Conduct of the Partisan War in the Revolutionary War South: Settlement, Early Conflict, Native Americans and Formative Years of the Militia, Civil War in the Backcountry, Leaders, Slavery

This excellent report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. The partisan war in the Revolutionary War South demonstrated the vital linkage between the civil and military authorities. In the policies created to persuade the people of the righteousness of the American cause and neutralize opposition, the civil leadership of South Carolina inadvertently set the conditions for a violent civil war. The experiences derived from a century's worth of almost constant conflict, both internal and external, determined the nature of the ensuing civil war. Upon the occupation by the British in 1780, the calm that settled over the Southern colonies was brief, as British military leaders addressed the political problem in such a way as to lead to renewed revolt and an effective partisan campaign. The civil war became intertwined with the overall campaigns of the American and British forces, with the nature of the leaders having equal effect on the concurrent civil war.

The American Revolution is enshrined in the American national conscious as a glorious endeavor in which a group of courageous, honorable, and just heroes triumphed over the cowardly, cruel, and dictatorial blackguards. The common conception seems to be all members of the American society were treated to the civil liberties the Continental Army fought for, and the British were without exception a terrible occupation force. To look at the Revolution in such stark terms fails to do justice to either side, as war is subject to all of mankind's capacity for the heroic as well as weakness. Within the struggle for redress, then independence from Great Britain, it was also a civil war fought over differing visions of how the American colonies should be governed. In the Southern department, the strategic problem of combating insurgent forces was complicated by a vicious civil war disrupting stabilization. The Revolutionary War's Southern campaign is an object lesson in the failure of the civil and military leaders to take into account the political and military history of an area and its people. The unintended consequences of their decisions and policy caused a bloody conflict, which effectively destroyed any chances of the victors and vanquished being able to rebuild a common society.

Chapter 1 is the introduction and will contain a discussion of the research questions and provide the basis for an examination of the war, followed by the historical development of North and South Carolina, the demographic makeup of the colonies, and the early class divisions and popular perception in Chapter 2. Fundamental is the process of development of governments, law and order and loyalties therein. Chapter 3 will examine the military history of the Carolinas prior to the American Revolution, reviewing the methods employed in quelling conflicts with the Native Americans, and introducing the military backgrounds of its several key leaders. The partisan outside the context of the resistance to the British is presented in Chapter 4. The conduct of the loosely based organizations terrorizing the backcountry led to an increased level of acts committed against civilians and rivals for personal vice military reasons. The military effects on the partisan war conducted against the British are examined in Chapter 5. Conclusions and an evaluation of the partisan war as a component of Greene's Southern Campaign are presented in Chapter 6. Further, the concluding chapter will discuss the application of lessons learned to contemporary operating environment.

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