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About Backcountry Resistance:
The British capture of Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1780 appeared to be a major blow to the American cause for independence. In addition to 6,000 soldiers, the British had also taken the most important city in the South and most members of South Carolina’s government, except for Governor John Rutledge. Yet, when the British moved into the Backcountry, they experienced staunch resistance that hindered their efforts to control the state and eventually forestalled their operations outside its boundaries.
Without a government in place to support them, how were Backcountry militiamen able to effectively fight against the enemy? By examining accounts left by these soldiers, Backcountry Resistance attempts to answer that question by exploring how they were raised, armed, and fed, and what specifically motivated them to resist. It also looks at the role played by those who remained at home.
Initial reviews:
“With clarity, balance, and impeccable scholarship, Backcountry Resistance illuminates the vital importance of South Carolina militia forces in thwarting Britain’s military ambitions in the South.”
Rick Atkinson, New York Times bestseller, and author of Fate of the Day
“Borick has crafted a nuanced, wide-ranging, moving history of the civil war that spiraled across the South Carolina Backcountry in 1780-81.”
Lorri Glover, St. Louis University, author of Eliza Lucas Pinckney: An Independent Woman in the Age of Revolution
“Backcountry Resistance is a superb addition to the increasingly appreciated recognition of the American Revolution in South Carolina. It chronicles the story of ordinary men and women who chose to oppose the British occupation – and their Loyalist neighbors – to turn the tide in what was not only a struggle for independence but also this country’s first civil war.”
Walter Edgar, author of Partisans and Redcoats: The Southern Campaign that Turned the Tide of the American Revolution and host of “Walter Edgar’s Journal” on SC ETV radio