Tag: Loyalists

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William Taylor: Loyalist Refugee in East Florida

During the War for American Independence, displaced Loyalists from the southern colonies sought refuge in East Florida. Due to a large influx of refugees, the towns of Hillsborough and St. Johns, both towns built in Northern Florida, were erected; the former was built at the modern day Old Town Fernandina on Amelia Island.[1]Refugees like Louis […]

by George Kotlik
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Patrick Tonyn: Britain’s Most Effective Revolutionary-Era Royal Governor

Even among historians of the American Revolution, the name of East Florida’s royal governor, Patrick Tonyn, is all but unknown. However, Tonyn proved himself to be the crown’s most effective governor in mainland North America during the Revolutionary era. Tonyn’s leadership was not only instrumental in maintaining British control of East Florida, but he also […]

by Jim Piecuch
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The Loyalist Raid on Newtown: The Consequences of Being Surprised

The small village of Newtown played a noteworthy role during the American Revolution from the time when General Washington’s army retreated in 1776 across New Jersey into Pennsylvania through the British occupation of American capital of Philadelphia until mid-1778. This was due to its geographical location in Bucks County, having been since 1726 the seat […]

by Andrew A. Zellers-Frederick
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The Loyalist Guides of Lexington and Concord

When Parliament passed the Boston Port Bill in 1774, in an attempt to break the Massachusetts colonists of their resistance to crown policy, it also authorized Gen. Thomas Gage to undertake any military measures necessary to help bring the colony under control.  Gage quickly responded by requesting naval warships be sent to the New Hampshire […]

by Alexander Cain
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The Loyalist Exodus of 1778

In March 1778, several hundred South Carolina Loyalists began a march to the British province of East Florida to seek refuge from persecution and assist the British. Their successful effort threw the Whigs of South Carolina and Georgia into a panic and provided a valuable accession of military manpower to East Florida. The Loyalists’ actions […]

by Jim Piecuch
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The American Vicars of Bray

Loyalists, those Americans who openly supported the British Government during the American Revolution, have been largely assumed to have had unchanging allegiance during the conflict; once a Loyalist, always a Loyalist. Similarly, those supporters of Congress and the new United States are assumed to have been constant in their beliefs throughout the war, with one […]

by Todd W. Braisted
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Top 10 American Loyalist Officers

Many historical accounts over look the impact of American loyalist military leaders and their revolutionary war contributions to the British cause.  50,000 or more soldiers in loyalist combat units actively participated in most major revolutionary battles throughout North America[1].  In addition to much needed combat power, they provided valuable scouting, battlefield intelligence and geographic knowledge. […]

by Gene Procknow
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The Making of a Loyalist

By 1773, Creek Indians in Georgia had run up debts with traders far larger than any amount they could pay.  The colony pressed the issue on behalf of its traders and worked out a land deal whereby the Creeks made a large tract of land west of Augusta available for settlement.  In return, the colony […]

by Wayne Lynch
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When were they Patriots and Loyalists?

At what point during the American Revolution is it most acceptable to classify colonists as either Patriots or Loyalists?   1776.  Before this, many people who were indisputably Patriots (John Dickinson, James Wilson) were also loyal; in fact, most still professed loyalty.  They were being forced to make choices in 1773, 1774, 1775—but after July […]

by Editors
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Establishing the Tory Myth

Our understanding of loyalists in the American Revolution is a relic of the eighteenth-century turn from what one might call “constitutional sense” to a more “revolutionary sensibility” in Anglo-American political culture, a shift further reinforced by romantic nineteenth-century writers.[i]  To understand them as they saw themselves unfurls a rather different historical narrative. For most men […]

by Taylor Stoermer
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Loyalist Leadership in the Revolutionary South

The historical debate concerning the Loyalists in the Revolutionary South has generally focused on matters such as the Loyalists’ numbers and motivations. While these are issues deserve study, one aspect of the Loyalists’ role in the southern campaign has received far less attention: that of leadership. The British government’s “Southern Strategy” depended to a great […]

by Jim Piecuch
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Portraits of Southern Partisans: Likenesses of Thomas Brown and Elijah Clarke

The battles of and between English born merchant Loyalist partisan Thomas Brown and illiterate native North Carolina American guerilla Elijah Clarke lacks for nothing, including drama. These two men fought each other more than once in a clash of their very different respective cultures/politics in Georgia and Florida. They fought many other battles at the […]

by Robert Scott Davis
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John Adams’s Rule of Thirds

Dear Mr. History: I often hear that John Adams estimated that one-third of Americans supported the Revolution, one-third opposed it, and one-third was neutral.  That doesn’t seem right to me.  Does that mean that the Loyalist and Patriot efforts were about equal?  Was Adams correct in this?  Sincerely, One-third Skeptical Dear One-Third: Don’t hang your […]

by Michael Schellhammer