View source for Banastre Tarleton

{{Short description|British general, hero of the American War of Independence (1754–1833)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = Sir
| name          = Banastre Tarleton
| honorific_suffix = {{postnominals|size=100%|Bt|GCB}}
| birth_date    = {{birth date text|21 August 1754}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age|df=yes|1833|01|15|1754|08|21}}
| image         = Banastre-Tarleton-by-Joshua-Reynolds.jpg
| image_size    = 250px
| caption       = ''[[Portrait of Banastre Tarleton|Lieutenant-Colonel Banastre Tarleton]]'' by [[Joshua Reynolds|Sir Joshua Reynolds]], in the uniform of the [[British Legion (American Revolution)|British Legion]], wearing a "[[Tarleton helmet]]".<br />[[National Gallery, London|National Gallery]], London.
| birth_place   = [[Liverpool, Lancashire]], England
| death_place   = [[Leintwardine, Herefordshire]], England
| nickname      = 
| residence     = 
| office        = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] <br /> for [[Liverpool (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool]]
| term_start = 28 July 1790
| term_end = 24 October 1806
| predecessor = [[Richard Pennant]]
| successor = [[William Roscoe]]
| term_start2 = 22 June 1807
| term_end2 = 29 September 1812
| predecessor2 = William Roscoe
| successor2 = [[George Canning]]
| party         = [[Tories (British political party)|Tory]]
| allegiance    = {{ubli|[[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] (1775–1801)|United Kingdom (1801–1812)
| serviceyears  = 1775&ndash;1812}}
| rank          = [[General (United Kingdom)|General]]
| branch        = [[British Army]]
| commands      = [[British Legion (1778)|British Legion]]
| unit          = [[1st King's Dragoon Guards|1st Dragoon Guards]]
| battles       = {{Tree list}}
* [[American Revolutionary War]]
** [[Siege of Charleston]]
** [[Battle of Monck's Corner]]
** [[Battle of Lenud's Ferry]]
** [[Battle of Waxhaws]]
** [[Battle of Fishing Creek]]
** [[Battle of Camden]]
** [[Battle of Blackstock's Farm]]
** [[Battle of Cowpens]]
** [[Battle of Cowan's Ford]]
** [[Battle of Torrence's Tavern]]
** [[Battle of Summerfield]]
** [[Battle of Wetzell's Mill]]
** [[Battle of Guilford Courthouse]] {{WIA}}<ref name=cheaney>{{cite web|url=http://www.his.jrshelby.com/kimocowp/tarlton.htm|title=Banastre Tarleton |first=Janie B. |last=Cheaney|work=jrshelby.com|access-date=27 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427011217/http://www.his.jrshelby.com/kimocowp/tarlton.htm|archive-date=27 April 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** [[Battle of Green Spring]]
** [[Siege of Yorktown]] 
{{Tree list/end}}
| awards        = {{ubli|[[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]|[[Baronet]]}}
| spouse        = {{marriage|Susan Bertie|1798}}
}}

[[General (United Kingdom)|General]] '''Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet''' {{Postnom|country=GBR|GCB}} (21 August 1754{{snd}}15 January 1833) was a [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] military officer and politician. He is best known as the lieutenant colonel leading the [[British Legion (American Revolutionary War)|British Legion]] at the end of the [[American Revolutionary War]]. He later served in [[Portugal]] and held commands in [[Ireland]] and [[England]].

During most of his service in [[North America]], he led the [[British Legion (American Revolutionary War)|British Legion]], a provincial unit organised in [[New York City|New York]] in 1778. After returning to Great Britain in 1781 at the age of 27, Tarleton was elected to [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Parliament]] as a member for [[Liverpool]]. He served as a prominent [[Whig (British political party)|Whig]] politician for 20 years.{{sfn|Thorne|1986}} He was interested in military matters and opposed [[Abolitionism in the United Kingdom|abolition of the slave trade]].

== Early life ==
Banastre{{efn|Pronounced like “bannister”{{sfn|Baskin|2025}}}}Tarleton was the third of seven children born to merchant [[John Tarleton (slave trader)|John Tarleton]] (1718&ndash;1773) and his wife. His birthplace at 7 Water Street is marked by a plaque at the corner with Fenwick Street ({{Coord|53.4065|N|2.9922|W|}}).{{sfn|Baskin|2025}} Tarleton's father had prospered in the [[Sugar plantations in the Caribbean|West Indian sugar trade]] and also managed several [[Slave ship|slaving vessels]].{{sfn|Scotti|2002|p=14}} Tarleton’s & Backhouse became one of the largest import-export companies in Britain.{{sfn|Knight|2020|p=2}} The family had trade interests throughout America and dealt in many cargoes, including [[Slavery|slaves]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.golden.net/~marg/bansite/btbiog.html |title=Banastre Tarleton; Biography, Part 1 |work=golden.net |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215142048/http://home.golden.net/~marg/bansite/btbiog.html |archive-date=15 December 2012 }}</ref>

Tarleton was educated at [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], attending [[University College, Oxford|University College]]. He was further educated at [[Middle Temple]], [[London]], which, at that time, served as a college for the education of lawyers.

In 1775 he [[Purchase of commissions|purchased a commission]] as a [[Cornet (rank)|cornet]] (junior cavalry officer) in the [[1st King's Dragoon Guards|1st Dragoon Guards]] (effective from 2 May 1775).<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=11557|supp=|page=1|date=29 April 1775}}</ref> He proved to be a gifted horseman and leader of troops. Owing to his abilities, he worked his way up through the ranks to [[lieutenant colonel]] without having to purchase any further commissions.{{Citation needed|date=July 2014}}

== American War of Independence ==
In December 1775, at the age of 21, the volunteer-soldier Banastre Tarleton sailed from [[Cobh, Ireland|Cork]] to North America, where the [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]] (1775–1783) had broken out. Tarleton sailed with [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Lord Cornwallis]] as part of an expedition to capture the southern city of [[Charleston, South Carolina]].<ref>Wilson p. 243</ref> After that expedition failed, at the [[Battle of Sullivan's Island]] (28 June 1776), Tarleton went north to join the main British Army under command of General [[William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe|William Howe]], in New York.

Under the command of Colonel [[William Harcourt, 3rd Earl Harcourt|William Harcourt]], Tarleton, as a [[Cornet (rank)|cornet]], was part of a scouting party sent to gather intelligence on the movements of General [[Charles Lee (general)|Charles Lee]] in [[New Jersey]]. On 13 December 1776, Tarleton surrounded a house in [[Basking Ridge]], and forced Lee, still in [[dressing gown]], to surrender, as he threatened to burn down the house. General Lee was taken to New York as a prisoner of war. He later was used in an exchange of prisoners.

In the course of the colonial war in North America, Cornet Tarleton's campaign service during 1776 earned him the position of [[brigade major]] at the end of the year.{{sfn|Vetch|1898}} He was promoted to captain on 13 June 1778.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=11883|supp=|page=2|date=13 June 1778}}</ref> Late in 1777, Tarleton was in action at [[Battle of Brandywine|Brandywine]], the capture and defence of [[Battle of Germantown|Germantown]], and the [[Philadelphia campaign|capture of Philadelphia]] and at other battles in 1778.{{sfn|Vetch|1898}} One such battle, in 1778, was an attack upon a communications outpost on Signal Hill in [[Easttown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania]], which was guarded by troops commanded by Capt. [[Henry Lee III]], of the Continental Army, who repulsed the British attack.{{sfn|Buchanan|1997|p=60}}

=== Capture of Charleston ===
{{further|Siege of Charleston}}
After becoming commander of the [[British Legion (American Revolutionary War)|British Legion]], a force of American [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalist]] cavalry and [[light infantry]], Tarleton went to South Carolina at the beginning of 1780. There, the capture of Charleston was the first step in regaining control of the southern provinces. The Legion supported [[Henry Clinton (American War of Independence)|Sir Henry Clinton]] in the operations which culminated in the British [[Siege of Charleston|capture of Charleston]]. Tarleton was mentioned with high praise in Clinton's despatch.{{sfn|Vetch|1898}}

=== Battle of Waxhaws ===
{{Main|Battle of Waxhaws}}

[[File:Waxhaw massacre sketch.jpg|thumb|The [[Battle of Waxhaws|Battle of Waxhaw Creek]] (29 May 1780), in [[Lancaster County, South Carolina]]]]

On 29 May 1780, Colonel Tarleton, with a force of 149 mounted soldiers, overtook a detachment of 350 to 380 [[Virginia]] Continentals, led by Colonel [[Abraham Buford]]. Buford rejected Tarleton's invitation to surrender on essentially the same terms as the Charles Town garrison. The Continentals continued marching, not preparing for battle until they heard their rear guard in action. Only after sustaining many casualties did Buford order his soldiers to surrender.{{dubious|reason=much uncertainty; see talk Order to Surrender|date=August 2025}} Nonetheless, fighting continued until 113 soldiers of Buford's detachment were killed, 203 were captured, and 150 were severely wounded. The British army casualties were 5 soldiers killed and 12 soldiers wounded.<ref>Boatner, ''Cassell's Biographical Dictionary'', p. 1174</ref> From the perspective of the British Army, the affair is known as the [[Battle of Waxhaws|Battle of Waxhaw Creek]]. In that time, Patriots used the phrase "Tarleton's quarter" (shooting after surrender) as meaning "[[no quarter]] offered".

Forty years later, William Dobein James asked Robert Brownfield, a surgeon’s mate of the wartime Second South Carolina Regiment, for a description of the battle. Brownfield's account,{{sfn|Brownfield |1821|p=Appendix}} published as an appendix to ''A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion'',{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} said that Colonel Buford raised a white flag of surrender, "expecting the usual treatment sanctioned by civilized warfare"; yet, while Buford called for quarter, Colonel Tarleton's horse was shot with a musket ball, trapping him underneath. On seeing that, according to Brownfield, the Loyalist soldiers believed that the Virginia Continentals had shot their commander while they asked for mercy. Enraged, the Loyalist troops attacked the Virginians and "commenced a scene of indiscriminate carnage never surpassed by the ruthless atrocities of the most barbarous savages"; in the aftermath, the British Legion soldiers purportedly killed wounded soldiers where they lay.{{sfn|Brownfield |1821|p=Appendix}}

Tarleton's account, published in 1787, said that his horse had been shot from under him. His soldiers, thinking him murdered while the Continentals were asking for quarter, were vengeful until they could be brought under control.{{sfn|Tarleton|1787|p=32}}

Regardless of the extent to which they were true or false, the reports of British atrocities motivated Whig-leaning colonials to support the American Revolution.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://libjournal.uncg.edu/ojs/index.php/jbc/article/viewFile/102/84|title=The Rhetoric of Revenge: Atrocity and Identity in the Revolutionary Carolinas|last=Rubin|first=Ben|publisher=Journal of Backcountry Studies|access-date=7 November 2010}}</ref> On 7 October 1780, at the [[Battle of Kings Mountain]], South Carolina, soldiers of the Continental Army, having heard of the slaughter at Waxhaw Creek, killed American Loyalists who had surrendered after a sniper killed their British commanding officer, Maj. [[Patrick Ferguson]].<ref>Steel Wills (2014), pp. 7–8</ref>

=== Subsequent operations ===
In South Carolina, to deny resupply of food and horses, cause attrition and reduce reconnoitering, Tarleton's British Legion were harried by [[Francis Marion]], an American [[militia]] commander who practiced [[guerrilla warfare]] against the British. Throughout the campaigns, Tarleton was unable to capture him or thwart his operations. Marion's local popularity among anti-British South Carolinians ensured continual aid and comfort for the American cause. In contrast, Colonel Tarleton alienated the colonial citizens with arbitrary confiscations of cattle and food stocks.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The American Revolution 100: The People, Battles, and Events of the American War for Independence, Ranked by Their Significance|url = https://archive.org/details/americanrevoluti00colm_670|url-access = limited|last = Lanning|first = Michael Lee|publisher = Sourcebooks |year = 2008|isbn = 978-1-4022-1083-9|page = [https://archive.org/details/americanrevoluti00colm_670/page/n228 218]}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=March 2025}}

At [[Battle of Camden|Camden]], Tarleton's cavalry delivered the ''coup de grace'' against the Continental army when they charged into the rear of the Continental line. The Continental troops broke and fled, and were pursued for more than twenty miles. All the baggage and ordnance of the Continental army were captured. Cornwallis, in his despatch of 21 August, again commended Tarleton's "capacity and vigour".{{sfn|Vetch|1898}}

On 22 August, he was promoted to major in the [[79th Regiment of Foot (Royal Liverpool Volunteers)]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=12111|supp=|page=2|date=19 August 1780}}</ref> He defeated [[Thomas Sumter]] at [[Battle of Fishing Creek|Fishing Creek]], also called Catawba Fords, but was less successful when he encountered the same general at [[Battle of Blackstock's Farm|Blackstock's Farm]] in November 1780.{{sfn|Vetch|1898}}

On 17 January 1781, Tarleton's forces were virtually destroyed by American Brigadier General [[Daniel Morgan]] at the [[Battle of Cowpens]]. Tarleton and about 200 men escaped the battlefield.<ref>"70th Congress, 1st Session House Document No. 328: Historical Statements Concerning the Battle of King's Mountain and the Battle of the Cowpens", page 53. Washington: United States Government Printing Office (1928).</ref>

[[William Washington|Lieutenant Colonel William Washington]] commanded the rebel cavalry;<ref>[https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/william-washington "William Washington"]. American Battlefield Trust. Accessed 20 February 2024.</ref> to deprive the rebels of leadership he was targeted by the British commander and two of his men.{{failed verification|date=May 2025}}
Tarleton was stopped by Washington himself, who attacked him with his sabre, calling out, "Where is now the boasting Tarleton?"<ref name=17th1841>{{Cite book | url=http://www.replications.com/17LD/17hist.htm | title=Historical Record of the Seventeenth Regiment of Light Dragoons; Lancers: Containing an Account of the Formation of the Regiment in 1759, and of its Subsequent Services to 1841 | year=1841 | via=replications.com | publisher=John W Parker, West Strand, London | location=Item 33 | access-date=20 February 2024 |pages=10–37}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason= based only on an anecdote told many years later in the officers' mess|date=May 2025}} A [[Cornet (military rank)|cornet]] of the 17th, Thomas Patterson, rode up to strike Washington but was shot by Washington's orderly trumpeter.<ref name=17th1841 />{{better source needed|date=July 2024}}

Washington survived this assault and in the process wounded Tarleton's right hand with a sabre blow,{{dubious|date=July 2024}} while Tarleton creased Washington's knee with a pistol shot that also wounded his horse. Washington pursued Tarleton for sixteen miles, but gave up the chase when he came to the plantation of Adam Goudylock near Thicketty Creek. Tarleton was able to escape capture by forcing Goudylock to serve as a guide.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hays |first=Joel Stanford |title=Adam Goudylock (ca. 1726–1796), Planter, of Albemarle County, Virginia, and Union County, South Carolina |journal=[[The American Genealogist]] |volume=88 |issue=1 & 2 |year=2016 |pages=53–54}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2024}}

[[File:Tarleton's Movements historical marker 01.jpg|thumb|Tarleton's Movements historical marker in [[Adams Grove, Virginia]]]]
He was successful in a skirmish at [[Battle of Torrence's Tavern|Torrence's Tavern]] while the British crossed the Catawba River (Cowan's Ford Skirmish, 1 February 1781) and took part in the [[Battle of Guilford Courthouse]] in March 1781. With his men, Tarleton marched with Cornwallis into Virginia.{{sfn|Vetch|1898}} There he carried out a series of small expeditions while in Virginia. Among them was a raid on [[Charlottesville]], where the state government had relocated following the British occupation of the capital at [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]]. He was trying to capture Governor [[Thomas Jefferson]] and members of the [[Virginia General Assembly]]. The raid was partially foiled by [[Jack Jouett#Jack Jouett's ride|the ride of Jack Jouett]], with Jefferson and all but seven of the legislators escaping over the mountains. Tarleton destroyed arms and munitions and succeeded in dispersing the Assembly.

Tarleton was brevetted to lieutenant-colonel in the 79th Foot on 26 June 1781.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=12201|supp=|page=2|date=23 June 1781}}</ref> After other missions, Cornwallis instructed Tarleton to hold [[Gloucester Point, Virginia|Gloucester Point]], during the [[Siege of Yorktown]]. On 4 October 1781, the French [[Lauzun's Legion]] and the British cavalry, commanded by Tarleton, skirmished at Gloucester Point. Tarleton was unhorsed, and Lauzun's Legion drove the British within their lines before being ordered to withdraw by the [[Marquis de Choisy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lauzunslegion.com/History.html|title=Lauzun's Legion's History – Short|first=Elton|last=White |website=Lauzun's Legion}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fv9sC51QgyYC&q=Marquis+de+Choisy&pg=PA216|title=Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution|first=Richard M.|last=Ketchum|date= 2004|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0805073966|page=216}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.battleofthehook.com/history.html|title=Battle of the Hook – battle gaming|access-date=9 May 2015|archive-date=8 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090308144726/http://www.battleofthehook.com/history.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lauzun's Legion suffered three Hussars killed with two officers and eleven Hussars wounded.<ref>{{cite book |last=Massoni |first=Gérard-Antoine |title=Histoire d'un régiment de cavalerie légère, le 5e hussards de 1783 à 1815 |language=fr |location=Paris |publisher=Editions Archives & Cultures |year=2007 |pages=73}}</ref> They reported fifty British were killed or wounded, [[#Wounds|erroneously]] including Tarleton.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n8cbAAAAMAAJ&dq=Lauzun's+Legion&pg=PA60 |publisher=Historical Society of Pennsylvania |first=John Bell |last=Tilden Phelps<!--Byline in the book. 'Phelps' appears to have been his father's name.--> |title=Extracts from the Journal of Lieutenant John Bell Tilden |magazine=The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography |volume=19 |year=1895 |page=60}}</ref> The British surrendered Gloucester Point to the French and Americans after the [[Siege of Yorktown|surrender at Yorktown]] in October 1781. He returned to Britain on [[parole]] early in 1782.{{sfn|Vetch|1898}}

== Return to England ==
[[File:Tarleton, Baronet.png|thumb|upright=0.6|The arms of Sir Banastre Tarleton of Liverpool, 1st Baronet<ref>{{cite book|title=A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies of England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K1kBAAAAQAAJ | last1=Burke | first1=John | last2=Burke | first2=Bernard | date=1838 }}</ref>]]

Banastre Tarleton returned to England a hero: a triumphant veteran wounded in his country's service. On his arrival "[in] Liverpool in 1782 after legendary exploits in the American war of independence, the church bells rang out and he was feted by admirers."{{sfn|Clein|2000}} Knight expands on this:

{{blockquote|text=Most British senior officers returned to England after the war to severe criticism from their compatriots&nbsp;... [They] received varying degrees of blame and censure for the loss of the American colonies. But Tarleton was almost unique in attracting no such rebuke.&nbsp;... he was received home with universal acclaim, being feted at court and becoming an intimate friend to two future kings, George Prince of Wales and William Duke of Clarence&nbsp;...{{sfn|Knight|2016}}}}

=== Images everywhere ===

Tarleton sat for portraits by three leading artists in London: Reynolds, Gainsborough, and Cosway.{{sfn|Knight|2016}} Contrary to claims of Tarleton’s vanity, he did not pay to have them painted.

Tarleton’s brother commissioned [[Joshua Reynolds|Sir Joshua Reynolds]]' well-known painting of Banastre for their mother.{{efn|In 1951, it was bequeathed to the National Gallery of the UK by Mrs Henrietta Charlotte Tarleton.}} "Colonel Tarleton", now in the National Gallery, is regarded as one of the finest examples of Reynolds' work and portraiture in general. The full-length painting, at {{cvt|236|×|145.5|cm|ftin}}, is too tall to fit in many homes. Like Tarleton's mark on the history of the war, the painting is larger than life. The National Gallery describes it as follows:

{{Blockquote
|text= Reynolds portrays Tarleton momentarily dismounted on a battlefield, with gun-smoke swirling behind him. Wearing the uniform of the British Legion, he props one leg up on a cannon to re-fix his sword to his belt before changing horses. Reynolds frequently drew on ideas from old master paintings, drawings and antique sculpture for his compositions. Tarleton's pose appears to be based on works by Rembrandt, Tintoretto and an ancient Roman sculpture of Hermes.<ref>{{cite web
| url          = https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/sir-joshua-reynolds-colonel-tarleton
| title        = Colonel Tarleton by Sir Joshua Reynolds (Bequeathed by Mrs Henrietta Charlotte Tarleton, 1951)
| date         = 1782
| publisher    = [[National Gallery]]
| access-date  = 28 September 2023
| url-status= live
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20230928070545/https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/sir-joshua-reynolds-colonel-tarleton
| archive-date = 28 September 2023
}}</ref>{{efn|Such a pose was also used by [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]] in his [[David (Bernini)|"David"]], and it is also reminiscent of the much older [[Discobolus|The Discus Thrower]] by Myron}}
|author= The National Gallery
|title="Colonel Tarleton by Sir Joshua Reynolds" (2023)
}}

The pose disguises Tarleton's mutilated right hand, of which he lost two fingers to a musket ball at the Battle of Guilford Court House.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cheaney |first=Janie B. |url=http://www.his.jrshelby.com/kimocowp/tarlton.htm |title=Tarleton |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427011217/http://www.his.jrshelby.com/kimocowp/tarlton.htm |archive-date=2017-04-27 }}{{no ISBN|date=July 2017}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=August 2025}} The flags are unidentified. The Reynolds painting was shown at the Royal Academy later in the year.

[[Thomas Gainsborough]]'s equestrian portrait of Tarleton, an even larger canvas, was also exhibited in 1782.{{sfn|Pearson|1976}} John Tarleton wrote to their mother in evident pride, "The picture of my Brother at Gainsborough's will not measure with the frame less than 12 feet 6 inches."{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

The portrait by the third artist, [[Richard Cosway]], is on quite a different scale. During the late Georgian and Regency periods, Cosway became a sought-after miniaturist as well as receiving commissions for his full-sized portraits. He was the only artist ever appointed official painter to the Prince of Wales. [[Portrait miniature|Miniatures]] met the need for images which could be transported easily, and it is for these which Cosway is most famous today. His miniature of Banastre Tarleton<ref>{{cite web
| title = Miniature Portrait of Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton
| url  = https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/noartistknown/miniature-portrait-of-lt-colonel-banastre-tarleton/nomedium/asset/3031221 
| access-date  = 7 October 2023
| url-status= live
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20231007011528/https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/noartistknown/miniature-portrait-of-lt-colonel-banastre-tarleton/nomedium/asset/3031221
| archive-date = 7 October 2023
}}</ref> is in a private collection and a photograph of it is copyrighted.{{dubious|Copyright|reason=This can't possibly be true. Cosway died in 1821 so the original is in the public domain, and copyright doesn't subsist in photographs of works in the public domain|date=August 2025}}

Some good quality engravings of Tarleton exist, having met the popular interest in him. Most commonly, they were based on the Reynolds painting. Others likely arise from the Gainsborough. Some are inaccurate, perhaps imagined by the engraver. A few were coloured to show him in a red uniform, presumably to meet the expectations of some readers.

Engravings were the basis for illustrations of Tarleton in books and magazines. Others were made for transfer printing on earthenware. There are examples of jugs with his likeness in museums on both sides of the Atlantic.

As a well-known person, politician, and member of the princely social circle, Tarleton was satirized. A caricature of him appeared in several Gilray prints, both as one of the group and as the main subject. The French National Assembly includes{{clarify|reason=The National Assembly is the lower house of the French parliament, not an art collection, and can't logically "include" paintings. Does it rather "hold" or "have on display" such a painting?|date=August 2025}} a figure in a Tarleton helmet.

=== Recriminations ===

[[File:Sir Henry Clinton.jpg|thumb|General Sir Henry Clinton]] 
[[File:Thomas Gainsborough (1727-88) - Charles, Second Earl and First Marquess Cornwallis (1738-1805) - RCIN 400748 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|General Charles, Earl Cornwallis (1738–1805)]]
[[File:Thomas Beach (1738-1806) - George Hanger, 4th Lord Coleraine (1751-1824) - RCIN 400554 - Royal Collection.jpg|thumb|Major George Hanger, later Lord Coleraine (1751–1824), in the uniform of the British Legion]]
The war was not over after the capitulation at Yorktown, though most of the fighting was finished. Yet the war of words amongst soldiers and politicians was already under way. The London Morning Chronicle printed an anonymous letter castigating Tarleton on 9 August 1782. Lieutenant Roderick MacKenzie was probably the author.{{sfn |Agniel | 1972 |page=146}} MacKenzie had been a junior officer of the 71st Regiment of Foot (Fraser's Highlanders). He was wounded and captured at the Battle of Cowpens for which he blamed Tarleton.{{efn| There is no Lieutenant Roderick Mackenzie on the list of officers in 1776 so he probably joined the regiment later. The name is variously spelt—Mackenzie, M'Kenzie, MacKenzie—as were such Scottish surnames of the period. His own book uses "Mackenzie". While a Lieutenant Roderick Mackenzie of the 71st was killed on the 15th of May 1792 during the advance on [[Siege of Seringapatam (1792)|Seringapatam]], India, the name was quite common. George Hanger referred to him as "late of the 71st regiment" suggesting he did not remain in the army.{{sfn |Keltie | 1875 |page=501}} }} Agniel wrote:{{sfn |Agniel | 1972 |page=149}} "If one takes exception to the premise that Lieutenant MacKenzie loathed his commanding officer, it is entirely feasible to substitute any other verb which means roughly the same thing." Babits noted "Lieutenant Roderick MacKenzie and others had clear bias and slanted their accounts to suit their own purposes&nbsp;... MacKenzie hated Banastre Tarleton".{{sfn|Babits|1998| loc= Preface}} Buchanan said Mackenzie "bore considerable personal animosity against Tarleton".{{sfn| Buchanan |1997|p=256}}

Subsequent letters extended Mackenzie's criticism to Cornwallis and Clinton, and continued to attack Tarleton for years. As the events of 1781, the year of the defeat at Cowpens and the surrender at Yorktown, were picked apart, the principal actors responded. Clinton's account was first, in 1783. He held that "none of the misfortunes of the very unfortunate campaign of 1781 can, with the smallest degree of justice, be imputed to me."{{sfn|Clinton|1783}} {{sfn| Clinton |1971}} Cornwallis rebutted Clinton's claims the same year.{{sfn|Cornwallis|1866}} They continued to trade rhetorical shots for years after the treaty was signed, attempting to prove themselves blameless for the loss of thirteen of the provinces in North America. Naturally, responsibility for the events became a subject of general discussion and gossip. Tarleton became a focus of the controversy due to the loss of the light infantry at Cowpens. However, according to Scotti, the criticism of Tarleton "was fuelled by resentment and jealousy".{{sfn|Scotti|2002|p=102}}

Tarleton defended himself in response to the publications by Clinton and Cornwallis, and Mackenzie's vendetta. The eventual result was Tarleton's 1787 book, ''History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America''.{{sfn|Tarleton |1787}} Mackenzie followed by compiling his letters into a book,{{sfn|Mackenzie |1787}} and explicitly criticised Tarleton's account almost line by line. The ''Cornwallis Correspondence'' also included responses.  Major George Hanger (Lord Coleraine) published a rebuttal to Mackenzie in his "Address to the Army".{{sfn|Hanger|1789}}

Of all the British documentation about the war, Tarleton's ''History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781 in the Southern Provinces of North America''{{sfn|Tarleton|1787}} has remained a resource for historians. The book questions decisions made by Cornwallis.

== Later military career==

Tarleton continued to serve in the British Army and was promoted to [[colonel]] on 22 November 1790,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=13258|supp=|page=705|date=20 November 1790}}</ref> to [[major-general]] on 4 October 1794 and to [[lieutenant-general]] on 1 January 1801.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=13710|supp=|page=1011|date=4 October 1794}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15326|supp=|page=37|date=6 January 1801}}</ref> Whilst on service in Portugal, Tarleton succeeded [[William Henry Vane, 3rd Earl of Darlington]] as colonel of the Princess of Wales's [[Fencible]] Dragoons in 1799.<ref>{{cite news|title= The Earl of Darlington|newspaper= Newcastle Courant |date= 15 June 1799|page= 4}}</ref> Tarleton was appointed colonel of the [[21st Light Dragoons]] on 24 July 1802.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15499|supp=|page=765|date=20 July 1802}}</ref> He was brevetted to [[General officer|general]] on 1 January 1812.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16556|supp=|page=2498|date=28 December 1811}}</ref> He had hoped to be appointed to command British forces in the [[Peninsular War]], but the position was instead given to [[Duke of Wellington|Wellington]]. He held a military command in Ireland and another in England.{{sfn|Vetch|1898}}

Tarleton had lost two fingers from a musket ball received in his right hand during the [[Battle of Guilford Courthouse]] in [[North Carolina]],<ref name=cheaney/> but "his crippled hand was to prove an electoral asset" back home.<ref name=hop>{{cite web|url=http://www.histparl.ac.uk/volume/1790-1820/member/tarleton-banastre-1754-1833|title=TARLETON, Banastre (1754–1833), of St. James's Place, Mdx.|work=histparl.ac.uk}}</ref> The condition of his hand is disguised in the pose of his 1782 portrait (shown in this article) by [[Joshua Reynolds|Sir Joshua Reynolds]].

== Member of Parliament==
Tarleton first stood as a [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig]] candidate for [[Liverpool (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool]] in the [[1784 British general election|1784 general election]]. He was narrowly defeated by [[Richard Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn|Richard Pennant]] as the second [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] of this borough constituency. In the [[1790 British general election|1790 general election]] Pennant was ahead in the poll, but withdrew in favour of Tarleton.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Lewis|last1=Namier|authorlink=Lewis Namier|first2=John|last2=Brooke|authorlink2=John Brooke (British historian)|title=The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790|year=1964|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=[[New York City]]}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=October 2023|reason=Tarleton joined the Whig club. Explicit reference needed.}} With the exception of a single year, Tarleton was re-elected to the [[Unreformed House of Commons|House of Commons]] until 1812.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} Throughout his tenure in Parliament, he generally voted with the [[Opposition (parliamentary)|Parliamentary opposition]]. He was also a supporter of [[Charles James Fox]] despite their opposing views on the British role in the [[American Revolutionary War|American War of Independence]].

Tarleton was known for speaking on military matters as well as opposing [[Abolitionism in the United Kingdom|abolition of the slave trade]]. Thorne wrote "most of his speeches in his first two sessions in the House assailed the 'mistaken philanthropy' of abolishing the slave trade, which Liverpool Members were instructed to oppose."{{sfn|Thorne|1986}}

== Appointments ==
He was appointed [[governor]] of [[Berwick-upon-Tweed|Berwick]] and [[Lindisfarne|Holy Island]] in 1808.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16122|page= 284|date= 23 February 1808}}</ref>

On 23 January 1816, he was made a baronet;<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=26970|first=Stephen|last=Conway|title=Tarleton, Sir Banastre, baronet (1754–1833)}}</ref> and in 1820 a [[Knight Grand Cross]] of the [[Order of the Bath]] ([[Grand Cross in the Order of the Bath|GCB]]).

== Personal life ==
[[File:Gainsborough Mary-Robinson.jpg|thumb|Portrait of [[Mary Robinson (poet)|Mary Robinson]] by [[Thomas Gainsborough]], 1781]]

Tarleton had a 15-year relationship with the actress and writer [[Mary Robinson (poet)|Mary Robinson]], known as Perdita, the character she played to much acclaim. She was an ex-mistress of the Prince of Wales (future King [[George IV]]). Tarleton and Robinson had no children; in 1783 Robinson had a miscarriage. She was important to his parliamentary career, writing many of his speeches.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}

In 1797 Tarleton fathered an illegitimate daughter, Banina Georgina.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}} Her mother was recorded simply as Kolina.<ref>Old Church in Saint Pancras</ref> Banina died in 1818.

On 17 December 1798, Tarleton married Susan Priscilla Bertie, the daughter of Robert Bertie, [[Robert Bertie, 4th Duke of Ancaster and Kesteven|4th Duke of Ancaster]]. They had no children.{{sfn|Vetch|1898}}

==Death==
Tarleton died in January 1833, at [[Leintwardine, Herefordshire]]. There is a monument to him on the west wall of the Mortimer chapel in St Mary Magdalene Church. It is inscribed:

:NEAR THIS PLACE ARE DEPOSITED THE MORTAL REMAINS OF
:SIR BANASTRE TARLETON BARONET
:GENERAL IN THE ARMY, KNIGHT GRAND CROSS OF THE ORDER OF THE BATH,
:GOVERNOR OF BERWICK UPON TWEED, AND COLONEL OF THE GALLANT 8TH HUSSARS.
:HE REPRESENTED HIS NATIVE TOWN LIVERPOOL DURING SEVEN SESSIONS
:AND CLOSED HIS DISTINGUISHED CAREER AT THIS PLACE, JANUARY 16TH 1833, AGED 78.

:HE WAS A TENDER HUSBAND, AN INDULGENT MASTER, AND A LIBERAL BENEFACTOR OF THE POOR.
:THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED TO HIS MEMORY BY HIS BEREAVED WIDOW AS A TESTIMONY OF HER AFFECTION, BUT HE HAS RAISED A MORE IMPERISHABLE MEMORIAL FOR HIMSELF IN THE ANNALS OF HIS COUNTRY AND IN THE HEARTS OF MANY FRIENDS.

The exact location of his grave isn't known.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/255488789/banastre-tarleton|title=Flowers for General Sir Banastre Tarleton - Find a...|website=www.findagrave.com}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
=== Tarleton helmet ===
{{Main|Tarleton helmet}}
[[File:A soldier called Major John André.png|thumb|Major John André wearing a Tarleton helmet]]
During the American War of Independence, Tarleton made popular a leather helmet with antique style applications and a fur plume (woolen for lower ranks) protruding far into the upper front side. It was based on the Continental European [[dragoon helmet]] that became popular in several other armies before it fell out of fashion.{{efn|Knight|2016}} [[Sir Joshua Reynolds]]' portrait of Tarleton shows him wearing the helmet; it was worn by all ranks in the [[British Legion (American Revolution)|British Legion]]. [[Royal Horse Artillery]] troops wore the helmet until the end of the Napoleonic Wars, as did light dragoon regiments from about 1796 to 1812.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleonistyka.atspace.com/British_artillery.htm#britishartillery|title=British Artillery : Napoleonic Wars : Horse : Foot : Rockets : Uniforms|website=www.napolun.com}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=lacks details mentioned|date=August 2023}}

===Auction of captured battle flags===
In 2006, four Patriot [[regimental colours]] captured by Tarleton in 1779 and 1780 were auctioned by [[Sotheby's]] in [[New York City]].<ref>
{{cite web
	| url = https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2006/four-battleflags-of-the-revolution-captured-by-lt-col-banastre-tarleton-in-1779-and-1780-the-property-of-capt-christopher-tarleton-fagan-n08228.html
	| title = Four Battleflags Of The Revolution: Captured By Lt.-Col. Banastre Tarleton In 1779 And 1780, The Property Of Capt. Christopher Tarleton Fagan
      | date = 14 June 2006
	| publisher = Sotheby's
	| access-date = 5 December 2023
      | url-status = live
      | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20231205172025/https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2006/four-battleflags-of-the-revolution-captured-by-lt-col-banastre-tarleton-in-1779-and-1780-the-property-of-capt-christopher-tarleton-fagan-n08228.html
      | archive-date = 5 December 2023
	| quote = Total estimate 4 – 10 million USD
}}
</ref> The flags sold for US$17.3 million at auction on [[Flag Day in the United States]] on 14 June 2006.<ref>
{{cite web
	| url = https://allthingsliberty.com/2019/08/four-battleflags-of-the-revolution-captured-by-lt-col-banastre-tarleton/
	| last = Knight
	| first = John
	| date = 27 August 2019
	| title = Four Battleflags of the Revolution: Captured by Lt.-Col. Banastre Tarleton
	| website = Journal of the American Revolution
	| publisher = Westholme
	| access-date = 5 December 2023
       | url-status = live
       | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20231205070206/https://allthingsliberty.com/2019/08/four-battleflags-of-the-revolution-captured-by-lt-col-banastre-tarleton/
       | archive-date = 5 December 2023
       | quote = world record 17.3 million USD
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna13344540|title=American Revolution flags sell for $17.4 million|website=[[NBC News]]|date =15 June 2006}}</ref>

These battleflags are the last American Revolutionary War colours known to remain in British hands and the last such colours to remain in private hands anywhere. Banastre Tarleton bequeathed the trophies to his nephew Thomas Tarleton. They had remained in the family for over 200 years.

Lot 1<ref>
{{cite web
	| url = https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2006/four-battleflags-of-the-revolution-captured-by-lt-col-banastre-tarleton-in-1779-and-1780-the-property-of-capt-christopher-tarleton-fagan-n08228/lot.1.html?locale=en
	| title = Lot 1 An American Revolutionary War Battleflag, 1776-1779
      | date = 14 June 2006
	| publisher = Sotheby's
	| access-date = 5 December 2023
      | url-status = live
      | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20231205050200/https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2006/four-battleflags-of-the-revolution-captured-by-lt-col-banastre-tarleton-in-1779-and-1780-the-property-of-capt-christopher-tarleton-fagan-n08228/lot.1.html?locale=en
      | archive-date = 5 December 2023
	| quote = Estimate  1,500,000 – 3,500,000 USD
}}
</ref> was the colour of the [[2nd Continental Light Dragoons]] (Sheldon's Dragoons), captured by the British Legion at Pound Ridge on 2 July 1779. It is the earliest surviving American flag of any kind with thirteen horizontal red and white stripes. Including its silver metallic fringe, the silk flag is {{frac|35|1|8}} inches (hoist) × {{frac|38|3|4}} inches (fly). In the centre, there is a square of red silk bordered in gold and black. On it is a painted badge of a winged dark storm cloud from which ten gold and orange thunderbolts are emanating. Below that is the motto "PAT:A CONCITA  FULM:NT NATI" (roughly translated, "When their country calls, her sons answer in tones of thunder").

Lot 2<ref>
{{cite web
	| url = https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2006/four-battleflags-of-the-revolution-captured-by-lt-col-banastre-tarleton-in-1779-and-1780-the-property-of-capt-christopher-tarleton-fagan-n08228/lot.2.html
	| title = Lot 2 Three American Revolutionary War Battleflags, 1778–1780
      | date = 14 June 2006
	| publisher = Sotheby's
	| access-date = 5 December 2023
      | url-status = live
      | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20231205054253/https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2006/four-battleflags-of-the-revolution-captured-by-lt-col-banastre-tarleton-in-1779-and-1780-the-property-of-capt-christopher-tarleton-fagan-n08228/lot.2.html
      | archive-date = 5 December 2023
	| quote = Estimate 2,500,000 – 6,500,000 USD
}}</ref> was the complete stand of three regimental colours of the [[2nd Virginia Regiment|3rd Virginia Detachment]]. The British Legion, commanded by Tarleton, captured them at the Battle of Waxhaws on 29 May 1780. They are the only remaining intact stand of colours from the Revolution. The {{frac|50|1|4}} inches (hoist) × {{frac|45|3|8}} inches (fly) regimental flag is the oldest surviving American flag having a canton of five-pointed stars. It is of gold silk painted with a beaver felling a palmetto tree. Below that is the motto "Perseverando". At the upper hoist is a blue silk canton with thirteen stars. It is very similar to No. 7 described in the 1778 inventory "A Return of ye New Standards & Division Colours for ye Army of ye United States of America In Possession of Major Jonathan Gostelowe, Comy. Mily. Stores".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dragoons.info|title=Second Continental Light Dragoons|work=dragoons.info}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=vexillogical expert|date=November 2023}}

=== Places named for Banastre Tarleton ===

* A house at the site of the skirmish in [[Easttown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania|Easttown Township]] after the Battle of Brandywine came to be known as Tarleton. A school later based there was also named Tarleton.<ref>"[http://www.easttown.org/GeneralInformation/history/history.htm Township History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316003648/http://www.easttown.org/GeneralInformation/history/history.htm |date=16 March 2014 }}", Easttown Township; accessed 2014.01.16. {{dead link|date=September 2023}}</ref>
* The General Tarleton Inn in [[Ferrensby]], [[North Yorkshire]], is named after him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britainsfinest.co.uk/restaurants/restaurants.cfm/searchazref/920011001579|title=The General Tarleton Inn, Knaresborough}}</ref>
* A street, still in existence, was named for Banastre Tarleton—others for Howe and Rawdon—in Freetown, the Sierra Leone colony established by former slaves.{{sfn|O'Shaughnessy|2013|p=277}}

=== Representation in other media ===
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2023}}
* In the 1835 novel ''[[Horse-Shoe Robinson]]'' by [[John Pendleton Kennedy]], a romance during the Southern campaign, characters interact with Tarleton, a forceful martial character, sensitive to the duties of honour and chivalry.
* The 1959–1961 American [[Disney]] television series [[The Swamp Fox (TV series)|''The Swamp Fox'']] is about the American War of Independence. Partisan [[Francis Marion]] was played by Canadian actor [[Leslie Nielsen]], while British actor [[John Sutton (actor)|John Sutton]] portrayed Colonel Banastre Tarleton.
* In the novel ''[[Sharpe's Eagle]]'' by [[Bernard Cornwell]] (the first in the [[Richard Sharpe (fictional character)|Richard Sharpe]] series), the novel's main antagonist, Colonel [[Sir Henry Simmerson]], is said to be a cousin of Tarleton. He relies on his cousin's political connections to support his position.
* In the 1986 film ''[[Sweet Liberty]]'' Tarleton is played by actor [[Michael Caine]] and portrayed to the history professor Michael Burgess' ([[Alan Alda]]) dismay as a romantic, dashing hero.
* In the 2000 film ''[[The Patriot (2000 film)|The Patriot]]'', the fictitious Colonel William Tavington (played by [[Jason Isaacs]]) is based on Tarleton.<ref>{{cite news| last=Carroll|first=Joe|title=Older Americans uncomfortable with Mel Gibson's playing of patriot game |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=2000-07-15 |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/older-americans-uncomfortable-with-mel-gibson-s-playing-of-patriot-game-1.292925 |quote=Tavington is based on a historical figure, Col Banastre Tarleton, who later ended up as an MP for Liverpool|access-date=2016-01-03}}</ref>{{efn| produced by the Parson Weems-Walt Disney-Mel Gibson School of History.}}{{better source needed|date=August 2023}}
* In the 2006 film ''[[Amazing Grace (2006 film)|Amazing Grace]]'', Tarleton is played by [[Ciarán Hinds]] and is portrayed as a leading opponent of [[William Wilberforce]]'s abolition bill.

== Perceptions ==

Numerous tales about Tarleton exist, mostly to show him in a bad light. Verified facts are included in the biographical information above. Widespread but dubious stories are discussed here.

=== Slave trade ===

Banastre Tarleton was not engaged in the slave trade. As a child in Liverpool, he benefited from his father’s mercantile business, which included chartering ships, some of which carried slaves. But, as an adult, he did not join the business.

Tarleton is not listed by the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery,<ref>{{cite web
	| url = https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/search/
	| title = Legacies of British Slavery
	| website = Legacies of British Slave-ownership project
	| publisher = [[Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery]]
	| access-date = 4 September 2023
}}</ref> which is based at [[University College London]], nor by the Slave Voyages database,<ref>
{{cite web
	| url = https://www.slavevoyages.org/past/enslavers
	| title = Enslavers database
	| website = Slave Voyages
	| publisher = SlaveVoyages Consortium
	| access-date = 4 September 2023
}}</ref> begun at [[Emory University]], now hosted at [[Rice University]]. Furthermore, unlike many of the Patriots he fought, Banastre Tarleton never owned slaves.

Nevertheless, after his election to Parliament in 1790, Tarleton often spoke against the [[Abolitionism in the United Kingdom|abolition of the slave trade]]: "most of his speeches in his first two sessions in the House assailed the 'mistaken philanthropy' of abolishing the slave trade, which Liverpool Members were instructed to oppose."{{sfn|Thorne|1986}}

=== Wounds ===

Lee claimed to have wounded Tarleton in Pennsylvania. William Washington was said to have wounded him at the Battle of Cowpens. Tilden reported that Tarleton had been wounded during the siege of Yorktown.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=n8cbAAAAMAAJ&dq=Lauzun's+Legion&pg=PA60 Historical Society of Pennsylvania, "Extracts from the Journal of Lieutenant John Bell Tilden"], ''The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography,'' p. 60</ref> According to Tarleton's history of his service, he was only wounded once, at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. While his maimed hand was disguised in his famous portrait, he proudly showed it in politics as evidence of having served his country.

=== Raiders ===

The British Legion is occasionally referred to as 'Tarleton's Raiders" in modern American sources.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} However, during its service in the American War of Independence, the British Legion was most often called Tarleton's Legion. Lawrence Babits wrote of the unit’s formation:

{{blockquote|text=These companies were combined into the British Legion in June and July 1778&nbsp;... Thereafter, the history of the British Legion, or Tarleton's legion, as it came to be known, was the history of Tarleton in America.{{sfn|Babits1998| p=44}}}}

Modern historians also use that name. For example, in Cavalry of the American Revolution, Jim Piecuch says "Dockerty's statement provides clear evidence of Americans switching sides in the South and Continentals enlisting in Tarleton's Legion."{{sfn|Piecuch |2012|loc = Chapter Seven}} In the same book, Scott Miskimon writes "Before the Americans could bridle a single horse, Tarleton's Legion charged&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Miskimon |2012|loc = Chapter Five}}

[[Thomas Head Raddall|Thomas Raddall]], a prolific writer on historical subjects, said of the British Legion:

{{blockquote|text=Of all the loyalists who fought in the War of the American Revolution none were more famous in their day than those who formed the British Legion, generally known as Tarleton's Legion.{{sfn|Raddall|1949}}}}

Only after the American Civil War was the British Legion sometimes called "Tarleton's Raiders" by analogy with some Confederate units of that war. Knight explained:

{{blockquote|text= The "Tarleton's raiders" tag occurred with increasing regularity after the American Civil War. Various Confederate partisan and guerrilla cavalry units, like Mosby's and Quantrill's, came to be named after their commanding officers, and [American] writers began following the same fashion with the British Legion, the corps that Tarleton commanded. But the British Legion was never an irregular partisan unit, and though it carried out many daring raids, it was a mixed force of dragoon cavalry, light Infantry and small calibre artillery. Indeed, it was taken onto the British regular establishment in 1782, conferring on it official recognition of its prowess.{{efn|Knight|2016}}}}

=== Epithets ===

In the United States, Banastre Tarleton is often disparaged as "Bloody Tarleton" or "Bloody Ban' in modern histories. But this label was not used by his contemporaries. Scotti searched fruitlessly for examples of "Bloody Tarleton" before the twentieth century. He concluded "with some degree of certainty" that Robert Bass was an early writer to use the term.{{sfn | Scotti | 2002 | p= 103 }}{{sfn | Bass | 1957 | p= 83}} John Pancake varied it to "Bloody Ban" in 1985.{{sfn | Scotti | 2002 | p= 104 }}{{sfn | Pancake | 1985 | p=71  }} Later, Scotti elaborated:{{sfn | Scotti | 2002 | p= 237 }}
{{blockquote|text=In 1957, Robert Duncan Bass coined the phrase in his eloquent biography of Tarleton&nbsp;... With the publication of The Green Dragoon, "Bloody Tarleton" became a part of the American heritage and the national psyche.
}}

Knight agreed with that origin, saying{{sfn|Knight|2016}}
{{blockquote|text=Both labels appear no earlier than the 1950s, originating in the Robert Bass book The Green Dragoon.}} 
and
{{blockquote|text=The two personal monikers, the alternatingly violent and romantic caricatures by which Tarleton is now largely known, are sobriquets of pure fiction. There is no evidence that Tarleton was ever referred to by either name&nbsp;...}}

=== Social rejection by American officers ===

Several writers have said that, after the surrender, Tarleton was the sole British senior officer not invited to dinner with any American officers. Where a source is given, it is the 1860 book{{sfn|CustisLee|1860|pp=251–252}} of [[George Washington Parke Custis]], a step-grandson of General Washington. Custis wrote "Colonel Tarleton&nbsp;... was left out in the invitations to headquarters." He bases this on an alleged meeting between Tarleton and Lieutenant Colonel [[John Laurens]] about military etiquette. Scotti searched many sources, in particular the writing of Laurens and the Marquis de La Fayette, to whom Custis claimed Tarleton first complained. He found no indication that any such meeting took place and considers the incident to be apocryphal.{{sfn|Scotti|2002|p=125}}{{sfn|Clein|2000}} Supporting Scotti's conclusion, a 1978 book about the end of the war, ''The Campaign That Won America: The Story of Yorktown'', authored by Burke Davis,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/davis-burke-1913-2006/ |title=Burke Davis (1913–2006) |first=Bland |last=Whitley |date=7 December 2020 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Virginia |access-date=20 February 2024}}</ref> mentions only that "all the ranking British and German officers were invited". Also, at the negotiations for surrender, Cornwallis had sought terms which would have ensured no reprisals, but Washington refused. Consequently, some men of the Legion deemed at risk were evacuated. Tarleton was not among them.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

== Sources ==

<!-- The references in this article are a mix. I am adding more sources and will gradually be standardising the format. For sources, particularly books, which might be used more than once, I am using shortened footnotes for ease of editing. “Single use” citations can be placed entirely where they are used. Please discuss changes of style on the talk page.-->

Some of the more notable authors of books relating to Tarleton point out the extreme bias in the accounts of Roderick Mackenzie. Unfortunately, they fail to look in the mirror to recognise their own bias.{{Opinion|date=September 2025}} A few independent assessments of the sources are provided to guide the reader.

* {{cite book|last=Agniel|first=Lucien|title=The Late Affair Has Almost Broke My Heart: The American Revolution in the South, 1780–1781|date= June 1972|url= https://archive.org/details/lateaffairhasalm00agni/page/n5/mode/1up|publisher=Chatham Press|isbn=978-0-85699-036-6 }}
* {{cite book
	| last = Babits
	| first = Lawrence E.
	| date = 1998
	| title = A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens
	| url = https://archive.org/details/devilofwhippingb0000babi_g5x5/page/n4/mode/1up
	| location = Chapel Hill
	| publisher = University of North Carolina Press
	| isbn = 978-0-8078-4926-2
}}
* {{cite web
 |url= https://www.banastretarleton.org
 |title= Oatmeal for the Foxhounds
 |last=Baskin
 |first=Marge
 |date= 2025
 | url-status=live
 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120707010750/http://home.golden.net/~marg/bansite/_entry.html
 |archive-date=7 July 2012
}}
**“…thanks to Marge Baskin for…sharing her research on [Christian] Huck, Banastre Tarleton, Lord Rawdon, and other British and Provincial officers [on] Oatmeal for the Foxhounds: Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion”<ref>Scoggins, Acknowledgements</ref>
* {{cite book
	| last = Bass
	| first = Robert
	| date = 1957
	| title = The Green Dragoon
	| url = https://archive.org/details/greendragoon0000robe/page/n5/mode/1up
	| location = New York
	| publisher = Holt
}}
** "Dr. Bass accepts the worst interpretation of some events such as Waxhaws, and he allows a number of folk myths to creep into the book as 'facts,' but it is obvious that he developed an fondness for his subject during a decade of research and tried to give him a fair deal."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.banastretarleton.org/|title=Banastre Tarleton; "Oatmeal for the Foxhounds";|website=www.banastretarleton.org|accessdate=19 October 2025}}</ref>
* {{cite book
	| last = James
	| first = William Dobein
    | contributor-last= Brownfield
    | contributor-first= Robert
    | contribution= Appendix – the letter of Dr. Robert Brownfield to the author, giving a detailed account of the defeat of Buford's regiment, referred to at page 39. [Chapter II Paragraph 6]
	| date = 1821
	| title = A Sketch of the Life of Brig. Gen. Francis Marion and a History of His Brigade
	| url = https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/923/pg923-images.html
	| location = 
	| via = Project Gutenburg
	| page = e-book #923
}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Buchanan
	| first = John
	| date = 1997
	| title = The road to Guilford Courthouse : the American revolution in the Carolinas
	| url = https://archive.org/details/roadtoguilfordco0000buch/page/n6/mode/1up
	| location = New York
	| publisher = Wiley
	| isbn = 0-471-16402-X
}}
** "Buchanan hates, detests and abhors Tarleton. He's occasionally so rabid about it that it is downright funny. He hates Ban so much he even disses the Sir Joshua Reynolds portrait of him."<ref name="auto">Baskin, Bibliography</ref>
* {{cite news
| last         = Clein
| first        = Edwin
| date         = 30 June 2000 
| title        = Patriotic Liverpool up in arms over Gibson's blockbuster
| url          = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jun/30/news.melgibson
| url-status   = 
| work         = The Guardian
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20230923004130/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jun/30/news.melgibson
| archive-date = 23 September 2023
| access-date  = 23 September 2023
}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Clinton
	| first = Henry
	| date = 1783
	| title = Narrative of Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Clinton, K.B., relative to his conduct during part of his command of the king's troops in North America, particularly to that which respects the unfortunate issue of the campaign in 1781 : with an appendix, containing copies and extracts of those parts of his correspondence with Lord George Germain, Earl Cornwallis, Rear Admiral Graves, &c., which are referred to therein.
	| url = https://archive.org/details/narrativeoflieut00clin/page/n4/mode/1up
	| location = London
	| publisher = Printed for J. Debrett (successor to Mr. Almon)
	| page = 115
}}
* {{cite book
	| last1 = Clinton
	| first1 = Henry
      | editor-last1   = Willcox
      | editor-first1   = William B
	| date = 1971
	| orig-date = 1954
	| title = The American rebellion; Sir Henry Clinton's narrative of his campaigns, 1775–1782, with an appendix of original documents
	| url = https://archive.org/details/americanrebellio0000clin/page/n8/mode/1up
	| location = Hamden, Connecticut
	| publisher = Archon Books
	| page = 658
	| isbn = 0-208-01022-X
}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Cornwallis
	| first = Charles Earl
	| date = 1866
	| orig-date = 1783
	| title = Answer to Sir Henry Clinton's narrative of the campaign in 1781 in North America
	| url = https://archive.org/details/answertosirhenry01corn/page/n10/mode/1up
	| location = Philadelphia
	| publisher = John Campbell
	| page = 259
}}
* {{cite book|last1=Custis|first1=George Washington Parke |last2=Lee|first2=Mary Custis|author-link= George Washington Parke Custis|url= https://archive.org/details/recollectionspr00cust/page/251/mode/1up |title=Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington, by his adopted son George Washington Parke Custis, with a memoir of the author, by his daughter; and illustrative and explanatory notes by Benson J Lossing|publisher=Derby & Jackson|location=New York|year=1860|isbn=1143944348
}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Edgar
	| first = Walter B
	| date = 2001
	| title = Partisans and Redcoats : the southern conflict that turned the tide of the American Revolution
	| url = https://archive.org/details/partisansredcoat00edga/page/n8/mode/1up
	| location = New York
	| publisher = Morrow
| isbn = 978-0-380-97760-4
	}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Hanger
	| first = George
	| date = 1789
	| title = An address to the Army in reply to Strictures, by Roderick M'Kenzie, (late Lieutenant in the 71st regiment) on Tarleton's History of the Campaigns of 1780 and 1781
	| url = https://archive.org/details/cihm_20705/page/n5/mode/1up
	| location = London
	| publisher = James Ridgeway 
| isbn = 978-0-665-20705-1
	}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Keltie
	| first = John S
	| date = 1875
	| title = History of the Scottish Highlands: Highland clans and Highland regiments, with an account of the Gaelic language, literature, and music
	| url = https://archive.org/details/historyofscottis04kelt/page/501/mode/1up?q=Roderick
	| location = London
	| publisher = W. MacKenzie
	| page = 501
}}
* {{cite web
	| url = https://allthingsliberty.com/2016/08/top-10-banastre-tarleton-myths/
	| last = Knight
	| first = John
	| date = 18 August 2016
	| title = Top 10 Banastre Tarleton Myths 
	| website = Journal of the American Revolution
	| publisher = Westholme
	| access-date = 23 September 2023
    | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230929054352/https://allthingsliberty.com/2016/08/top-10-banastre-tarleton-myths/
     | archive-date= 29 September 2023
     |url-status=live
}}
* {{cite book|last=Knight |first=John|title=War at Saber Point: Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion|year=2020|publisher=Westholme |location=Yardley, Pennsylvania|isbn=978-1-59416-352-4}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Mackenzie
	| first = Roderick
	| date = 1787
	| title = Strictures on Lt.-Col. Tarleton's History "of the campaigns of 1780 and 1781, in the southern provinces of North America"
	| url = https://archive.org/details/stricturesonltco00mack/page/n8/mode/1up
	| location = London
}}
**"If one takes exception to the premise that Lieutenant MacKenzie loathed his commanding officer, it is entirely feasible to substitute any other verb which means roughly the same thing."<ref>Agniel, page 149</ref>
* {{Cite book
|title = The Men Who Lost America: British Command during the Revolutionary War and the Preservation of the Empire
|last = O'Shaughnessy
|first = Andrew
|publisher = Oneworld Publications
|year = 2013
|isbn = 978-1-78074-247-2
|page = 259
|url=https://archive.org/details/menwholostameric0000osha/page/n6/mode/1up
}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Pancake
	| first = John S.
	| date = 1985
	| title = This destructive war: the British campaign in the Carolinas, 1780–1782
	| url = https://archive.org/details/thisdestructivew00panc/page/n6/mode/1up
	| location = University, Alabama
	| publisher = University of Alabama Press
	| isbn = 9780817301910
}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Pearson
	| first = Kenneth
	| date = 1976
	| title = 1776: the British story of the American Revolution |format=catalogue of an exhibition
	| url = https://archive.org/details/1776britishstory0000pear/page/15/mode/1up
	| location = London
	| publisher = Times Books
	| pages = 15–17
	| isbn = 0723001472
}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Piecuch
	| first = Jim
	| date = 2012
	| title = Cavalry of the American Revolution
	| url = https://www.westholmepublishing.com
	| location = Yardley, Pennsylvania
	| publisher = Westholme
	| isbn = 978-1-59416-544-3
}}
** {{harvc ||first=Scott A. |last=Miskimon |year=2012 |c=Anthony Walton White: A Revolutionary Dragoon |in=Piecuch
}}
* {{cite journal 
| last=Raddall 
|first= Thomas
| date= 1949
|title= Tarleton's Legion 
|journal= Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society 
|publisher= Nova Scotia Historical Society
| publication-place= Halifax, Nova Scotia 
| publication-date=1949 
| url = http://www.merseyheritage.ca/tarletonslegion.html
| access-date = 8 October 2023
| url-status  = live
 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20231008104640/http://www.merseyheritage.ca/tarletonslegion.html
 | archive-date          = 8 October 2023
}}
* {{cite book | last=Reynolds | first=William R. Jr. | title=Andrew Pickens: South Carolina Patriot in the Revolutionary War | publisher=McFarland & Company | location=Jefferson, North Carolina | year=2012 | isbn=978-0-7864-6694-8 | ref=none
}}
* {{cite book|last=Scoggins|first=Michael C.|title=The Day It Rained Militia: Huck's Defeat and the Revolution in the South Carolina Backcountry, May–July 1780|location=Charleston, South Carolina|publisher=The History Press|year=2005|isbn=978-1-59629-015-0|oclc=60189717|ref=Scoggins2005
}}
* {{cite book|last=Scotti|first=Anthony J.|title=Brutal Virtue: The Myth and Reality of Banastre Tarleton|year=2002|publisher=Heritage Books|isbn=0-7884-2099-2}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Stedman
	| first = Charles
	| date = 1794
	| title = The history of the origin, progress, and termination of the American war |volume=II
	| url = https://archive.org/details/historyoforiginp02sted/page/n8/mode/1up
	| location = London
    |ref = none
}}
* {{cite book
	| last = Tarleton 
	| first = Banastre 
	| date = 1787
	| title = A history of the campaigns of 1780 and 1781, in the southern provinces of North America
	| url = https://archive.org/details/historyofcampaig00tarl/page/n8/mode/1up
	| location = London
	| publisher = T. Cadell
}}
** "Virtually every subsequent historian writing on the Southern Campaign uses this as a source of information, no matter what they think of its author."<ref name="auto"/><!--
  THORNE   Note: Also published by Haynes in 2006 as "The History of Parliament: the House of Commons, 1790–1820" [5 vols], "The House of Commons 1790–1820, Members", and by Boydell and Brewer as "The History of the House of Commons" -->
* {{cite book
    | title = The History of Parliament: the House of Commons, 1790–1820
    | editor-first= R. G. |editor-last=Thorne
    | date = 1986
	| url = http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/tarleton-banastre-1754-1833
	| chapter = TARLETON, Banastre (1754–1833), of St. James's Place, Mdx.
	| via = [[The History of Parliament]]
	| publisher = The [[History of Parliament Trust]]; [[Secker & Warburg]]
	| access-date = 18 September 2023
}}
* {{cite DNB
|wstitle=Tarleton, Banastre
|volume=55
|first=Robert Hamilton
|last= Vetch
|author-link=Robert Hamilton Vetch
|ref=nonh
}}
* {{cite book|title=The Southern Strategy: Britain's Conquest of South Carolina and Georgia, 1775–1780|first=David K.|last=Wilson|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|year=2005|isbn=1-57003-573-3|location=Columbia, South Carolina|oclc=232001108|ref=Wilson2005
}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* {{cite book|title=Cassell's Biographical Dictionary of the American War of Independence, 1763–1783 |first=Mark Mayo |last=Boatner |publisher=Cassell |location=London |year=1966 |isbn=0-304-29296-6}}
* {{cite book|first=Christopher |last=Hibbert|title=Redcoats and Rebels|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZwGSAwAAQBAJ|date=30 January 2008|publisher=Pen and Sword|isbn=978-1-84415-699-3|ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Knight |first=John |title=War at Saber Point: Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion |location=Yardley, Pennsylvania|publisher=Westholme |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-59416-352-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Oller |first=John |title=The Swamp Fox: How Francis Marion Saved the American Revolution |location=Boston |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2016 |isbn=978-0-306-82457-9}}
* {{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Scotti |first=Anthony J. |date=1995 |title=Brutal Virtue: The Myth and Reality of Banastre Tarleton |publisher=University of South Carolina|ref=none}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Banastre Tarleton}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121215142048/http://home.golden.net/~marg/bansite/btbiog.html Banastre Tarleton: A B]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120707010750/http://home.golden.net/~marg/bansite/_entry.html Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion] An excellent source with documented biographical sketches of participants both Patriot and British.
* {{Hansard-contribs | mr-banastre-tarleton | Banastre Tarleton }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081217201035/http://www.rsar.org/military/sherm055.pdf Provincial forces available during American Revolutionary War, including Lieut. Col. Tarleton's 200 strong cavalry and infantry.]

'''Attribution'''
{{EB1911|wstitle=Tarleton, Sir Banastre|volume=26|page=428}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|gb}}
{{s-bef
 | before = [[Richard Pennant, 1st Baron Penrhyn|Richard Pennant]] and<br />[[Bamber Gascoyne (the younger)|Bamber Gascoyne]]
}}
{{s-ttl
 | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Liverpool (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool]] | years=1790–1800
 | with   = [[Bamber Gascoyne (the younger)|Bamber Gascoyne]], to 1796;
 | with2  = [[Isaac Gascoyne]], from 1796
}}
{{s-non | reason  = [[Parliament of Great Britain]] abolished
}}
{{s-par|uk}}
{{s-new|parliament}}
{{s-ttl
 | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Liverpool (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool]]
 | years  = 1801–1806
 | with   = [[Isaac Gascoyne]]
}}
{{s-aft
 | after  = [[William Roscoe]] and<br />[[Isaac Gascoyne]]
}}
{{succession box
 | title  = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for [[Liverpool (UK Parliament constituency)|Liverpool]]
 | years  = 1807–1812
 | with   = [[Isaac Gascoyne]]
 | before = [[William Roscoe]]<br />[[Isaac Gascoyne]]
 | after  = [[George Canning]]<br />[[Isaac Gascoyne]]
}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box | title=[[Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed]] | before=[[William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe|The Viscount Howe]] | after=[[James Bathurst]] | years=1808–1833}}
{{s-reg|uk-bt}}
{{s-new|Creation}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Baronet]]<br />'''(of Liverpool)''' | years=1816–1833}}
{{s-non|reason=Extinct}}
{{succession box 
| title= [[File:Ulster.svg|20px]]<br />Tarleton baronets<br /> ''of Liverpool''
| before= [[King baronets of Charlestown (1815)|King baronets]]
| years= 23 January 1816
| after= [[David Ochterlony|Ochterlony baronets]] 
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarleton, Banastre}}
[[Category:1754 births]]
[[Category:1833 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Liverpool]]
[[Category:1st King's Dragoon Guards officers]]
[[Category:Alumni of University College, Oxford]]
[[Category:Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom|Tarleton, Banastre, 1st Baronet]]
[[Category:British MPs 1790–1796]]
[[Category:British MPs 1796–1800]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Members of the Middle Temple]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Liverpool]]
[[Category:English proslavery activists]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1801–1802]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1802–1806]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1807–1812]]
[[Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Liverpool]]
[[Category:People from Aigburth]]