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My Country 'Tis of Thee

(Traditional American)

The American Revolution

The Fight for Scots-Irish Independence in America

The centuries-old war between the Scots, Irish and British continued in America, though it is not widely documented as such.  British subjugation of the Irish and Scottish continued in America, and was fueled further by an impending war with France over territory in America and Canada.  Many Jacobites were still loyal to France, who supported the Scottish Stuart rulership of England.  The Irish supported the James Stuart Kings II-V because they were Catholic and ruled with religious tolerance toward non-Anglicans, as opposed to Protestant Kings who ruled by bloodshed.  The English rulers in America felt threatened by such loyalty and passed a series of anti-immigration laws in anticipation of the French and Indian War.  Though the Treaty of Utrecht ceased fighting in Europe, another war began in the Americas as the French and British fought for control of territory.  The French and Indian War began in 1750 (officially declared in 1756) and ended with the Treaty of Paris on February 10, 1763.  In 1776, however, England went to war when the residents of their colonies in New England declared themselves independent.  This was the Revolutionary War in which some of my ancestors took part.  Despite fighting a war, England lost control of its New England colonies in 1777. 

But, the Revolutionary War didn't end there.....

The Battle of King's Mountain was a pivotal and significant victory by American Patriots over American Loyalists during the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. The battle fought on October 7, 1780 destroyed the left wing of Cornwallis' army and effectively ended Loyalist ascendance in the Carolinas. The victory halted the British advance into North Carolina, forced Lord Cornwallis to retreat from Charlotte into South Carolina, and gave General Nathanael Greene the opportunity to reorganize the American Army.  The Revolutionary War was much more than American Patriots fighting the British.  Patriots were also fighting Loyalists, a population of Scottish Americans who were loyal to Britain.  "In the South, back-country Scots tended to remain loyal to Britain."⁵   Now, we have Scots-Irish American descendants fighting fellow Scotsmen as evidenced by the names on the battle rosters of King's Mountain.  Political unrest had been brought from Scotland to America as well as harsh feelings after the Battle of Culloden.  The Revolutionary War was, in effect, a repeat of Culloden.  But this time, the Scots-Irish Americans defeated the British and their Scottish Loyalists.

Diagram of the Battle of King's Mountain

The battlefield is located in South Carolina along the North Carolina border.  Two of my Handley ancestors fought during that battle: Captain Samuel Handley and Robert Handley.

"Good Lord, our God that art in heaven, we have great reason to thank thee for the many favors we have received at thy hands, the many battles we have won.  "There is the great and glorious battle of King's Mountain, where we kilt the great Gineral Ferguson and took his whole army. And the great battles of Ramsours's and at Williamson's. And the ever-memorable and glorious battle of Cowpens, where we made the proud Gineral Tarleton run doon the road helter-skelter, and, Good Lord, if ye had na suffered the cruel Tories to burn Billy Hill's Iron Works, we would na have asked any mair favors at thy hands. Amen."

found in
Rebels & Redcoats
by George F. Scheer and
Hugh F. Rankin⁴

The Tories that John Miller speaks of in his prayer may have been the descendants of the Irish Tories who were transported to Virginia in 1653 after the fall of Drogheda.  The term "Tory" was first applied in reference to rural bandits in Ireland who were sympathetic to the royal cause during the Irish-English Civil War.  Tory was also a term applied to Loyalists during the American Revolution. By the 18th Century, the Tories were English, Scottish, or Irish politicians who favored royal authority, the established church and who sought to preserve the traditional political structure and opposed parliamentary reform in Britain.  The Tories later came to be known as the Conservative Party.

"This man is black. We can all see that. But, can we also see as easily, that which is equally true? That he is the only true hero in this room. Now, if he were white, he wouldn't be standing before this court fighting for his life. If he were white and his enslavers were British, he wouldn't be standing, so heavy the weight of the medals and honors we would bestow upon him. Songs would be written about him. The great authors of our times would fill books about him. His story would be told and retold in our classrooms. Our children, because we would make sure of it, would know his name as well as they know Patrick Henry's. Yet, if the South is right, what are we to do with that embarrassing, annoying document, The Declaration of Independence? What of its conceits? "All men created equal," "inalienable rights," "life, liberty," and so on and so forth? What on Earth are we to do with this? I have a modest suggestion. We've long resisted asking you for guidance. Perhaps we have feared that we might acknowledge that our individuality which we so revere is not entirely our own. But, we've come to understand, finally, that this is not so. We understand now, we've been made to understand, and to embrace the understanding... that who we are *is* who we were. We desperately need your strength and wisdom to triumph over our fears, our prejudices, ourselves. Give us the courage to do what is right. And if it means civil war? Then let it come. And when it does, may it be, finally, the last battle of the American Revolution." ~quote from the movie Amistad

The Northern states were indifferent to the issue of slavery until the English culture of sensibility took hold.  The Dying Negro, an anti-slavery poem published in 1773 by Englishmen Thomas Day and John Bicknell, called for the recognition of a common humanity that connected people from different cultures.²   The Northern states were mostly British descendants so they were not entirely opposed to British rule.  What they opposed was paying taxes to Britain without Parliamentary representation.  The Southern states, however, were Scottish and Irish who were opposed to British rule with the exception of the Scots Loyalists who supported naval trade with Britain and France--the African slave trade.  The battle cry to drum up support from the general public for the Revolutionary War was the abolition of black slavery in the Southern states.  The economy of the Southern States was based on agriculture, which in turn had its foundation in black slavery. Without slaves, the South could not support its agricultural economy. In order to fully defeat the South, slavery had to be abolished and the slaves set free. But first, America would have to become an independent nation for this to occur. 

The Civil War was a continuation of the Revolutionary War.  It was the final attempt by the British to force the Scottish and Irish to succumb to British rule as the Northern army was funded by British money. 

I will never forget the quote in the beginning of the movie "Braveheart", "History is written by the victors." Unfortunately, since the north won the war, it's politically correct view has been propagated, and Mr. Bush, without knowing any true history on the matter merely parrots what he has heard and been taught in the public schools, on T.V., etc.

The confederate flag is not a racist flag. Earl Douglas, a black journalist, now deceased, once wrote "The two greatest lies ever perpetrated by history are number one, that the South instigated the war, and number two that it was fought by the north for the purpose of freeing the slaves." Economic reasons, Constitutional and State rights led up to the civil war, then later, the slavery issue was brought in to gain more support, but was not the primary reason for the civil war. Before the war, the south was extremely wealthy, and funded probably 75 to 80 percent of all the taxes. The North wanted a 40 percent tariff, and the South said no. This was "one" of the things that led to the war.

The civil war was fought because the South wanted to secede from the Union and Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union.

On August 14, 1862, less than five months before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, Lincoln invited a number of black leaders to the white house to tell them that he was attempting to colonize them back to Africa. He also said in a speech in Charleston, Illinois in 1858, "I Am not now, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about, in any way, the social or political equality of the white and black races."

I might mention that while General Robert E. Lee, before the war, freed some slaves he inherited, the Northern General Ulysses Grant kept slaves after the war. I point all this out to show that the war was not fought over slavery. The South was not fighting as a racist or slave holding nation, but fighting for constitutional and state rights.

In fact, the confederate flag is a Christian flag and represents freedom from tyranny. It comes from the St. Andrew cross (The first disciple of Jesus Christ). In the 1800's about 75 percent of the south was either Scot, or Scot-Irish, and the confederate flag is based upon the National flag of Scotland.

The fact that "certain groups" use the confederate flag is neither here nor there to me. 250,000 confederate soldiers gave their lives for freedom, and against Northern aggression, and I for one, in their honor, and for other reasons, will always proudly fly and display the confederate flag.

Mr. Bush, let me first say that you are correct we are not Rebels and some of are ignorant. But not all of us are ignorant and those that are ignorant is because of the history taught in schools and pro-union sympathysisers like you. Whom may I say are ignorant also as you have bought into the re-written history to put the North into the right and the Southern States all wrong.

No. 1. The Southern States did not rebel, there was no rebellion. Seceshion was legal. After secedeing the States left the Union, they formed their own Union known as the Confederate States of America.

No. 2. The War was not completely about slavery, slavery was an issue but not the issue. In 1827 the Southern States proposed a total emancipation of training the Slaves and relocating them throughout the States. The Northern abolitionist States wouldn't have it, they did not want Africans in their communities and even posted signs at their city limits to keep Africans/slaves from settling there when they did escape. *Emancipation source is Bruce Catton A picture History of the Civil War*. If you check your history you will find that New Jersey was the last to release their slaves and not until the War was over.

The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all slaves, just those slaves in the “ rebellious” states. It was an act to cripple the Southern military by attacking it's farming community. If there are no slaves to work the farm there will be no food to feed the Armies.

The War for Southern Independence was about the South being over taxed while the Northern States were not. The war was about the new Central Banking system being pushed by Norhern profiteers stating “ to progress you have to have a centralized banking system ran by the government” . The southerners did not want to go back to a government Like King George's of England. It was about Factory's and the Northern States pushing it on the South. The Southerners were skilled craftsmen and atrisians and farmers. They saw the lies people like Lincoln put out when speaking such as “ work for an employer one year, then start your own company and employ people yourself” . They saw that once entrapped by the employer they couldn't leave. The employer would not care for his employees, once injured unable to work he kicked aside to starve. The War was about the Republican Party coming to power with overwhelming numbers. The Southerners had fought off the Northern sentiment for years. Now they could see that the North would push their way of life on them. Non-slavery life, No. A life like I have described and like you Sir are living today working for a man who cares not for your welfare. All your employer cares for is your production to his company. Stop producing and see what he does.

No. 3 Abraham Lincoln stated he “ would keep slavery if he could keep the Union together.” He said he “ would not be President of part of a nation, but a whole nation” . This tells you of his resolve to preserve the Union. Slavery was not the Primary issue of the War until the Republican Caucus of 1864 when they made it their primary platform Stating “No. 1 Slavery is the Cause of the War.” Even in 1863 with the Emancipation Proclamation, it was a military tool, it crippled the South and brought the draft to the Abolitionist States, until then the Abolitionist States would not actively send men nor would they call a draft. Lincoln's plans for the slaves was to ship them all back to Afica where they “ came from.” Lincoln was not an abolitionist, his party was. His forte was a Strong Central Government ruling over the States. To change the Government of the United States.

The Confederate Battle Flag has been misused by rascist groups in the past, but that has been stopped by groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The Confederate Battle Flag was created to designate Southern troops from Union troops as all, at the beginning of the War wore a mixed blue and gray uniforms. The Confederate Battle Flag, The First National Flag nor the Second National or Third National have ever bought a slave from Africa. In 1820 the Southern States pushed to stop bringing slaves from Africa and passed the law to do so. The only flag of our nation to actively buy slaves is the United States Flag. New York bankers jumped at the chance to finance ships to transport and loan money to Southerners to purchase slaves. The New York bankers were the ones who fought the law to stop bringing more slaves into our country. Not the Southerner.

Finally Sir, I would like to address your apologist statement. I Sir, am not nor will I ever be an apologist about the War for Southern Independence, for Slavery or anything my ancestors have done.

If there ever should be an apology given it should be from those who wholly support the thoughts of Generals like Sherman, Sheridan and Custer who not only put Southern women, children and wounded or old men out in the cold as they burned their homes, but then in an effort to cleanse the American Continent of the rightful inhabitants to this Great Land, The American Indian. Who Sherman, Sheridan and Custer attempted Genocide upon these peoples.

Yes Sir, you are right, those kids who put the Battle flags on their trucks and wave them around are ignorant. But it isn't because they want to be. They were not taught the truth, as it seems, you Sir, were not either.

The definition of ignorance is unlearned, not stupid or slow. If you are flying the Battle Flag of the Confederacy and reading this I want you to learn that the Battle Flag of the Confederacy stood for the Honor and Bravery of the Men who followed it into Battle.

It stood for Men who would not let a Northern President invade their neighboring states and force those States into subjugation. I want you to learn what That Flag means because you are not as Mr. Bush says “ Rebels.” The men who followed that flag were Patriots.

Cow Pasture Valley

The Cow Pasture River Battle of the Civil War occurred on June 5, 1864.⁶

Some of my ancestors fought in this battle for the South.