The Case for the Defence of Banastre Tarleton: A British assessment of Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton in the American War of Independence

by M S Morgan

A day to day record of Banastre Tarleton in the War of Independence, utilising letters and records from the time; this book seeks to put right the wrongs that American myth and culture have perpetuated over the centuries. Tarleton was a driven man from a merchants family in Liverpool. His father the Mayor of Liverpool made a fortune, when he died Tarleton inherited a significant sum, but blew it through drinking and gambling. Tarleton attended university and was training to be a lawyer in London when he joined the army and history carved out a new path in his life. To the Americans he is 'Bloody Ban' or 'The butcher', the bogey man of the revolution; the man who gave no quarter and killed those trying to surrender. To the British he is a gung ho, brave, dashing cavalry officer who drove his men and their horses hard; obtaining shock victories and driving the rebels to despair. Like a great modern day sportsman, to the opposition fans he is a hate figure, but to his own fans he is a hero. This book has been written to re-examine the evidence and correctly portray his military service in North America. By examining records in the United States and United Kingdom archives, together with written testimony from Tarleton himself, Generals Clinton and Cornwallis and others; it shall try to determine once and for all what he did during the war. It shall look at the skirmishes and the battles, his personal military contacts and the views of his comrades and senior officers concerning this young firebrand. It will seek to decide once and for all, Banastre Tarleton’s reputation was deserved or whether he really was a misunderstood and blemished British hero.

241 pages, Paperback

Published November 23, 2020

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I myself am descended from two Tories (Butler’s Rangers no less) and maybe a third and so am somewhat disinclined to believe all the nasty stuff I’ve read of Tarleton without I’ve seen real substantiation which is not likely easily found 240 years later. Still, a rakehell from a wealthy family dealing in the slave trade isn’t all that likely to be a model for human rights, unless trying to impress some comely lass in a flowing skirt. He and his Legion were fighting a back country war; think Hatfields and McCoys, Quantrill and Jayhawkers, or Billy the Kid and the Regulators, and you’ll sense the nastiness from both sides.

I found a lot of room for improvement in this simple, too simple, work. It does a great job of covering all of Tarleton’s battles; I only wish there could have been maps to show the action, plus a map of South Carolina. The paragraphing strikes me as awkward. There are points in the book which sound a little petulant or emotional.

To this day he is not only derided as a war criminal, but someone who habitually lied about his own losses. The character assassination continues to this day (p. 101).

As a result, he was vilified by the enemy who like many propaganda units throughout history, sought to have made him a monster (p. 176).

I doubt that “Bloody Ban” will be redeemed in these colonies. We should remember that the enemy is just that: the enemy and scarcely a figure to be admired (Stonewall Jackson and Rommel being among the exceptions). As I pound this out, today is Napoleon’s birthday. See British cartoons during the Napoleonic Wars to see how much they admired him (they didn’t).