This Destructive War

The British Campaign in the Carolinas, 1780-1782

By: John S. Pancake

Narrated by: Douglas R. Pratt

An exciting and accurate portrayal of the military action in the southern colonies that led to a new American nation.

A companion to Pancake's study of the northern campaign, 1777: The Year of the Hangman, this volume deals with the American Revolution in the Carolinas. Together, the two books constitute a complete history of the Revolutionary War.

Pancake tells a gripping story of the southern campaign, the scene of a grim and deadly guerilla war. In the savage internecine struggle, Americans fought Americans with a fierceness that appalled even a veteran like General Nathanael Greene.

"Utilizing extensive manuscript collections, John Pancake explains not why the colonists won the War of Independence, but rather why the British lost. Yorktown, he argues, was not the result of a momentary oversight by the British navy, but the final consequence of the longstanding failure of British military and political leadership." So said the Journal of Southern History when This Destructive War was first published in 1985. The Florida Historical Quarterly further opined, "Pancake has given us a well-researched and beautifully - and tightly - written book."

General audiences as well as scholars and students of the American Revolution will welcome anew this classic, definitive study of the campaign in the Carolinas.

©2003 The University of Alabama Press (P)2017 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"This book emerges as a fresh, intricate story, full of dread and derring-do." ( Kirkus)

A Fun, Interesting History of My State

As a young middle school student, I was taught the names, dates, and facts about SC’s history, which I absorbed dutifully and even visited some of the historical sites. The names of the war’s heroes are common here, used to name streets, towns, counties, schools, and buildings. This author’s writing style made the history interesting and brought the characters to life. The audible version is very well done and pleasant to listen to. I’ve always preferred printed books but this book made me an audible fan. Now I want to grow my audible collection.