Patriots Turn the Tide in South Carolina’s Backcountry
The most intense period of the fight to control the South Carolina backcountry during the American Revolution lasted about five months, from July to November 1780. There were over twenty engagements between Loyalists and Patriots, most akin to armed brawls between small groups of mounted men than pitched battles. Since there was no real training, the men were simply expected to ride hard, shoot well, and show no mercy to the enemy.
Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses the battle between Loyalists and Patriots for control of South Carolina’s backcountry, and why it still matters today.
Images courtesy of Library of Congress, The National Guard, Yale University Art Gallery, University of South Florida , The New York Public Library, British Museum, Wikipedia.
For the first five years of the American Revolution, the deep southern states of Georgia and the two Carolinas were mostly observers of the conflict. Other than a failed attempt to take Charleston in 1776 and the capture of Savannah in December 1778, the British had focused their efforts in the north.