Customer Reviews

Partisans and Redcoats: The Southern Conflict That Turned the Tide of the American Revolution

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I was not impressed with this book. It is short (140 pages of large print). It lacks detail. It is simply a rehashing of some basic facts of the War in South Carolina. It appears more like a college term paper written by someone who read "The Road to Guilford Courthouse" than a well researched book from a College Professor. I read "The Road to Guilford Courthouse" only a few weeks before reading "Partisans and Redcoats". Believe me, "The Road" is much, much better (only lacks maps..but otherwise very good). For someone in middle/elementary school or possibly high school Edgars work might prove satisfying. Perhaps someone with a limited interest in history might find it useful too. That is the only reason I gave it 2 stars. Get "The Road" instead.

This book attempts to cover the part of the American Revolution in South Carolina (and by extension the South in general) that general history books overlook or at least partially ignore. This portion of the war (the partisan war that occurred between Loyalist and Rebel forces in the state) is often overlooked because what battles were fought between these forces were generally small. Those that were larger (King's Mountain and the Cowpens, primarily) are often treated as if they were isolated incidents, related only to one another and the battles of Camden and Guilford Court House. By contrast, Edgar weaves the account of the war in South Carolina into the overall history of the Revolution, and recounts various smaller fights in the state that he believes changed the course of the war. Chiefly, he beleives that the Partisan victory referred to as Huck's Defeat was crucial in turning the tide of public opinion in the Backcountry part of the state, which in turn was crucial in preventing the British from pacifying the whole region. He therefore ascribes a considerable importance to this minor battle, in which several hudred partisans ambushed about 115 Tories, killing or capturing most of them, including their commander, Captain Christian Huck.

This is interesting, and the author does a good job of depicting the war in the South in 1780. The civil nature of the conflict (brother against brother, etc.) is highlighted, and also the atrocities and violence of the war and its practitioners. The author doesn't spend much time on the conventional war in the state: King's Mountain and Guilford Courthouse are only briefly discussed, and the Cowpens isn't even really discussed at all, except in its consequences. This narrowing of the focus of the book leads to a very brief volume (less than 200 pages; less than 150 of text). This is in a way good: Mr. Edgar is a college instructor, and his writing style is much more suitable for a weighty tome than something someone would actually read.

All in all, though, this is a worthwhile book, and I would certainly recommend it to those interested in the American Revolution, or to partisan or irregular warfare in general.

"Partisans and Redcoats: The Southern Conflict That Turned the Tide of the American Revolution," by Walter Edgar, is a fascinating history of a crucial chapter in United States history. Edgar tells the story of the Revolutionary War in South Carolina.

Edgar paints an interesting portrait of the people and culture of that region before and during the war. The book recounts the key battles and personalities that shaped the southern campaign. I was particularly fascinated by Edgar's analysis of the British failure "to win the hearts and minds of the people of South Carolina." Edgar offers tantalizing glimpses at the roles played by women and African-Americans in the ongoing struggle. And the book is full of down-to-earth details, such as how uncooked meat caused illness among the revolutionary troops.

Edgar tells a good story. He writes in a clear, engaging style. The book is also packed full of useful supplemental elements: a chronology spanning 1756 to 1783; a glossary of terms, places, and battles; biographical sketches of significant figures; extensive endnotes with bibliographic references; maps; historic illustrations; and an index. This relatively short, but substantial book is an excellent choice for those with an interest in 18th century American history.

~Partisans and Redcoats: The Southern Conflict That Turned the Tide of the American Revolution~ is a succinct and readable narrative history of the American War for Independence with a focus on the Carolinas and the Southern theater. The cast of characters includes patriots like Martha Bratton, Horatio Gates, Joseph Kershaw, and Francis Marion. "The American Revolution was won in the South by determined backcountry patriots," notes Edgar. "Some, such as Andrew Pickens and Thomas Sumter, became American folk heroes." I really like Edgar's book, because it is short and sweet. The body of the text is just one-hundred and forty-five pages. What makes this succinct book so remarkable is that Edgar tells the story and puts you in the shoes of the backcountry frontiersmen. The backdrop he paints of colonial South Carolina prior to the war shows how fragile civilization and civil society was on the frontier. He astutely explains the rigors of frontier life in the Carolina backcountry. He captures the essence of the tempestuous and rugged individualism of the Scotch-Irish settlers which were predominant in the region. Edgar tells of the sectarian animosities and strife that ensued. In one case, the tale of feuding Ulster Scot Presbyterians and Anglicans was rather humorous.** Law and order was hard to come by on the frontier, and criminal gangs of thieves and extortionists were rampant. Blood feuds and social strife ensued as a general rule. This gave rise to vigilante and posse groups like the Regulators who were eventually deputized by the state assembly. Eventually, the forces of ordered liberty quelled the forces of anarchy. The vigilante groups after some abuses were obliged to check one another at the behest of the State legislature. Former elements of such groups like the Regulators and Moderators provided foot soldiers, scouts, and frontiersmen to field the Continental Army and the State Militia during the war.

British policy was coldly deliberate in its policy of total war. Though total war was typically only felt in areas of entrenched, stubborn resistance: the South Carolina backcountry was such a place. "In a Civil War, there is no admitting of neutral characteristics, and... those who are not clearly with us must so far be considered against us," noted British Commander Lord Cornwallis. Edgar catches the drama in his narrative history of families being torn apart and communities being torn asunder amidst reprisals and counter-reprisals. Partisans and Redcoats captures the sacrifices of patriots, the costliness of war, and the devastation it wrings out on civil society. Not surprisingly, the heat of the war gave rise to lawlessness, and Edgar tells some tales of home invasions and plunder. The peasant rabble of the South Carolina backcountry, so deplored by the Tory gentry actually gave the British one heck of a fight. The partisans were greatly underestimated and dismissed as boorish incompetents incapable of waging civilised war. Through, the two-pronged efforts of regular militia and guerilla insurgents, the South Carolinian patriots walloped the British. Their contribution played no small role in the final victory of the American cause. For this reason, battles like Cowpens, King's Mountain and Guilford Courthouse deserve as much consideration as Saratoga, Monmouth, and Yorktown. George Washington's northern armies played cat and mouse games with the British, and seemed destined to lose, but managed to stay afloat. The southern campaign tied down British troops, ate at their morale, depleted their manpower, and paved the way for the climatic victories in Yorktown. The southern contribution in my opinion is sometimes downplayed, ignored, and marginalized. Nonetheless, studying the war for independence in perspective makes one realize that the fraternal bonds of the various regions from New England to Georgia was vitally requisite to the overall success of the cause. The combined efforts of patriots in the thirteen States worked to break the yolk of Tory tyranny. The underdog Continental Army and a ragtag colonial militia defeated of one of the greatest powers of the eighteenth-century-the British Empire.

All things considered, Walter Edgar's book is a real treat. It is easy to read, straightforward, and it packs a punch despite its brevity. Edgar's manuscript captures the fierceness of the conflict in the Carolina backcountry and the breadth of sacrifices made on all sides. The War for American Independence was a hard fought contest. The odds were greatly against the rabble rebel armies of America taking on the might of the British Empire. Providence ordained otherwise and defied those odds. During the American War for Independence, many were content to sit on sidelines whether it was the coastal city slickers from Charleston to Boston had little resolve to fight British even if they had secessionist sympathies. Yet many clergy rallied behind the cause. The conflict was in fact dubbed a "Presbyterian Parson's Rebellion" by Tories in England and loyalists here at home. The predominantly Scotch-Irish population of the Carolina backcountry didn't like dishonored covenants between the governors and the governed, and frankly they didn't much care for the English either. They were hearty frontiersmen who hacked it out of the wilderness, bearing their children along the way. Their tempestuous antagonism against the English played no small part in the fervor that brought the cause for American Independence to fruition. In the end, their love of liberty and their hatred of tyranny compelled them to break the yolk of Tory tyranny.

* * * * * * * * * * *

**Here is an excerpt, which I found particularly funny about Presbyterian-Anglican relations in the backcountry of South Carolina in the mid-eighteenth century. It is told from the perspective a missionary of English pedigree who was sent to one of the token Anglican parishes in the Carolina backcountry. I found this story rather amusing... Anyway, jump ahead to page nine if you want to get to the gist of the story. FYI The quotations are the words of Rev. Woodmason, an Anglican clergyman.

[p. 5]
The Scots-Irish were proud of their heritage. They were, first of all, Scots. They knew their nation's tortured history and its mistreatment by the English. They were fervent Presbyterians whose forebears had been persecuted for their beliefs. They were family men and women and tended to stick close by their kinfolks.

...
[p. 7]
"The People," wrote Reverend Woodmason, "all new Settlers, extremely poor-Live in Logg Cabbins like Hogs-and their Living and Behavior as rude or more so than the savages."
...
[p. 9-10]
It would not be unfair to say that the backcountry was close to being a state of nature. There were settlements, but the only social organization was the church. Woodmason was an Anglican missionary to the backcountry settlements, but there were only two Anglican congregations beyond Parish End. There were several Quaker meetings... but most were Baptists or Presbyterians.
...
Sectarian animosities were fierce. Scotch-Irish Presbyterians were fervently devoted to their churches and just as fervently antagonistic to those who did not share their particular beliefs. They were the bane of Woodmason's existence and harassed him and any who attended his services. In one location, "[a] Presbyterian fellow carried off the Key to the Meeting House" so that services could not be held indoors. At Hanging Rock Creek, Woodmason was roughed up by "lawless Ruffians" who been hired by "debauch'd licentious fellows, and Scots Presbyterians." When the Anglican missionary persisted in holding a service, "a Gang of Presbyterians" interrupted it by "hallooing and whooping... like Indians." In the High Hills of the Santee, some Presbyterians "hir'd a Band of Rude fellows to come to Service who brought with them fifty-seven dogs (for I counted them) which in Time of Service they set to fighting, and I was obliged to stop." A little later, Woodmason took a dog to the home of the area's leaders and informed him "fifty-seven Presbyterians came that Day to Service, and that I had converted one of them, and brought Him home." He was fortunate to have been able to live to tell such a story.

The work was entertaining and an easy read, but his account was very biased. Most historians' aims are at a more objective view of thier topic, however Edgar fails miserbly. It is obvious that he wrote the book in a hurry to make money following the movie The Patriot. There were a number of errors and it is almost impossible to check his sources. He only cites paragraphs and will have three or four sources for each, forcing the reader to assume that he is offering an accurate account. Edgar also, places too much importance on Huck's Defeat. While the battle did aid in raising the morale of the Patriots, it was not the essential link that led to the possibility of a battle at King's Mountain. The subsequent victories were just as important, if not more so, to solidify the patriot's confidence.

Edgar's account of the Waxhaw Massacre was truly embarassing. His version could have been written in the early to mid-1800s. If you want to read a more accurate account. One that is not as biased as Edgar's version. Read "The Road to Guilford Courthouse: The American Revolution in the Carolinas" by John Buchanan.

This book is well written, researched, fast moving and wonderful. Each chapter will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and you will find this book very hard to put down. The important role that South Carolina played in the American Revolution is clearly detailed and these true stories will make you laugh and cry. Partisans and Redcoats is one that all ages will enjoy. Dr. Edgar is not only a wonderful historian but also a gifted writer. This reviewer feels this book should be on the approved reading list for all American History teachers and student-reading lists. Adults and young adults of all ages will enjoy the insightful message found on each line and chapter of this text. Partisans and Redcoats is written in story form and reads more like a novel rather than dry text. The roles of many known and unknown people who played important roles during the Revolution are fun to read about and their stories will have you spell bound. Partisans and Redcoats gives a clear perceptive of the true Civil War that took place during this American conflict. You will learn that families were against family members; neighbors against neighbors and all walks of life made the winning of this war a reality.
This reader highly recommends this book and is positive you will enjoy it also.

On the one had this book is written in an engaging manner and got me interested in a topic I knew little about. The book gives a good background on the Revolutionary war in South Carolina.
However after describing the beginnings of partisan warfare the book kind of tapers off. It does not really go into Kings Mountain, Guilford courthouse, or why the British tried to move north into Virginia. In fact the book does not really cover events outside of South Carolina. Maybe that was the scope of the book. But if that was the case, the scope was too small. Upon finishing the book I had a dissatisfied feeling. It was almost like missing the end of a movie. I was interested in the story and wanted to see it all the way to the end. Instead it stopped three quarters of the way through.

Few South Carolinians understand the importance of their state in the Revolutionary War. Walter Edgar, a history professor at the University of South Carolina, has attempted to place the war, and South Carolina's role in it, in context and make it accessible to the present day, but with mixed results.

This book is strongest in its non military sections, as Edgar is not a military historian. The description of the South Carolina backcountry, and the growth in immigrants who did not pass through Charleston, in the mid 1700's, specifically the Scotch Irish coming southward down the Catawba valley, is particularly well done. Yet significant military engagements in the new state, such as Kings Mountain, Cowpens and Ninety Six are barely covered. Instead, minor insurgent engagements, like Huck's defeat are covered in much greater detail.

King George III was quoted to call the war in its later half, "that damned Presbyterian War", echoing English conflicts in Scotland that had only been recently settled during the King's grandfather's reign. And Edgar does a fine job of showing some similarities between English conflicts with Scotland and the British Army's conflict with backcountry Carolina settlers.

Yet this book has its weaknesses, mostly from a lack of direction. It would have been better to have written a history of the effect of the war from a social perspective, with the material here, rather than a hybrid military history. A book such as the Road to Guilford Courthouse would be much better for a military history. This is a short and at times uneven book, which does not go into as much depth as needed to explain the strain between the South Carolina backcountry and the Coastal establishment near Charleston. It is a decent overview of the conflict in the South Carolina backcountry, but there are better sources of the social and military conflict.

When one thinks of the Revolutionary War or the Civil War for that matter Charleston immediately comes to mind. Some believe the world revolves around Charleston, that statement was as true in 1776 as it was in 1861.
However the backcountry of South Carolina and it's story in the Revolutionary War was every bit as important and compelling.
Walter Edgar once again takes a diverse, complicated story and makes it easy to understand, and he does it in a way to take this book from an academic read to on par with the finest of novels.
A gripping account of the blood letting on both sides and the inter relationships of the differing groups that settled this state.
We can talk all we want about Lexington and Concord and the battles up north, but if one wants a true taste of America's first Civil War, and the conflict of neighbor vs neighbor and brother vs brother this is the story that must be told.
The causes, divisiveness and conflict between a common people are just as true today. When we look at conflicts such as Sudan, or Bosnia we realize we still have a lot to learn. Because of the lessons learned during the Revolutionary War and the later Civil War we here in the US finally learned this lesson.
Partisans and Redcoats puts that conflict and it's outcome right square in our face. From it we must learn.

This small book illuminates the partisan action - neighbor vs. neighbor - in South Carolina, an important phase of the Revolutionary war left in darkness by most history books. The individuals leading militia efforts, and the lives led by ordinary citizens during this period are especially interesting.