The movement of Howe and his army to Philadelphia in 1777 caused the local patriots to flee from that city, thus turning it into a Loyal ist centre to which numerous Tories resorted from the surrounding region. It also stimu lated the formation of six Loyalist regiments in southeastern Pennsylvania and one in south em New Jersey, beside enlistments in other provincial corps which had accompanied Howe. Clinton, the successor of Howe, assumed command in Philadelphia in May 1778, and promptly decided to evacuate the place. With his troops marched the Loyalist regiments of the neighborhood, and over 3,000 other ad herents of the Crown boarded the British fleet in the Delaware to be transported to New York The seat of war now shifted to the South. In November 1778, Colonel Campbell sailed from Sandy Hook for Savannah with a force including four Loyalist regiments. As a large part of the people of Georgia was friendly to the British cause many men joined Campbell's standard after his capture of the post at Savannah. Sunbury was taken with the aid of 400 Carolina King's Rangers under Col. Thomas Browne, as was also Augusta, Colonel Boyd and 800 Loyalists of South Carolina co operating. Thirty miles above Augusta 300 Tories under Col. Daniel McGirth were active. The posts established in western Georgia were garrisoned by Loyalists, and there was scarcely a skirmish or battle that was not participated in by Loyalist troops. The burden of the defense of Savannah against the Americans and French in September 1779, fell chiefly on the Tory contingent, including the Georgia militia, but part of this Tory force consisted of men from New York and New Jersey, and part of those from the Carolinas. Tarleton's British Legion (over 1,000 men), Ferguson's Corps (140 men), and the New York Volunteers (350 men) helped to take Charleston, S. C., in May 1780. Only two Loyalist regiments seem to have been organ ized in Georgia. Some Tories fled from this province early in the war.
In contrast with Georgia the Carolinas fur nished nine corps of Loyalists, several being of good size. Most of the nine were embodied under the orders of Cornwallis, who had suc ceeded to the command of the British forces in the South. The outlying posts in South Carolina were principally garrisoned by these troops, which had many encounters with the patriots, and at Camden in August 1780, out numbered the British regulars by several hun dred and played an important part in defeat ing Gates, "the hero of Saratoga." A few days later Tarleton with the British Legion and the corps of Light Infantry destroyed the last organized patriot force in South Carolina. Preliminary to his advance into North Carolina, Cornwallis sent messengers thither to rouse the of riends of government," and despatched Ferguson with 1,200 men, five-sixths of whom were Loyalists, to the western border of the province to gather recruits and harass the Americans. But Ferguson's operations also brought out a force of sturdy pioneers that turned the tide of war against the British at King's Mountain. Much the same story was
repeated at the Cowpens in January 1781, where Tarleton was defeated. With Cornwallis near the Virginia border, Greene and the Americans swept the Loyalists from every stronghold in South Carolina. Thus, only Charleston was left to serve as an asylum for the hunted Tories of the province.
Meantime, General Arnold had been attempt ing to make a diversion in Virginia with an English force, including the American Legion and the Queen's Rangers, two Loyalist regi ments from New York. These and other such troops were used in carrying on raids into the interior, but without gaining many recruits. The irreconcilable royalists among the Virgin ians had left the country for England, New York and elsewhere during 1775 and 1776. The recovery of the lower States by the British, and the Tory and Indian raids from Detroit in 1779 and 1780, served, however, to revive loyal ism in western Virginia, western Pennsylvania and in Maryland. Certain Tory leaders of the frontier claimed to have raised 1,300 Mary land Royal Retaliators up to June 1781, but nothing was accomplished because several of the promoters of this force were arrested and executed. Col. John Connolly, who was in command of the Loyalists of Virginia and North Carolina on the peninsula between the James River and Chesapeake Bay, had been counted on to co-operate with the Marylanders. But in September 1781, he was captured and sent to Philadelphia, and in the following month the surrender of Cornwallis occurred, four Loyalist corps being included (747 men). The King's vessel Bonetta sailed for New York filled with Tories. Thousands of Loyalists with their negroes now left the Southern States for Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Great Britain. When Savannah and Charleston were evacuated in July and December 1782, other thousands sailed with the troops. Up to May 1783, the popula tion of East Florida was increased by about 13,000 whites and blacks. Jamaica gained ap proximately 5,900 white immigrants and 7,500 negroes from the Floridas, which were ceded to Spain, and from Savannah and Charleston. The increase in the Bahamas amounted to nearly 6,000, of which more than a quarter came from New York in 1783.
West Florida had been partly settled early in the war by Loyalist refugees from Georgia and the Carolinas. Several troops of these fugitives were mustered there, and were as sisted by a large body of associated men of the Natchez District and some of the neighboring Indian tribes in repelling the expedition of Captain Willing from Pittsburg. These local troops, reinforced by a thousand men from York, ork, including the Maryland and Penn sylvania Loyalists, also resisted the Spaniards from Louisiana, but without avail. On the surrender of West Florida in May 1781 the Natchez associators fled, some to Savannah, some to the Cumberland settlements in Ten nessee, while some were caught and carried down to New Orleans.