Battle of Waxhaws

The Battle of Waxhaws (also known as the Waxhaws Massacre and Buford's Massacre) was a military engagement which took place on May 29, 1780 during the American Revolutionary War between a Patriot force led by Abraham Buford and a British force led by Banastre Tarleton near Lancaster, South Carolina. Buford's men consisted of Continental Army soldiers, while Tarleton's force was mostly made up of Loyalist troops. After the two forces sighted each other, Buford rejected an initial demand to surrender. Tarleton's cavalrymen launched a charge against the Patriot troops, which led many of Buford's men to throw their arms down in surrender. However, as Tarleton was shot under his horse during the charge, his infuriated soldiers attacked their Patriot opponents, killing several.

Of the 420 soldiers serving under Buford during the battle, 113 were killed, 150 were injured and 53 were captured. The British suffered 5 men killed and 12 wounded. Patriots subsequently coined the term "Tarleton's quarter" to refer to the practise of giving no quarter during battles, though he had not ordered his men to attack the surrendering Patriots. In subsequent engagement in the Carolinas, it became rare for either side to take significant prisoners. The battle became the subject of an intensive propaganda campaign by Patriots to bolster recruitment and incite resentment against the British.