Author: Ian Saberton

Ian Saberton holds a PhD in history from the University of Warwick. Perhaps of greatest relevance to his writing about the Revolutionary War was his service as an adviser on constitutional and political affairs, machinery of government, contingency planning, devolution and the like in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) at the height of the troubles. Part of his duties was to write historical papers of an applied nature for the benefit of Ministers. It is then that he became keenly interested in the American Revolution. Overall, what his service in NIO has brought to his writing about the war is hands-on experience in dealing with a quasi-revolutionary situation.

 Primary Sources Posted on

The British Entry Into, and Occupation of Charlotte, September 26 to October 14, 1780

The first objective in Lt. Gen. Earl Cornwallis’s first invasion of North Carolina was the capture of Charlotte. He intended to establish a post there, not only to control adjacent territory, but also to facilitate his communication with the south as he advanced farther. At daybreak on September 7, 1780, accompanied by two 3-pounders, Cornwallis […]

by Ian Saberton
Logistics Posted on

The Management of Sequestered Estates in South Carolina, 1780–1782

On September 16, 1780, while at the Waxhaws on the northern border of South Carolina, Lt. Gen. Earl Cornwallis, the British General Officer commanding in the South, issued a proclamation appointing John Cruden to be the province’s Commissioner for Sequestered Estates. The reasons behind the proclamation and the purposes of it, together with Cruden’s role, […]

by Ian Saberton
Autobiography and Biography Posted on

Biographical Sketches of Royal Militia Commanders in the South Carolina Mid- and Lowcountry, North Carolina, and Georgia, 1780–82

Introduction This article supplements one relating to royal militia commanders in the South Carolina Backcountry that appeared in the Journal of the American Revolution on November 30, 2020. SOUTH CAROLINA MID- AND LOWCOUNTRY Commanding Officers Elias Ball Sr. A brother-in-law of Thomas Gaillard (see below), Elias Ball Sr. was of a prominent local family owning […]

by Ian Saberton
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Autobiography and Biography Posted on

Biographical Sketches of Royal Militia Commanders in the South Carolina Backcountry, 1780–82

Introduction After the British capture of Charlestown in mid May 1780 the Crown hoped to raise substantial numbers of militia not only to maintain the King’s peace in the South Carolina Backcountry but also to participate eventually in the invasion of the province to the north. Yet the formation of regiments was by no means […]

by Ian Saberton
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Certain British and British American Actors in the Southern Theater of the War

This article supplements one of mine that appeared in the Journal of the American Revolutionin November 2016.[1] Based partly on The Cornwallis Papers,[2] it provides a wide-ranging set of reappraisals compartmentalised under the sub-headings below. James Paterson Paterson, as he signed his surname, had been appointed Lt. Colonel of the 63rd Regiment on June 15, […]

by Ian Saberton
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Conflict & War Posted on

Cornwallis’s Refitment at Winnsborough and the Start of the Winter Campaign, November–January 1780–81

As November 1780 begins, we find Cornwallis continuing to wait at Winnsborough, South Carolina, in the hope of being joined by Major Gen. Alexander Leslie, a junction on which the winter campaign to the northward depended. Bound for the Chesapeake and placed under the orders of Cornwallis, Leslie had sailed from New York on October […]

by Ian Saberton
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Conflict & War Posted on

The Decision that Lost Britain the War: An Enigma Now Resolved

In this article I address the absurdity of Cornwallis’s decision to march from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Virginia and the light thrown on it by The Cornwallis Papers.[1] The central enigma of the Southern Campaigns, it had until their publication never been able to be satisfactorily resolved. Lt. Gen. Charles Earl Cornwallis, the British General […]

by Ian Saberton
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The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

How many troops did Cornwallis actually bring to the Battle of Guilford?

  A re-evaluation in the light of The Cornwallis Papers Works about the Revolutionary War are littered with references to troop numbers, whether to rank and file or not, and betray some confusion between the two.  On analysing British and British American regimental returns I discovered that the proportion of officers, staff, non-commissioned officers and […]

by Ian Saberton
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People Posted on

George Hanger ― His Adventures in the American Revolutionary War end

THE CHARLESTOWN CAMPAIGN Beginning with the siege of Charlestown, the southern campaigns would prove to be Britain’s last throw of the dice in the Revolutionary War. As preparations for the Charlestown campaign got under way, Hessian general orders on December 10, 1779 again sought volunteers for a chasseur company to accompany it under George Hanger’s […]

by Ian Saberton
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People Posted on

George Hanger ― His Early Life

“The lives of malefactors in general are prefaced with a strong outline of their birth, parentage and education, with other peculiar circumstances belonging to them.  As for instance, A.B. was born in the parish of ―――――, in the county of ―――――, of reputable and genteel parents, but falling early in life into bad company both […]

by Ian Saberton
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The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

The Revolutionary War in the south: Re-evaluations of certain revolutionary actors and events

This article provides a wide-ranging set of re-evaluations compartmentalised under the sub-headings below and placed in the context of the historiography relating to them.  Based preponderantly on The Cornwallis Papers,[1] the article crystallises my reassessment of the actors and events addressed. Re-evaluations of certain revolutionary actors Thomas Sumter While adverting to the internecine warfare waged […]

by Ian Saberton
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People Posted on

The Revolutionary War in the south: Re-evaluations of certain British and British American actors

Prefatory remarks Wide-ranging and to some degree disparate as they are, my re-evaluations are, on the one hand, compartmentalized under the sub-headings set out below and, on the other, placed in the context of the historiography relating to them.  Based preponderantly on The Cornwallis Papers,[1] they crystallize my reassessment of the persons addressed. As ever, […]

by Ian Saberton
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The War Years (1775-1783) Posted on

Was the Revolutionary War in the south winnable by the British?

A re-evaluation from a British perspective in the light of The Cornwallis Papers Relying mostly on inferences drawn from my commentary in The Cornwallis Papers,[1] I shall seek to demonstrate that Britain’s grand strategy for reducing the southern colonies was at least in part sound and it may well have achieved a lasting measure of success […]

by Ian Saberton