[Rockingham]

The broad judgment of history is that during the Revolution, Americans transgressed the laws of war more than the British did. Of course, the comparison is not equal in that most Americans had only a hazy notion of the laws of war while the British were schooled in them.

The worst savageries took place on the frontier involving ad hoc Patriot and Loyalist militias infused with criminality and revenge. In the Second Amendment, the phrase "well regulated militia" reflects that experience by qualifying the endorsement of militias.

"The Patriot" did a fine job with the battle of Cowpens. I nearly gagged though on the bi-racial calypso music wedding celebration. And as much as the British may at times have burned down churches, they did not do so with people in them.

[muawiyah]

If you read back to the thread you find that a church at a plantation was burned down with the owner and his family inside.

There were plenty of homes, barns, outbuildings and other structures burned down with people in them.

One of my distant Murphy ancestors was a young teenager when he escorted Hairbuyer Harris back for trial. You can imagine how well behaved Hairbuyer must have been with a teenager guarding him ~ because a teenager would blow his brains out for looking at him cross-eyed. They're not really adults you know.

The Brits misused the Mohawk warrior society though. For whatever reason the Mohawks avoided the ceremonial cannibalism that usually attended their wars.