Southern Theatre Department Commanders:
Southern Theatre


Major General Charles Lee (1776)
- Born in England in 1731, he served in the French and Indian War and then in Portugal in 1762.
- On June 19, 1775, he was commissioned the 2nd Major General of the Continental Army.
- On February 17, 1776, he was selected to become the first Commander of the Canadian Department, but he never served.
- On March 1, 1776, he was selected to become the first Commander of the Southern Department.
- On June 4, 1776, he arrived in Charleston, South Carolina as the first Commander.
- On June 28, 1776, he oversaw the Battle of Fort Sullivan from the mainland.
- On December 13, 1776, he was captured by a British patrol at Basking Ridge, New Jersey.
- Courtmartialed following his actions at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.
- He died in Philadelphia in 1782.


Major General Robert Howe (1776-1778)
- A North Carolina 'rice king'.
- On March 1, 1776, he was appointed one of four Brigadier Generals to serve under Charles Lee.
- On September 9, 1776, he replaced Maj. General Lee as Commander.
- In September, 1778, he was the Commanding officer when Savannah, Georgia was lost.


Major General Benjamin Lincoln (1778-1780)
- In February 1777, he was commissioned a Major General of the Continental Army.
- On September 25, he was appointed to replace Maj. General Howe as Commander.
- In December 1778, he arrived in South Carolina and assumed command.
- In January 1779, he lost Augusta, Georgia.
- In October 1779, he failed to retake Savannah.
- In May 1780, he was captured following the Siege of Charleston.
- In October 1781, he served as George Washington's second-in-command at Yorktown.


Major General Horatio Gates (1780)
- On June 17, 1775, he was commissioned a Brigadier General of the Continental Army.
- In May 1776, he was promoted to Major General.
- In October 1777, he became known as the Hero of Saratoga.
- On May 7, 1780, he was appointed to replace Maj. General Lincoln as Commander.
- On June 13, 1780, he learned of his appointment and soon headed south.
- On July 25, 1780, he arrived in North Carolina and assumed command.
- On August 16, 1780, he was routed at the Battle of Camden.


Major General Nathanael Greene (1780-end of war)
- On June 22, 1775, he was commissioned a Brigadier General of the Continental Army.
- On August 9, 1776, he was promoted to Major General.
- On March 4, 1778, he was appointed Quartermaster General.
- On June 28, 1780, he resigned as Quartermaster General.
- On October 31, Congress approved his appointment to replace Maj. General Gates as Commander.
- On December 2, 1780, he arrived in Charlotte, North Carolina and assumed command.
- On March 15, 1781, he was the commanding officer at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
- On September 8, 1781, he was the commanding officer at the Battle of Eutaw Springs.



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