The Road to Guilford Courthouse: The American Revolution in the Carolinas | 
| Author: John Buchanan
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 173910
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 452
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0471327166
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.33
EAN: 9780471327165
ASIN: 0471327166
Publication Date: July 1, 1999
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Amazon.com Review
Most of us are familiar with the role that North and South Carolina played in the American Civil War: if nothing else, every grade-schooler knows the significance of the 1861 bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. But to popular historian John Buchanan, "that tragedy is of far less interest than the American Revolution. The Revolution was the most important event in American history. The Civil War was unfinished business." And the Carolinas, Buchanan convincingly argues, were the most critical theater in that conflict, with their wild Back Country seeing "a little-known but savage civil war far exceeding anything in the North." The Road to Guilford Courthouse is no less than a tour de force of pop military scholarship, an exhaustive battle-by-battle account of the Crown's grinding march to wrest the Carolinas from the resourceful Rebels. Beginning with Colonel William Moultrie's valiant defense atop the palmetto ramparts of Fort Sullivan against an outnumbering force of British men-of-war to the final "long, obstinate, and bloody" exchange at Guilford Courthouse, Buchanan meticulously recounts each skirmish, battle, and shift of strategy in the campaign. Relying on copious primary and secondary sources, he brings the combatants to life, from the worthy but somewhat obscure, such as Nathanael Greene, whom George Washington considered to be his successor should he fall, to soon-to-be legends such as Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox. --Paul Hughes
Product Description
A brilliant account of the proud and ferocious American fighters who stood up to the British forces in savage battles crucial in deciding both the fate of the Carolina colonies and the outcome of the war.
"A tense, exciting historical account of a little known chapter of the Revolution, displaying history writing at its best."--Kirkus Reviews
"His compelling narrative brings readers closer than ever before to the reality of Revolutionary warfare in the Carolinas."--Raleigh News & Observer.
"Buchanan makes the subject come alive like few others I have seen." --Dennis Conrad, Editor, The Nathanael Greene Papers.
"John Buchanan offers us a lively, accurate account of a critical period in the War of Independence in the South. Based on numerous printed primary and secondary sources, it deserves a large reading audience." --Don Higginbotham, Professor of History, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...
 a good military history of the Southern campaign April 25, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a well-written, thorough book about the Revolutionary War in the Southern colonies, primarily from 1779 - 1781. John Buchanan, a former archivist and popular historian, is able to write with depth about the conflict in the Carolinas and Georgia, but never loses sight of the changing strategies of the rebellion and the British military. In many ways, this is a story of civil war, as the book is narrowly focused on the conflict in the South.
The war in the southern American colonies is probably the least known or understood part of the American founding. The military action involved naval bombardment, amphibious assaults, and militia insurgency, traditional set piece warfare on battlefields, and strategic offensives and withdrawals. Virtually every type of 18th century warfare and some that became increasingly popular in the years to come is present.
The leaders of the opposing sides, General Greene for the Americans and General Cornwallis for the British, are the two pegs on which either side rises or falls. The American setbacks in Savannah and Charleston, leading to the surrender of the southern army, are told in brutal efficiency. The rise of Greene, and the back country insurgency, led by militia leaders like Marion, Pickens, and Sumter is told by showing how seemingly random encounters affected the grand strategy for both sides.
This is a military history, with good, plentiful maps, excellent uses of letters and primary sources and solid explanations for why armies and military conflicts happened they way they did in the Carolina back country. The highlight of the book is the description of the strategic retreat of Greene from Charlotte to the Virginia border, in the winter of 1781, and the furious chase of Cornwallis's stripped down British army. Though the book perhaps could have been slimmed down some, it is a good, solid comprehensive account of the military operations in the South.
A Stunning historical achievement! May 17, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Lexington...Yorktown...Saratoga. These are some of the most popular battles fought during the American Revolution. However, John Buchanan offers an extremely valuable account of the southern theater of operations during the war.
By the fall of 1779, the war in the north had come to a grinding halt, forcing General Sir Henry Clinton to try another approach in his war against the rebels. Based on the notion that the southern portion of America held more Tories than the north, he chose to invade Charleston in late 1779 and move north.
Buchanan documents this tactic and strategy in great detail, mainly focusing on the war in the Carolinas under the leadership of General Charles, Lord Cornwallis. The amount of research the author exhibits is obvious as Buchanan goes into excruciating detail, offering the reader ample background information and individual vignettes on the major characters. Leaders such as Charles Cornwallis, Francis Marion, Banastre Tarleton, Daniel Morgan, and Nathaniel Greene are discussed in great detail. Furthermore, their individual tactics are thoroughly written upon as well as the battles in which they fought in.
Buchanan's focus is NOT a historical survey of the entire southern war, but rather the events which took place from 1780 on. Having said that, he delivers an amazingly-concise account that illustrates the valuable contribution the southern war played in America's eventual victory.
 Quite good April 1, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The book has three facets that highly recommend it. First, the author has a mature intelligent voice that comes through in his writing enabling him to depict events with empathy and depth. Secondly, the work is comprehensive, describing small partisan actions that otherwise get short shrift. Third, I enjoyed his choice of assessing the command skills of the various combatants. His reasoning is sounds and buoyed well by the facts as he, admittedly, presents them. I also found his prose style engaging.
My only criticism is that he gives equal time to minor engagements and major battles. He also describes so many skirmishes that without maps or illustration they tend to dissolve into one another. Furthermore, it would have been nice if he had chosen to chronicle the remainder of the campaign. Of course, my desire for the book to be longer only demonstrates my appreciation of it.
I recommend it.
Good but not Great March 26, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In reading "The Road to Guilford Courthouse: The American Revolution in the Carolinas", I found it to be a good overview of the revolution in the South where my ancestors fought. I would have found it to be much better for my needs in researching family history if the book had more maps and a much better index. I would have preferred more maps and fewer pictures of the combatants.
Mixed feelings November 12, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have mixed feeling towards John Buchanan's book "The Road to Guilford Courthouse--The American Revolution in the Carolinas" because although the author seems to have a good grasp of the subject and has a relatively easy-to-read writing style, he frequently gets caught up in the myriad of less relevant battle and personnel details. This makes getting through the book a grind.
Having said that, it was definitely fun to learn about some of the characters that played significant roles during the stage of the Revolutionary War that took place in the Carolinas. This is a part of the war that doesn't get much attention even though it is where the war was won, where the tides were turned. The British make a decision to get out of Philadelphia and finish up their conquest by invading through the Loyalist populated South, and then all of a sudden wind up surrendering at Yorktown. I was missing something before reading this book.
Coming from Rhode Island and being an early American history buff, I was a little disappointed that Nathanael Greene didn't get more coverage, but it appears that most of the fighting in the Carolinas was done by others, who do get their due in the book. Particularly, with regards to unknowns getting their due, it was especially fun to learn about Daniel Morgan and Banastre Tarleton, but also Thomas Sumpter and the Battle of Kings Mountain. It was interesting to get a taste of how a war was fought in the swamps of Carolina. Buchanan does do a particularly good job of quoting frequently from primary source material--this really helped to bring the 225 year old story alive.
In the end, the book could have summarized more in some areas and delved more deeply into others. Also, note that the book ends with the battles of Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse and doesn't cover the war through Virginia and the eventual surrender at Yorktown.
Finally, one very, very important problem with the book--the maps and illustrations used are totally inadequate. This makes understanding the action very difficult. Very frustrating!!
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