"However they spared their violence for the military forces of Britain and did not target civilians."
Baloney. We even have a word whose origin springs from the targetting of a particular group of civilians based on their political beliefs: <a href="http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/ah_055200_lynching.htm>lynch.
War is hell, no matter whose hagiography is involved.
Regards--
Mary Anne