Ruthless, ambitious, and bold, Banastre Tarleton made himself the most feared and hated British officer of the American Revolution. His enemies called him "Bloody Tarleton" and accused him of murdering prisoners. Yet this stocky young redhead was also a favorite with the ladies, a brave soldier, and a gifted cavalry commander.

Banastre Tarleton was born in Liverpool on August 21, 1754. His father, a wealthy merchant who became Liverpool's mayor in 1764, enrolled the boy at Oxford University in 1771 to prepare him for a career in law. Tarleton's father died in 1773, and it took Banastre only two years to squander a L5,000 inheritance on gambling and high living.

Tarleton's mother gave him a second chance at a career when she purchased a cornet's commission for him in the 1st Dragoon Guards on April 20, 1775. Volunteering for service against the rebellious Thirteen Colonies, Tarleton ended up riding with the 16th Light Dragoons. On December 13, 1776, he led the small advanced party that surprised and captured Major General Charles Lee, George Washington's second-in-command, at Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Promoted to acting captain and brigade major for his daring, Tarleton gained additional military experience during General Sir William Howe's 1777 campaign against Philadelphia.

In the summer of 1778, Tarleton was named lieutenant colonel and commandant of the British Legion, a green-garbed Loyalist unit that contained both light dragoons and infantry. Transferred to South Carolina to command the British cavalry during General Sir Henry Clinton's siege of Charleston (March 29-May 12, 1780), Tarleton emerged as one of the most energetic and effective officers in George III's service. His ability to gather accurate intelligence, move swiftly, and strike hard terrified enemy regulars, militia, and guerrillas alike.

Even after Brigadier General Daniel Morgan soundly defeated Tarleton at Cowpens on January 17, 1781, the impetuous dragoon retained the trust of Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis, the British officer charged with conquering the southern colonies. Tarleton campaigned with Cornwallis in North Carolina and Virginia until the surrender at Yorktown, October 19, 1781.

After the war, Tarleton eventually settled down and married, served several years in Parliament, and became a full general in the British Army, a baronet, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. He died on January 16, 1833, at the age of seventy-eight.

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