1781: The Decisive Year of the Revolutionary War

A detailed chronicle—including eyewitness accounts—of the year American Patriots turned the tables on the British in the US War of Independence.

In 1781, the future of America hung by a thread. British troops occupied key coastal cities, from New York to Savannah. After several harsh winters, the American army was fast approaching the breaking point. Mutinies began to emerge in George Washington's ranks, and it was only the arrival of French troops that provided a ray of hope for the Amer...