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This biography of William Campbell tells the story of a highly successful commander of tough frontier riflemen during the American Revolution. Tall, muscular, and dignified (although trigger-tempered), Campbell resembled a Scottish clan leader straight from a Sir Walter Scott novel, even carrying his grandfather’s Scottish broadsword. Campbell’s life was shaped by the harsh world of the Revolutionary Era frontier. A significant landowner, Campbell served as a local judge and a captain of militia. He participated in Dunmore’s War in 1774 and broke openly with Great Britain afterwards, when he signed the Fincastle Resolutions in 1775.

Campbell led a company of volunteers to Williamsburg, then the capital of Virginia, in 1775, and served a year before returning home to Southwest Virginia with his new bride, a sister of Patrick Henry. Between 1777 and 1780, Campbell led several aggressive campaigns against Loyalists. He led the Southwest Virginia riflemen in the Battle of Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780, where he had been chosen by his peers as overall commander. This victory led to accolades from the Continental Army, the Virginia legislature, and the United States Congress.

Later, Campbell led a small band of riflemen in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. He died from an unknown malady in the summer of 1781 while serving as a brigadier general under the Marquis de Lafayette. Although controversies developed long after the Revolutionary War when some writers reviewed his record, William Campbell served with honor and distinction. He is worthy of remembrance as a successful leader who contributed importantly to our victory in the War for Independence.

Book Purchase: To purchase this book please click on this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0788449001

About John Beakes:

John Beakes graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1966 and served in nuclear submarines until 1974. He then began a career of executive leadership in technology service companies, from which he retired in 2021. His five books on the Revolutionary War have focused on little-known combat leaders in America’s fight for independence. He co-authored “Cool, Deliberate Courage: John Eager Howard in the American Revolution” and “‘Light Horse Harry Lee’ in the War for Independence” with Dr. Jim Piecuch. He then completed “Otho Holland Williams in the American Revolution” in 2015, and “De Kalb: One of the Revolutionary War’s Bravest Generals” in 2019. In 2022, he completed “William Campbell in the American Revolution: Commander of Riflemen at Kings Mountain and Guilford Courthouse.” These books have brought forth the stories of how these largely unknown military leaders made important contributions to the American victory in the Revolutionary War

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