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Thomas B. Allen
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Tories: Fighting for the King in America's First Civil War Paperback – November 22, 2011

by Mr. Thomas B Allen (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 132 ratings
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From historian Thomas B. Allen, author of Remember Pearl Harbor and George Washington, Spy Master comes a sweeping, dramatic history of the Americans who fought alongside the British on the losing side of the American Revolution. Allen’s compelling account comprises an epic story with a personal core, an American narrative certain to spellbind readers of Tom Fleming, David McCullough, and Joseph Ellis. The first book in over thirty years on this topic in Revolution War history, Tories incorporates new research and previously unavailable material drawn from foreign archives, telling the riveting story of bitter internecine conflict during the tumultuous birth of a nation.

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  1. Print length
    496 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harper Paperbacks
  4. Publication date
    November 22, 2011
  5. Dimensions
    5.31 x 1.12 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0061241814
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0061241819
  8. See all details
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  1. By some counts, about 80,000 Tories left the colonies—proportionally, six times the number of people who fled France during the French Revolution.
    Highlighted by 52 Kindle readers
  2. Religion remained an issue as colonists took sides in the 1770s, when virtually every Anglican clergyman in America became a Loyalist, and Presbyterians were labeled Rebels.
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The American Revolution was not simply a battle between the independence-minded colonists and the oppressive British. As Thomas B. Allen reminds us, it was also a savage and often deeply personal civil war, in which conflicting visions of America pitted neighbor against neighbor and Patriot against Tory on the battlefield, on the village green, and even in church.

In this outstanding and vital history, Allen tells the complete story of the Tories, tracing their lives and experiences throughout the revolutionary period. Based on documents in archives from Nova Scotia to London, Tories adds a fresh perspective to our knowledge of the Revolution and sheds an important new light on the little-known figures whose lives were forever changed when they remained faithful to their mother country.

About the Author

Thomas B. Allen is the author of numerous history books, including George Washington, Spymaster and Remember Valley Forge. A frequent contributor to Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Military History Quarterly, Military History, Naval History, the U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings, and other publications, he lives in Bethesda, Maryland.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (November 22, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061241814
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061241819
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 1.12 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 132 ratings

About the author

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Thomas B. Allen

Thomas B. Allen

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I have been writing since my teen years, when I covered high school sports for my hometown newspaper, The Herald, in Bridgeport, Conn.

I continued working at the paper while I was in college. In the mid-1950s I began working for The New York Daily News, writing feature stories. In 1963, I left The News, going to Chilton Books in Philadelphia, and then to the National Geographic Book Division. I began freelancing in 1981, but I continued contributing to Geographic publications.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
132 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Daniel Hurley
5.0 out of 5 stars The Revolution, American versus American, The First Civil War
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2011
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Excellent look at the war of the Americans, a true Civil War of Americans with the British on the Tory side. Allen provides a fascinating history of the battles between the patriots, often termed rebels by the British and the Tories who preferred to be called Loyalists. The battle between neighbors, former friends was often violent towards each other to extreme measures literally involving burning of towns, pillaging and in some cases on the spot hangings. Significant populations of tories existed in Boston and in particularly New York and New Jersey and in the Carolinas.. The areas in NY and NJ between the large area between the British and Washington's army was called neutral ground where forces from either side, particularly tory units and patriots; literally fighting as semi-guerilla fighting, raids and an added opportunist group of virtual outlaws that would rob and kill either for any gain. The plague of either side were spies and individuals who would change sides based on circumstance or economics. Famous notorious tories included Joseph Galloway, a member of the first Continental Congress and William Franklin, Ben Franklin's son. Atrocities were committed on both sides particularly in revenge for a horrendous act by the opponent. Most puzzling was the violent treatment rendered to patriots led by New York (former governor of NC) governor Tyron who wages violent retribution against complete patriot towns that included burning homes, pillaging, rape and unnecessary violence towards helpless victims. This was supported and replicated by Franklin, Galloway and in the south by British officer Banastre Tarleton who led forces in a reported massacre in the Carolinas. This combined with Indian forces accompanying Johnny Burgoyne who killed not only numerous colonists but several women that became notable rallying cries for local patriots. These extraordinary measures, perhaps motivated by personal loss that turned to hated, seems to have ruined the British chances of winning the war in the middle to late stages when the Continental armies seemed to be on their last legs. Even late in the war, it wasn't clear who to trust such as the actions of Continental General Charles Lee at the Battle of Monmouth or the actions of one of the patriots greatest generals, Benedict Arnold. Allen covers this history from the beginnings of independence to the final declaration of peace resulting in the evacuation of NYC. A testament to the harshness between each side is exemplified by General Putnam's letter to Tyron:

Sir- Nathan Palmer, a lieutenant in your king's service, was taken in my camp as a spy. He was tried as a spy; condemned as a spy, and you may rest assured sir, he shall be hanged as a spy. I have the honor to be, &c, Israel Putnam P.S. Afternoon. He is hanged.

One of the best and most interesting books on the American Revolution.
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Kelley Ridings
4.0 out of 5 stars A book that will forever change your view of of the American Revolution
Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2013
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Thomas Allen's book offers brilliant insight into the American Revolution. After my having studied history for the last 30 years, this book has made me profoundly reconsider what being a Patriot meant in that era. Traditional history downplays the conflict between Loyalists and Patriots. I had always thought that the Revolution was largely a fight between the British and the Patriots, with the Loyalists caught in between. After reading Allen's book, I now see I couldn't be more wrong. The level of violence and vitriol that the Patriots and the Loyalists displayed each other was simply horrifying. The hatred each side had for the other is equally akin to that of revolutionaries in France during the Reign of Terror. This book is rife with accounts that are shocking as acts of brutality toward fellow Americans, albeit ones with different political views. Because of the new insight this book has on a little known story in American history, Allen deserves great credit for penning a well researched and important book. The failings of this book stems from Allen's stream of consciousness style when writing. He jumped chronologically many times, which was confusing and difficult to follow at times. Also, strictly as a knock against this Kindle version of this book, this was one of the poorest edited e-books I've ever read. Words were run together numerous times, which significantly slowed down the readability of this book. Also, new paragraphs started mid-sentence inexplicably. If I had to rate just the Kindle book features alone, I'd rate this with 2 stars, because sad to say, I've seen worse, but this still wasn't a well done e-book version.
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timcon1964
5.0 out of 5 stars The Revolutionary War as America's First Civil War
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2017
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As author Thomas Allen observes, Americans have selective memories regarding the Revolutionary War. Soon after the war, the victorious rebels began “to forgive—and forget—the Tories. They would call the Revolution a war between Americans and the British, losing from their collective memory the fact that much of the fighting had been between Americans and Americans.” In fact, as Tories’ subtitle indicates, it was a civil war.

Not surprisingly, the attitude of most colonists toward the mother country did not suddenly shift from loyalty to hostility. Even most Patriots initially sought reform rather than independence. During the war, Americans remained sharply divided. (It is well to remember that, if the rebels had lost, which at times seemed likely, we might remember the Loyalists as “Patriots” and the rebels as traitors.)

We shall probably never know the proportions of Americans who supported each side. It appears that only a minority of Americans provided strong support to either Patriots or Tories. Many Americans provided only lukewarm support to one side or the other. Many favored neither side and preferred to remain altogether out of the conflict. Documentary records regarding this issue are very limited. The British may have offered better incentives—land grants to whites, freedom to slaves—to potential soldiers than did the Patriots. To a significant extent, Americans chose to support the side they expected to win; and this varied during the war.

Members of the Anglican Church generally supported the Tories, whereas Presbyterians sided with the Patriots. Those of Scotch ancestry tended to assist the Tories, while those of Scotch-Irish descent joined the Patriots. Hudson Valley aristocrats supported the Patriots, while their tenants sided with the Tories. Sometimes political loyalties seemed to coincide with geography. In some towns, loyalties were sharply divided. But the Tories were so dominant in New York City that Washington wanted to burn down the town. Tories were strong throughout New York state. The state contributed more soldiers to the Loyalists than to the Continental Army. Tories were also strong in some parts of New Jersey. But there were significant exceptions to all these tendencies.

There were divisions, not only between families (the Livingstons were Patriots, the DeLanceys were Tories), but also within families: Ruth, wife of James Otis, whose oratory laid the groundwork for rebellion, was a Tory. One of Otis’ daughters married a British officer, another daughter married a Continental army officer. Benjamin Franklin’s son William remained loyal to the mother country. And there were prominent Patriots who changed sides: Joseph Galloway, a member of second Continental Congress, later served as a government administrator and Superintendent of Police in Philadelphia when it was under British rule. (He was later convicted of treason by the Pennsylvania General Assembly). Benjamin Church, who had been active with the Sons of Liberty, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety, and chief physician for Continental Army, later spied for British General Gage. (He was eventually banished from Massachusetts). Of course, there was also the famous case of Benedict Arnold.

The book’s organization is largely chronological, beginning with colonists’ resistance to British policies in the 1760s and 1770s, and moving on to Lexington, Concord, and the various battles of the Revolutionary War, with emphasis on Loyalist involvement in these events. Allen describes the British occupation of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. Unlike most histories of the Revolutionary War, he gives little attention to many of the war’s well-known battles, and instead analyzes conflicts on the New York-Canada frontier, the so-called Neutral Ground in New Jersey, and in Georgia and the Carolinas. He describes the recruitment and activities of various Loyalist military units, and the roles of Indians and African Americans in the war.

There were actually two wars—the one we remember, and the ongoing war in the shadows. Allen’s book focuses on the latter. Much of the fighting by both sides was characterized by intimidation, harassment, banishment, confiscation, and various atrocities. After witnessing the war in the South, General Nathanael Greene reported that, “The division among the people is much greater than I imagined and the Whigs [Patriots] and Tories persecute each other, with little less than savage fury. There is nothing but murders, and devastation in every quarter.” Each side tended to deny the legitimacy of the other. In an angry moment, Washington suggested shooting some of the “most notorious” Tories. “This summary punishment inflicted on a few leading traitors will probably strike terror into others and deter them from exposing themselves to a similar fate.”

The book includes an interesting chapter on the fate of Loyalists after the war. Many moved to Canada; and their descendants constitute a significant proportion of modern Canada’s population. For an outstanding discussion of this subject, see  Liberty's Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World .

Allen has published books about the Revolutionary War ( George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War ), ( Remember Valley Forge: Patriots, Tories, and Redcoats Tell Their Stories  ), and on the Civil War ( Mr. Lincoln's High-tech War ), as well as other topics. His research for Tories was extensive, ranging through books, articles, dissertations, and online resources (especially the Online Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies), including general histories, local histories, biographies, monographs on diverse topics, official documents, and published accounts of contemporaries. The depth of his research is reflected in Tories’ 76 pages of footnotes and its 31-page bibliography. The book also includes a good 24-page index.

Although Allen does not elaborate on this question, his book makes one wonder to what extent Americans chose sides on the basis of religious affiliation, geographic location, ethnic identity, and the rewards for enlisting (varying over time according to each side’s prospects for military victory), rather than political ideology or social class. And it is worth remembering that, although the United States gained its independence and gradually outstripped Britain in power and wealth, America continued to provide the former mother country with raw material for its industries, investment opportunities for its capital and soldiers for its major wars, much as it might have done had it remained in the British Empire.

The Declaration of Independence concludes with the memorable statement: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” From Allen’s book, it is clear that, by taking sides, both Patriots and Loyalists risked their lives, fortunes and honor.
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Top reviews from other countries

Colin R.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Compelling Read
Reviewed in Canada on August 12, 2015
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Thomas Allen's well-researched, highly readable study of how the Tories, or Loyalists, reacted to, and fought in the American Revolution combines the best elements of popular and academic history. Well-researched, Allen's book outlines the contours of the Tory response to the Revolution in compelling fashion, never missing the opportunity to include a telling anecdote.
Modern readers will particularly appreciate his use of, and guide to, a large number of internet sources on his subject, many of which contain useful archival material.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars America’s First Civil War
Reviewed in Canada on July 14, 2021
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I liked the stories that amplified the story.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Looking Forward to a Great Read
Reviewed in Canada on May 16, 2013
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While researching for a book I'm putting together on my family, I'm hoping that my Loyalist roots will find some background information here.

My only disappointment was the fact that a small section of pages was clipped at the top by about 1/4 inch. It was a secondhand book, but I didn't expect this butchery.
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