You're listening to an Airwave Media Podcast. Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.

This week episode 289 the Battle of Green Spring.

We left off last week with the British Army in Virginia

under General Charles Cornwallis.

After linking up with the Army under William Phillips and Benedict Arnold,

Cornwallis had an army of over 7,000 men under his command.

He began a series of raids across Virginia, including a raid on Governor Thomas Jefferson's home at Montecello.

Then, near the end of June, Cornwallis received orders from General Henry Clinton

to withdraw back to the coast and to send half of his army to New York as well as cease

all offensive operations in Virginia.

When it looked like the British Army was on the verge of taking control of Virginia,

this may sound like a bizarre change of plans.

Certainly to General Cornwallis, it was frustrating and confusing.

So we need to take a step back and look at this from the perspective of

General Clinton in New York. General Clinton had taken command of British forces in America

following General Howell's recall in 1778.

This also coincided with France's entry into the war, resulting in London recalling much of the

Army in America to other parts of the Empire.

British Secretary of State George Germain ordered Clinton at that time to evacuate Philadelphia

and to consolidate the Army at New York. This was done to free up the Army and Navy for actions elsewhere in the world.

A Clinton spent the next few years trying to get more soldiers to go back on the offensive but with little luck.

His main offensive focus was in the south where he took Savannah, Georgia and then Charleston,

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