Battle of Waxhaws

The Battle of Waxhaws — or the Waxhaws Massacre as Patriots called it — became one of the most notorious events of the Revolutionary War and a powerful propaganda weapon for the American cause. Colonel Abraham Buford commanded the last organized Continental force in South Carolina, retreating northward. Tarleton's cavalry covered 105 miles in 54 hours to catch them.

When Tarleton caught Buford's column, he demanded immediate surrender. Buford refused and Tarleton attacked. The battle was brief — Buford's men were strung out on the road and could not form an effective defense. The Continentals attempted to raise a white flag after absorbing the first volley, but the killing continued.

Survivors claimed that after the flag was raised, British and Loyalist troops continued hacking and stabbing surrendered and wounded men. Reports described soldiers being bayoneted repeatedly and cavalrymen running swords through prostrate men. 113 Continentals were killed and 150 wounded — many of them, survivors claimed, after the attempt to surrender. Tarleton disputed this, claiming his horse was shot and his men believed he had been killed, causing them to fight in revenge.

Whatever the truth, 'Tarleton's Quarter' — the refusal to give quarter — became a battle cry throughout the Carolinas. The atrocity, real or exaggerated, had enormous consequences: it inflamed backcountry opinion against the British and drove many wavering colonists firmly into the Patriot camp. It was directly cited by the Over-Mountain Men who annihilated Ferguson at Kings Mountain four months later.