Posted on 07/10/2006 5:25:43 PM PDT by Pharmboy
RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list...Freepmail me to get ON or OFF this list.
General Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox" (One of the main figures that Mel Gibson's character in "The Patriot" was based on.)
Marion was a singular individual. Smart, courageous, and a thorn in the Brit's side.
Washington rightfully enjoyed a larger than life reputation both during his life and through history, plus the Founding Fathers who did not actually participate in the fighting (Adams, Franklin, Jefferson, etc.) are all well known. I think it is "competition" such as this that has prevented men such as Marion from having greater fame.
The General was born in Westmoreland county, Virginia, as was James Monroe.
The War moved to the South after 1777. The English aimed their main thrust south to split the colonies and defeat the rebel armies in detail. What followed were The Battle of Cowpens. King's Mountain. Eutaw Springs. 96. The Battle of Huck's Defeat. The Race to the Dan. Yorktown.
There was a lot of Patriot vs Torie civil war in the South in addition to fighting against the Redcoats. At King's Mountain a self-organized militia of 'over the moutain men' pursued and trapped a Tory militia army on a hilltop and shot them to pieces. During that battle the patriot militia terrified the Tories with a high pitched 'indian' shriek, the ancestor of the rebel yell heard 80 years later. This history has been an interest of mine, I have a half dozen ancestors who played a role in it.
Were they Scots-Irish?
Monroe was a brave warrior. He was wounded at Trenton when ordered to take a Hessian artillery placement. He was 17 y/o at the the time...
There were many Scotsman who were players in the RevWar. The greatest (IMO) was Hugh Mercer, veteran of the (Scots) Battle of Culloden, who died a heroes' death at Princeton. All the Mercer Counties are named after him.
A lot of them were. A mix of Scots-Irish, English, Scots, and Irish. Most were privates in the militia, one appears to be Continental Line, and one an officer in the Line and later the Virginia militia.
Have you read Webb's book Born Fighting? A great book for those of Scots-Irish heritage (the "invisible" ethnicity, being the American type). David Hackett Fischer's Albion's Seed is also a valuable book, Webb drew heavily from it.
The youthful Monroe was badly wounded, and an even younger Andrew Jackson (13yr old courier) was captured and badly treated by the British. Some of these early Presidents knew war first hand. As did Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
"South Carolina votes Nay on America Independence."
"North Carolina votes . . ."
Yes, we have it already.
About time!
(I have ancestral roots in York County, so this is cook)
A nice resource for both King's Mountain and Cowpens:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/revwar/KM-Cpns/AWC-KM-FM.htm
Actually, that is cool, not cook...
And another site on Cowpens:
http://www.patriotresource.com/battles/cowpens.html
The South and the North worked together to throw off the yoke of British tyranny! GBA.
hedgetrimmer wrote:
> Were they Scots-Irish? <
The "overmountain men," who were so critically important to the Patriots' victories in the Carolinas, were overwhelmingly Scots-Irish.
It's my understanding, however, that the highland Scots who settled the flatlands of southeastern North Carolina were mostly Tories, i.e., pro-British.
I also recall reading somewhere that although some of the local militias all over the Carolinas were initially pro-British, they switched to the Patriots' side after learning of British Col. Bannistre Tarleton's horrible depradations.
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