The Tar and Feathering of George Hewes by Phillip Dawe
A great deal of history is told from the Patriots' side
of the story, and with good reason. Without the
efforts made by the Founding Fathers, there would
never have been a United States of America. Yet,
choosing to go against King and country, and join a
cause that at the time seemed hopeless, wasn't the
most simple of decisions. At the time, England was
the strongest empire in the world, and promised
prosperity and longevity to all the colonies who
would support her. The Loyalists who believed in
this promise were also known as "Tories" and
"King's Men."
One of the most prominent group of Loyalists were,
maybe not surprisingly, the African-American slave
population. The British promised them freedom and
station in Great Britain in return for their support
during the Revolutionary War. It gave many slaves
the opportunity to start over, and begin a new life for
themselves away from the days of slavery in the United States.
The Loyalists are men whose names have been largely erased from history on this side
of the Atlantic as they were seen as traitors to the cause. In the late Eighteenth century,
Loyalists were driven from their homes, their estates burned, and many were tarred and
feathered. This practice was not supported by many of the Founding Fathers, because
they believed that such behavior would hurt their case.
Here is a list of a few of the men who stood with England in opposition to the case for
independence.
John Malcolm (2 May 1769 - 30 May 1833) was a sea captain, army officer, and
British customs official who was the victim of the most publicized tarring and feathering
incident during the American Revolution. It is he who is depicted in the painting above, a
print by British artist Philip Dawe published in Great Britain. Malcolm was subjected to
the treatment twice, with the second one being the more brutal. An angry mob dragged
him from his home in the middle of the night after a fight with Patriot George Hewes.
They tarred and feathered him and threatened to cut off his ears. To avoid this fate, he
promised to resign his post as customs official and returned to England. He died in 1788
in Great Britain.
Lt. Col. James Chalmers (1734 - Oct 3, 1806) was a Commander of First Battalion of
Maryland Loyalists and the author of a pamphlet entitled "Plain Truth" in 1776. The
pamphlet was written to oppose the work of American Rebel supporter Thomas Paine,
"Common Sense," which argued that Great Britain did not have the right to govern
America. Chalmers wrote under the pseudonym "Candidus", so he wouldn't be found
out. Because he was seen to be on both sides of the conflict, he wasn't respected by
other British Military commanders. Also, "Plain Truth" did little to quiet the waves of
revolution which were already stirring. After the war, Chalmers returned to London
where he lived out the rest of his life, continuing to write pamphlets against the works of
Paine.
Joseph Brant
John Butler (1728-1796) was the commanding Colonel of Butler's Rangers in the
Mohawk Valley, a regiment of Tories and former Black slaves fighting in the American
Revolutionary War on the side of the British. Butler and his regiment were held primarily
responsible for the Wyoming Valley Massacre of July, 1778. At Wyoming Valley, Butler's
Rangers and the Seneca who fought alongside took 227 scalps, and burned 1,000
houses. His son Walter would go on to do even greater damage at Cherry Valley in
November of the same year. After the year, Butler returned to farming in Southern
Ontario. He went onto play a large part in the development of that area.
Sir John Johnson
Joseph Brant (Thayendenegea) (March 1743 - November 24,
1807) was a Mohawk war leader who fought on the side of the
British during the American Revolutionary War. Brant was the most
famous American-Indian of his time, and his education and
connections allowed him to achieve what he did during his lifetime.
He was often blamed for the massacres at Cherry Valley and
Wyoming Valley, even though he had been one of the few who
tried to stop the attacks from escalating. These false accusations
granted him the nickname "Monster Grant." After the war, he spent
his days clearing his name and aiding the development of his
people. He died in his home at Lake Ontario in 1807.
William Franklin
Sir John Johnson (November 5, 1741 - January 4, 1830)
was commander of the King's Royal Regiment of New York
and Canadian politician. Fearing for his life, Sir John removed
to Canada at the start of the American Revolutionary War. His
wife, Lady Johnson, was held hostage by the Colonists in
New York for that year to ensure Johnson's "good behavior."
Later, he formed the King's Royal Regiment, which was
significant n the siege of Fort Stanwix. At the end of the war,
he was forced into permanent exile in Canada.
Thomas Hutchinson
William Franklin (ca. 1730 - 17 November 1813) was the
Governor of New Jersey, the illegitmate son of Benjamin
Franklin, and a staunch Loyalist throughout his lifetime. William
and his steadfast Patriot father, Benjamin, would never be able to
overcome their differences in opinion. William was imprisoned
during the War for Independence and later exiled to London,
never to return to the Colonies.
Thomas Hutchinson (September 9, 1711 - June 3,1780) was a
leading Boston merchant from an old American family, who
served as governor of Massachusetts. Viewed as pro-British by
some citizens of Boston, Hutchinson's house was looted and
burned in 1765 by an angry crowd in protest against the Stamp
Act. Hutchinson and fellow Loyalist Sir Francis Bernard had
tried to dissuade Britain from levying both the Sugar and the
Stamp Act, but their voices were not heard. Because Hutchinson
would stand against the acts in public, the Colonists believed
Hutchinson was not on their side. As matters escalated,
Hutchinson was eventually forced into exile in England.
Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike
License 3.0.
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