I'm new here, so please forgive me if you already know of these sites, as I do not wish them to be redundant. Rev. War Letters: http://www.schistory.org/displays/RevWar/archives-online/indexbydate.html Rev. War Links: http://www.americanrevolution.org/histlinks.html South Carolina and the Revolutionary War – 1775-1783 http://www.sciway.net/hist/periods/revolwar.html I hope some of this is new to you, and will be useful. I'm increasingly concerned that the "little people" are not represented in the writings that are available to us. My thoughts are twofold: 1. Those who left writings, were the elite of both sides. These writings may not be representative of the sentiment of the majority, if there was a majority. Could this tend to slant our view? 2. Those who were of the general population were less well educated; and/or, did little writing anyway, as their duties were so time consuming, they had little incentive. What are your thoughts? James Baker A-Flame Corporation wrote: > Great Posts! You guys are confirming everything I believed about my relatives. > > Does anyone have a link to actual letters, which may have been posted from this > era? Thanks in advance! > > James Baker > > SmokyMtn43@aol.com wrote: > > > John: > > > > I agree with your assessment of Tarleton doing his share when it > > came to persuading the Scots Irish to get off the fence and involved > > in the war. The same thing can be said of Ferguson when he marched > > to the eastern edge of the Appalachians and sent word to the settlers > > on the other side of what he intended to do to them. Up to that point, > > they were pretty much occupied with defending themselves from the > > Indian raids on the frontier and trying to keep their families safe and > > fed. Being the independent lot they were, (pretty much still are), the > > Scotch-Irish on the western side of the mountains didn't much > > care for threats being make on them and they reacted the same way > > they would have if the Continental government had threatened them in > > such a manner. They too, like the South Carolinians almost a century > > later, went looking for a fight and found it at Kings Mountain. Another > > tactical error for which the British paid dearly, not only there, but with > > the resulting strategy followed by Cornwallis leading up to Cowpens. > > They, for the most part, had been living very independently over the > > mountains and didn't really feel obligated to get involved until they had > > a reason, which Col. Ferguson graciously gave them. > > > > Regards, > > > > Mack Smith > > > > ==== AMERICAN-REVOLUTION Mailing List ==== > > > > ============================== > > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 > > ==== AMERICAN-REVOLUTION Mailing List ==== > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237

I am with you. How many rosters of units do you see where the officers are alphabetized? Rex Jones

I hope that this brief essay will add a bit of clarity and ease some of the frustration experienced by researchers, but I doubt it. You probably would be surprised at the relatively high percentage of the immigrants, especially the Scots, who were at least educated to be able to read, write and cipher. The Presbyterian Church pushed schooling in Scotland, Northern Ireland and in the colonies so that the parishioners would be able to read the Bible and interpret it for themselves. One of my ancients was a Doctor of Theology and all of the others could read and write. And they were not from a wealthy family. As for alphabetizing rosters, the same is true for ship's sailing lists, etc. I suspect that when you are writing with a quill and ink some things just don't have a very high priority. It may have been (and this is pure speculation) that the officers in units were listed with the men they led. Or (far more likely) their names were entered in the rolls as they were appointed or elected which gives you a rudimentary listing of seniority. I have no proof of either, just 25 years of experience in the way things are done in the military. If you were to pick up the "Blue Book" today, which is the list of officers in the Marines, you would find it is not in alphabetic order either. It is a pure seniority listing, by year group. Many of our ancestors left no remarkable records for the same reasons we don't, they didn't think their daily lives (which tended to routine) important enough to record. I don't keep a diary, nor do I warehouse and catalog my letters and papers for any period longer than absolutely needed. We shouldn't get frustrated with our ancestors because they didn't do what we are unwilling to do. My second great grandfather was a Revolutionary War soldier, a Pioneer of Tennessee, a prominent businessman in his community and, when he died, the Lt. Col Commandant of the 12th Regiment of Tennessee Militia (Blount County) having served the Territory and the state for nearly 30 years, yet what I am able to learn of him I get from other frontiersmen's accounts because he was apparently too modest to record his own exploits. Arthur McGinley mcginley@chartertn.net amcginle@tusculum.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- I have always regarded the forward edge of the battlefield as the most exclusive club in the world -- Sir Brian Horrocks Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They're aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They've got really short hair and they always go for the throat. --RADM "Jay" R. Stark, US Navy; 10 November 1995 To my mind, it is wholly irresponsible to go into the world incapable of preventing violence, injury, crime and death. How feeble is the mind to accept defenselessness. How unnatural. How cheap. How cowardly. How pathetic. --Ted Nugent