BOOK REVIEW: Revolutionary War Soldiers of the Southern States, A Demographic View by Douglas R. Dorney Jr. (JAR Books Series/Westholme, 2026, $34.95 cloth)
This text represents seven years of research, analysis and writing involving the examination and study of 8,579 Revolutionary War pension applications from four southern states, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. This study examined all available records from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia and a representative sample of records from Virginia.
The author utilized the digitized pension applications available as searchable transcriptions on the Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters web site. He identified nine general categories of demographic factors and organized these into nine chapters supplemented by an introduction and conclusion. Each chapter begins with a general discussion of the demographic factors then provides a more in-depth analysis by state.
The major factors addressed by chapter include: 1) dates and places of birth; 2) military units and types of enlistments; 3) length of service and numbers of enlistments; 4) enlistment years and ages; 5) minority pension applications; 6) battles and skirmishes; 7) prisoners of war, 8) possessions, occupations, literacy, naming patterns and heights; and 9) locations where the pension applications were filed.
Anyone who reads, researches and extracts data from pension applications quickly gains an appreciation for the variety of data the individual provided and the significant differences in information contained in each application. The author cautions readers that his findings apply to the pension applications he examined and not the entire population of Revolutionary soldiers or even all soldiers from the southern states. This is nonetheless a unique and valuable study providing foundational data for those interested in the Revolutionary War and men from southern states. The author concludes there is no such thing as an average Revolutionary soldier, each was unique.
Yet he provides useful trend data based on common factors. An example is the most frequently named battle or engagement addressed by the applicants. Not surprisingly the most common actions referenced by both Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia applicants were unmanned skirmishes while South Carolina applicants mentioned Eutaw Springs most frequently. Of the larger named battles, both North Carolina and Virginia applicants named Guilford Court House most frequently.
The author used what information each soldier provided. For example, of the 8,579 records examined, only 650 contained enough information to determine an occupation. Just like today, men also changed their occupations, and many were unable to work by the time they filed their application because of their age or physical condition. In his analysis of occupations, the author cites data from other studies referencing occupations. This provides the reader with a broader context of his findings compared to others. The author uses this same technique with other factors.
This is not a text one would normally sit down and read cover to cover. It is best approached by reading one chapter at a time or focusing on a particular demographic element or state. The text is very readable but dense with information and analysis. The standard chapter organization by element and state makes it easy to find data on a particular topic or state making this work a valuable resource for researchers and serious students of the Revolution.
The study is filled with facts and figures but more importantly, it includes analysis that provides data about the population studied, exposing patterns of service. On occasion the author provides a narrative discussion on specific applications that contain notable circumstances. One of those is William Jackson, pension application S38079. Jackson was an indentured merchant sailor from Maryland who became ill when in Great Britain and had his indenture voided. His revolutionary journey began in 1774 in Great Britian and concluded as a member of the Augusta County, Virginia, militia after Yorktown. In between he served multiple tours in both the British Army and with multiple states fighting as a Patriot. He was both a POW and a deserter. His Revolutionary journey is truly unique. Many men have a more traditional records of service, but Jackson’s experiences confirm the author’s finding that the average Revolutionary soldier may only be found by consolidating available data. Revolutionary soldiers were just as unique as each of us is today.
PLEASE CONSIDER PURCHASING THIS BOOK FROM AMAZON IN HARDCOVER.
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One thought on “Revolutionary War Soldiers of the Southern States”
Patrick, thank you for the thorough review! For those interested in other states I have begun a companion project for the Middle States. Several hundred pension applications in I can say Maryland and Delaware soldiers were quite different demographically than Carolinians and Georgians.