Customer Reviews

From Savannah to Yorktown: The American Revolution in the South

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The southern campaigns of the Revolution, starting with the disastrous defeat at Camden in August 1780 and culminating in Greene's successful containment of the British in the seaports of Charleston and Savannah. Greene never won an engagement, but never lost a campaign. In many ways he was the American Turenne, relentlessly campaigning through the Carolinas, respected and feared by his enemies, diligently followed by his disciplined, intrepid, and indefatigable Continentals, and served by a talented, tough group of subordinates such as Robert Kirkwood, Otho Williams, William Washinton, John Howard, and Edward Carrington. It was there, in the humid south, that the Revolution was won. It was the mauling given the British at Guilford Couthouse in March 1781, so soon after Camden, that drove Cornwallis to the decision to go into Virginia and to Yorktown. In that alone, the campaign was decisive.

Lumpkin tells the story with wit, vigor, relentlessness, but not a few errors, which are minor. It is well-illustrated (I especially liked the picture of a member of Lee's Legion done by Clyde Risley-one of my favorite military artists), and the appendices are very helpful. In some areas of smaller detail, the book should be used with caution, but if used in conjunction with Wright's Continental Army and Ward's War of the Revolution, it is a reliable reference, a good story, and gives these long-forgotten campaigns a deserved look and the men who conducted the war in this theater long overdue recognition.

Henry Lumpkin did a superb job detailing the battles leading to the close of the Revolutionary War. One of very few histories to mention/detail the massacre at the 1st Seige of Augusta (Sept 1780), his information clarified old family papers about my 6th great-grandfather's death there. This book is well-researched, easily read, very informative, descriptive, and cannot help but evoke emotion from its readers. Mr Lumpkin was quite successful in his discription of the viewpoints of the non-soldiers, the brother-against-brother, militiamen, Loyalists, Continental Army, the British, the trained officers, the untrained leaders, and the Native American's participation during their desparate fight for victory. This book is just different enough, it draws you into history as if it were happening now.

I recommend this book for those interested in a clear ande concise narrative account of the American Revolution in the South. Although not as dramatic as Buchanan's THE ROAD TO GUILFORD COURTHOUSE (which I do not recommend) Lumpkin's book is well worth reading and generally accurate. His analysis is solid, a description I would not give to THE ROAD TO GUILFORD COURTHOUSE.

Lumpkin has written an excellent account of the American Revolutionary War in the South in which family members and friends fought each other - the original Civil War!

The author describes the actions in the South from the 1776 British attack on Charleston to the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781. In between the two engagements, Lumpkin also includes: Savannah, British capture of Charleston, Camden, Cowpens, Kings Mountain, Guilford Courthouse, Ninety-Six, and several smaller engagements. Since the war was won in the South, it is only fitting that such a text would be devoted to the southern theatre.

While the narrative was extremely interesting and readable, there were few campaign and battle maps. Including more maps would have made the strategies and tactics easier to understand and would have merited (in my humble opinion) a 5-star rating.

Complaint aside, I highly recommend the book as a very interesting account of what happened in the South during the American Revolution!

Read and enjoy!

Gotta gotta gotta read this book. While the South is treated like a sideshow by northern historians the reality is the British lost the war there. This is a chronological study beginning with the fall of Savannah. After the disaster in South Carolina it is difficult to believe the war was not in fact lost. Yet somehow, with pluck and courage and unorthodox tactics these tough rural people brought down the mightiest army in the world. Modern historians, especially of the cultural marxist ilk are trying to reframe the campaign as a sadistic civil war. There was that component but it misses the larger picture. The Revolution was not only idealogically framed by Southerners (Jefferson), and led by a Southerners (Washington), it was won by Southerners (Marion, Sumter, Pickens and Morgan).

Very nice as advertised. Quick delivery. Dr Lumpkin was a professor of mine and I worked with his wife. This book is fairly rare but well written and a family favorite.

Henry Lumpkin needs to write more books about the American Revolution. He is an excellent author with a solid writing style. There are so many authors of this subjet that present facts, names and places in such a dry & dull manner - I'm often left caughing dust just before I fall asleep. Mr. Lumnpkin's writing style is far better and keeps the reader interested & engaged. My only disappointment (preventing a 5 star review) is the lack of maps and illustrations. Battle maps showing features of the terrain, positions of opposing forces and how they moved about would have enhanced greatly the compelling text.

If you're fairly well read on the southern campaigns of the Revolutionary War, you'll find this book to be very interesting and informative. All of the battles of the southern campaign are included in immense detail. The people involved, the armaments, the deployment of troops are all included for each battle. This would be an excellent reference book for an assigned paper on the war. Also, the resources listed provide even more information.

In summary, I highly recommend the book for anyone who is highly interested and well read on the southern battles. But, if you're just beginning your study of the revolution, you'd be much better off reading faster paced, more specific book. Try "Paul Revere's Ride" by Fischer; one of the best!

Lumpkin has written an excellent account of where the American Revolutionary War was won - in the South. Since family members and friends were often pitted against one another, this may be accurately termed as the original Civil War.

The book starts with the first British attack on Charleston in 1776 and finishes with the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781. In between are descriptions of Camden, the British capture of Charleston, Cowpens, Kings Mountain, Eutawville, Guilford Court House, and several smaller engagements.

While the book is an excellent read, the battle descriptions and strategic manuevers are accompanied by too few maps. Having more maps would have given the reader a better idea of the overall strategy and battle tactics.

Complaint aside, I highly recommend the book as an excellent source for the first Civil War in the South!

There were only 2 paragraphs in this book that referenced the 1st Seige of Augusta in which my 6th great grandfather was murdered by the Cherokee. But, these 2 paragraphs were poignant and brutally honest and left me in tears.
This book is well-researched,well-documented, frank, honest,detailed,the author is a respected historian, and this book goes directly to the point...if you are seeking genuine information concerning the Revolutionary War, buy this book!!!!