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Patriots included a cross-section of the population of the Thirteen Colonies and came from varying backgrounds. Roughly 40 to 45 percent of the white population in the Thirteen Colonies supported the patriots' cause, between 15 and 20 percent supported the Loyalists, and the remainder were neutral or kept a low profile regarding their loyalties ...
The Loyalists thought that the Patriots were panicking, as they had at Camden. The Loyalists began to advance, and Tarleton ordered one of the impetuous charges for which the British Legion was famous. The Loyalists ran into massed Patriot fire, and then were taken on their flank by an expertly timed Patriot cavalry charge.
Both Loyalists and Patriots were a "mixed lot", [144] [145] but ideological demands always came first. The Patriots viewed independence as a means to gain freedom from British oppression and to reassert their basic rights. Most yeomen farmers, craftsmen, and small merchants joined the Patriot cause to demand more political equality.
Loyalists were colonists in the Thirteen Colonies who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolution, often referred to as Tories, [1] [2] Royalists, or King's Men at the time. They were opposed by the Patriots or Whigs, who supported the revolution and considered them "persons inimical to the liberties of America." [3]
The second was a civil war between American Patriots, American Loyalists, and those who preferred to remain neutral. Particularly in the south, many battles were fought between Patriots and Loyalists with no British involvement, leading to divisions that continued after independence was achieved. [270]
About 5,000 white Loyalists went to Florida (then a Spanish possession), bringing along their slaves who numbered about 6,500. About 7,000 Whites and 5,000 free Blacks went to Britain. [2] A recent study increases the estimate to the traditional figure of 100 000. [3] The departing Loyalists were offered free land in British North America.
It proved controversial among Patriots when compensation to Loyalists became part of the peace agreement after the Revolutionary War. [ 46 ] Those who fought as members of the Continental Army benefited from the revolution, as they were predominantly working-class men who were able to meaningfully influence their government for the first time.
After two days the Loyalists withdrew. 4 Loyalists were killed, and 20 were wounded. The patriots lost only 1 soldier and 12 others were wounded. The Patriots also withdrew toward the coast, but a major Patriot expedition not long after resulted in the arrest or flight of most of the Loyalist leadership.