Generous enemies
Subtitle: patriots and loyalists in Revolutionary New York
By: Judith L. Van Buskirk.
Series: Early American studies
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Philadelphia
Language: eng
Number of pages: 260
Subjects: Revolutionaries -- New York (State) -- New York -- History -- 18th century.; American loyalists -- New York (State) -- New York -- History.; New York (N.Y.) -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783.; New York (N.Y.) -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Social aspects.; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Social aspects.
Description: "In July 1776, the final group of more than 130 ships of the Royal Navy sailed into the waters surrounding New York City, marking the start of seven years of British occupation that spanned the American Revolution. What military and political leaders characterized as an impenetrable "Fortress Britannia" - a bastion of solid opposition to the American cause - was actually very different.

As Judith Van Buskirk reveals, the military standoff produced civilian communities that were forced to operate in close, sustained proximity, each testing the limits of political and military authority. Conflicting loyalties blurred relationships between the two sides: John Jay, a delegate to the Continental Congresses, had a brother whose political loyalties leaned toward the crown, while one of the daughters of Continental Army general William Alexander lived in occupied New York City with her husband, a prominent Loyalist.

Indeed, the texture of everyday life during the Revolution was much more complex than historians have admitted."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [237]-245) and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: INTRODUCTION I I. THE SEAT OF WAR 8 2. THE WEB OF FAMILY 44 3. GENTLEMEN AT WAR 73 4. THE EAGLE EYE OF PROFIT 106 5. CROSSING FREEDOM'S LINE 129 6. THE LATE UNHAPPY COMMOTIONS 155.