Waxhaw Massacre
Encyclopedia : W : WA : WAX : Waxhaw Massacre
The Waxhaw Massacre is an alternative name for the controversial Battle of Waxhaws that took place during the American Revolution on 29th May, 1780 in Virginia, between a rebel force led by Abraham Buford and a mainly Loyalist force led by Banastre Tarleton.
The Battle
Col. Abraham Buford led a force of between 350 and 380 Virginian Continentals-the 3rd Virgina Detachment ; two companies of the 2nd Virginia Regiment and two six-pounders to assist the American forces in the siege of Charleston, South Carolina. Before arriving, they learned that the city had been taken, and turned back to Virginia. However, the British Col. Banastre Tarleton learned of this, and pursued with a force of roughly 230 men, consisting of 130 Legion dragoons, 100 Mounted British Legion infantry , and a three-pounder. In the event only an advance force of 60 dragoons from the 17th Light Dragoons and the British Legion cavalry, 60 mounted infantry from the British Legion and an additional flanking force of 30 British Legion dragoons and some infantry actually engaged in the main attack. [1] On May 29, 1780, Tarleton caught up with Buford in the Waxhaws - at a crossroads in what is now called Buford, S.C.
While waiting for his reserves to move up, Tarleton sent Captain David Kinlock to demand Buford's surrender. In his message he hugely exaggerated the size of his force -- claiming he had 700 men -- in the hope of swaying Buford's decision. Buford refused with the message:"I reject your proposals, and shall defend myself to the last extremity." [2]Despite this he made the decision to keep marching rather than prepare for battle. When Tarleton's attack came, Buford waited until the enemy were within ten yards to give the order to fire. This had minimal effect on the oncoming cavalry, and resulted in a rout for the rebels. According to Tarleton's after battle report, the rebels lost 113 men killed, 147 wounded and left on parole, 2 six pounders and 26 wagons. The British lost 5 killed, 12 wounded, and 11 horses killed and 19 wounded.[3]
The battle has always been very controversial because following the breaking of Buford's line many of his men who surrendered were killed. Some rebel sources such as Adjutant Henry Bowyer, and Surgeon's Mate Robert Brownfield, claim that Buford belatedly raised the white flag, and that this was ignored by Tarleton. In Tarleton's account, his horse was shot from under him during the initial charge and his men, thinking him dead, engaged in "a vindictive asperity not easily restrained."[4]
Before the massacre, popular opinion held that the Southern States were lost to the American cause, and would stay loyal to Britain. The Waxhaw massacre may have changed the direction of the war in the South. Many who would have stayed neutral flocked to the American cause, and "Tarleton's Quarter!" became a rallying cry for the Whigs. This massacre was also directly responsible for the over-mountain men (from what is now Tennessee) forming a volunteer force that utterly destroyed Major Patrick Ferguson's command at Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
It is interesting to note that American history books commonly included reference to the Waxhaw massacre up to the 20th century, but somewhere along the way dropped it - perhaps due to a combination of excessive zeal in early reports of the number of dead (the number 400 was frequently circulated), and a desire not to offend British sensibilities after becoming allies in the First World War.
Nitpicks
Military buffs may note that a Dragoon and a Mounted Infantryman are essentially the same thing, but in this case the difference is significant. Tarleton had a force of about 350 dragoons with horses, but the British had not had time to get enough mounts for their troops, so in order to catch up with Buford with an overpowering force Tarleton doubled up on the mounts - one dragoon and one infantryman per horse.
Contemporary sources claimed that there were 400 men under Buford's command, and all but a handful were killed - but this should be understood to be the hyperbole of propaganda. A number of sources claim 113 dead at the site, 150 wounded, and 53 taken captive. However, the number of 113 is much too low, as most sources concur that well over 100 of the wounded died of wounds within the next few days.
External links
- [Waxhaw massacre]
- [William Rhodes of the 2nd Virginia Regiment]
- [Stripes, Stars and Dollar Signs] by Glen Collins
- [BanastreTarleton.org]
- [detailed account of the Waxhaw Massacre] (.pdf file)
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.