Oppression Diminished Support and Fueled Rebellion in the South
Tensions were already high when British policy-makers decided to turn their strategic attention south, during the latter half of the Revolutionary War. Casualties sustained in the Northern theater of the conflict, around places like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, tried tempers on both sides of the struggle but paled in comparison to the violence wrought during the Southern Campaign. By the time the British moved to invade Savannah, in 1778, colonial militias were prepared to fight to the death. Great Britain’s inhumane treatment of captured soldiers and colonial non-combatants sent a clear message to Southerners, who were prepared to meet violence with violence.
One of the most infamous figures to engage in what would likely be considered war crimes by today’s standards was the cavalry commander, Sir Banastre “Bloody Ban” Tarleton. Popularized in Mel Gibson’s 2000 movie, The Patriot, Tarleton gained an ominous reputation among rebel troops as an officer who provided no quarter to captured soldiers.
His unit, dubbed “Tarleton’s Raiders,” consisted of British dragoons, American loyalists, and mixed infantry—all of whom rode roughshod across the South. They participated in over a dozen major engagements, with the most notable action taking place at the Battle of Waxhaws (1780, South Carolina), where Tarleton allegedly ordered the slaughter of a detachment of surrendering rebels.
Stories like what occurred at Waxhaws fueled American resentment. As the war grinded onward, such tales instilled hatred in many Southern militias, regardless of their validity or accuracy. While The Patriot clearly portrays Tarleton as a bloody butcher, for instance, there’s some historical debate about his true motivations and actions. Moreover, many Southern militia commanders were despised by their British counterparts. Rebels frequently employed guerrilla tactics against regular soldiers that, in the eyes of British officers, were war crimes in themselves. Regardless, some patriot forces charged into battle screaming, “Tarleton’s quarter,” a war cry indicating that no mercy would be given to Redcoats who likewise gave none.