Review: Tories Fighting for the King in America's First Civil War, Liberty's Exiles American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World, the Civil War of 1812 American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, & Indian Allies

Abstract

TORIES Fighting for the King in America's First Civil War Thomas B. Alien New York: HarperCollins, 2010. 468pp, $18.99 paper. ISBN 978-0061241802LIBERTY'S EXILES American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World Maya Jasanoff New York: Knopf, 2011. 46opp, $30.00 doth. ISBN 978-1400041688THE CIVIL WAR OF 1812 American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, e[ Indian Allies Alan New York: Knopf, 2010. 62opp, $18.00 paper. ISBN 978-1400042654The adage that everybody loves a winner certainly rings true when one considers the long and mostly one-sided historiography of the American revolution. Since the i8th century the patriots have enjoyed not only the most favourable attention, but most of the attention, period. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that historians have typically depicted the revolution as a mortal struggle between gallant, freedom-loving Americans and sneering, freedom-denying Britons. This distortion has obscured the fundamental truth that it was just as much a civil war, one fought bitterly between American patriots and American loyalists. The losers, the loyalists, have been neglected by historians (except in Canada, to some extent, where they have been recast as winners because of their role in building postwar British North America). Even in Canada, however, the story of the loyalists has hardly been a hot academic topic in recent years.This lack of interest in the loyalists means that many misconceptions remain about who they were, what they stood for, and what their long-term significance was. Fortunately, three new books by American historians, each covering a different chapter of the story, aim to correct the record. Thomas B. Alien's Tones details the extensive civilian and military involvement of loyalists in the revolution itself. Maya JasanofPs Liberty's Exiles traces the divergent paths of the tens of thousands of loyalists who left their homes during and shortly after the revolution and resettled throughout the British empire. Alan Taylor s The Civil War 0/1812 demonstrates that the divided loyalties that characterized the revolutionary era carried over into the next, in a war that helped to define national identities on both sides of the CanadianAmerican border. Each book is well worth reading in its own right. Read collectively, the three works will give even the most knowledgeable reader a refreshing new appreciation of the arduous life stories - and complex, often conflicting views - of the loyalists.It makes sense to read and review the books in chronological order, beginning with Tones. Alien's eclectic body of work spans topics as disparate as The Bonus Army: An American Epic (with Paul Dickson); Possessed, an account of the events that inspired the 19705 book and film The Exorcist; and illustrated works about the natural including The Shark Almanac. His latest effort is, without question, a serious historical study. It is based on archival research, published collections of documents and correspondence, and the immense array of professional and hobbyist websites devoted to the American revolution. Everything has been carefully footnoted and the bibliography is extensive, though he relies perhaps a bit too heavily on the websites.Alien deserves credit for bringing to light the substantial part that the loyalists played in supporting Great Britain during the revolution. This is an important task for two reasons: American authors tend to ignore loyalists, and Canadian authors tend to pick up their story only after their exile to British North America. He tells their story chronologically, starting in 1769 and building dramatic tension as he explains how the political situation deteriorated in the 13 colonies, culminating in the outbreak of hostilities in 1774. Even before the shot heard round the world, Americans were being forced into with-us-or-against-us identities as either patriots or loyalists. Alien clearly sympathizes with the individuals who welcomed political reforms but could not break their ties to the crown, despite threats of violence from their neighbours. …