Carolina in Crisis

 

The dramatic conflict that transformed the culture, politics, and culture of South Carolina on the eve of the Revolutionary War.

Carolina in Crisis tells how the French and Indian War played out in the South and the legacies it left behind.

In this highly-acclaimed history, learn more about the experiences of Cherokees, whites, and African Americans and read about the frontier clashes that erupted between Cherokees, settlers, and British troops—including several pitched battles and the siege and fall of Fort Loudoun.

In exploring the misunderstandings, failed diplomacy, racial animosity, and upheaval of this era, meet Cherokee Attakullakulla, Abram the enslaved messenger, Governor William Henry Lyttelton, British officers, future revolutionaries, and many, many more.

You’ll not only discover the Anglo-Cherokee war from diverse perspectives, but you’ll also find out how it destabilized the South Carolina colony and widened tensions between South Carolinians and British authorities.

🥇 Winner of the George C. Rogers Jr. Award🥇

Praise for Carolina in Crisis

“This is without a doubt a defining contribution on the Anglo-Cherokee War of 1759–1761 and how it shaped the intertwined histories of Anglo, Cherokee, and African peoples.”

--David L. Preston, author of Braddock’s Defeat

“Daniel J. Tortora’s Carolina in Crisis is an original and insightful work with impressive scope. That the author is able to synthesize from such a vast array of sources a coherent and engaging narrative is truly extraordinary.”

--Jim Piecuch, author of Three Peoples, One King

“Illuminating and impressive. . . . A welcome addition to the history of the early American South.”

--Journal of Southern History

“Tortora breaks new ground. . . . Such insightful analysis places this work in the company of modern classics about the coming of the American Revolution.”

--Reviews in American History

“Daniel J. Tortora has given us a superbly written account of Anglo-Cherokee relations during the Seven Years’ War. . . . Scholars of the period should take note.”

--South Carolina Historical Magazine

“Compelling. . . . Engaging. . . . Moving beyond the diplomatic and military narrative at the heart of his study, Tortora . . . [makes] a strong case for the broad significance of the Anglo-Cherokee War.”

--The Historian

“This well-written and impressively researched volume offers an intriguing synthesis of an oft-overlooked aspect of the French and Indian War.”

--Journal of American History

“Tortora’s book should become a mainstay in the scholarship of the colonial era.”

--Ethnohistory

“The best history of the Seven Years’ War along the South Carolina frontier. . . .”

--Redcoat Images

“[Tortora] incorporates an incredible swath of records, sources, and documents. . . . [His] history of a Carolina in crisis. . . provides new and exciting avenues for historians and literary scholars.”

--Southern Studies

“Tortora has produced a well written, strongly analyzed and important text in both the history of the Cherokee and more broadly the revolutionary era South.”

--Tennessee Historical Quarterly

“[Provides] a valuable and welcome addition to the historiography of this conflict. . . . An enlightening narrative.”

--North Carolina Historical Review

“Tortora makes a compelling case for the need to take the actions, thoughts, and cultural underpinnings of Indian peoples (in this case the Cherokee) more seriously. . . . This book is an important and thought-provoking read.”

--West Virginia History

“An engaging read. . . . Offers a compelling argument for reconsidering the significance of the Anglo-Cherokee War in the Revolutionary Era.”

--Journal of Military History

“Tortora crafts a unique account of an area generally overlooked. . . . The end product is a rich and rewarding addition to the historiography of early American warfare.”

--New Books in Military History

History podcast interviews for Carolina in Crisis

Author Appearances

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