Studies the American Loyalists before, during and after the American Revolution. The first half deals with their emergence, 1763-1776, their role in the War of Independence, their treatment by the rebels, and the Peace Treaty of 1783. The second half deals with their exile in Britain, Sierra Leone, the West Indies, the Bahamas, Bermuda and what became Canada, to about 1814. An epilogue traces their myths, revivals and long-term effects down to the present.