<p>Kings Mountain and Cowpens exemplified the extent to which the American Revolution was a civil war that divided many communities. Melissa Walker presents a lucid narrative of these pivotal battles. Her superb selection of primary sources includes both dramatic eyewitness accounts and compelling vignettes of backcountry life. </p><p>Cynthia A. Kierner, author of <em>A Perfect Temper: The Life and Times of Martha Jefferson Randolph</em></p><p>Routledge’s <em>Critical Moments in American History</em> series is designed to “give students a window into the historian’s craft through concise readable books…[that] bring together the best scholarship and engaging primary sources…” (p. viii). Melissa Walker’s <em>The Battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens</em> does exactly this in a user-friendly format that will attract undergraduates...Walker has written a book that demonstrates the complexity of the American Revolutionary War in the southern backcountry...[and those] who want a well-written synopsis of this<br />topic for use in a college classroom, should consider this book.</p><p>Michael P. Gabriel,<em> Kutztown University of Pennsylvania</em></p>