In Partisans & Redcoats, author Walter Edgar sheds light on an area rarely discussed when talking about Revolutionary history: the backcountry of South Carolina. Edgar tackles a 27-year period that includes conflicts before, during, and after the American Revolution. He takes a particular interest in specific people and their continuing roles in events throughout. It is the people of the backcountry, Edgar argues, separated by class from the lowcountry and internally divided by race, religion, and ideology, that band together to fight for independence; their persistent assaults on the British and their Tory allies weakened the Cornwallis’s southern forces to a point where Washington’s victory at Yorktown in 1781 was made possible. Edgar is …show more content…
Even the term “backcountry” is foreign to many in this context. Maps of the state displaying the line dividing the back from the lowcountry, the districts of the state, and battles during the war are included in the text, but they are stuck haphazardly between pages 108 and 109 along with pictures and paintings of people and areas mentioned prior and even three paintings of things that have yet to be mentioned in the book. A much better approach would have been to put the maps at the beginning of the book, before any text save for perhaps the introduction, and present the other information as its textual counterpart is mentioned. This would alleviate confusion and provide additional …show more content…
It is understandable that he did not include this information, however, due to the already convoluted series of events taking place in just one location. The consequence of this is that the narrative comes off as very one-sided. Edgar also seems to be quite a biased narrator, exclusively referring to loyalists as “Tories,” their derogatory title, and often patriots as simply “Americans.” There are no outside opinions or no mentions of other revolutionary events save for Yorktown on the very last page. The inclusion of these things would provide further support for Edgar’s point of view and add additional context to base these events off
The American Revolution marked the history of many heroic events that immaculately stand as true inspirations for the generations to come in the United States. Even today, the gallantry of a few soldiers that won independence for the country is not only kept in the hearts of the people but run in the American blood to demonstrate acts of valor at times of war and hardships. One such story recorded in the history dates back to 1776, about a sixteen-year old juvenile, Joseph Plumb Martin, joined the Rebel Infantry and recorded his tribulations about forty-seven years in a memoir titled as “A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier”. The book mainly focuses on the sufferings through the tough situation he went through.
Wilmer McLean and the Annoying War Wilmer McLean could not escape the Civil war. His plantation ravaged by battle twice, forcing him to move south, only to have General Lee surrender in his front parlor. He could rightfully claim, “The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor.” Not much is known about Wilmer McLean’s early life, as he was, in history’s eye, mostly insignificant. He operated the Kerr & McLean wholesale and retail grocery in Yorkshire, a county in Virginia named after home county of English native Richard Blackburn who had established the plantation in the early 1700s, and was unmarried until he was 38.
Francis Marion Francis Marion was a American Revolutionary war general, known simply as the ‘Swamp Fox’, and he helped dislodge the British occupation of the South, and he was one of the most important figures in keeping the Revolution alive, at least in the South. I will refer to him as ‘Marion’ or ‘Swamp Fox’ for the duration of the essay. Civilian Life Marion was born in modern day, Berkeley County, South Carolina, in 1732. He married Mary Esther Videau, when he was 54, after the war was over.
The American Revolution spurred on by the idea of National Independence in the original thirteen colonies. Colonist in New England wanted Independence from Britain and the right to govern their own country. Many Americans, from both New England and the Province of Canada, came to the aid of the revolution. Some Americans in Nova Scotia did manage to participate in the revolutions cause. However, the majority of New Englanders in Nova Scotia did not get involved in the war.
Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution, successfully enables his readers to grasp the significance behind Boston and its neighboring cities during the rise of the Revolutionary War. Most Americans have a vague understanding of why events like the Battle of Bunker Hill are relevant and how this particular campaign played a pinnacle role in leading up to the Revolutionary War, but Philbrick does a service to Americans by beautifully illustrating these events from cover to cover. Not only is each occasion intimately detailed, but Philbrick records these instances in a precise and memorable rhythm. Although at times his novel might appear exhausting with vivid imagery, Philbrick’s thesis remains clear: In the
In An Imperfect God, Henry Wiencek presents George Washington as a specific case through which to study what he calls the great “paradox” of American history: how a nation founded on the philosophies of liberty and equality also kept human beings in chains. Washington was a slave-owner his entire life and he took the role of managing the slaves who lived and worked at Mount Vernon including their purchase and sale. Prior to the Revolution, Washington “was just another striving young planter, blithely ordering breeding wenches for his slave trade, blithely exiling a man to a likely death at hard labor” (Wiencek 133) The fortune produced by Washington’s slaves kept him in the ranks of Virginia’s planter elite, securing the social and political prestige that helped lead the Second Continental Congress to appoint him commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in 1775.
He starts the book at the beginning of the war and works toward the close of the Revolution. This layout allows for Royster’s main themes to develop as the war is reaching its peak points. As the book develops these key themes begin to intertwine and their significance becomes clear. The reader begins to understand how the American ideals are tied to their relationship with the Continental Army. One of Royster’s key arguments is that the revolutionaries’ loyalty to the war was based on the national character.
Movies and Hollywood have captivated our ideas of history whether it being movies such as 300 or my current topic Glory. Movies have profound impact on our historical perception and even though these movies try to stay accurate they still present major inaccuracy. Now in this paper I will be reviewing and detailing the historical validity of the 1989 Civil War blockbuster Glory, the movie is centered on the Massachusetts 54th regiment that was predominately made up of African American free men and their commander Robert Gould Shaw, who was the son of a prominent Abolitionist family in Boston. Shaw was originally was apart of the 7th New York who had aided in the defense of Washington and later join and rise up the ranks in the 2nd Massachusetts.
A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier, Some of the Adventures, Dangers, Sufferings by Joseph Plumb Martin, is a collection of tales starting from when he was just a young boy at the age of seven and quickly goes through his childhood on the farm with his grandparents on his mother's side. Mr. Martin describes his memories from a much later stage in his life at the age of 70 in the year 1830. This is the tales of the crippling weather conditions, terrible living conditions and war stories told by a young enlisted soldier during the war. Mr. Martin was born to a preacher and his wife in 1760 in western Massachusetts. The story begins when he was just a young boy who was sent to live with his grandparents on a farm.
It’s been over 200 years since the original thirteen colonies of America fought their revolutionary war against Great Britain, in hopes of achieving their independence. We shall be going through a few areas of the Revolution, such as the military, social hierarchy, the role of men and women during the war, the colonists’ values of equality and their social contract response to the British government’s abuses, and we’ll compare these areas to the present day. The American Revolution started around April of 1775, when British redcoats and American militiamen exchanged gunshots in Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. However, that was only the beginning of the fighting; the reasons for the war date from years prior, when resistance from the
In her essay, “More than Just a Shrine: Paying Homage to the Ghosts of Ellis Island,” author Mary Gordon argues that a separation exists between the descendents of early American settlers and the descendents of later immigrants. Through reflecting on her experience at Ellis Island, Gordon demonstrates her connection to the Americans who passed through as opposed to those who influenced immigration policies. Gordon provides examples of how those already in America affected how Ellis Island received foreigners. Even at the beginning, New Yorkers and officials fought over where to locate the immigration center without distracting from their new Statue of Liberty.
Forced Founder’s, written by Woody Holton, sheds new light on one of the best-known events in American History. Holton challenges the traditional narrative of the great land-owning elite leading the revolutionary war. He does not believe it was one single factor but in fact, a web of influences that pushed Virginia into the war of independence. Holton’s main argument consists of the idea that the Indians, merchants, slaves, and debtors helped propel free Virginians into the independence movement. Virginia’s gentry were joining their peers in declaring independence from Britain in response to grassroots rebellions against their own rule.
Student’s name Professor’s name Course Date Book Review Synopsis of the Content The Texas Revolutionary Experience by Paul D. Lack is a book aimed at honoring the legends of the Texas Revolution. More focus and insight is given on the reasons that led to the conflict witnessed in 1835-1836 and an analysis of how the real events transpired.
The utter contempt and loathing for the venerated Stars and Stripes, the abhorrence of the very words United States, the intense hatred of the Yankee on the part of these people.” The South perceived the North as a tyrannical power, and South Carolina’s secession emphasizes the relationship between the right to revolution and separation from the Union paying homage to the American Revolution. The Union’s defeat furthered the
Red Platoon by Clinton Romesha gives the reader a first person view of a solider during the events leading battle of Kamdesh. The book starts off by covering Clinton’s tours in Iraq and his training back at Fort Carson in Colorado springs. As the book progresses it explains what the day to day life at COP (Combat Outpost) Keating and all the concerns of the soldiers at the outpost. Next the book explains what each soldier was doing during the battle and it explains all the people it took to liberate the base. The book concludes by explaining what each soldier's life was after the battle and explains how Clinton Romesha received his medal of honor.