The Continentals had no doubt: Banastre Tarleton was the most barbaric
and hated officer in America. Given his historical importance,
surprisingly little has been written about the dashing cavalry leader.
Oscar and Catherine Gilbert rectify this oversight with Bloody Ban:
Banastre Tarleton and the American Revolution, 1776-1783, the first
modern biography to appear in more than half a century.
Tarleton enjoyed a meteoric rise in rank and stature. He began the war
at age 22 in 1776 as a cornet (lieutenant), and by 1781, the 26-year-old
was a lieutenant colonel and leader of the feared Loyalist British
Legion ("Tarleton's Raiders"), a combined arms brigade recruited in the
northern colonies and sent south to terrorize and subdue its rebellious
citizenry. Lord Cornwallis considered him his right-hand man, and
entrusted Tarleton with the most difficult of missions.
The cavalryman came to fame early by capturing Gen. Charles Lee, second
in rank only to George Washington. In early battles like Paoli
(September 1777), Tarleton learned that surprise attacks and ruthless
violence--18th century "shock and awe" tactics--resulted in victory. His
transfer south to help "roll up" the rebels from South Carolina to
Virginia triggered a brutal partisan war. Though his personal behavior
proved impeccable, from his first notable skirmish at Monck's Corner
(April 14, 1780) Tarleton failed to control the excesses of his favored
Green Dragoons, including rape. At the Waxhaws (May 29, 1780), the
Legion massacred surrendering Continentals and mutilated the wounded.
"Tarleton's Quarter" became the byword of the rebel militia: No quarter
asked or given. His reputation for invincibility was punctured at
Blackstock's Farm (November 20, 1780), after which he lied to Cornwallis
to conceal his defeat, and the ramifications of his tactical rashness at
The Cowpens (January 17, 1781) played a major role in the eventual
defeat of the British.
After the war Tarleton returned to Britain where, despite a scandalous
personal life and massive gambling debts he parlayed his fame and royal
connections into higher rank and a long career in Parliament. Nearly two
centuries after his death the question remains: Was Banastre Tarleton
the Revolution's finest cavalry leader, or a charlatan and war
criminal?
The authors utilized period records and personal accounts to unravel the
complex story (and debunk several myths) of Tarleton's extraordinary
career. As Bloody Ban makes clear, the cavalryman possessed an
exceedingly talented military mind, but was consumed by overweening
ambition that clouded his judgments. His growing penchant for unprepared
frontal assaults no matter the odds, and willingness to push his troops
beyond the limits of endurance in his quest for glory, proved the bane
of his career.
The smooth prose, exceptional research, and original maps make Bloody
Ban: Banastre Tarleton and the American Revolution, 1776-1783 one of
the most important books on the Revolutionary War.
