Quite a big role actually. On both the Patriot and Loyalist sides. The war really took off in the southern colonies in 1775 and kept going even after the Siege of Yorktown for a while. Once the war in the North dwindled off by late 1778, it moved southward with the British army headed to Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Now, the British had tried attacking Charleston before in 1776 but failed. The war in the North stagnated a bit. I won't say that no action took place after 1778 there but it did not have the same operation of battles that the South would have. The Saratoga campaign creates a nice before/after marker for the northern campaigns in the AWI. I will admit, I'm a bit biased with Southern Campaign since I'm from the South and the war happened "in my backyard" so to speak. Once the war moved this way, the war would change in many ways. Specifically with the people involved. I'll try to go over a little chronologically but I don't want to say it was a linear event in the South with the war.

The war did begin in the South in 1775 when the rest of the colonies got involved. Earl of Dunmore in Virginia had his fair share of troubles in 1775 from when he tried to get blackpowder moved to the shore to a British ship, as well as trying to raise a regiment of slaves to fight for him as loyalists. North Carolina had some events erupt in 1775 as well. NC had some inspiration from the North, especially with the Tea Act in 1773. Taking notes from Boston, Edenton, North Carolina had their own tea party. Made up of women entirely, they instigated a boycott of tea and held it down as a way of voicing protest against the tax. Militarily, the North Carolina began to be involved in the war by late 1775 with the Snow Campaign. I would argue that this became the catalyst of how the southern colonies formed their war tactics. In the South, the war became a kin to a civil war. There is the normal turn of phrase that the "American Revolution had divided the population into thirds: Those that fought for the Patriots, those that fought for as Loyalists, and those that wanted to be left alone." This remains true in the South, but the first two are exponentially bigger. While in some cases people joined a side for ideological beliefs, many cases people joined because of violent actions pitted against them.

The Committee of Safeties and State Associations had used force against many people to join their side as well as pushed an oath on to people that they would not raise arms against them. This often led to neighbors forcing neighbors to join or else face violence. This happened on both sides. It created divisions in families, friendships, and regions. It could turn populations of people against the state or loyalists. The Highland Scot population had grown discontent with the new government rising in late 1775. Most either supported the King or wanted to be left alone. With help from Governor Josiah Martin and Highland leaders, they began to form a regiment that would be used to fight against the new Whig government. By February 1776, they would head to Wilmington to meet British regulars and be supplied. It never came to fruition as they met defeat at Widow Moore's Creek Bridge in late February. It not only quelled any kind of loyalist movement in North Carolina for years to come it also forced Highland Scots in North Carolina to sign an oath of allegiance. I will add they were not the only ones wanting neutrality. The Moravians near Winston Salem area also wanted neutrality between the sides and remained so for the duration of the war.

By 1778, the war in the South escalated. The battle at Moore's Creek quieted loyalism down and the prevention of British forces of obtaining Charleston, SC also helped the Patriot cause. But, after Saratoga in 1777 the British army turned their attention to the South. Georgia would be the first target with the Siege of Savannah. Now, why target the South? At this point, the British army was attempting to create footholds in the colonies to remain in control. The usual tactic of occupying the capital to win the war would not work on the colonies. The decentralization of the colonies meant that the British could not just stroll into Philladelphia, the "capital" at the time, and win the war. Each colony had their own capital and acted in independence of each other for the most part. Taking Savannah would offer a way into the southern colonies for the British to use. East Florida remained in British hands but the lack of pathways and the hostilities in the area did not allow for the British to use it as a platform for advancement. Once the British took Charleston in 1780, the war in the South would take on a new form.

The loss of Charleston was a blow to the southern colonies and the Continental forces struggled with the loss of over 5,000 soldiers captured by the British. The Carolinas lost a huge chunk of their military in this one siege and would struggle to reform their regiments. The 1780-1781 campaign would be the decisive one for the outcome of the war. Now, while the British had Charleston, they knew that they still needed help against the population which remained hostile against the British. Just because the British had Charleston did not mean they held the rest of the colony/state. The held the radius of the city, but struggled to control the rest of the areas west and north. Cornwallis' campaign demonstrated the obstacles of the war they committed to but also the force of power they had to use. Cornwallis had more than his regular British infantry at his disposal, but he also had loyalist and provincial forces to use including the famous or infamous (depends on your viewpoint) British Legion with Banastre Tarleton in command. The South had over 40,000 loyalists that served at one time or another by the end of the war. The British Legion formed before the venture southward but exemplified the way the British adapted to warfare. The other notorious loyalist leader David Fanning had an important role in striking fear in the Carolina backcountry, he even managed to capture the NC governor Thomas Burke in 1781.

Battlewise, the South had some important ones. Starting with Charleston, Cornwallis moved with his army into the interior of South Carolina and made his way to North Carolina. Camden was another blow to the American forces, enough for the change in leadership on the American side - from Horatio Gates to Nathaniel Greene. The battle of King's Mountain is often referred to as the turning point of the war in the South. From many viewpoints, it can be seen as such as this was one of the first big blows the Patriot forces had been able to dish out to the British. Cornwallis knew his position in North Carolina would wane and his ought to retreat back into South Carolina to regroup. The victory at King's Mountain did help with morale among the Patriots, but also crush loyalist support in the Carolinas once more. The battle of Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse in 1781 would be the start of the end for Cornwallis' campaign as it forced him to retreat to the coast for reinforcement. He retreated to Yorktown which would later be sieged by American and French forces where Cornwallis would surrender his army - effectively ending operations in North America for the war.

I did talk here on why the war continued a bit after the Siege of Yorktown, and another poster further described the situation. The South's position in the operational factors of the war definitely influenced the outcome and how it would be fought. Whig and loyalist fighters came from the divisive setting that the Carolinas had and showed what kind of war the British would enter in 1778. Both sides had a lot at stake and often their motivations became personal to them. Whigs would join militias to fight against the British or try to join Continental regiments. Loyalists formed their own units or attempted to join British forces (both regular and provincial) once Cornwallis started tomove through the area. The back country war meant that it would be fought on private lands and affect the local populations rather than an open pitch battle that often depict the style of warfare for the century. The South had a pivotal role in the war's outcome with this. The setting and the people involved would be the gears to drive it forward.