Tarleton, Sir Banastre

Tarleton, Sir Banastre

(bă`nəstər tärl`tən), 1754–1833, British army officer in the American Revolution. He arrived (1775) in America with General Cornwallis and was a member of the patrol that captured Gen. Charles Lee at Basking Ridge, N.J. He served with William Howe at Brandywine, Germantown, and Philadelphia. Tarleton went to Carolina as leader of a mixed force of cavalry and infantry and distinguished himself at Charleston and in the Carolina campaignCarolina campaign,
1780–81, of the American Revolution. After Sir Henry Clinton had captured Charleston, he returned to New York, leaving a British force under Cornwallis to subordinate the Carolinas to British control.
..... Click the link for more information.
 before he was overwhelmed by Daniel Morgan at Cowpens. After the battle of Guilford Courthouse, he retreated into Virginia and was active in the Yorktown campaignYorktown campaign,
1781, the closing military operations of the American Revolution. After his unsuccessful Carolina campaign General Cornwallis moved into Virginia to join British forces there.
..... Click the link for more information.
. Tarleton returned (1782) to England and served (1790–1806, 1807–12) in Parliament. He wrote A History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America (1787).

Bibliography

See R. D. Bass, The Green Dragon (1957).