alternatehistory.com
Chapter 4: Redcoats on the Red Clay Soils, Part 1
For a majority of the opening phases of the American War of Independence, Clinton was stationed in Charles' Town, South Carolina; it was presumed to be the major center of loyalist activity; in reality, the so-called "Jerusalem of Slavery" was between neutral and somewhat malevolent in respect to the Crown, due to the passing of vaguely abolitionist laws in England proper. However, this loathing never surfaced itself to much beyond talk behind closed doors, or perhaps a few protests outside of British lodging. The situation in Charles' Town was miserable for all parties involved - the British who wanted to return home, the Caroliners who wanted to stop worrying about the British, the closeted Patriots who wanted to revolt, and the moderates who wanted this all to end.
It was, in part, the conglomeration of moderates who moved out into the frontiers of the Southern colonies. This movement, called the Frontier Exodus, manifested in the Carolinas and Virginia, where colonists moved into swaths of territory to proclaim the Transylvania Colony, an entity whose purpose was, to quote from its declaration of colony, "the continuation of Peaceable, Amicable, and otherwise Peaceful relations between those who Migrated from the North- & South-Carolinas as well as the Colony of Virginia, and the British Crown." The British Crown, hoping to profit off of the potential agricultural industries of the region, was incredibly willing to recognize the legitimacy of the Transylvania Colony. This recognition further enraged the Thirteen Colonies, particularly North Carolina and Virginia. However, despite this recognition, the British refused to negotiate the land treaties between Transylvania and the Native Americans who inhabited the region (particularly the Shawnee and Cherokee Nations).
The Frontier Exodus didn't just impact the moderate population, but also the more radical elements of Southern society - several so-called "Liberty Caravans" constructed settlements on the borders between Transylvania Colony and the colonies of Virginia and North Carolina. Members of the British militia, too, were known to have secretly resigned their office by fleeing into the wilderness. However, the Frontier Exodus did not massively effect the populations of Virginia and North Carolina, with the new Colony being sparsely populated; as such, it was deemed unimportant by both the British and Patriots.
Under the command of Continental General Artemas Ward, the decision was made to divide the war effort into several different departments, with each of these being headed by a major general local to the region, or based off of request. It was this system that brought Major General Charles Lee into the Southern fray; though he was far more experienced, the Continental Congress had refused to give him the position with pay. He was, however, able to find compromise with Continental General Ward, who had agreed to give him some financial aid for his service (it was to be said, of course, that said pay was minimal both in quantity and quality); despite this, the eccentric and raunchy Lee had found himself with a particular dilemma in terms of the war effort - this being it's lack of action. The British had decided that, with minimal efforts of the Army, the revolutionary fire in the Americas would die out; as such, the British seemed to have fortified themselves into the Southern Colonies, and while progress was being made in the northern theaters, Lee saw particularly nothing occur. By the late months of 1776, he was desperate to see any form of action beyond the occasional Patriot raids.
Such actions spawned from Paine, the wordsmith who spoke the Revolution into a fury, with the publication of "The American Crisis."
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A/N: Welp, finally cranked this bad larry out. It's not the greatest, but I feel fairly proud of it; I'll work on editing the last chapter and most likely bits of this one over the course of a couple days, and then we're onto Chapter 5! Hope you're enjoying this!
Chapter 4:
Redcoats on the Red Clay Soils, Part 1
---
"I care not what is done to deal with those Colonists, so long as Wealth is preserved for the Crown."
-Purported remarks by Lord North, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in light of the Declaration of Independence
"'Secure the spice!' That goddamned bastard North up in Britain!" cried Henry Clinton. Though originally stationed in Boston while the city was in turmoil, he was relocated into the Carolinas while the British were forced to evacuate the city. From there, he was to stay in the Southern colonies, and try to amp up Royalist morale whilst defending from Patriot excursions. According to one note from the higher-ups, his duty was to "secure the cities and ignore the rebels" - orders so contradictory that Clinton felt anguished for weeks. On occasion, his soldiers would hear him raving to himself, groaning about how "Lord North knows damn nothing!"Redcoats on the Red Clay Soils, Part 1
---
"I care not what is done to deal with those Colonists, so long as Wealth is preserved for the Crown."
-Purported remarks by Lord North, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in light of the Declaration of Independence
For a majority of the opening phases of the American War of Independence, Clinton was stationed in Charles' Town, South Carolina; it was presumed to be the major center of loyalist activity; in reality, the so-called "Jerusalem of Slavery" was between neutral and somewhat malevolent in respect to the Crown, due to the passing of vaguely abolitionist laws in England proper. However, this loathing never surfaced itself to much beyond talk behind closed doors, or perhaps a few protests outside of British lodging. The situation in Charles' Town was miserable for all parties involved - the British who wanted to return home, the Caroliners who wanted to stop worrying about the British, the closeted Patriots who wanted to revolt, and the moderates who wanted this all to end.
It was, in part, the conglomeration of moderates who moved out into the frontiers of the Southern colonies. This movement, called the Frontier Exodus, manifested in the Carolinas and Virginia, where colonists moved into swaths of territory to proclaim the Transylvania Colony, an entity whose purpose was, to quote from its declaration of colony, "the continuation of Peaceable, Amicable, and otherwise Peaceful relations between those who Migrated from the North- & South-Carolinas as well as the Colony of Virginia, and the British Crown." The British Crown, hoping to profit off of the potential agricultural industries of the region, was incredibly willing to recognize the legitimacy of the Transylvania Colony. This recognition further enraged the Thirteen Colonies, particularly North Carolina and Virginia. However, despite this recognition, the British refused to negotiate the land treaties between Transylvania and the Native Americans who inhabited the region (particularly the Shawnee and Cherokee Nations).
The Frontier Exodus didn't just impact the moderate population, but also the more radical elements of Southern society - several so-called "Liberty Caravans" constructed settlements on the borders between Transylvania Colony and the colonies of Virginia and North Carolina. Members of the British militia, too, were known to have secretly resigned their office by fleeing into the wilderness. However, the Frontier Exodus did not massively effect the populations of Virginia and North Carolina, with the new Colony being sparsely populated; as such, it was deemed unimportant by both the British and Patriots.
Under the command of Continental General Artemas Ward, the decision was made to divide the war effort into several different departments, with each of these being headed by a major general local to the region, or based off of request. It was this system that brought Major General Charles Lee into the Southern fray; though he was far more experienced, the Continental Congress had refused to give him the position with pay. He was, however, able to find compromise with Continental General Ward, who had agreed to give him some financial aid for his service (it was to be said, of course, that said pay was minimal both in quantity and quality); despite this, the eccentric and raunchy Lee had found himself with a particular dilemma in terms of the war effort - this being it's lack of action. The British had decided that, with minimal efforts of the Army, the revolutionary fire in the Americas would die out; as such, the British seemed to have fortified themselves into the Southern Colonies, and while progress was being made in the northern theaters, Lee saw particularly nothing occur. By the late months of 1776, he was desperate to see any form of action beyond the occasional Patriot raids.
Such actions spawned from Paine, the wordsmith who spoke the Revolution into a fury, with the publication of "The American Crisis."
---
A/N: Welp, finally cranked this bad larry out. It's not the greatest, but I feel fairly proud of it; I'll work on editing the last chapter and most likely bits of this one over the course of a couple days, and then we're onto Chapter 5! Hope you're enjoying this!
- Oliveia
- Word Count: 800