General Clinton sought support from Loyalists in the South. At King's Mountain, Patriot sharpshooters used the location of the plateau to their advantage by picking off British troops. Nathaniel Greene was put in charge of Southern forces by Washington. At Cowpens, Morgan exploited the belief that militia would retreat, using this to surround and defeat Tarleton's forces in a major Patriot victory. Cornwallis made a mistake by ignoring orders to go to New York and staying at Yorktown, where he was trapped and forced to surrender.