 Cornwallis was also involved in the Philadelphia campaign ( 1777 – 1778 ) , leading a wing of Howe 's army , before he became one of the leading figures of the British " southern strategy " to gain control of the southern colonies . In that role he successfully led troops that gained a measure of control and influence in South Carolina before heading into North Carolina . There , despite successes like his victory at the Battle of Camden , which burnished his reputation , wings of his army were decisively defeated at Kings Mountain and Cowpens . After a Pyrrhic victory at Greensboro , North Carolina , Cornwallis moved his battered army to Wilmington to rest and resupply . 
