The year of Tarleton. (Books Worth a Look).

Editor's Note: Two books on the famous Tarleton have been published this year, and what comes to mind is the old song, The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. One book is The Good, and the other is apparently The Bad, And The Ugly. I have a special interest in Tarleton and his British Legion, because one of my wife's ancestors (and my kids' too) is William Ketcheson Sr. UE, whose Revolutionary War career began in Emmerick Chasseurs, and ended in the British Legion in initially Capt. David Kinloch's Company, and later Capt. Nathaniel Vernon's Company. Tarleton has long been among the most hated figures of the Revolutionary War, at least in American eyes. This lopsided viewpoint has manifested itself in recent years in, for example, "The Patriot", which has certainly been discussed in past issues of this magazine. The two new books are by Walter Edgar and Anthony J. Scotti Jr. Both have stirred up much interest. Donald R. Westman of Scarsdale NY, in particular requested a review of the Edgar book, because it is rather controversial. I had some difficulty finding someone willing to review it for reasons that will become clear in the review, but happily Marg Baskin came to the rescue. Let's deal with the Edgar book first. Marg has a keen interest in history, and maintains the website: http://www.banastretarleton.org.