Very few journals exist of enlisted ranks in this time period and only a handful in the American War for Independence. The two I have Roger Lamb and John Robert Shaw speak little on the original motivations for joining, and at times has a more "out to in" look on the war. More so with Lamb as he recounts more than just his own time and experience in the war. It seems that he recounts the war alongside with Ramsey's history of the war. I think I know the review you are talking about. I do not need to go on in detail on how The Patriot is inaccurate, that digression is another dead horse that deserves a long, long rest. My Master's thesis actually focused on the motivations for enlisting into the British army in the time period. Some of it did cover the American War for Independence.

A quick side note, the British army in this war composed of two elements with the main regular establishment and the provincial army. The regular army is what you might think of as the redcoats, the regiments that shipped over from Britain to fight. Provincial regiments came from the colonies themselves, from Canada to Florida. They are more than militia types, they had uniforms (often redcoats as well), arms, and pay from the British. While the American armies establish state and continental regiments, the British did the same by creating provincial regiments from almost every state and colony. These provincials would be neighbors, family members, and friends that one might know from the area. Sometimes they recruited recent immigrants. I'll tackle that later on.

By late spring and summer of 1775, war had already broken out. Bunker Hill, Lexington & Concord, the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, etc. However, this did not mean the British army magically appeared in North America but rather they had regiments stationed there before the war. Some regiments garrisoned in Canada, Boston, New York, and Florida. The rest of the British regulars would come later transported over the Atlantic. Provincial corps would soon be established to raise regiments in defense against the American armies and retake the colonies.

Roger Lamb, an Irishman, started his American campaign in 1777 serving in the Saratoga campaign with the 9th Regiment of Foot. His journal contains the history of the war starting in the early years to the outbreak and all the way where his actual experience began. From what I can tell, he compiled and wrote some of these pieces after the war and published it at the turn of the century. I take his words for what they are and without much salt. Years can change a perspective and memory can fade. His writings are much more sympathetic than one would think of a war veteran who saw major service in the war. Not so sympathetic to agree with the Americans, but enough to print his words without bitterness and heavy bias. His journal can be found on google (for free!) and will add the title to the source list.

Born in Yorkshire, John Robert Shaw did not join the army out of patriotism for the King, but initially for dream of becoming a gentleman and get out of the weaver life. Eventually, it evolves into escaping his father's wrath and threat of punishment. He joins the 33rd regiment in 1777 who had a recruiting party at Leeds. The recruiting captain turned him down for his shortness and to come back in a couple years. The army then had a minimum height around and 5'5" and Shaw stood only 5'1". Incredibly short for a recruit at the age of 15! Shaw showed his determination by threatening to join the 59th instead as a drummer boy. Shaw knew the heavy losses the 59th regiment took at Bunker Hill and their desperation to regain their numbers back to strength. At that point, a regiment will nearly take anyone.

Shaw did not mention much more about his thoughts of the Americans when joining the regiment. He joined as an idealist and hoping the army would prove a better life than one as a weaver could bring. I think his timeline is slightly off as he stated the recruiting party set sail for American in early 1778 and landed at Long Island. However, there is enough detail to figure out where he fought and remarked on. A few times he called out the British army's dishonorable actions of threatening civilians and plundering their wares. He despised it. Especially at Tapaan, New Jersey.

“...our savage fellow soldiers were butchering, were sufficient to have melted into compassion the heart of a Turk or Tartar

Let Britain boast no more of her honour, her scince [sic], her civilization.”

Shaw describes the acts as barbarism and repulsed the idea that the army had any deserving qualities at this point, and he had only just started his service. At times he compliments the Americans for a good fight, and how the defended themselves against the British army. He wrote down the losses the British sustained at the Siege of Charleston in 1780, especially of the 33rd’s, and that the capture had been won with a heavy price. He also wrote down the hard ships of being a soldier: the hunger from the lack of food, the marching, and his time of being a prisoner of war.

Lamb does remark the Americans as his enemies several times and takes great pride in a British victory. There's a bit of a feeling of redemption after the British victory at Camden. Lamb at this point is serving with the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers. Take note, he started with the 9th regiment, which had been captured after the surrender of Burgoyne in 1777. He escapes and runs away in late 1778 when the Convention Army moved south to take imprisonment in Virginia. Lamb manages to find a British camp and soon joins the 23rd as a sergeant. General Gates, who lost to General Cornwallis at the Battle of Camden, had been one of the leaders at Saratoga and the Burgoyne's surrender. Lamb felt the British earned the win at Camden and restored glory and triumphant feelings in the army.

His accounts have a fairhand at them. While he covers the battles and events with a British army view point he did include some biographies and words on leaders in the American army such as General Pulaski. Lamb even commented on Gates' suspension after the loss at Camden with a somewhat pointed quip of "So much for a grateful republican government." However, he knew what the war did to the British government and treasury, and noted the expense of Britain's struggle to quell the rebellion with exhaustion of resources and "the cause of Britain not in the least bit forwarded." Lamb had great pride in his regiment and battle wins but wrote his doubts on the impact they had overall. At this point, the war had been going on for about five years and no sign of stopping. When the French and Spanish joined after 1777, the British military had to stretch itself to cover the territories and fight in America.

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