Yankee Doodled

English: A graphical representation of a typical Butler's Rangers soldier. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

New Englanders were not happy Pilgrims when Old Englanders

sent them the bill for the Seven years War.

As a matter of fact they were downright cranky about it.

They did unfriendly things like confiscating a man's property and

burning his house down if he did business with the British Army

or sat on the fence politically. 

Sometimes they hanged him and left his family destitute. 

To escape the dangerous mobs many Loyalists fled to New York City. 

It eventually became the last British stronghold in the 13 Colonies. 

In a scene that must have been reminiscent of the expulsion

of the Acadians, the British evacuated thousands of people out of

New York harbour before the Continental Army entered the city.

About 30,000 refugees were taken to the Maritime Provinces

and about 2,000 were settled in Quebec.

7,500 Loyalists escaped by travelling overland to the British

outpost at Fort Niagara.

Once there many of the men joined Col. John Butler's Rangers and

fought back against the Continental Army.

Unfortunately for the Loyalists wherever they ended up

there was no going home again when the war ended.

 

People who had lived comfortable lives in New England had to start

over in the Canadian wilderness with nothing.


The border between Canada and the US was decided by the

Treaty of Paris at the end of the war.

Canada, with a population of less than a million, was composed of angry

French people, angrier refugees from the US and a large number

of totally pissed off indigenous folks.

The 19th century could only get better. 

Right??