Revolutionary War Question

[dolphinboy]

When the Revolutionary War in America first broke out were the British loyalists rounded up and arrested, or summarily executed as traitors, or allowed to leave for Canada and other countries in relative peace? And what happened to loyalists that decided, for whatever reason, to stay and not flee?

[Loach]

Here is a good place to start. It is Wikipedia but this article is pretty extensively cited.

[greenslime1951]

Pretty much throughout the war, the colonies were divided: about 1/3 of the people were in active rebellion, 1/3 remained loyal to the crown, and 1/3 didn’t choose a side. The revolutionaries couldn’t possibly have rounded up all the loyalists, even if they had wanted to.

The revolutionaries didn’t consider the loyalists “traitors,” any more than they considered themselves to be. They considered themselves to have been forced to take the road of declaring independence when they were continually denied what they saw as the rights of British subjects; they resented being treated as second-class citizens. Therefore, they didn’t want to antagonize or drive away the loyalists, given that they considered them to be their social and political equals, albeit with different allegiances.

[Nametag]

From Wikipedia:

By July 4, 1776, the Patriots had gained control of virtually all territory in the 13 colonies, and expelled all royal officials. No one who openly proclaimed their loyalty to the Crown was allowed to remain, so for the moment, Loyalists fled or kept quiet.

Historian Robert Calhoon wrote in 2000, concerning the proportion of Loyalists to Patriots in the Thirteen Colonies:

Historians’ best estimates put the proportion of adult white male loyalists somewhere between 15 and 20 percent. Approximately half the colonists of European ancestry tried to avoid involvement in the struggle — some of them deliberate pacifists, others recent immigrants, and many more simple apolitical folk. The patriots received active support from perhaps 40 to 45 percent of the white populace, and at most no more than a bare majority.

Before Calhoon’s work, estimates of the Loyalist share of the population were somewhat higher, with a commonly cited figure of one-third, but these are no longer accepted by most scholars. Adams did indeed estimate in another letter of that year that in the American Revolution, the Patriots had to struggle against approximately one-third of the population, while they themselves constituted about two-thirds of it; he did not mention neutrals. In 1968 historian Paul H. Smith estimated there were about 500,000 Loyalists, or 16% of the white population.

In areas under rebel control, Loyalists were subject to confiscation of property, and outspoken supporters of the king were threatened with public humiliation such as tarring and feathering, or physical attack. It is not known how many Loyalist civilians were harassed by the Patriots, but the treatment was a warning to other Loyalists not to take up arms. […] For actively aiding the British army when it occupied Philadelphia, two residents of the city would be executed by returning Patriot forces.

[dolphinboy]

Wasn’t there some kind of conscription at the time? What happened if a male of fighting age refused to join the continental army? That would certainly ferret out any loyalists men you were ‘laying low’.

[dtilque]

@dolphinboy

Wasn’t there some kind of conscription at the time? What happened if a male of fighting age refused to join the continental army? That would certainly ferret out any loyalists men you were ‘laying low’.

Ther was no conscription by the insurgents. The first conscription in the US happened during the Civil War.

[wedgehed]

In researching my family tree, I found evidence of several possible relations who served on one side or the other.

One was a captain of patriot militia. He’s mentioned in pension applications of soldiers who served under him.

Two others deserted the patriot militia.

Another was a loyalist who had his property in Georgia confiscated by the Revolutionary Committee. He later appealed this decision. I don’t know the outcome.

Last, I found one who served as a captain of loyalist militia. He was captured by patriots in SC & lynched on the spot. To make it more amusing, they left his hands & feet unbound so he could struggle longer.

[Mk_VII]

Somewhere near Hartford, Conn. I recall visiting a mine that had been used in revolutionary times to imprison ‘Tories’ (something that has a different meaning here). Planes from Bradley Field were taking off overhead most of the time.