A Stranded American Army, a Relentless Enemy, and a Thrilling Pursuit and Escape that Changed the Outcome of the American Revolution
"In the most barren inhospitable unhealthy part of North America, opposed by the most savage, inveterate perfidious cruel Enemy, with zeal and with Bayonets only, it was resolv'd to follow Green's Army, to the end of the World." So wrote British general Charles O'Hara about the epic confrontation between Nathanael Greene and Charles Cornwallis during the winter of 1780-81. Only Greene's starving, threadbare Continentals stood between Cornwallis and control of the South--and a possible end to the American rebellion. Burning their baggage train so that they could travel more quickly, the British doggedly pursued Greene's bedraggled soldiers, yet the rebels remained elusive. Daniel Morgan's stunning victory at Cowpens over a superior British force set in motion the "Race to the Dan," Greene's month-long strategic retreat across the Carolinas. In constant rain and occasional snow, Greene's soldiers bound toward a secret stash of boats on the Dan River. Just before Cornwallis could close his trap, the Continentals crossed into Virginia and safety. With a background section on the Southern theater in 1780, and a summary outlining the post-war lives and careers of its important officers, To the End of the World: Nathanael Greene, Charles Cornwallis, and the Race to the Dan is a carefully documented and beautifully written account of this extraordinary chapter of American history.