Patriot vs Loyalist

American Revolution 1775–83

Patriot vs Loyalist cover

Description

Following the American Declaration of Independence, communities from Boston to Savannah were forced to make a choice: to strike out for an independent republic, or remain true to the British Crown. This study explores the origins, methods, and combat record of the combatants on both sides.

The American Revolutionary War was America's first civil war. As the conflict raged from Canada to the Caribbean and from India to Gibraltar, it was in American communities that the war was the most intimate, the most personal, and -- accordingly -- the most vicious.

In 1775, the inhabitants of British America included those born in North America and newly arrived immigrants; the established landed aristocracy and the indigent; the diverse nations of the Native Americans; and people of African descent, both slave and free. The coming of war forced every person to make the choice of whether to side with the Patriots or remain loyal to the British Crown. With so many cross-cutting imperatives, the individual decisions made splintered communities, sometimes even households, turning neighbor against neighbor in an escalating spiral of ostracism, embargo, exile, raid, reprisal, and counter-reprisal. Accordingly, the war on the frontiers and on the margins of conflict was as underhanded and ugly as any of the 21st century's insurgencies. In this study, the origins, fighting methods, and combat effectiveness of the combatants fighting on both sides are assessed, notably in three significant clashes of the American Revolutionary War: the long struggle for Westchester County, New York, in 1776–83; the battle of Oriskany, August 6, 1777; and the battle of Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780.

Table of Contents

Introduction
The Opposing Sides
Westchester County, 1776-83
Oriskany, August 6, 1777
Kings Mountain, October 7, 1780
Analysis
Aftermath
Select Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published Feb 15 2022
Format Paperback
Edition 1st
Extent 80
ISBN 9781472844200
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations Colour artwork plates and maps; black & white and colour photographs and illustrations.
Dimensions 10 x 7 inches
Series Combat
Short code CBT 62
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Si Sheppard

London-born Si Sheppard completed his Bachelors an…

Illustrator

Adam Hook

Adam Hook studied graphic design, and began his wo…

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