The American Revolution: The Race to the Dan (1781)

 

General Nathanael Greene

The legendary “Race to the Dan”, was one of the most dramatic episodes of the American Revolutionary War.

 In December of 1780, the British Army under the command of Lord Charles Cornwallis was on the verge of victory in the Southern theater of war. Cornwallis had captured Charleston and had destroyed an American army at the Battle of Camden (South Carolina). 

General Washington sent the able General Nathanael Greene to North Carolina to retrieve the situation. Although outnumbered, Greene was both aggressive and smart, as he fought a guerilla campaign against the British.

On December 21, 1780, Greene sent General Daniel Morgan, a Virginian, into South Carolina with one wing of his army to harry the enemy. Morgan set a clever trap.

He allowed the British under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton to pursue his force until out of range of Cornwallis’ main army. He then turned and decisively defeated Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpens.

Morgan utterly smashed Tarleton’s force and retreated north into North Carolina with huge numbers of prisoners as well as much needed weapons and supplies.

General Greene re-united the two wings of his army in North Carolina as an enraged Lord Charles Cornwallis set out after the Americans with the bulk of his forces, intent on recapturing the prisoners taken by Daniel Morgan and smashing the Americans for good.

Greene’s objective now was to keep his smaller army out of the reach of the British.

The Dan River, was a significant natural barrier near the boundary of North Carolina and Virginia. If the Americans could reach the Dan, they could prevent the British from crossing.

The “Race for the Dan” was on.

The Americans pushed the prisoners forward as rapidly as possible. The British burned their slow moving supply wagons and pursued with remarkable speed, sometimes being only a few hours behind the Americans. Both sides were playing for high stakes.

On February 14, 1781, the American army reached Boyd’s Ferry on the Dan River.   Anticipating the arrival of General Greene’s army, a flotilla of small boats had been assembled to carry men, supplies and cannon to safety. When the British arrived, they could only look with frustration at the impassable river.

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