>> the book, the road to charleston, nathanael greene and the american revolution describes how general greene reversed a series of losses and eventually defeated the british in the southern theater in the war for independence. next, author and historian john buchanan discusses his new book at the american revolution institute of the society of the cincinnati in washington, d.c. >> good evening. welcome. i am kelsey atwood, tour and public program manager of the american revolution institute of the society of the cincinnati. i'm delighted to welcome you to anderson house. the american revolution institute of the society of the cincinnati could notes knowledge and appreciation of the achievement of american independence by providing resources for advanced study, exhibitions and public programs,

preservation and providing resources to classrooms. since 1938, the society of the cincinnati has done this work from its headquarters, anderson house, a national historic landmark mark finished in 1905 as winter residents of lars and isabel anderson. tonight's talk brings the dramatic story of the south to its conclusion. it revealed much about the crucial military art of provision and transport. in sufficient manpower, a constant problem. greene incorporated black wretchments into his army and a plan angry rejected by the south carolina legislature. a bloody civil war between rebels was wreaking havoc on the south, forcing greene to address vigilante terror. corresponds between greene and

thomas jefferson during the campaign shows greene was bedeviled by conflict between war and the rights of people and the question of how to set constraints under which a free society wages war. when the british finally evacuated charleston in december of 1782, greene and his ragged malaria stricken faithful continental army entered the city in triumph marking the end of one of the most punishing campaigns of the revolution as well as one of its greatest victories. let me tell you about our speaker this evening. john buchanan is a native of new york who grew up in new york, michigan, and ohio, following his service in the army, mr. buchanan graduated from st. lawrence university, magna accumulate law day with highest honors in history. he would go on to serve as a high school teacher in new york and later an archivist at cornell university.

in 1966 he joined the staff of the metropolitan of art. for 22 years chief registrar. he traveled widely in the u.s., canada, mexico, europe, the former ussr, the middle east, india, china, japan, and australia. upon retirement, resumed a writing career that began in 1960s. john buchanan is the author to the road to valley forth and many other books along with our book this evening. please welcome me in joining john buchanan. >> i should start really by

thanking the society for letting me speak in this historic venue and also kelsey atwood for her impeccable arrangements. thank you, kelsey. so what to do about the south. the last major gaugement in the north was the battle of mon mouth. after that stalemate in the normg but the british had been thinking of a southern campaign since 1776 and for various reasons decided to turn south. now at the tail end of 1778, the british assault force went ashore and between sun up and sun down, became masters of savannah. in the new year, they marched

about a thousand british and provinceal regulars marred up the country to augusta, 178 miles. now the british commander in chief in east florida and georgia, major general augustine privo wrote that the object of the they failed test of the promise 6,000 loyalist fighters only 1,100 to 1,400 showed. the expected indian allies not one appeared. for those and other reasons, the british withdrew to savannah and the low country. but the following year, may

1780, the richest city in america, charleston, south carolina, and inside the city the only american army in the south surrendered to a strong british competitionary force. from charleston, from there, british regulars marched up the santy river and had communication and supply. a major base of camden here in the mid back country. down here in orangeberg. all the way out to the far back country and 96 where they established a very strong base and across the savannah river and augusta. now to understand the war in the south is to be aware of what both the americans and the british knew. the key to success was

controlled in the back country where at least two-thirds and perhaps three-quarters of the white population lived. lord wallace who took over command of the south shortly after the fall in charleston put pen to paper on this issue. quote, keeping possession of the back country is of the utmost importance. indeed, the success of the war in the southern district depends totally upon it. in london, however, the king and his ministers labored under the delusion that the loyalist compromised the majority in the back country of the carolinas in georgia. on the contrary, overall, the rebels were in the majority. now there are two caveats to that statement. rebels and torres were about even in the 96th district. torres may have been in the majority here in the mid back country in what was called the orangeberg district. but, overall, the rebels

compromised the majority throughout south carolina. which was the main theater of the war. we who have lived through one misreading after another by government of regions that does not understand should not be surprised by this 18th century misreading by the british government as brigadier general charles o'hara, a british general serving in america put it, fatal infatuation. of course, we have to realize too there were also people like solomon described by his neighbors as halfway. as the occasion required. now, following the british occupation of the back country and an expected triumphant sweep northward, the unexpected happened. the majority rebels in the back country rose and revolt, mounted

their horses, waged a sweeping guerrilla war of movement and stymied the british pacification effort. the lord commanding british forces in the field wrote of the rebel militia, quote, their mobility was the reason we were never able to bring them to a decisive action. the rising was fundamental. it changed the course of the war. had the pack of beggars with the hardy low country rice kings called the country of the backcountry. had they accepted the british occupation and not risen and bought the time necessary for operations by a refurbished continental army under a brilliant commander, the southern campaign, indeed, the war, itself, would have taken on an entirely different hue. the british failed to put down the rising. but the back country rebels

could not drive the british from the carolinas in georgia. the result? stalemate in the south. the four continental general s had commanded the southern department. one left early before his abilities and theater command were seriously tested. the other three failed in spectacular fashion. so what to do about the south? the precocious 25-year-old alexander hamilton had the answer. for god's same! send greene! which was george washington did as he had intended. his instructions to general greene, uninformed as i am of the enemy's force in that quarter of our own or of the resources which will be in our power for command for carrying on the war, i can give you no particular instructions. but must leave to you to govern yourself according to your own prudence and judgment and the

circumstances in which you find yourself. in other words, washington gave greene carte blanche or to put it in holier terms, good luck, you're on your own! 38-year-old nathanael. i got the wrong clicker here. here we go. there he is! he was from rhode island. a novist in 1775 when he reported to george washington outside boston. now, however, educated on the job, hardened by five years of a bitter war, he had distinguished himself in combat command and in a staff position he hated. quarter master general charged with supplying the army with the wherewithal of war. yet, there was work in the latter. washington wrote he found the

quarter master department, quote, in a most confused state but he has given the most general satisfaction in his affairs carry much the face of method and system. method and system, yes, but greene, the most cerebral of washington's lieutenants, was also one of the hard men, the type necessary to win wars. he ordered one of his officers at valley forge and he wrote the inhabitants cry out and beset me from all quarters. but like farrow, i harden my heart. greene took command of the southern department of 3 december, 1780 at charlotte, north carolina, south of the north carolina line. if greene proved himself of a master of supply and transporter as we say today, logistics, why during his command in the south was his army chronically short of supplies to the point toward

the end of the campaign? his somldiers were so ill-supplied of clothing many used blankets to cover their nakedness. the answer lies in the difference between the two great regions. the north had a much larger population, mostly rural and agriculture, but well-established manufacturers and artisans. there greene had been close to his sources of supply as well as the indispensable french supplies. the southern armies, most of them, had to come from the north. 18th century means and time, supplies on wagons drawn by horses had to walk. one example. greene sent a request to the board of war in philadelphia for april, 1781 for clothing for lieutenant colonel william washington third continental as theirs was in a state of, quote, decay. the clothing arrived five months later, 31 august at charlotte

and by 10 september still had not reached colonel washington's lagoons and the ever present problem of supplies being hijacked on the way by local officials and militia leaders. throughout the campaign, greene struggled mightily to supply his soldiers and spent inordinate amount of time on that problem with enough success to keep the army in the field. the importance of logistics is driven home by the fifth century spartan mercenary commander who wrote, without supplies, neither a general nor a soldier is good for anything. 2500 years later, general omar bradley who was general eisenhower ground commander in year in world war ii famously said amateurs discuss tactics. professionals discuss logistics. now in addition to the terrible

logistical situation there was political turmoil and the nightmare of civil war. the war within the revolutionary war with the civil war between americans throughout the country. terror always part of revolutions reined and especially vicious in the south. the germans call civil war bood cree neighbors war. in the spring of 1780, a 16-year-old rebel militiaman witnessed a tragic event. he was serving under a captain love who attacked a party of torres at a house named stallion. mrs. stallions was captain love's sister. thomas young wrote that mrs. stallions ran out and begged her brother not to fire upon the house. he said it was too late now. their only chance for safety was to surrender. she ran back to the house, he wrote, and sprang upon the doorstep which was pretty high.

at that moment the house was attacked in the rear by other rebels and a ball shot through the opposite door, killed mrs. stallions. soon after, the torres surrendered and thomas young wrote that mrs. stallions brother captain love and her husband, quote, met and shed bitter tears. stallions was dismissed on parole to bury his wife. greene's lovely and faithful wife known as kathy begged to join her husband just as she had followed him camp-to-camp throughout the northern campaign, shared a hut with him at valley forge but he refused her to allow her to travel south writing nothing but blood and slaughter prevails here and a wilderness a woman is known or scene. kathy wrote again and he said my dear you have no ideas of the

horrors of the southern war. murders here is frequent as petty disputes to the northward. now although they probably never met, greene had in mind men like charlton brown who left us in his journal a vivid description of his reaction when hearing the indians had murdered our father and 16 of his neighbors? burning to ashes his house and all within it? our mothers and sisters escaping to the woods little to depend upon no male friend to help them. my blood boiled within my veins! my soul thirsted! prevention. now, brown's journal does not reveal whether he caught up with his father's killers but there were other scores to settle. in april 1780, crossing a river, we fell in with a man who assisted in hanging the five

brave fellows at wiggins hill. we gave him his due. left his body at the disposal of the birds and beasts. acts of revenge restricted to the crackers of the back country. william martin johnston of savannah was a gentleman in an age where, you know, the status of gentlemen raised one well above. he was also a captain of british regulars. william johnston married a beautiful 15-year-old savannah girl elizabeth lickenstein. there she is. williams' favorite brother jack was taken by rebels and hanged. many decades after the war, widowed in an compile in nova

scotia. after jack was hanged william was absent and said to her on returning i expect friends tonight and expect supper at 11:00 and tell negroes to have food for their horses. i expect about 20 men. the men appeared and elizabeth wrote some of them were gentlemen i knew and friends of your grandfather but others were hard looking men and not gentlemen. after supper, as the men were leaving she asked william when he would be back. bet if i return at all, i will be back in 24 hours. i slept little that night and spent the next day in anxious prayer for his safe return. william rode in about 2:00 that afternoon. he embraced elizabeth, then threw his sword and pistol upon the table both of which i could see had been used and i said, william, where have you been? he replied, never ask me where i have been or what i have done. but we don't owe the rebels anything for jack.

two examples among hundreds, greene called them private murders, railed against them. called upon the partisan leaders to do all they could to stop them. too little. following greene's order later, continental and andrew pickens militia took british base of augusta and garrison as prisoners. after the surrender a rebel militia in james alexander shot and murdered in cold blood a colonel officer and some said in front of greerson's children. the reason was it was said for the ill treatment of alexander's father by the british. alexander then just rode away in plain view of other rebels. green was furious. offered 100 guineas to anybody who can discover and secure the

perpetrator of this horrid crime. but the back forest settled like a thick haze over the affair. the reward never claimed and murderer never brought to justice. a term then used for such cold-blooded murder. the contemporary wrote it was nicknamed given a georgia parole. when a community of torres in south carolina begged green for relief from the stress they were from the savage conduct of men blowing into colonel leroy hammond's ma militia hammond th in the greatest confusion and distress and then in a finally sentence he challenged pickens who was an honorable man to share the responsibility for putting an end to barberism in

the back country. the cry for mercy i hope you will exert yourself to bring over the torres to our interest and check the e nonormities -- a bloody disposition stimulates them. greene's attempts to bring law and order to a ravaged land were largely unsuccessful. hatred and bitterness was too deeply embedded for quick relief. andrew pickens expressed it in terms of stand alone and stalk relief and labeled the conflict within the regular war a bitter civil war. it's impossible for us and them to inhabit one country and live together in peace. the impact of this civil war made the lives of noncombatants a horror and had a greater

impact on society than the regular war. the contemporary south carolina historian david ramsey wrote that there were 1400 widows and orphans in the 96 district alone. i showed you where the 96 district is. you know where that is. late in the war, the rebel militia leader thomas sumter engaged in the down and birthy work of what we call counterinsurgency and wrote to greene, the number and -- of women and children cannot be conceived. utterly out of the power to s subsist in longer where they are. the civil war, quote, destroyed more property and shed more american blood than the whole british army. meanwhile, the regular war went

on. to backtrack a little. in march 1781 at the battle at a courthouse in northern north carolina, greene lost the tactical battle but won the strategic victory who lord corn wallace recklessly abandoned the carolinas and more on that later. greene and his small army of continentals would fight three major battles and conduct a siege and he lost all four. but as with gilford courthouse each case tactical defeat and strategic victory. hob kirk's hill. it's right up in here. hobkirk's hill just north of that british base of camden.

there on 25 april, 1781 he faced an irishman 26-year-old lieutenant colonel francis lord rotteden who wallace left in the field. he attacked and surprised the rebel army. greene denied it in an official report but what general will admit he was caught flat-footed? the rebel army retired from the field in good order. greene's famous comment is in a letter to the french minister to the united states. we fight, get beat, rise, and fight again. greene then marched his army southwesterly across a river into rugged hill country right across -- right in here. rodden followed. wanted to fight again but

greene's defensive position on commanding heights was too strong to assault. i've driven an examined that hill country. rodden made the right decision. now, lord rodden, the tactical victor now found a beaten but unfouled foe in front of him and behind him a countryside in revolt. he wrote to lord corn wallace, quote, the revolt was universal. two days before hobkirk's hill in a combined operation, my lieutenant colonel lighthorse harry lee and his allegiance of horse and foot in the partisan brigade of francis marion, ft. watson had fallen and santee river had fallen. this was partly of the general's plan of operations -- you find that phrase throughout his writings -- in which his regular army would operate in tandem with a partisan militia. militia concentration on random raids and plunder would, in the

best of all possible worlds, seize. francis marion and andrew pickens cooperated. rodden wrote to corn wallace the situation of affairs in this province has made me judge it necessary for a time to withdraw my force from the back country and to assemble what troops i can collect at this point. they are now followed sad affair that you and i will recognize. we who have watched similar 21st century themes on our television sets of people far away, civilians vaticaning hearth and home and refuges in their own land. let lord rodden explain it to us. marching from the low country with his troops, we fought off not only the militia with us in camden but also the well-affected neighbors in our route together with wives, children, negroes and baggage of almost all of them. those torres who joined lord rodden's column left because head good reason to feel what

they would do to them if they stayed in thoir homes. their homes. in europe they were in a displaced person camp. the american torres would end up just outside charleston in the 18th century version of a dp camp. the general moltry described their fait. they built themselves huts without the lines which was called broaden town. many of these unfortunate women and children who lived comfortable in that i recall own homes near camden died for want in those miserable huts. meanwhile, the regular war continued as greene come off his defeat at gilford courthouse he was a fighting general for marching south carolina and seeking battle. his decision to abandon camden

persuaded green on the offense. he told his friend then head of commissary -- a fascinating character but we don't have time to go into but that general was founder of university of north carolina. he told david, camden, quote, was the key to the enemy's line of post. they will all fall or soon be evacuated. all will now go well. in general, he was right. rodden evacuated camden on 10 may. the following day, thomas sumter took the british post in orangeberg and 12 may ft. surrendered to marion and lee and 15 may lee took another fort. all of those british bases on the santee and congress river. guarding lines of communication and supply, gone. greene then sent lighthorse harry lee and his legion to

georgia to command, along with andrew pickens in the siege of augusta. the rest of the army, green marched west and four days later, besieged the last british post in south carolina's back country, 96 right here. i call that, by the way, it was supposed to be 96 miles from 96 to the first cherokee village of key weed which is near the campus of clemson university now. it was actually 78 miles. but any way. 96 was commanded by that tough and able new yorker lieutenant colonel john harris krueger.

96 was greene's only siege and he and his chief military engineer, the polish volunteer blundered. there we go. 96. here you have the siege trenches. the star fort. communication trench to the town. and another base right over here. this is the key to taking 96. the water supply, the spring branch. but greene and another one believed the siege had to dig within their works to find water. when garrison went down 25 feet inside the star fort they came up empty. a dry well. spring branch was the key. meanwhile, in charleston, lord

rodden had received reinforcements from british wretchments stationed on the island and 7 june began his march up country and 175 miles to relieve 96. he had about 1,800 infantry and almost 750 more than greene's regulars. greene ordered thomas sumter and marion to slow his advance. they failed. rodden marched steadily onward in the terrible heat of a carolina summer and his reinforcements dressed in heavy wool uniforms. lee and his 150 man legion joined greene outside 96 aware that rodden was drawing my. on 18 june 1781, hope from first maryland and first virginia

fixed and attacked the star fort. it was met by fellow americans from a new york brigade and new jersey volunteers and savage hand-to-hand combat. the assault failed. all american height. one example -- we don't have time for that. i'm sorry. greene and his army defeated once more. two days later the cheers of the garrison and towns people lord rodden and his relief force marched. once again, greene a loser. 96 was almost out of stores and provisions and he thought it impossible to furnishish it with the necessary supplies. i therefore resolved to withdraw the garrison. he gave the torres a choice. if they would unite and defend the district he would leave a small party to assist them and

send detach chts now and then if greene moved forces into the district. families who chose to leave could take up rents on abandoned plantations in the low country. greene marched off in march with part of his force. 50 rodden soldiers in those heavy woollen uniforms collapsed and died. rodden left the torres to make up their minds but their morale had bottomed out. despite their temporary deliverance over many months they had proven superior and chose to leave not long after escorted by the colonel and his battalions they made their own sad track down country refugees in their own land, the last british post in the back country abandoned. the rebels in control. greene and his little army would fight one more major battle but

not against lord rodden. there he is. that is lieutenant colonel francis lord rodden. he was ill. he suffered with malaria throughout the events just described and took leave of america. francis lord rodden first hastings second rule, a player in the loss of the first british empire p. empire. his commander in chief became one of the builders of the second british empire. while the fighting and dying went on, greene never lost sight of the political side of the struggle. he urged governor john rutledge then in philadelphia to return to south carolina and rutledge did and the two worked closely

together to restore civil government. greene wrote to governor thomas burke of north carolina, quote. while the war lasts, the civil and military are mutually dependent on each other and the most perfect good understanding is essential to both. and i beg your excellencesy to be persuaded it is my endeavor to observe the confidence and good opinion of those in power. those final words bear repeating. the confidence and good opinion of those in power. they placed greene as one with his chief george washington in recognizing and supporting the primacy of the civil power, a critical concept of governance and spare the new nation the ambitions of military adventurists. throughout his command, greene championed the establishment of civil government. for example, sending to georgia his personal representative joseph clay and urging georgia n

iana georgians to convene. in 1781, georgia delegation to congress appointed a physician dr. nathan bronson to the rank of bringing deer general and command of the georgia militia. greene must have been appalled! what would be the reaction of veteran militia leaders who had proven their dedication, their leadership, their courage? colonel clark and twigs and jackson, how do teal with this delicate situation. greene wrote to the delgsdelega. that was putting it mildly. he then wrote to the georgia colonels and neatly handed the problem to them.

all of this business is necessary who this ought to be your own feelings must determine and we can be sure that greene knew exactly that what were feelings were. he had the letter delivered to colonels by dr. nathan bronson. he wrote to joseph clay, mr. bronson is coming to georgia with an appointment of brigad r brigadiers. should be likely to produce discontent? i suppose it to be laid aside. it was indeed laid aside and compromise reached. john twiggs was appointed the brigadier general of the georgia militia and the assembly elected as governor dr. nathan bronson. not the last time bronson gave greene trouble. any way. meanwhile, the war went on.

british had been driven from the far back country. now it was time to drive them from the mid back country. pin them close to the sea coast. it was vitally important to establish civil government in south carolina in georgia and confine british forces to charleston and savannah showing the world that the rebels were in civil, as well as military control and thus video gaavoidi threat on the horizon. european mediation of the conflict which carried with it the danger of the application of a principle of international law. uti latin for as you possess. meaning if european mediation occurred, a cease-fire agreed upon, a truce established, each side would remain where they were in peace negotiations this could mean each side could end

up with a territory possessed when the cease-fire went into effect. the american side was dead set against any such proposal, against mediation, itself, strove mightily to prevent it but if not expelling the british at least driving them to the coast. greene with his long suffering continentals once more prepared for battle. the battle of utah springs, 8 september, 1781. right here. see how close we are to charleston? british way out here and now they are this close to charleston. 8 september, 1871. bloodiest battle of the southern campaign hotly contested and it ended with greene with an early withdrawal from the field and leaving alexander stuart who succeeded in field command the

technical victor. greene took 23% casualties. but stewart suffered crippling losses with 38%. it ended inside of british lines in charleston. a british army unfit to remain the field for major combat never more to reappear except seeking food and the british were back withwhere they had started some 15 months before, pinned to the coast. some 233 years ago colonel holland williams who commanded the continentals at utah springs summed um the result. the best criterion of victory is to be found in the consequences. the following month, 19 october, 1781, a world shaking event occurred in a little tobacco

port in virginia called york town. it was the carolina campaign. first waged solely by back country cracker militia and then taken over by greene who led corn wallace a merry chase the breadth of north carolina to his lordship's victory at gilford courthouse that drove corn wallace to the carolinas and virginia and end of his american adventure. the debilitating march and the savage battle crippled corn wallace army. a sergeant of the [ inaudible ] summed up his lordship's dilemma in well chosen words. the situation was now very bad for us. we had won but we had no food stoves, no shoes on our feet, no shirts on our bodies. it was decided to begin the return march to the sea.

corn wallace wrote to general wallace phillips, i assure you i am quite tired of marching the country. he decided the key to victory lay in virginia where the british should, quote, bring our whole force. we then have a stake to fight for and a successful battle may give us america. as we all know, his lordship found his battle against a force and lost his army and, with it, america. corn wallace's surrender at york town broke the will of the british establishment to continue the war. five months later, 20 march, 1782 in london, lord north's ruling ministry fell. three days later the opposition formed a new ministry whose policy was to conduct no offensive operations in america and withdraw the army from the mainland. this took a while because of the extreme shortage of shipping to

not only withdraw the troops but some 60,000 to 70,000 loyalist refuges in savannah, charleston, new york. americans all who wanted no part of life among the rebels and though politically the war was over for several months skirmishing and killing went on in south carolina as british raiding party sought food and forage. greene did not believe until the summer of 1882 they meant to leave. he wrote distrust is the mother of security in war but he finally came around. by late that year, negotiations produced an orderly peaceful withdraw from charleston. what a grand day. 14 december, 1782, when the final contingent of british soldiers embarked on war and rode out to a waiting troop

transports in charleston harbor. some 200 yards hinbehind them continentals marched into the scitadel of the rice kings and greene escorting the new governor john maxwell and other dignitaries. governor maxwell and his fellow dignitaries were there because of greene. they would not have been there without him. greene was the maestro. little known today for he died three years after the war. war and revolution bring to the fore men and women who otherwise said alexander hamilton in his eulogy of greene, might have languished in obscurity and only shot forth a few scattered and such a wonderful man was greene and called on to act apart on a

more splendid and ample theater. of all washington's lieutenants, greene was the only one who presented the skill, the judgment, and the character to undergo the extreme -- of the southern campaign and emerge triumphant, plucked from a p provincial neighborhood. thank you so much for listening. thank you. thank you. >> we have time for a few questions. >> and you have a mike to ask

them. yes, sir? with regard to mel gibson's movie "the patriot," disregarding, you know, the story, history or fiction, but just the atmosphere of the civil war, do you think that is a good portrayal, a good understanding what it was like? >> no. no. i thought it was a terrible movie and i was told that the producer of that movie gave gibson a copy of my first book on the southern campaign "the road to gilford courthouse." i don't think anybody read it. yes, sir?

>> could you comment on banister charlton? >> yes. charlton -- i don't think i even mentioned him in this book, but he was prominent in the first book. when he was in hoted pu pursuitn enemy, he was at his pest. this was especially shown in the moment when he caught up with buford's continentals early in the war, after the fall of charleston and was sent up the country. to very good effect. but when he -- and he was ruthless, no doubt about it. i think that the late and much revered don higenbotham said by the standard of war fare in his day was more ruthless than most

men, but of course, he met a master in daniel morgan at calpins and proved himself -- and i think really that was his only set piece battle. am i right? yeah. i think so. his only set piece battle. he absolutely failed. he took a tired, hungry force into major combat after a night long march and was defeated by a master daniel morgan. he was never a very nice man at all. and he also proved that after the war in england when he betrayed the man who had made him, lord corn wallace in his memoir, if he not written that

book he could have gone to indiana with corn wallace and corn wallace succeeded mightily in indiana with as commander in chief. charlton probably coughild have gone with him but not after he wrote that book criticizing corn wallace. >> of those who lived, what became of the torres of georgia in south carolina? >> well, except for the ones who left, thousands stayed. i don't think we really have an accurate count of how many stayed, but i have some figures back here. the british lieutenant general of east florida wrote that he estimated about 5,000 he said went over the mountains to the

states. a thousand stayed. james potter collins who wrote the very valuable auto biography of a revolutionary soldier he desired torres in pep torres who they didn't bother too much after the war. it was really the rabid torres, the hard-core torres they went after and drove away. and told them to leave and never come back. well, a lot of people in the back country, they didn't get to the coast and so they went over the mountains. they came into what became tennessee, kentucky, alabama. some down to the spanish lands. thousands of them, apparently. >> went to great britain and how many went to canada? >> okay. here we go. 30,000 white and black loyalists, including 3,000 free black servants to the maritimes. new brunswick and nova scotia where elizabeth lichtenstein

johnson ended up. i take these figures from a wonderful book by liberties compiles, americans abroad and the revolutionary world. i think it's just excellent. 6,000, including 500 mohawks to quebec. 5,000 to east florida who had to leave when the spanish got florida back. about 8,000, mostly white loyalist and about 5,000 free black loyalists to britain. 2,500 white loyalists to the bahamas bringing with them some 4,000 slaves. jamaica, 3,000 white loyalists and up to 8,000 slaves. she believes the total immigration was 60,000 with the caveat probably increased by

10%. it's also, she believes, safe to conclude the white loyalists took some 15,000 slaves with them. >> time for one more. anyone have a burning question? here we go. >> you barely mentioned native americans. would you say more? >> the american indians in the southeast didn't play as important of a role as the irr coy did on the new york frontier. early in the war 1776, the cherokee rose, powerful militia columns from the carolinas and virginia, marched over the mountains. there was no major battle. it was mostly skirmishes. the cherokee could not withstand

them. their towns were ravaged. their fields were destroyed. they were agricultural people. fields were destroyed. they were left to face -- oh, and they had warehouses where they would store food for the winter. those were destroyed, what food the rebels didn't take with them to go home with. so that failed. that knocked the cherokee out of the war for the next five years. and it also discouraged the creeks to the south of them. and later in 1781, the cherokees rose again and were quickly defeated by andrew pickens. so -- i do cover that in the book. >> thank you so much for coming this evening. >> thank you.

please join us for book sales and signing in the rear of the ballroom and refreshments in the garden. you're watching a special edition of american history tv. airing now during the week while members of congress are working in their districts because of the coronavirus pandemic. tonight at 8:00 eastern we talk with white house historical associations about their jobs and the organization's mission to protect and preserve the executive mansion. enjoy american history tv now and watch over the weekend on csp cspan3.

>> houston, we have a problem. >> we had a pretty large bang associated with the caution and warning there. >> it was the call heard around the world from the ill-fated manned lunar mission of apollo 13. sunday at 1:00 p.m. eastern, american history tv marks the 50th anniversary with the 1970 nasa document, "houston, we have got a problem." apollo 13 commander shares his memories of the flight. >> we never admitted to ourselves that we are not going to make it. >> lead flight director gene cranz recalls the astronauts safe return and post-flight news conference with james lovell and john swagger and fred hayes. watch our special sunday at 1:00 p.m. eastern on american history tv on c-span3.

next from the american revolution institute of the society of the cincinnati, a discussion examines the u.s. veteran. veterans affairs secretary will deliver the opening remarks. >> good evening. welcome to anderson house, the washington, d.c. headquarters of the american revolution institute of the society of the cincinnati. my name is les longer and i'm president general of the society, a position first occupied by general george washington. he held his post from our founding in 1783 until his passing on december 14, 1799. today is november 11th, 2019, which