This Fierce People

The Untold Story of America's Revolutionary War in the South

By: Alan Pell Crawford

Narrated by: Cary Hite

WINNER OF THE AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD TRUST PRIZE FOR HISTORY • A groundbreaking, important recovery of history; the overlooked story—fully explored—of the critical aspect of America’s Revolutionary War that was fought in the South, showing that the British surrender at Yorktown was the direct result of the southern campaign, and that the battles that emerged south of the Mason-Dixon line between loyalists to the Crown and patriots who fought for independence were, in fact, America’s first civil war.

The famous battles that form the backbone of the story put forth of American independence—at Lexington and Concord, Brandywine, Germantown, Saratoga, and Monmouth—while crucial, did not lead to the surrender at Yorktown.

It was in the three-plus years between Monmouth and Yorktown that the war was won.

Alan Pell Crawford’s riveting new book,This Fierce People, tells the story of these missing three years, long ignored by historians, and of the fierce battles fought in the South that made up the central theater of military operations in the latter years of the Revolutionary War, upending the essential American myth that the War of Independence was fought primarily in the North.

Weaving throughout the stories of the heroic men and women, largely unsung patriots—African Americans and whites, militiamen and “irregulars,” patriots and Tories, Americans, Frenchmen, Brits, and Hessians—Crawford reveals the misperceptions and contradictions of our accepted understanding of how our nation came to be, as well as the national narrative that America’s victory over the British lay solely with General George Washington and his troops.

Critic reviews

“Mr. Crawford’s account is incisively and carefully written, splendidly paced, and supported by a mine of primary and secondary sources. This Fierce People is military history in an older tradition, in which the outcomes of great conflicts depend on the foresight, character and courage of individual men. Yet Mr. Crawford, a journalist and historian based in Richmond, Va., doesn’t ignore the role of slavery in the ferocity of southern resistance. . . . Rivetingly related.” —Barton Swaim, The Wall Street Journal

"Crawford brings his cast of characters, ranging from 'Swamp Fox' Francis Marion to the alternately cavorting and cruel British officer Banastre Tarleton, to life with a beguiling blend of erudition, wit, insight and sympathy." —Bill Kauffman, The Spectator World

"Crawford provides a vivid, page-turning account . . . rich in memorable characters and dramatic scenes." —Dan McLaughlin, National Review


“Elegant . . . Incisive . . . Crawford’s objective discussion of the South’s role in the Revolutionary War makes for compelling reading.” —Andy Brack, Charleston City Paper

“Crawford’s demystifying narrative rests upon a foundation of extensive research and is rendered in sparkling prose, with plenty of vividly drawn profiles of formidable figures caught in the vortex of big, fraught, bloody events…Crawford is right about the Revolutionary War in the South. It was decisive in bringing the American war effort to a successful conclusion, and it probably hasn’t received the attention in history that it deserves. This book is a tidy corrective to that, and one likely to enliven as well as enlighten most readers. Beyond that, Crawford’s narrative makes it easy to see how this American adventure, full of hardship and glory, was the start of something big.” —Robert W. Merry, Modern Age Journal

“A valuable addition to Revolutionary War history that adds useful detail and perspective.” —Mark Knoblauch, Booklist

It's a good book, but...

I enjoyed the content of the book. If you are unfamiliar with the geography of North and South Carolina it would help to familiarize yourself with a map, preferably from the period, of the towns and rivers in both states to be able to get the most out of listening. The narrator is not good at all. He regularly mispronounces words, and not just names of people and places (whose pronunciations can be difficult), but also "regular" standard words, and some of those he mispronounces differently at different times. His narration also makes it virtually impossible to discern when speech is a direct quote and when it is being paraphrased by the author. Read, rather than listen to this one.

Untold Stories

Shares the details of a little known leaders in the southern war. The focus reveals the importance of the battles a stories of winning the war of independence.

Evan's Review

When you ask most Americans when the Revolutionary War ended they would say after the Battle of Yorktown. Most people don't realize that alot of Battles took place after Yorktown in South Carolina that basically turn into a Civil War between the Loyalist Mitias and Patriots. I strongly recommend this book to get a better understand of the War until 1783.

Great History of the Revolutionary South

This book provides a great history of the South during the fight for American independence. I highly recommend the book to anyone considering it. You will enjoy the interesting details and the historical accuracy.

Good history for audiobook format

Good history of the Revolutionary War campaigns in the South, with rich enough context to understand the story, but not too much to bog down the narrative.

The author did an excellent job on staying focus on the topic, the temptation to expound on the whole of the Revolutionary War must have been hard to resist. I learned a lot. Battles are clearly described, the narration is engaging.

I particularly appreciated that chapters tended to be 'self-contained", that is, for the most part, characters and their relevant contribution to the story where all in the same chapter, which makes it easy to follow when listening (as opposed to books where context and characters are presented first, and the narrative follows later, no biggie in printed format when you can go back easily, not so in audio format).