 |
William "Bloody Bill" Cunningham (1756–1787)[1][2] was an American loyalist infamous for perpetrating a series of bloody massacres in South Carolina's backcountry in the fall of 1781 as commander of a Tory militia regiment in the Revolutionary War. Though his family were loyal to the British crown, Cunningham initially enlisted in the Continental Army as part of the State of South Carolina's 3rd regiment in 1775.[3] His tenure in the rebel army was an unhappy one and Cunningham changed sides to fight for the British in 1778. He earned the nickname "Bloody Bill" for the violent, ruthless nature of his raids on rebels and patriot civilians.
- ^ Edgar, Walter (2 November 2012). South Carolina Guide to the American Revolution in South Carolina. Univ of South Carolina Press. ISBN 9781611171495. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
- ^ "The history of South Carolina in the revolution, 1780-1783". archive.org. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
- ^ "The American Revolution in South Carolina - The Military Organization as of June 21, 1775". www.carolana.com. Retrieved 2016-04-25.