Todays History Lesson

I just finished reading Kenneth Roberts historical fiction book, "Oliver Wiswell".  Kenneth Roberts was writing in the 1940's.  He is best known for "Northwest Passage" which was made into a popular movie with Spencer Tracy in the lead role. I recommend all of Robert's books, but "Oliver Wiswell" is particularly interesting. I've always wanted to send it to Tom Hanks to see if he'd make a movie of it but it might be too pain full for the American patriotic mind.

Oliver Wiswell is the story of an American Loyalist or Tory during the American Revolution. It's a wonderful adventure story, a great read with some of the best characters any where. My favorite, besides Oliver himself, is his sidekick, Tom Buell. This book was also difficult to read sometimes because it depicts most of the Americans who fought the Revolution for freedom as radicals or low life scum of the earth types with no money or education just looking for a chance to get something for nothing. Well, maybe that's a little harsh, but remember, he's talking as a Loyalist. 

Wiswell doesn't like the British he's fighting along side either. He hates the way the British mismanage the war and hates the fact that the British have no respect for Americans.  Never the less, he can never forgive "the rebels" who ran him and his dying father out of their home and forced them to flee as refugees first to Boston and then to New York and finally into the the King's American Dragoons as a soldier against the American cause.

This has made me rethink our own history here in Southwest Ohio.  Warren County has three sections. East of the Little Miami the land is Virginia Military Reserve land, bounty land given to soldiers who fought from Virginia in the American Revolution. South of Monroe Road in Lebanon is Symmes Purchase lands (land speculation) and north of Monroe Road is Congress lands where anyone could purchase land cheap.  After the Revolution thousands of people poured into Warren County purchasing large tracts of land, breaking it up and selling smaller parcels.  We talk about the Quakers coming here to escape slavery and the soldiers taking up their bounty lands etc. But I would bet you if we researched it further, you'd find a lot of the settlers here were Loyalist during the war who couldn't stay in the colonies because Loyalist were hated - and most of them were driven out of their homes and were refugees after the war. Interesting thought. Something I must find time to research.