Nestled on the banks of the Cape Fear River, Wilmington, North Carolina, remains famous as a blockade-running port during the Civil War. Not as renowned is the city's equally vital role during the Revolution. Through the port came news, essential supplies, and critical materials for the Continental Army. Both sides contended for the city and both sides occupied it at different times. Its merchant-based economy created a hotbed of dissension over issues of trade and taxes before the Revolution, and the presence of numerous Loyalists among Whigs vying for independence generated considerable tension among civilians. Based on more than 100 eyewitness accounts and other primary sources, this volume chronicles the fascinating story of Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear during the Revolution.

It has been said that while the famous battles of the American Revolution were fought in the North, the decisive battles were fought in the South. During the Revolutionary War, no place was more important than the southeastern part of North Carolina. Based on eyewitness accounts (many never before published), including journals, diaries, military reports, archaeological studies, and family histories, this is the story of Wilmington and the Lower Cape Fear during the Revolution.

Situated on the banks of the Cape Fear River, Wilmington is awash in unusual tales and legends. A prevalent pirate hideaway, the area harbored the infamous Blackbeard and the cunning Calico Jack Rackham. Since its initial settlement, the region has witnessed an abundance of fantastical lore, including passionately fought duels, explosive train wrecks, Revolutionary and Civil War heroes and some legends that are said to take the form of apparitions. At the local Cape Fear Wine & Beer pub, the ghost of a fallen redcoat can't seem to get enough of a frothy porter brewed from yeast salvaged from an early nineteenth-century shipwreck. Wonder at these and other fascinating and strange tales as local author John Hirchak reveals the legendary history of Wilmington and Cape Fear.

North Carolina played a pivotal role in the struggle for American independence, and the Cape Fear region was ground zero in the rebellion against British rule. Historians say the famous battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in the North, but the decisive battles were fought in the South. The Cape Fear region was a central theater of that fight for American independence. A vicious civil war was fought between neighbors, families, Continentals, and Redcoats in southeastern North Carolina, from Fayetteville to Wilmington, and everywhere in between. This is the story of that fight.

North Carolina played a pivotal role in the struggle for American independence, and the Cape Fear region was ground zero in the rebellion against British rule. Historians say the famous battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in the North, but the decisive battles were fought in the South. The Cape Fear region was a central theater of that fight for American independence. The Stamp Act Crisis...The Regulator Rebellion...The Battle at Moores Creek Bridge...The British Occupation of Wilmington...It was a vicious civil war fought between neighbors, families, Continentals, and Redcoats in southeastern North Carolina, from Fayetteville to Wilmington, and everywhere in between. This is the story of that fight.

This book provides a thorough introduction to the War of American Independence. Told with great authority and clarity the book describes and details the effects of each notable event from 1770 to 1781. The book examines each of the major battles and skirmishes but does not get bogged down in deep analysis of battle formations and strategies. Instead the book concentrates on the war as a whole and its political and ecomonic impacts on Britain and America and consequently how each commander's startegy was affected. The book is littered with anecdotes to give the reader a clearer understanding of how the war affected the lives of those involved.

The contrarian historian and analyst upends the conventional reading of the American Revolution In 1775, iconoclastic historian and bestselling author Kevin Phillips punctures the myth that 1776 was the watershed year of the American Revolution. He suggests that the great events and confrontations of 1775—Congress’s belligerent economic ultimatums to Britain, New England’s rage militaire, the exodus of British troops and expulsion of royal governors up and down the seaboard, and the new provincial congresses and hundreds of local committees that quickly reconstituted local authority in Patriot hands­—achieved a sweeping Patriot control of territory and local government that Britain was never able to overcome. These each added to the Revolution’s essential momentum so when the British finally attacked in great strength the following year, they could not regain the control they had lost in 1775. Analyzing the political climate, economic structures, and military preparations, as well as the roles of ethnicity, religion, and class, Phillips tackles the eighteenth century with the same skill and insights he has shown in analyzing contemporary politics and economics. The result is a dramatic narrative brimming with original insights. 1775 revolutionizes our understanding of America’s origins.