Maryland Loyalists in the American Revolution

By M. Christopher New

Maryland Loyalists in the American Revolution tells the story of Marylanders who could not engage in the passionate rebellion that was breaking out all around them. Although most were nearly as disillusioned with England as their rebel counterparts, the loyalists held their ground and refused to join in an armed conflict with the mother country. More than three hundred Eastern Shore men joined the First Battalion of Maryland Loyalists, a provincial red-coat regiment raised in 1777. Their tale is tragic. They were ill-used by the British high command and shipped off to Florida to fight England's enemy, Spain. Many lost their homes and jobs; some were banished to Nova Scotia. Their thoughts and reasons for siding with England were brushed aside, their regiment seldom mentioned, their struggles and hardships forgotten. Using rare and previously unpublished documents, muster rolls, and letters, the author examines the words and deeds of these forgotten Marylanders. M. Christopher New has uncovered a fascinating chapter of American history.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0870334956
• ISBN13: 9780870334955
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Adds a new dimension...

This is one of those books that truly added a new dimension to my understanding of American History. I'd recommend this book for anyone who has ever visited the Liberty Bell, hummed Yankee Doodle or read the Declaration of Independence. Examining the motivation and the outcome of those Colonists who chose to support the British against their next-door neighbors really added another layer to my appreciation for the magnitude of the actions that resulted in American independence. (The Civil War wasn't the first war in the US to pit neighbor against neighbor.) The author does a great job of placing context around the day-to-day, as well as the life-changing decisions made by the early American settlers as everyone was faced with "choosing sides". Not a boring text-book, but an engaging, well-documented story about a little-known aspect of American history. If you like to gain insight by looking at history from all sides of the story this book will appeal to you. I really enjoyed it.

One of those great "I didn't know that!" kind of books.

Truthfully, I've never really been interested in the American Revolution by this book dragged me kicking and screaming into the middle of what the author calls "America's First Civil War". New is interested in the nobodys, the people who didn't make it in the history books. I mean, yeah, yeah, we all know about Washington. Washington did this, Washington did that, blah, blah, blah. This book, though, took me into the life of the common loyalist soldier -- something I sure didn't know about. I also liked New's style. He doesn't write like some snubby academic. This loyalist history is real accessible to anyone curious to know something about history. I definitely recommmend it