This caused his men to lose faith and surrender.
However, the rebels could not maintain control of these forces. As they were fearful that Cornwallis could counterattack at any moment. This forced them to retreat into the mountains. The battle was significant, because it made Cornwallis abandon his strategy of pacifying the South. As a result, he moved his forces into Virginia (where he was surprised by Washington and the French). This led to his surrender and the subsequent peace treaty. (Bower)
These events are showing some of the parallels that the U.S. is facing with its War on Terror and dealing with non-traditional military forces. What causes their ranks to increase; is the approach that is taken by American officials in different regions of the world. In many cases, this has meant that they are engaging in actions that will outrage the local population....
They play a critical role in determining if different groups are willing to ally with U.S..
To address these challenges the unit must be able to understand local customs and work with the population. This means that training needs to increase prior to deploying into a theater of operations. One possible approach is to use a regionalized focus that determines where potential deployments will occur. Then, have various individuals participate in a series of modules on customs and culture. If this happens, everyone will be more prepared for possible deployments. This will make it easier to pacify regions and understand more of what is occurring on the ground. These are the keys to defeating any counterinsurgency.
Name of Author (Author Line)
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References
Bower, Stephen. Freedoms Warriors. U.S. Army Solider Support, 2005.
