This Destructive War: the British Campaign in the Carolinas, 1780-1782

By John S. Pancake Jr.

Book Overview

A companion to Pancake's study of the northern campaign, 1777: The Year of the Hangman, this volume deals with the American Revolution in the Carolinas. Together, the two books constitute a complete history of the Revolutionary War. Pancake tells a gripping story of the southern campaign, the scene of a grim and deadly guerilla war. In the savage internecine struggle, Americans fought Americans with a fierceness that appalled even a veteran like General Nathanael Greene. "Utilizing extensive manuscript collections, John Pancake explains not why the colonists won the War of Independence, but rather why the British lost. Yorktown, he argues, was not the result of a momentary oversight by the British navy, but the final consequence of the longstanding failure of British military and political leadership." So said the Journal of Southern History when This Destructive War was first published in 1985. The Florida Historical Quarterly further opined, "Pancake has given us a well-researched and beautifully-and tightly-written book." General readers as well as scholars and students of the American Revolution will welcome anew this classic, definitive study of the campaign in the Carolinas.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0817301917
• ISBN13: 9780817301910
• Release Date: February 1985
• Publisher: University of Alabama Press
• Length: 293 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.9" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

Good overview

Good place to start on the Revolutionary War in the South, although since this book was first published. much additional work has come out. Best to check the numerous books on individual battles, campaigns, and leaders.

Great read!

Although this book is not new it remains a great book to learn about the often neglected portion of the American Revolution. I found the author to be very objective and pointed out the good, the bad, and the ugly on both sides.While there are other books that go into greater detail on certain battles or personalities the reader will have an excellent working knowledge of the war in the south.I cannot recommend this book enough as a great starting point to learn about this very fascinating part of american history.

Excellent

Far and away the best book on the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. Pancake goes into tremendous detail on all aspects of the campaign, including often-overlooked battles and skirmishes. He also covers the psychology and effects of decisions made by commanders and politicians from both sides of the campaign. Pancake does this while still making the book an incredibly enjoyable and fast read. You won't want to put it down!