To the End of the World: Cornwallis Pursues Morgan to the Catawba
byAs Daniel Morgan collected his prisoners on the morning of January 17, 1781, he knew Charles, Lord Cornwallis, could not be far behind. “The…
North Carolina
12
The Decision that Lost Britain the War: An Enigma Now Resolved
byIn this article I address the absurdity of Cornwallis’s decision to march from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Virginia and the light thrown on it…
2
Major James Wemyss: Second Most Hated British Officer in the South
byNo British officer was more reviled by Patriots in the South during the American Revolution than Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. Based partly on fact…
1
Skulking Shots on the Flank: The Skirmish at Cane Creek
byThe October 7, 1780 Battle of Kings Mountain is likely familiar to those even casually interested in the American Revolution. For those who look…
Norfolk, Virginia, Sacked by North Carolina and Virginia Troops
byIf the headline of a January or February 1776 edition of any North American Tory newspaper read, “Norfolk, Virginia, Sacked by North Carolina and…
3
A ‘Heavenly Harvest’ of Vulnerable Women in North Carolina: Tory Troops as Sexual Predators
byStrong in the memories of North Carolina veterans of the Revolution were images of Tory (Americans loyal to the British government) terrorists, mounted on…
6
North Carolina Patriot Women Who Talked Back to the Tories
byOn January 10, 1776, the British governor of North Carolina, Josiah Martin, then bobbing on the HMS Scorpion off Wilmington, appointed just over two…
3
With Cornwallis to the Dan: Deconstructing the “Forbes Champagné Letter”
byThe American War of Independence produced many dramatic episodes, but none surpassed the campaign that Lt. Gen. Charles, Second Earl Cornwallis, conducted in North…
4
The Southern Expedition of 1776: The Best Kept Secret of the American Revolution
byOne of the most enjoyable aspects of researching the history of the American Revolution is the process of looking beneath and/or beyond those events…
14
Paddy Carr, “a honey of a Patriot”
byKnown primarily through a mix of fact and legend as the most notorious Patriot of the southern campaigns, Paddy Carr was also claimed to…
10
Fanning’s Bloody Sabbath as Traced by Alexander Gray
byOn March 10, 1782, Colonel David Fanning led a band of vengeful Loyalists on a path of slaughter and arson in northern Randolph County,…
1
John Butler’s “Want of Good Generalship”
byI plan to write about how the Tory guerrilla David Fanning changed after being made a Loyalist Colonel and given his own red coat,…
4
John McClure Rallies the South
byHad he made it through the war, John McClure’s name would likely draw equal fame and respect as the nation’s most celebrated southern patriots….
2
Fanning Outfoxes Marion
byWhen news of Lord Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown on October 19, 1781 arrived in southeastern North Carolina well into November, the war there did…
38
The Tryon County Patriots of 1775 and Their “Association”
byOn August 14, 1775 some North Carolina colonial men, possibly as many as four dozen or so, met at the Tryon County courthouse. That…
5
9
The First American Declaration of Independence? The Disputed History of the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775
byBook Review: The First American Declaration of Independence? The Disputed History of the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775 By Scott Syfert. Jefferson, NC:…
3
Race to the Dan:
“Pushed with Great Expedition”
by
It had been a tense three weeks in the Carolinas for General Nathanael Greene, the commander of the American southern army. In the wake…
5
Overlooked Wilmington
byThe city you probably never thought about for its role in the Revolution had a tremendously important role in the conflict. Boston, Philadelphia, Newport,…
5
The Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge
byIt was January 1776. In a bold plan hatched in London to end this rebellion, General Sir Henry Clinton was to sail from New…
Loyalist Leadership in the Revolutionary South
byThe historical debate concerning the Loyalists in the Revolutionary South has generally focused on matters such as the Loyalists’ numbers and motivations. While these…
20
“Light Horse Harry” Lee and Pyle’s Massacre
byOn February 25, 1781, the Continental cavalry of Lieutenant Colonel Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee’s Legion and Brigadier Andrew Pickens’s militia encountered several hundred…
6
The Loser’s Account: A Story of Two Carolina Loyalists
byThey say that history is written by the victors. Thus, the story of the American Revolution is largely one of heroic figures such as…
3
Spring Break Road Trip – Days 5 to 7 (NC, SC, GA)
byOur spring break road trip concludes the same way as the major fighting of the Revolutionary War did — in the south. The first…
“Horrid and Treasonable”
byIn late May 1775, the Scots-Irish settlers of remote Mecklenburg County, in the Carolina backcountry, received news by express messenger of the Battles of…
2
Life in the Southern Colonies (part 3 of 3)
byTransportation in the eighteenth century was a major factor in the growth of economic activity in the colonial period. The most common transportation of…
2
Life in the Southern Colonies (part 2 of 3)
byRead Part 1 The economic life of the Southern colonists was also most positive as the colonial period continued. Up until the end of…
2
Life in the Southern Colonies (Part 1 of 3)
byAs the mid-eighteenth century arrived, life for the Southern colonists was the best that the British colonial experience could ever have yielded. In almost…