The siege of Fort Cumberland, 1776 : an episode in the American Revolution

Clarke describes events in Nova Scotia leading up to the siege of Fort Cumberland by the Continental army in 1776 and argues that from the beginning of hostilities Nova Scotians' primary loyalty was to Britain. He examines the attitudes of the various players in the region - New England planters, Acadians, Native peoples, Yorkshiremen, and Scots-Irish - and their responses to the call to arms issued by the revolutionary forces in the thirteen colonies. Clarke is the first to take the Nova Scotia patriots seriously and explain their motives instead of damning them as rebels. An in-depth study of a British colony's reaction to and ultimate rejection of independence, The Siege of Fort Cumberland will be of great interest to colonial historians in Canada and the United States. Frontmatter (page N/A) Preface: Tantramar Revisited (page ix) Illustrations (page xvi) Introduction (page 3) 1 Revolution Indigenous (January to May 1776) (page 19) 2 Revolution Imported (June to October 1776) (page 45) 3 The Shepody Outpost (29 October to 4 November) (page 86) 4 Cumberland Creek Raid (5 November to 9 November) (page 102) 5 The Fort Attack (10 November to 14 November) (page 128) 6 The Vulture Reinforcement (15 November to 20 November) (page 147) 7 Battle of Blazing Barns (21 November to 26 November) (page 165) 8 The Camphill Rout (27 November to 29 November) (page 182) Epilogue (page 205) Appendix One: The Patriots (page 215) Appendix Two: The Royal Fencible Americans (page 222) Notes (page 231) Index (page 295) "In this absorbing study of divided loyalties in a British North American colony at the beginning of the American revolution, Ernest Clarke describes events leading up to the siege of Fort Cumberland by the Continental army in 1776 and argues that from the beginning of hostilities Nova Scotians' primary loyalty was to Britain. He examines the attitudes of the various players in the region - New England planters, Acadians, Native peoples, Yorkshiremen, and Scots-Irish - and their responses to the call to arms issued by the revolutionary forces in the thirteen colonies. Clarke is the first to take the Nova Scotia patriots seriously and to explain their motives instead of damning them as rebels."--Résumé de l'éditeur "In this absorbing study of divided loyalties in a British North American colony at the beginning of the American revolution, Ernest Clarke describes events leading up to the siege of Fort Cumberland by the Continental army in 1776 and argues that from the beginning of hostilities Nova Scotians' primary loyalty was to Britain. He examines the attitudes of the various players in the region - New England planters, Acadians, Native peoples, Yorkshiremen, and Scots-Irish - and their responses to the call to arms issued by the revolutionary forces in the thirteen colonies. Clarke is the first to take the Nova Scotia patriots seriously and to explain their motives instead of damning them as rebels."--Jacket Focusing on the revolutionary movement in the Fort Cumberland region of Nova Scotia in 1775-76, Ernest Clarke explores why supporters of American independence did not prevail in this British North American colony. He reveals how the siege of Fort Cumberland shaped the attitudes of Nova Scotians to the revolution and to their place in the North American world This work explores why supporters of American independence did not prevail in this British North American colony.