In 1854, and again in 1856, Rev. Eli Washington Caruthers published a compilation of stories, gathered over the course of many years, that spotlighted the bravery, sacrifices and viciousness that were a part of life for North Carolinians during the Revolutionary War. From the actions of Governor William Tryon in suppressing the Regulator rebellion, through the first Patriot victory against British forces at Moores Creek, to the depredations of Tory terror David Fanning, the Old North State was the scene of some of the most pivotal episodes in the struggle for American independence. Long out of print, this newly illustrated edition tells the stories of the men and women who paid for American liberty with their blood and sacrifice. Caruthers' two volumes on the Revolutionary War in North Carolina stand is the story of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. It is the story of men like John Grady, John Ashe and countless others who gave their all for the cause of freedom, and in the process showed the character that has been a benchmark for patriotic sacrifice ever since.

Blockade runner, businessman, historian and philanthropist - James Sprunt led a remarkable life. When he made his home along the brown waters of the Cape Fear in southeastern North Carolina, he fell in love with the rich history of the only river in the state with direct access to the Atlantic Ocean. That geographical fact made the Cape Fear and the towns that lined its banks the scenes of some of North Carolina's most dramatic moments. James Sprunt witnessed much of that exciting history himself, and knew many of the characters who participated in those events. The things that happened before he came along, Sprunt learned of and embraced through his love of history. That love is evident in the pages of the books he wrote about the Cape Fear's colorful past. When you read a James Sprunt book, you can't help but feel the devotion he had to the people and places along his beloved river. It is our pleasure to bring together for the first time in one volume, two of James Sprunt's most popular but hard to find books about the river he loved. We've also included a delightful ghost story by Sprunt that teaches about the Cape Fear's colonial past while chilling your blood, and an essay by Dr. John Hampden Hill that delves into the history of the many plantations that once lined the Cape Fear. Nobody does Cape Fear history the way James Sprunt did!

He was the partisan who ran circles around the feared Banastre Tarleton, using guerilla tactics to cripple the British effort to subdue the Carolinas. Hiding out in the Low Country swamps, striking when and where he was least expected, Francis Marion was one of the most colorful heroes of the American Revolution. In this memoir, written by a man who served with Marion, you'll meet the real "Swamp Fox." So many stories about Francis Marion's exploits have been embellished to the point of fiction. In this book, William Dobein James sets the record straight. Illustrated for the first time, Dobein's account of this icon of America's war for independence is a classic that preserves the memory of a man who was small in stature, but who became a giant of his nation's history.

It was by the placid waters of the Chesapeake Bay that some of the most dramatic scenes of the Revolutionary War were played out, paving the way for the birth of a new nation. In Virginia and Maryland, the struggle for independence from Great Britain was finally won at battlefields and towns that stretch from Annapolis to the Shenandoah Valley. In 1848, New Yorker Benson J. Lossing embarked on a two-year trek that covered thousands of miles through the original thirteen states and Canada. His mission was to collect and preserve the stories of the men and women who had fought to make the United States a reality. His original work was published in 1850, consisting of two illustrated volumes comprising over 2,000 pages of first-hand history. In this edition, we have excerpted the chapters that deal with the war in Virginia and Maryland (including West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the Albemarle region of North Carolina). It was the scene of some of the war's hardest fights. Williamsburg...Richmond...Fredericksburg...Spencer's Ordinary...Mount Pleasant...Blue Licks...the Battle of the Capes...Yorktown...Norfolk...these are all places where the drama of the American Revolution was played out. Benson J. Lossing tells the stories of the heroes and villains of the war from the accounts of the people who were there. The book includes illustrations of the people and places that played such a big role in our nation's founding, but that too often have been lost to the passing of time. Lossing's account also tells the stories of Jamestown and the English settlements at Roanoke. His descriptions of the trip he took to gather the stories in this book are also a remarkable portrait of what Americawas like in the decade before our nation's second crucible by fire - the Civil War.

Major General Jacob Dolson Cox had plenty to do as a Union Army commander engaged in fighting along the Mississippi River, but when Ulysses S. Grant needed him and his men in North Carolina, he immediately headed east. By train and ship, Cox's command made an amazingly fast movement to the Cape Fear, where just weeks before Union and Confederate soldiers, sailors and marines had fought a desperate battle for Fort Fisher, guarding the last open port of the Confederacy at Wilmington. Now the fort was in Yankee hands, but Fort Anderson still remained upriver as one final obstacle to the fall of the port Robert E. Lee depended on. It fell to Jacob D. Cox and Adelbert Ames to eliminate Fort Anderson as they led the western element of a two-pronged assault on Wilmington. From there, Cox witnessed virtually every remaining battle in North Carolina during the Civil War. Goldsborough, Wise Forks, Kinston, Bentonville, Averasborough and Bennett Place - Cox either fought in or was close by every major clash of arms fought in North Carolina in 1865. Cox died before his memoir was published in 1900, but his account of his Civil War service made for an important addition to the story of the war, from someone who played a pivotal role in it. In this book, editor Jack E. Fryar, Jr. has excerpted from Cox's memoir the portions that deal with his extensive service in North Carolina in the closing months of the war. Cox tells about more than just the battles fought. He also tells of the men on both sides who made history in one of the most important dramas ever acted out in this country. With letters and personal insight into the issues and complexities of the war, Jacob Cox paints a vivid portrait of thestruggles not just to win the fights, but to usher in the peace that would see the country whole again. This well illustrated volume will be a welcome addition to any student of the Civil War, and North Carolina's role in our nation's fiercest crucible by fire.