After British forces surrendered at Yorktown, Britain recognized the United States as an independent country. The document discusses the fighting in the South between Patriots and Loyalists, with Patriots like Greene, Morgan, and Marion using local knowledge and guerrilla tactics to wear down British troops. It also describes how Washington trapped Cornwallis' forces on the Yorktown peninsula, leading to the British surrender in October 1781. This ultimately resulted in Britain signing the Treaty of Paris in 1782 to acknowledge American independence.