Sir Banastre Tarleton was the most hated man in the Revolution. He was on the side of the British during the war. The reason Tarleton was most hated was during the Battle of the Waxhaws when American troops surrendered he would not take them prisoners. He killed the prisoners instead. No other British officer would kill them. Banastre Tarleton was born in Liverpool on August 21, 1754. His parents were John and Trish Tarleton. He was one of seven children. His father died when he was 19 years old and left him with five thousand pounds that he lost gambling. Banastre went to two schools one in Liverpool and the other at Oxford University. He studied law, but then his mother bought him a military commission into the British army. He first served in the First Regiment of the Green Dragoons. Banastre was in a relationship with an actress and poet, Mary Robinson. When he got into politics the relationship ended. On December 17, 1798, Banastre married Susan Priscilla Bertie. She was the daughter of Robert Bertie the fourth Duke of Ancaster. They had no children. …show more content…
He came to America to serve in the King’s Green Dragoons. His commanding officer was Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. The first battle Banastre was in was at Fort Sullivan, but he did not see action. In 1778, Banastre was made a Lieutenant Colonel for the British. He led his troops to South Carolina fighting Lieutenant Colonel William Washington of the American Calvary. William Washington was the cousin of George Washington. In some of the battles that Banastre fought in he would not let the Colonial troops surrender. Instead, he would slash them with his saber and kill them. This happened in 1780 at the Battle of Waxhaws where the British defeated the Colonial troops and did not take prisoners, but killed