The British hoped for an abundance of Loyalist support during the Southern Campaign.

The idea that most colonial subjects were loyal to King George III pervaded the British government and high command throughout the war. It was believed a strong Loyalist enclave existed in South Carolina. Crown authorities felt the loyalists only needed the support of a British army in the field to rise, suppress the rebellion and restore Royal authority during the Southern Campaign. To support this anticipated movement, the British appointed an inspector of militia, Major Patrick Ferguson, to recruit and organize Loyalist elements in the Carolinas.

Patrick Ferguson (1744 – 1780) was a Scottish officer in the British Army. Patrick Ferguson's effort to recruit American Loyalists to serve in his militia against the Patriots is what he is most known for, and also what made him a stand-out figure during the American Revolutionary War in the Carolinas. Ultimately, his activities and military actions led to a Patriot militia force mustered to put an end to his force of Loyalists, and he was killed in the Battle of Kings Mountain, at the border between the colonies of North Carolina and South Carolina. Leading a group of Loyalists whom he had recruited, he was the only regular army officer participating on either side of the conflict. The victorious Patriot forces desecrated his body in the aftermath of the battle.