The Southern Strategy [Hardcover]

David K. Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 2005

America’s popular memory of the Revolutionary War casts New England minutemen facing off against redcoats at Concord Bridge and George Washington’s frostbitten soldiers huddled together at Valley Forge, but David K. Wilson’s new study challenges the generally accepted notion that the war was fought primarily in the North. Recalling that the ramparts of Savannah were no less bloodstained than Bunker Hill and the siege of Charleston no less important than the battle for New York, Wilson considers the waging of war in the southern colonies during the critical and often overlooked period from 1775 to the spring of 1780. He suggests that the paradox of the British defeat in 1781—after Crown armies had crushed all organized resistance in South Carolina and Georgia—makes sense only if one understands the fundamental flaws in what modern historians label Britain’s "Southern Strategy."

Wilson closely examines battles and skirmishes in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia to construct a comprehensive military history of the American Revolution in the South through May 1780. A cartographer and student of geography, Wilson includes detailed, original battle maps and orders of battle for each engagement. Appraising the strategy and tactics of the most significant conflicts, he tests the thesis that the British could raise the manpower they needed to win the war in the South by tapping a vast reservoir of southern Loyalists. According to Wilson, the policy was flawed in both its conception and execution.

The sheer amount of empirical data Wilson has amassed here distinguishes this work and makes Wilson's recounting an invaluable guide to the war in the South.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

DAVID K. WILSON is an independent scholar who lives in Plano, Texas. He holds an M.A. in history from the University of Texas at Arlington. Wilson has taught history and English and currently works in the advertising industry.

From the Inside Flap

"Despite increasing attention to the partisan uprising in the Carolina Back Country that began following the British capture of Charleston and its garrison, the campaigning in Georgia and the South Carolina Low Country that preceded it remains a historical terra incognito. In a clearly written and well researched book that should appeal to specialists and history aficionados alike, David Wilson has done yeoman work in helping to reveal this much neglected prologue to the wider conflict." —John Buchanan, author of The Road to Guilford Courthouse: The American Revolution in the Carolinas

"In the South, with a population that included substantial Loyalist elements, the American Revolution amounted to a civil war inside an insurgency, involving both regular forces and irregular forces of partisans. The Southern Strategy is a must-read for those interested in how Britain sought to apply military power to regain control of the Southern colonies. David K. Wilson provides clear accounts of engagements, detailed orders of battle, tabulations of casualties, and excellent maps of Savannah, Charleston, Stono Ferry, and other major southern conflicts. With a keen eye to documentary sources as well as historical accounts, Wilson has developed an invaluable reference for understanding a phase of the war that set the stage for Britain’s defeat at Yorktown." —John W. Gordon, Professor of National Security Affairs, Marine Corps University, and author of South Carolina and the American Revolution: A Battlefield History

"The Southern Strategy ranks among the most important recent studies of the American Revolution in the South. Wilson masterfully explains the truth behind Britain’s war aims in the southern colonies and details how the realities of the conflict contrasted with Crown expectations. Wilson brings major and minor engagements into sharp focus and illustrates how these battles influenced British pursuits of doomed policies. The narrative is complimented with superb maps, tables, and detailed orders of battle. All of these reasons—and more—make The Southern Strategy a vital contribution to our understanding of how the American colonists won their independence." —Scott Bowden, author of Last Chance for Victory: Robert E. Lee and the Gettysburg Campaign

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: University of South Carolina Press (May 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570035733
• ISBN-13: 978-1570035739
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,039,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable Depth, January 7, 2006

By 

Dave Nighswonger (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Southern Strategy (Hardcover)

The Southern Strategy is a thorough and refreshing depiction of Britain's attempt to conquer the southern colonies between 1775 and 1780. The author explores the false assumptions of wide-spread loyalist support in the south that dictated British strategy. The book traces the combat operations that were undertaken from the early days of the Revolution through the controversial Battle at Waxhaws. Other authors have covered these events in superficial detail with most attention being paid to the latter campaigns that include Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse. Wilson's narrative ties these early engagements together to illustrate Britain's continuing failure to develop a sound and effective strategy in the south.

The author's research is impressive and the engagements are examined in great detail. One example is the Battle for the Great Bridge in 1775. Wilson provides an excellent map and remarkable order of battle. This event has received scant attention in other works. Likewise, the Battle of Sullivan's Island in 1776 is presented with exceptional detail. The reader can clearly deduce that this early American victory was not achieved through tactical skill, the strength of the island fort or superior patriot strategy but due to poor British planning and coordination. Such a perspective is difficult to grasp in other depictions due to shallow research. Wilson portrays the other engagements with similar exceptional depth.

The Southern Strategy is a serious historical work that begs for a sequel. The author should bring his talents to the latter portions of the war which completes the story in the south from 1780 to 1781. I heartily recommend this book to any serious student of the American Revolution.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book!, January 6, 2006

By 

Kevin R. Muldoon (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Southern Strategy (Hardcover)

I appreciate the excellent primary source research that Mr. Wilson has done and his re-writing of the accounts of several key battles. This book does a fine job of being readable without straying from the academic tree as some history authors are want to do.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work...where's the next volume?, January 13, 2008

By 

Rick Hensley (Rancho Mirage, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Southern Strategy (Hardcover)

This is an excellent piece written on the American Revolution in the southern colonies. And it begs a sequel.

The book is very well written and includes details from some in-depth, original research. I also enjoyed the descriptions and maps of engagements that other books only mention in passing.

If you have an interest in the fighting in the south during this war, don't miss this book.