A Loyalist was any inhabitant of North America plus the islands of the West Indies, Bermuda, and Jamaica, who served in a military capacity for the British, or provided services of a military nature or other beneficial services to the Crown. This definition includes those who fought in the war and remained in America afterward, those who deserted, those who settled outside of America afterward, and those who were discharged or died during the war.

There were, of course, many Loyalist civilians, in numbers probably greater than the military, but this section deals predominately with the military and overt actions against the Patriots fighting for independence during the American Revolution. 

At the end of the American Revolution, the Loyalists were given a choice - swear an oath to uphold the new Constitution of the state of North Carolina, or face the confiscation of all their property and be banished from the state. Many Loyalists chose the latter, some had no choice and their lands were taken anyway.

There are numerous Loyalist websites available to learn more about what happened to them. Click Here to see an example, which provides a list of the land confiscations within the state of North Carolina after the war. Link is current as of September 2005.