The Revolutionary War in South Carolina: Profiles in Leadership

Steven D. Smith and Kevin Dougherty examine leadership during the Revolutionary War in South Carolina through profiles of key individuals. The book looks beyond Francis Marion to explore significant personalities and their actions both on and off the battlefield. The profiles include Henry Laurens (President of the Council of Safety), Richard Furman (church pastor), John Rutledge (Governor of South Carolina), and Rebecca Motte (plantation owner). William Moultrie and Andrew Pickens are discussed in non-combatant roles—Moultrie as a prisoner of war and Pickens as a post-war civic leader. Military leaders profiled include William Jasper, Thomas Sumter, Francis Marion, Isaac Shelby, Nathanael Greene, Daniel Morgan, Tadeusz Kosciuszko, Hezekiah Maham, and Henry Lee. The book begins with a historical overview of the Southern Campaign and the Revolutionary War in South Carolina to provide context for the leadership profiles. The conclusion argues that the Revolutionary War marked a shift in the "democratization" of war, with the choices made by these leaders and their followers reflecting the element of choice inherent in democratic processes.