Battles & Campaigns · 1781
Battle of Green Spring
Green Spring, Virginia, USA
What happened
Cornwallis hid most of his army near Green Spring while he prepared to cross the James River. Wayne led an advance into the marshy ground, and after nearly two hours of skirmishing the British counterattacked. Wayne ordered a bayonet charge that held the British back long enough for his men to withdraw.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a British victory and the last major land battle of the Virginia campaign before Yorktown. Cornwallis did not chase the Americans.
What came next
Cornwallis crossed the James and, on orders from Clinton, set up a fortified base at Yorktown. He surrendered there on 19 October 1781.
Did you know?
A British gun left 'abandoned' in the road was bait: when the Americans seized it, the British counterattacked.
Timeline
- 6 July 1781Battle of Green Spring.
- October 1781Siege of Yorktown.
- 19 October 1781Cornwallis's army surrenders.