“NATURE NEVER FORMED SUCH AN ADVANTAGEOUS PLACE:” MOUNTAIN LOGISTICS AND WARFARE IN THE TRANS-APPALACHIAN SOUTH, 1756-1776

This thesis will examine two significant periods of conflict in between the Cherokee and Euro-American military forces in the trans-Appalachian South. The first period is a series of three punitive campaigns launched by the British against the Cherokee from 1759 to 1761. The second period concerns near-simultaneous punitive campaigns launched by the newly independent colonies of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia against the Cherokee in 1776. It examines several aspects of these conflicts. First, the impact of the mountain environment, an unrestrained culture of war, and the objectives on the nature of the battles. Second, it analyzes the adaptation of logistics to the trans-Appalachian environment. Lastly, it examines the tactical adaptations of the Cherokee, British, and South Carolinians in three battles.