Time to take another look at the experiences of those forgotten participants (along with the Indians and slaves ) of the American War for Independence—the Loyalists. The story of young Alexander Chesney is, in some ways, very typical of the experience of these British subjects who did not buy into the dream of independence and liberty. We will delve into his Revolutionary War escapades and take a peek at his post-war challenges—and he had many.
From Antrim to America
The fourteen-year-old Alexander emigrated with his parents from County Antrim to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1772. By then, the colonists' conflict with the Crown was intensifying, so the Scots-Irish family settled in a land that would soon be torn apart by unrest and rebellion, which for them would also turn into a civil war.
He married Margaret Hodges around the time of the "Shot Heard Round the World—a marriage to be marked by hardship and sacrifice.
Tory Guide
In the early years of the war, the Carolinas remained firmly under patriot control, although many stayed loyal, either openly or silently. These Loyalists were seen as a threat and were ruthlessly suppressed and oppressed. Young Chesney threw his hat in the ring and started helping loyalists, guiding them to safety through a maze of patriot militias.
Fugitive
Eventually, his actions made him a target, and patriot militia Colonel Richard Richardson's men captured him in the spring of 1776. The militia raided his home and imprisoned him at Snowy Camp on the Reedy River in northwestern South Carolina. Richardson gave him an offer he couldn't refuse: stand trial for helping Loyalists and likely be hanged or join the patriot militia.
Yankee Doodle Days
The young Chesney enlisted as a private and spent the following years marching alongside the hated Yankee Doodles. Why? It seems his father, Robert, was imprisoned as a suspected Tory. Chesney's service helped ensure his survival. Private Chesney fought in campaigns against the Creek and Cherokee. Between these battles, he worked as a teamster, hauling produce to Charleston, South Carolina, which was then controlled by the patriots.
Serving the Crown
Things changed in May 1780 when the British returned (they had been repulsed in 1776) to Charleston and soon overran the state. When the British commander in chief, General Henry Clinton, issued his proclamation calling all loyal subjects to arms, Chesny came out of the patriot closet and joined one of the militia units raised by the renowned "counter-guerilla," Major Patrick Ferguson. Ferguson's regiments racked up a string of victories in the bitter in-country fighting between Loyalist and patriot rebels.
Chesney rose from lieutenant to captain over the next few months. But his fortunes took a turn for the worse in early October of that year. Ferguson, hot on the trail of patriots and hot to recruit new men for the Crown, marched his brigade away from General Cornwallis's main body and managed to get surrounded by a corps of back-country militia—some of the most experienced frontier Indian fighters and angry for revenge against Ferguson, who had threatened to hang them all.
King's Mountain
Ferguson made his stand on a piece of wooded high ground called King's Mountain. The "Over Mountain Men," led by a bunch of tough hombres that included such legends as Colonel John Sevier, Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, and Colonel Isaac Shelby, quickly encircled the Loyalists and started climbing up the hill. The battle saw lead slam into tree trunks, leafy branches, and the hapless Tories as the rebel militia came at them firing, Indian-style, from tree to tree. Loyalists dropped like turkeys under unrelenting fire. Ferguson fell mortally wounded trying to rally his men.
Captain Alexander Cheney was also wounded and taken prisoner along with some 668 others. The Loyalists also suffered 290 killed and 163 wounded. According to his account, Chesney later watched as the prisoners underwent a mock trial, with many sentenced to death. One of the American commanders, Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, offered him parole if he provided them with Ferguson's battle tactics. But the tough Irishman would not betray his cause.
Yadkin Death March
With shoes taken and without coats to protect against the worsening weather, he and the others marched off into captivity under brutal conditions and threats of beating and shooting through the rugged hills toward the Yadkin River and prison in Salem, North Carolina. Chesney escaped along the way and hid in a nearby cave, but was later captured and held until released in a prisoner exchange.
Joining the Legion
He soon joined the only Loyalist unit with an even more terrible reputation among the rebels—Tarleton's Legion! He raised a mounted Loyalist company and served Colonel Banastre Tarleton as a guide, helping the Legion negotiate the back roads and woods as they marched from Fort Ninety-Six in a search-and-destroy mission. Their prey—famed rifleman Daniel Morgan and his Army.
Ironically, Morgan's forces occupied Chesney's farm at Grindal Shoals just days before Tarleton caught him at a place called the Cow Pens in January 1781. There, the reckless Tarleton launched headlong against his prey. After all, just a few lines of militia blocked the way.
Witness to a Debacle
But Morgan was ready, with stout lines of Continentals behind the militia and dragoons hidden from sight. In one of the war's most impressive displays, Tarleton's elite force was stopped cold, then cut off and crushed. Chesney led his men in the battle and managed to escape to the safety of the British garrison in Charleston. Tarleton escaped, but his Legion suffered over 80% casualties.
Embittered by what he viewed as poor management at Cowpens, he moved his family from his despoiled farm to the protection of the British near Charleston and tried to reestablish a small plantation, which included some slaves.
Guiding Lord Rawdon
But with war raging through South Carolina, Chesney soon took the field leading various Loyalist units. He operated near the Edisto River, often skirmishing with the hated rebels. His mounted company scouted for Lord Rawdon as he fought the last engagements in the state. Chesney was wounded again during a skirmish near the critical outpost at Fort Ninety-Six.
Crumbling Fortunes
October 1781 brought General Charles Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, serious negotiations in Paris, and what were likely bitter months for the Ulsterman.
Presumably unfit for the field, he was appointed Superintendent of Woodcutting to support Charleston's fuel needs, as it was the last rebel stronghold. He hired displaced Loyalists and did what he could, but the Americans were closing in. Things worsened when his wife Margaret died in December 1781. The new year proved no better. Chesney became sick and could not care for his son William, so he had to send the boy to live with relatives. His farm was destroyed, and as a veteran of two of the most feared and hated British contingents, he would get little quarter.
Once the British Army left America, he would face a bleak future. Although the last British soldier departed from the former colonies in December, Chesney decided to return to Ireland, arriving in Castle Haven in May 1782.
Loyalist Recompense?
Normally, this would mark the end of Alexander Chesney's story. But in a way, his life was only just beginning despite the darkness of defeat and loss. Over the next few decades, he worked hard to rebuild his life. He went to England, where he sought to make his case to the British government and became a leader among the Loyalists there. He met with other key members of the Association of American Loyalists in London, where a petition was drafted for just compensation for their service to the Crown and the loss of property and land.
Like most Loyalist refugees, things were tough. Reaching out to former commanders like Cornwallis and Rawdon didn’t help navigate the British bureaucracy. While waiting for his claim, the brave Chesney took a different route. He sought and received a position as an Irish Customs Officer, specifically a coastal inspector.
Despite numerous petitions and several trips back and forth across the Irish Sea, he was disappointed. His final compensation was less than a quarter of his claim. What is the price of loyalty? Undeterred, he started working as a Coast Officer, pursuing smugglers along Ireland's northern coast. He proved to be very effective at this.
Another Rebellion
But in the late 1790s, Ireland erupted into rebellion, with Irish patriots hoping to capitalize on events in France.
By the fall of 1796, the United Irishmen in County Down and several neighboring counties were preparing for a revolt. Possibly referencing his American experience, Chesney caught wind of this. He received a captain's commission and organized the Mourne Infantry in early 1797. His Irish Yeomanry company was the first formed in County Down. The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, none other than General Charles Cornwallis, suppressed the rebellion and defeated the French invasion in 1798, ending the so-called "Year of the French."
:Customs Service
Chesney's work as a customs officer kept him busy. During the Napoleonic Wars, when illegal trade was rampant, Chesney was constantly on the move—catching smugglers and illegal shippers trying to profit from the conflict. Along the way, he started a new family and had several children. Two of his sons later received commissions in the Army, and his surviving daughter married a clergyman in a successful marriage.
Letter from America
In February 1818, a shocking news arrived. Chesney received a letter from his eldest son, William, whom he had left with relatives in America. The stunned Chesney thought William had died! But William Chesney was alive and in Tennessee. However, his son was not well off. William revealed that Chesney's father, Robert, was also alive. Chesney did not offer to bring him to Ireland. They were never reunited.
Life and Legacy
Chesney kept a journal of his Revolutionary War experiences, detailing the brutal fighting in the Carolinas. The Ulsterman spared no one in his account. But, of course, through decades of struggle, he never really spared himself. Against all odds and as a proof of his basic toughness, this Loyalist on two continents, survivor of two fierce battles and numerous skirmishes, imprisonment, and hardships, lived to a ripe old age of 83, dying on 12 January 1843.
Chesney Grave
Loyalist and Irish Yeomanry leader Captain Alexander Chesney is buried in the Mourne Presbyterian Churchyard in Kilkeel, County Down, Northern Ireland.
