<P> Mahé was under the protection of Mysore's ruler Hyder Ali (the Tipu Sultan), and tensions were already inflamed because the British had supported Malabar rebels who had risen against him; so the fall of Mahé precipitated war . Hyder Ali invaded the Carnatic region in July 1780 and laid siege to Tellicherry and Arcot . A British relief force of 7,000 men under William Baille was intercepted and destroyed by the Tipu Sultan on 10 September, the worst defeat suffered by a European army in India at the time . </P> <P> Ali then renewed the siege at Arcot instead of pressing on for a decisive victory against a second British army at Madras, capturing it on 3 November . The delay allowed British forces to regroup for campaigning the following year . </P> <P> Henry Clinton withdrew from Philadelphia, consolidating his forces in New York following the British defeat at Saratoga and the entry of France into the war . French admiral the Comte d'Estaing had been dispatched to North America in April 1778 to assist Washington, and he arrived shortly after Clinton withdrew into New York . The Franco - American forces felt that New York's defenses were too formidable for the French fleet, and they opted to attack Newport . This effort was launched on August 29, but it failed when the French opted to withdraw, and this displeased the Americans . The war then ground down to a stalemate, with the majority of actions fought as large skirmishes, such as those at Chestnut Neck and Little Egg Harbor . In the summer of 1779, the Americans captured British posts at Stony Point and Paulus Hook . </P> <P> In July, Clinton unsuccessfully attempted to coax Washington into a decisive engagement by making a major raid into Connecticut . That month, a large American naval operation attempted to retake Maine, but it resulted in the worst American naval defeat until Pearl Harbor in 1941 . The high frequency of Iroquois raids on the locals compelled Washington to mount a punitive expedition which destroyed a large number of Iroquois settlements, but the effort ultimately failed to stop the raids . During the winter of 1779--80, the Continental Army suffered greater hardships than at Valley Forge . Morale was poor; public support was being eroded by the long war; the national currency was virtually worthless; the army was plagued with supply problems; desertion was common; and whole regiments mutinied over the conditions in early 1780 . </P>

What was the last battle between britain and america