Book Review: Long, Obstinate, and Bloody
Long, Obstinate, and Bloody: The Battle of Guilford Courthouse is the first full-length book about this battle between the forces of Nathanael Greene and Lord Cornwallis.
The battle took place on March 15th, 1781, in what is today Greensboro, North Carolina. The British won the battle, but the decisions and events involved led to the British losing control of the South.
“We fight, get beat, Rise, and fight again. The whole Country is one continued scene of blood and slaughter.” - Nathanael Greene to Chevalier de La Luzerne, 28 April 1781
This battle is a difficult one to piece together. The terrain obscured viewpoints, making it a jigsaw puzzle for modern day readers to piece together accounts. The authors (Lawrence E. Babits & Joshua B. Howard) plowed through pension documents and personal accounts of the action to put everything together. They do a great job of letting the reader know where everyone is when the battle begins and where they go as the battle is fought.
This book will give you a clearer understanding of this battle than you will find anywhere else.
The authors flood you with details, but that doesn’t dry up the narrative or lose the story. I think some of the minor elements could have been left out. I also know plenty of people gorge themselves on that type of information. Even so, I found the book extremely readable.
My favorite section of the book is the chapter called “The Race to the Dan”. It reads like a movie chase scene - a very detailed chase scene.
“Leaping a ravine, the swords of the horsemen were upon the enemy, who were rejoicing in victory and safety; and before they suspected danger, multitudes lay dead.” - Lt. Philemon Holcombe, Virginia militia
The book’s notes, illustrations and appendices are useful. The maps are crystal clear and very well done.
When faced with conflicting accounts (and there seem to be more than a few), the authors take the time to explain the differences and then present their educated guess. I like this treatment. They offer their opinions, but also the alternative possibilities.
It is odd that it took this long for the Battle of Guilford Courthouse to receive this kind of examination, but the whole southern campaign seems to be often ignored. This book fills a gap nicely. The authors (and their readers too, no doubt) hope this book helps lead further research.
“My brave boys, your lands, your lives & your country depend on your conduct this day - I have given Tarleton hell this morning & I will give him more of it before night.” - Lt. Col. Henry Lee
You can read the introduction (pdf) and the table of contents (pdf) on the publisher’s website.
You can read more reviews at Amazon.
This book is a successor to A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens, a previous book by Lawrence E. Babits.
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