Remarkable Charlestonians in the American Revolution [Paperback]

Those Who Fought for Liberty On Both Sides

In 1775, the people of Charleston were on the verge of eight years of revolution and war. They were bitterly divided. For Charlestonians, the War for Independence was a civil war, as some favored independence and some were Loyalists. Many on both sides contributed greatly to the war effort. They were famous and obscure, rich and poor, women and men, Black and white. Contrary to popular opinion, people on both sides appealed to patriotism and fought for liberty. For the enslaved majority, the war represented an opportunity to gain their freedomby siding with the British. In telling the stories of a spectrum of participants, Peter McCandless recovers a history at odds with public memory, encrusted with layers of forgetfulness and myths.

Peter McCandless received his doctorate degree from the University of WisconsinMadison. He taught history at the College of Charleston, retiring as distinguished professor emeritus. He won the colleges Distinguished Teaching Award and was selected as a South Carolina Governors Distinguished Professor. Much of his early work focused on mental disease, culminating inMoonlight, Magnolias, and Madness: Insanity in South Carolina from the Colonial Period to the Progressive Era(University of North Carolina Press, 1996). His bookSlavery, Disease, and Suffering in the Southern Lowcountry(Cambridge University Press, 2011) was awarded the SHEAR Prize in 2012.?

Those Who Fought for Liberty On Both Sides

"From a broader perspective, recounting the War for Independence through the perspectives of its participantsrather than just providing a straightforward timelinemakes McCandlesss book a valuable addition to the historical record of Revolutionary Era Charleston. Readers will benefit from the authors efforts to dispel myths and explore the complexities and uncomfortable truths of history."?Eugene Procknow,Researching l2