The memory of Cornwallis’s campaigns in the Carolinas has utterly perished. But although they issued ultimately in failure, they remain among the finest performances of the British rank and file. The march in pursuit of Morgan, which culminated in the action of Guildford and the retreat to Wilmington, alone covered 600 miles over a most difficult country. The men had no tents nor other protection against the climate, and very often no provisions. Day after day they had to ford large rivers and numberless creeks, which (to use Cornwallis’s own words), in any other country in the world would be reckoned large rivers. When, for instance, the Guards forced the passage of the Catawba, they had to ford a rapid stream waist-deep for five hundred yards under a heavy fire to which they were unable to reply. The cavalry on their part came in for some of the hardest of the work, being continually urged on and on to the front in pursuit of an enemy which they could sometimes overtake, but never force to fight; constantly engaged in petty skirmishes, losing a man here and a man there, but gaining little for their pains, and at each day’s close driven to their wits’ end to procure food for themselves and forage for their horses. [Sidenote: 1782.] By the time Cornwallis reached Wilmington the cavalry were about worn out with their work on the rear-guard, and, in Cornwallis’s words, were in want of everything. But not a man of the army complained, and all, by Cornwallis’s own testimony, showed exemplary patience and spirit. Meanwhile the Americans gave him no rest. No sooner was his back turned on South Carolina than they attacked his posts right and left, making particular efforts against Lord Rawdon at Camden. In fact, in spite of all the hard work done and the hardships endured with invincible patience by the British troops, the state of the country was worse than ever--armed parties of Americans everywhere and all communications cut. Cornwallis was painfully embarrassed by his situation. To re-enter South Carolina would be to admit that the operations of the past eighteen months had been fruitless. He decided that the best course for him was to continue his advance into Virginia, at the same time despatching messengers to warn Lord Rawdon that he must prepare to be hard beset.