Biographical Notes
Henry Lee - Light Horse Harry Lee
In May, Washington announced that France had signed a treaty with the United States and would be sending a fleet to America to assist in the revolution against Great Britain. Harry's new command continued to bring in badly needed supplies to the warehouses operated by Washington's Quartermaster General, Nathaneal Greene. Howe was replaced by General Sir Henry Clinton. Clinton decided to retreat from Philadelphia, in part because of the difficulties he faced in resupply over a long route harassed by Harry's partizan cavalry unit. After Washington blockaded Clinton in New York, Harry's partizans were used to harass and plunder British outposts. In September Harry met and defeated a British cavalry regiment at Tarrytown on the Hudson River. Washington subsequently assigned an infantry regiment to work with Harry's partizans and General Clinton credited their combined force with immobilizing two of his divisions. Although the British tried repeatedly to capture or kill him, Harry severely chocked down Clinton's resupply of food stuffs from the interior. In the Spring of 1779, Harry's partizans were used to monitor British activity along the Hudson River and Harry himself was given a furlough to visit his family. He did not want to go, but Washington had heard from Harry's mother via his own wife that the family wanted to see their son. Harry did not win that battle and reluctantly returned home for a two week visit.
On Harry's return to the war front after leave in Virginia, Washington issued secret orders instructing him to find out everything that he could about British fortifications at Stoney Point, New York. The British and most other observers felt that the Stoney Point position was invulnerable, but, based upon Harry's intelligence, Washington sent Anthony Wayne and an elite brigade of light infantry armed with the most modern weapons available against it. The partizans were assigned to support Wayne's attack. Just prior to the attack one of the partizans deserted. He was caught and Harry hanged him on the spot. Wayne's attack was successful and was a great public relations triumph for the rebel cause. Congress officially complimented and rewarded Wayne, but did not mention Harry or his partizan force. Congress decreed that all participating officers below the rank of lieutenant colonel were to be promoted one full rank. No partizan name was on the promotion list. Both Wayne and Washington were furious at the oversight but were unable to obtain any redress from Congress. Soon thereafter, Washington added a fourth troop to his partizan cavalry. Harry now commanded the largest cavalry unit in the army and was given the privilege of conceiving of his own campaigns requiring only that Washington's concurrence be obtained before initiating any action.
Harry chose the British fortification at Paulus Hook, New Jersey, for his first operation. Like Stoney Point before Mad Anthony had captured it, Paulus Hook was considered to be impregnable and that was obviously one of the attractions for Harry. After making a thorough reconnaissance and developing his plan of attack he requested that several hundred infantry be assigned to him for the attack. Washington concurred. Prior to the attack, Major Clarke, commanding the infantry unit, claimed right of overall command of the operation in as much as he thought that he out ranked Lee. When questioned on the date of his promotion to major, Lee dissembled and proceeded to maintain command of what he regarded to be rightfully his engagement. The attack was successful and four hundred prisoners were taken before massive British reinforcements required the engagement to be broken off. The Americans accomplished their objective with minimal loss and once again Harry was heralded in newspapers across the country as a national hero. Washington, Greene, Wayne, Knox, and the Marquis de Lafayette all applauded Harry's successful operation, but Major Clark attempted to make an issue of the date of rank argument. Harry actually had to stand trial on several charges, but every single senior officer of importance including the commander-in-chief rallied to his cause and openly voiced support for him. In the end he was vindicated by a court martial board, presided over by Anthony Wayne.
Harry's next assignment was to use his cavalry to keep an eye on the British units in New York and to operate an extensive espionage network inside the city. In January 1780, Harry again took leave and again returned home for a brief rest. During his earlier furlough, he had met Matilda Lee, the young daughter of distant relatives. During this furlough, he called on her at her family home Stratford on a number of occasions and it would appear that, although they made no public announcement, the two decided that following the war they would marry. When Harry returned to Washington's headquarters after leave, he was ordered to join Nathaneal Greene in North Carolina as his Chief of Cavalry and Commander of a combined infantry and cavalry legion which would operate independently under General Greene's overall command. Harry accepted these orders without hesitation. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and authorized to hand pick the men that he wanted in his legion. He took his partizans for the core of his cavalry unit and selected three hundred fifty seasoned Continental Army regulars for his infantry unit. He had no problem recruiting volunteers for this elite force. Men were eager to join "Lee's Legion" and honored if accepted. The legion received excellent logistic support and was given modern weaponry. Lee designed special uniforms for his men complete with plumes on their helmets.
With the French Alliance in hand, things in the northern part of the country had definitely improved and Washington had the British forces bottled up in New York. The British responded by intensifying their activities in the southern part of the country. Lord Cornwallis held a number of positions throughout the Carolinas and the British had defeated every America commander that they faced in the region prior to the arrival of General Greene. They expected to destroy his units the same way that they had decimated those of his predecessors. Guerrillas led by North Carolina Militia Brigadier General Francis Marion were some of Greene's chief assets in the area and he assigned Lee to coordinate operations with him. Lee was in his mid-twenties and Marion was in his late forties. Lee was an aristocrat. Marion was defiantly not. Lee was proud to be a regular army officer. Marion was a proud militiaman. It was a delicate assignment and Greene's orders did not make it any less difficult. Lee was authorized to override Marion if necessary, but to do everything possible to avoid exercising his authority. Marion, who was known as the Swamp Fox, was an effective combatant, but not much of a team player. The first meeting between the two men generated hostility on both sides, but they got over it and eventually came to an understanding based on mutual respect of each other's accomplishments in battle. They planned and executed a joint operation against the British at Georgetown, North Carolina. It was not particularly successful, but it served to strengthen the bonds between the two men.
In February 1781, while covering Greene's retreat to the Dan River, Lee's Legion made it's first contact with Cornwallis' cavalry led by Colonel Banastre Tarleton. An unarmed American bugle boy was killed by the British and an infuriated Lee led a charge that dispersed a larger British force and captured forty prisoners. Following their successful crossing of the Dan, Greene ordered Lee to combine his legion with a battle-hardened South Carolina militia brigade led by General Andrew Pickens. The combined force was to re-cross the Dan and harass Cornwallis and Tarleton, hoping to lead them into a main force engagement in the Carolina hill country where political and terrain conditions would favor Greene. Pickens and Lee caught up with a group of four hundred loyalist recruits that were on their way to join Tarleton. Through trickery, the Americans managed to kill well over a hundred of the loyalist recruits and wound many more before they fled into the woods. At the insistence of the Carolina Militia troopers, the wounded loyalists were left where they lay on the battlefield. This incident brought home to Lee the intensity of the civil war that raged in the North Carolina countryside. Pickens and Lee continued to pursue Tarleton, but being outnumbered he chose to avoid contact. Greene was slowly being reinforced with new men and material and he decided to try to take the fight to Cornwallis. He assigned Lee's Legion to screen his main force as he maneuvered to bring Cornwallis to battle.
