The irony of the Revolution in South Carolina is that it was started by the Rice Kings and saved by the Back Country militia

From The Road to Guilford Courthouse by John Buchanan. Page 192.

The irony of the Revolution in South Carolina is that it was started by the Rice Kings and saved by the Back Country militia, which was overwhelmingly composed of men the Rice Kings held in contempt. From the Williamsburg District to the Piedmont to the foothills of the Blue Ridge, mounted militiamen scorned by Rice Kings and Continental generals alike maintained their allegiance to the cause through one disaster after another to Continental armies. They demoralized the Tory militia and held their own against British and provincial regulars in classic guerrilla style in actions large and small, some lost to memory in the mists of time. The most famous of these actions became an enduring legend of the Revolution, and we now turn to the events that led to that memorable battle and the characters involved.