Shifting the traditional vantage point of the American Revolution from the Northern colonies to the South in this study of a critical period in the independence movement, historian David Wilson closely examines battles and skirmishes to construct a military history of the Revolution in the South through May 1780. He suggests that the paradox of the British defeat in 1781—after the Crown's armies had crushed all organized resistance in South Carolina and Georgia—makes sense only if one understands the fundamental flaws in what modern historians label Britain's "Southern Strategy." A cartographer and student of battlefield geography, Wilson includes detailed, original battle maps and orders of battle for each engagement.
"Wilson's survey of operations is grounded in an impressive mass of data, which allows him not only to question the fine detail of previous accounts but also to challenge broader interpretations of the war itself.... His book displays deep local knowledge, a strength apparent in his own excellent maps."—Journal of Southern History
