Loyalists in the American Revolution

August 22, 2003 7:38 AM

Loyalists in the American Revolution. Compelled to leave their homes in the Thirteen Colonies for their loyalty to the Crown, many of them settled in Canada. Also: Loyalist Regiments, Black Loyalists, Loyalist Songs, Reenactment groups, Indian Loyalists, and assorted personalities.
posted by pooligan (11 comments total)

so loyalist where IN the revolution. Hmmm, what did they do, i know they where spying, crown sucking scum whom where hung by trees.
posted by clavdivs at 8:12 AM on August 22, 2003

This is neat pooligan. I just finished up a book about the Ohio River valley during the revolution. Alexander McKee and Simon Girty were among the notable loyalists who ended up in Canada. On the other side of it, I work about 400 yards from the western edge of the Refugee Tract, a land grant to Canadians and Nova Scotians who sided with the Revolution. 67 families qualified for and claimed land. More here, halfway down.

Claudivs, the two I mentioned above worked as Indian agents for the crown and participated in battles and sieges on the side of the Shawnee, Delaware, and Miami. Girty was particularly vilified as the worst traitor against America in its history, and helped hand the American army the worst defeat in its history in 1791.
I have a hard time judging him quite so harshly. Anyway, he died peacfully in Canada in 1818.

Cheers pooligan. Nice stuff.
posted by putzface_dickman at 8:24 AM on August 22, 2003

There were, of course, Loyalist Civilians, in numbers probably greater than the military, but the material contained within is geared predominately towards the military.

Pity, the civilian side really fascinates me. I wonder, do loyalist civilians still exist today? Like those who fly the Confederate battle flag and proclaim the "South shall rise again", are there any who hoist the Union Jack and shout "the crown shall rule again"?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 8:26 AM on August 22, 2003

PST, I wrote a short story about such a person several years back, although I can't say that I've met any such actual person. That came out of an admission that I likey would have been a tory if I'd lived during that time.

The term "lynching" reportedly comes from the name of judge at the end of the Revolution who meted out a decidedly final policy for ensuring that his belief that the number of loyalists in his community should be lower.

On the frontier- western PA, VA (now WV), and KY, civilian loyalist were either a) merchants who were making lucrative trades among the Indians, or b) people who felt that the rights of the tribes to the lands they lived on should be respected. In other words, almost nobody. If Ohio hadn't looked like such good farmland, I'd guess that more would have sided with George III.
posted by putzface_dickman at 8:52 AM on August 22, 2003

and helped hand the American army the worst defeat in its history in 1791. and British agents helped start the Whiskey Rebellion...the largest rebellion in Americas history....to that date.
posted by clavdivs at 8:54 AM on August 22, 2003

Most interesting - thanks pooligan.
posted by plep at 9:43 AM on August 22, 2003

Re :- Loyalists in the US today. Yes, there are a number of American Orange Lodges with connections to the Orange Order in Northern Ireland - here's a page of links. (Worldview alert - the page is on orangenet.org; disclaimer - I have very little time for the Orange ideology - the link's there for information though).

During the Troubles, some Irish-American groups provided funds and support for the IRA; at the same time, there were persistent rumours of Loyalist groups within the United States providing support for Loyalist terrorists. Ian Paisley - the hardline (many say bigoted) Democratic Unionist politician has close links with fundamentalists in the Bible Belt of the US (and I believe also holds an honorary doctorate from Bob Jones University).
posted by plep at 10:13 AM on August 22, 2003

Ian Paisley - the hardline (many say bigoted)

The author of 'The Pope is the Antichrist' is a bigot you say?

spying, crown sucking scum whom where hung by trees.

Clavdivs: Have you been watching 'Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers' again?
posted by biffa at 11:18 AM on August 22, 2003

We had a political union at my University here in the States that had multiple political parties. One of them was the Tory Party, which used the Loyalist/Tory flag as there symbol, 13 red and white stripes, but a Union Jack where the stars should be. Now, of course, I don't think any members of the Tory Party actually wished our country was still ruled by the UK, but it was funny none-the-less.
posted by pjgulliver at 11:19 AM on August 22, 2003

The Orange Order doesn't seem to have a lodge in Boston. Go figure...
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:25 PM on August 22, 2003

i have not seen two towers
i read the book
but am going to buy it tuesday.
hanging spies in trees is very common.

thank you
come again
posted by clavdivs at 4:20 PM on August 22, 2003