Ambrose Serle

I was reading 1776 this morning (pictured below, I realized I hadn't scanned it onto the journal yet) and was being illuminated about a Loyalist known as Ambrose Serle.

Serle was secretary to Admiral Richard Howe, who had a very amsuing nickname, but I can't post it unfortunately.  If your bored someday, google "Admiral Howe's Nickname".  Ha, ha... anyway... Admiral Howe and his brother General William Howe (commander-in-chief of the "lobster-backs" (called that due to the red uniforms that the British wore) in North America) were leaders in the effort to crush the rebel forces.

When the Brits were in New York posted at Staten Island they heard news of the Declaration of Independence.  This served only to underscore "the villany and madness of these deluded people," said Serle, "A more impudent, false, and atrocious proclamation was never fabricated by the hands of man."

This may have only been one Loyalist, but I'd bet most of them felt the same way.  You almost have to pity them, because they don't realize like we do the concept of liberty.  It's too different, and too much of change to for them to admit to themselves that something so drastically unlike to what they were used to, that they'd define it as insanity (recurring theme?).  They didn't bother to do their homework and consider something new.

In their defense, though, not all Loyalists felt that way.  There were some who felt the power of monarchy needed to be subdued, but didn't want to go as far as outright revoltion.

This just goes to show how confused people can be if they don't look at things from a different perspective.

Oh, and something else a little whacky I read about the American Revolution.  The two Howe brothers were not only in charge of leading the war against the colonists, but also conflictingly assigned the position of peace commissioners.  Not only were they shooting us, they were sending Congress letters lobbying for a peaceful resolution - just a little inconsistent.