I have never heard that a burning church - with civilians - was perpetrated by Banastre Tarleton.
I am quite aware of Butcher Tarleton and his antics with his loyalist dragoons, thank you.
As stated, I am a “fan” of the RevWar and I do wish people would give me the benefit of the doubt on this, rather than making sarcastic comments. Heck, even if I was a rube on the subject, a little more courtesy would be nice.
Jee.. your question produced a lot of interesting URL's and resources.. you want a HUG TOO?...
here Hold my cigar and beer... (((( HUG ))))
1
'In that six day period the British set the towns of New Haven, Fairfield, Westport and Norwalk ablaze. At least five (5) churches, two hundred ninety-five (295) houses, one hundred fifty-three (153) barns and a significant number of stores, shops, mills and vessels were torched by British troops.'
2
May 25, 1778 at Bristol, Rhode Island - On May 25, a British raiding party entered the town of Bristol. They destroyed 22 dwellings and a church.
3
First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown Monument-During the Revolutionary War, the church became an arsenal and barracks and a meeting place for the Patriots. British troops destroyed the parsonage and storehouse in early June, 1779 and burned the church to the ground shortly after. After the war, a second church was built in 1785. There is a monument in front of the church, celebrating the all-black First Rhode Island Regiment, which figured prominently in the British raid in Yorktown in 1779.
I did not intend sarcasm and I apologize if I gave that impression.
It’s just that there’s some built-in skepticism on FReepers about Glenn Beck’s tendency toward drama. That said, I did not previously recall the British perceiving preachers as disloyal or their churches as hotbeds of rebellion.
BTW, I have done RevWar living history since 1978 in the 2nd Regiment, South Carolina Line. Binastre Tarleton is reviled to this day in S.C., especially in the Piedmont where his depredations were on the scale of scorched earth destruction.
The dragoon commander in “The Patriot” was probably understated in viciousness compared to the real Tarleton.