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Student Worksheet Packet

Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost

Savannah, GA

Grades 6-8·2 class periods

This lesson uses the British capture of Savannah in December 1778 to teach how battles are won through intelligence, surprise, and terrain. Students analyze why Campbell's flanking move succeeded, what role Quamino Dolly played, and what the battle's outcome meant for the rest of the southern war. The lesson also introduces the social dimension of the war through the story of enslaved people's choices and risks.

This Packet Includes

  • Learning Objectives & Essential Questions
  • 5 Primary Source Analysis Worksheets
  • 3 Reading & Activity Handouts
  • Assessment Quiz (5 questions)
Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Lesson Overview
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Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Students will explain how Campbell used terrain intelligence to outflank Howe's defenses
  2. Students will describe Quamino Dolly's role and discuss why his motivations are historically significant
  3. Students will analyze why Georgia was chosen as the entry point for the British southern strategy
  4. Students will explain the consequences of Savannah's fall for the rest of the southern war

Essential Questions

Keep these questions in mind as you work through this packet:

  • How does knowledge of local terrain change the outcome of battles?
  • What choices did enslaved people face when both armies claimed to offer something to them?
  • Why does the British capture of Savannah in 1778 matter to understanding everything that happened in the southern states afterward?
Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Primary Source Analysis
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Primary Source 1 of 5
Document Information
DocumentLieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell to Lord Germain: Dispatch on the Capture of Savannah, December 29, 1778
SourcePublic Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Savannah, GA? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
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Primary Source 2 of 5
Document Information
DocumentGeneral Benjamin Lincoln: Correspondence during the Siege of Savannah, September-October 1779
SourceMassachusetts Historical Society
TypePRIMARY
General Benjamin Lincoln: Correspondence during the Siege of Savannah, September-October 1779

General Benjamin Lincoln: Correspondence during the Siege of Savannah, September-October 1779

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Savannah, GA? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 3 of 5
Document Information
DocumentVice-Admiral Comte d'Estaing: Dispatches on the Siege of Savannah, 1779
SourceArchives nationales (France)
TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Savannah, GA? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 4 of 5
Document Information
DocumentAccount of the Death of Count Casimir Pulaski at the Siege of Savannah, October 9, 1779
SourceLibrary of Congress
TypePRIMARY
Account of the Death of Count Casimir Pulaski at the Siege of Savannah, October 9, 1779

Account of the Death of Count Casimir Pulaski at the Siege of Savannah, October 9, 1779

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Savannah, GA? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:
Primary Source 5 of 5
Document Information
DocumentBritish Garrison Records: Savannah, 1779-1782
SourcePublic Record Office (National Archives, United Kingdom)
TypePRIMARY

Analysis Questions

Read the document carefully, then answer each question in complete sentences.

  1. Who created this source and why?

  2. When was this source created?

  3. What perspective does this source represent?

  4. What was happening when this was written?

  5. How might the author's position affect their account?

Reflection

How does this source connect to what happened in Savannah, GA? What does it tell you about the people involved?

Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Savannah Event Timeline
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Name: Date: Period:

Savannah Event Timeline

timeline

Students place key events in chronological order and add details

# Savannah Revolutionary Timeline


Instructions: Place the following events in order and add one detail about each.


  • [ ] Fall of Savannah — British Capture
  • [ ] Franco-American Assault on Spring Hill Redoubt
  • [ ] Death of Count Casimir Pulaski
  • [ ] French Fleet Arrives Off Savannah
  • [ ] British Evacuation of Savannah

---


| Event | Date | Significance |

|-------|------|-------------|

| | | |

| | | |

| | | |

Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Primary Source Analysis
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:

Primary Source Analysis

graphic organizer

Structured analysis of Revolutionary-era documents

# Primary Source Analysis Worksheet


## Source Information

  • Title: _________________
  • Author: _________________
  • Date: _________________
  • Type: _________________

## Observation

What do you notice? (List 3 things)

1.

2.

3.


## Reflection

What do you wonder? (List 2 questions)

1.

2.


## Analysis

What does this source tell us about Savannah during the Revolution?


_______________________________________________


## Perspective

Whose voice is represented? Whose might be missing?


_______________________________________________

Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Key Figures Profile
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Name: Date: Period:

Key Figures Profile

worksheet

Research template for Revolutionary figures

# Revolutionary Figure Profile


## Basic Information

  • Name: _________________
  • Birth/Death Years: _________________
  • Occupation(s): _________________

## Role in the Revolution

### Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell

British officer who captured Savannah on December 29, 1778, by exploiting intelligence from an enslaved man about a hidden path through the swamp flanking the American position. His swift campaign opened the entire southern theater of the war.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.


### Major General Robert Howe

North Carolina Continental general commanding the American forces at Savannah when the British attacked in December 1778. His 850-man force was completely outmaneuvered by Campbell's flanking move; over 450 Americans were captured. Howe was later court-martialed but acquitted.


My questions about this person:

1.

2.



## Reflection

Which figure interests you most and why?


_______________________________________________

Unit:Savannah 1778: How a Battle Is Won and Lost — Assessment
History is for Everyone
Name: Date: Period:

Savannah in the American Revolution

Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.

  1. 1.  What makes Savannah significant in Revolutionary history?

  2. 2.  Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.

  3. 3.  Name one event that occurred in Savannah during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.

    Answer:

  4. 4.  Why is it important to consider multiple perspectives when studying history?

  5. 5.  Describe one connection between this town and another Revolutionary-era town we discussed.

    Answer: