army was fast approaching the breaking point. The number of Continental soldiers had shrunk to less than 10,000, and the three-year enlistments of many of those remaining were about to expire. Mutinies began to emerge in the Continental Army's ranks, and it was only the arrival of French troops that provided a ray of hope for the American cause.
In a shift of strategy given the stalemate between New York and Philadelphia, the British began to prioritize the south. After shattering the American army under Horatio Gates at Camden, South Carolina, the British army under Lord Cornwallis appeared unstoppable, and was poised to regain the Carolinas, Georgia, and Virginia for the Crown. However, when General Nathaniel Greene arrived to take command of Patriot forces in the south, he was able to gradually turn the tables. By dividing his own forces, he forced the British to divide theirs, dissipating their juggernaut and forcing Cornwallis to confront a veritable hydra of resistance.
1781 was a year of battles, as the Patriot Morgan defeated the notorious Tarleton and his Loyal legion at Cowpens. Then Greene suffered defeat at Guilford Courthouse, only to rally his forces and continue to fight on in the Carolinas and Georgia, assisted by such luminaries as Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox," and "Light Horse Harry" Lee. Rather than continuing his campaign in the Carolinas,  Cornwallis marched his exhausted army to Yorktown on the Peninsula, upon which the combined American and French armies under the command of General Washington, and Admiral De Grasse's French fleet  all converged. On October 19, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered his weary and bloodied army.
In this book, Robert Tonsetic provides a detailed analysis of the key battles and campaigns of 1781, supported by numerous eyewitness accounts from privates to generals in the American, French, and British armies. He also describes the diplomatic efforts underway in Europe during 1781, as well as the Continental Congress's actions to resolve the immense financial, supply, and personnel problems involved in maintaining an effective fighting army in the field. With its focus on the climactic year of the war, 1781 is a valuable addition to the literature on the American Revolution, providing readers with a clearer understanding of how America, just barely, with fortitude and courage, retrieved its independence in the face of great odds.

Genres: American Revolution, History, Military History, American History, American Revolutionary War

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2011

About the author

Robert L. (Bob) Tonsetic, PhD, was born in Pennsylvania. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, he entered the Army as an infantry lieutenant. During the Vietnam War, he served as a light infantry company commander and as an advisor to Vietnamese Ranger and Airborne units. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star for extraordinary heroism during the 1968 Tet and May offensives. He retired from the army at the rank of colonel. After completing his doctorate in 1996, he taught at the graduate level at the University of Central Florida. He died in April 2016 in his home in Easton, Maryland.

Reviews

[Mike (HistoryBuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 rounded up to 4.5
A very fast, concise and entertaining read. This narrative account about the Revolutionary War in 1781 was informative and engaging. The author, Robert Tonsetic, keeps the flow going. While I enjoyed learning about northern and southern strategies, I found the tactics and battles of Nathaniel Green in the south very interesting. Other historical figures, such as Francis Marion, General Washington, Daniel Morgan, Cornwallis, and Tarleton come alive in this pivotal year in the fight for freedom.
If you like your history in bite sized chunks then this is your book. Very good brief descriptions of the battles that do not overwhelm the reader. Highly Recommended

[Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent history of the events in 1781 that led to the defeat of Lord Cornwallis’s army at Yorktown, which propelled the Americans to victory and freedom. It is a very readable history of these events with many first-hand accounts from the letters, diaries and journals of the participants. It lays out the strategies that each side employed and how those strategies were implemented. While the British at first believed a Southern campaign would find favor with most loyalist in the South, the opposite was true. Loyalist did not flock to the British banners to aid suppression of the Revolution. Colonials did join militia forces to resist the British forces. While full battlefield tactical victories were indeed scarce for American forces, staying in the fight and depleting British forces and their control over vast geographic area in the Carolinas and Georgia was their plan. The fact that the British could not destroy the Colonial armed forces gave pause to the British leadership’s confidence that ultimate success of their cause was feasible. Thus, when Cornwallis’s army was defeated and captured at Yorktown, there wasn’t mush appetite in Britain to continue the costly war in America. There is also excellent insight into the leaders on both sides of this conflict and how their style of leadership impacted the war.

[William Herlong · Rating 5 out of 5]

extremely good

This book is excellent. I read it after reading the first two volumes of Rick Atkinson’s new trilogy in the Revolutionary War, while waiting for his final volume to be complete. This book moves much faster and focuses on one primary year, 1781, and ends up being a perfect primer for Atkinson’s longer work. My only criticism of this work is just, you might say, mechanical. There are many cases where words are inappropriately hyphenated (e.g., “General Corn-Wallis”) or broken apart (e.g., “demon strated”) and a handful of paragraphs where the text is a bit jumbled. More substantively, the illustrations are as good as they could be. They are all low resolution and not that detailed. I also would have appreciated more of them. Let me emphasize, however, that those points are mere nits. The work is excellent if not quite fully polished.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has the rare privilege of getting a lower rating...and yet I have no regrets because it was kinda fun reading this on vacation while going to such Revolutionary War sites as Monticello and Independence Hall. However, this book is a little too dense and dry. There's a lot of facts and numbers and not much narrative flow. I appreciated some of the historical insights--for example I hadn't known how important Nathaniel Greene was to the success of the War, and I even used to live in a county named after him--and so if you're interested in the subject you might get some value out of this, but I wouldn't recommend for anyone but the more ardent US history fans.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read (see what I did there?) about what I now see as a pivotal year in the fight for our country's freedom. I enjoyed reading this after cycling through several of the locations this fall and having visited others in/near our backyard in the past. Nathanial Greene doesn't get enough props for his role in the war. The slow motion nature of the setup of the strategy in this war is an amazing contrast to today where war actions are taken and then the public learns about it. This book is worth the read - good story, detail and flow. Two thumbs up.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent summary of the pivotal final year of combat in the revolutionary war. Quotes from primary sources, including diaries and memoirs of average soldiers, adds personality and depth of detail. Makes clear how close we came to losing the war. Good, clear descriptions of the battles, along with background material that gives the strategic picture and puts each engagement in context. Overall quality is hurt by typos and repeated passages that a good editor could have eliminated. Overall, though, an engaging history.

[Heather G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative

A little dry at times but a very informative look at 1781, a very eventful year in the Revolutionary War.

[Peter Pahules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for revolutionary war buffs.

[Darin Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, very informational

[Manolo Gamboa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read ! Well research . The author writes in a way that makes you finish the book right away .

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent recounting of the events of 1781, a pivotal year in the Revolutionary war. The book could have used better editing (spelling errors), but the content was well done.

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overview of the year in the American colonies, with several nice maps for some of the engagements, like Guilford Courthouse and Yorktown. However, the author failed to mention any operations involving the Spanish and Dutch forces (such as the Spanish-French capture of Pensacola in May 1781). It would have been interesting to see how their actions contributed to the British decision to give up the war.

[Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a decent flow to it, and it did not feel overly academic. However, I could not rate this book higher because of the numerous (I counted over 60!) grammatical errors. Sentences ended with commas or no punctuation at all, and massive spelling mistakes were all over the place in this book.

[Richard Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a necessary read for anyone interested in a better understanding of the Revolutionary War, especially how the northern and southern strategies worked together towards achieving victory. I was especially interested in the tactics and battles of Nathaniel Green in the south as I had several ancestors involved in some of those forgotten southern campaign battles won and lost.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who enjoy reading historical accounts of events and the people involved, this is a good source for the events of 1781. The author's notes and references were most helpful, particularly for someone whose ancestors were involved in several of the battles and sieges, or for those who live in the regions where they occurred.

[Jason Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Washington wouldn't be president until the election of 1790. When he took office the contents of this book were day-to-day knowledge for the people. This book takes into account a few side stories to clean up 1781.

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really needed a heavier hand with the editing. The prose became tedious at times, lacking in variety of sentence structure and phrasing. Repetitive at times in substance as well. I also didn't feel as it was bringing much new material to the table.

[Mary Cardwell]

I liked it, especially since it covered both the battles and the people involved with the major campaigns from the Carolina's to the battle of Yorktown, VA. The maps were excellent and helpful.

[Mark]

Loved it!! Very factualand with a personal touch to the lives of both the British and the Americans.

[Lisa Stillings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pivotal time

The events of 1781, when the Revolutionary War was being decided. Amazing detail and insight into the leaders of the battles.