Thomas 'Burnfoot' Brown was born 27 May 1750, Whitby, Yorkshire, England and died 3 August, 1825, Grand Sable Plantation, St. Vincent Island. Intending to become a quiet colonial landowner, he lived instead a turbulent and combative career. During the American Revolution, he played a key role for the Loyalist cause in Georgia. Statistics Population: 13,740 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: NZ893109 Administration District: Scarborough Shire county: North Yorkshire Region: Yorkshire and the Humber Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: North Yorkshire Historic county: Yorkshire (North Riding) Services Police force: North Yorkshire Police Ambulance service: Yorkshire Post office... Saint Vincent is an island in the Caribbean, part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. ... This article is the current Esperanza Collaboration of the Month. ... Britannia gives a heros welcome to returning American Loyalists. ...

America

Brown was of a prosperous family, his father Jonas owning a successful shipping company. In 1774 Thomas recruited colonists from Whitby and the Orkney Islands, and emigrated with them to the Province of Georgia. He established the community of Brownsborough northeast of present day Augusta and anticipated a life as a gentleman planter. The Orkney Islands, usually called simply Orkney, are one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. ... Nickname: The Garden City (of the South), Masters City, The AUG Motto: We feel Good Location of the consolidated areas of Augusta and Richmond County in the state of Georgia. ...

Instead, he quickly became embroiled in the coming revolution. On 2 August 1775 a crowd of Sons of Liberty confronted him at his house. Brown requested the liberty to hold his own opinions, and finally met their demands with pistol and sword. Taken prisoner with a fractured skull, he was tied to a tree where he was roasted by fire, scalped, tarred, and feathered. This mistreatment resulted in the loss of two toes and lifelong headaches. Sons of Liberty, by Paul Revere The Sons of Liberty was a label adopted by Patriots in the British North American colonies before the American Revolution. ...

Enraged by the mistreatment, Brown assumed leadership of backcountry Georgia loyalists, and developed a plan to support Augusta area Tories with Indian allies from the West and a landing of British soldiers from the East. He helped bring the plan about by living with the Creeks in 1776 and 1777, gaining their confidence, and establishing a network spreading from Florida to the Carolinas. Creek can be: A native American tribe, see Creek (people) The language of that tribe, see Creek language In US and Australian usage, a waterflow, smaller than a river, see Creek (stream) In UK usage, a tidal watercourse, usually drying to little or no flow at low tide, see Creek...

Brown came to lead a mounted Loyalist company eventually styled as the King's Rangers, developed this over time into a uniformed and disciplined unit, and became a skilled commander himself with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His Rangers fought in LTC Archibald Campbell's 1778 invasion of Georgia, the 1779 Siege of Savannah, and the Loyalist occupation of Augusta in 1780 and 1781, as well as minor backcountry clashes. In September 1780, Brown maintained a stout defense against Elijah Clarke's surprise attack at the First Battle of Augusta, holding the fortified Mackay House until arrival of a relief force. On June 5, 1781 he was compelled to yield in the Second Battle of Augusta after a spirited and creative defense, and was paroled to British authorities remaining at Savannah. For other people with the same name see Archibald Campbell Argyll. ... hi The Siege of Savannah was a battle of the American Revolutionary War in 1779. ... Elijah Clarke (1742 – December 5, 1799), born in Anson County, North Carolina, was a Georgian hero of the American Revolutionary War. ...

Brown's campaign plan achieved temporary success, but ultimately failed due to tardy or insufficient support from local Tories and his Indian allies. His war career was later vilified, but Cashin's research found no historical evidence that he did anything beyond his duty according to the recognized rules of war. It is unlikely that he hanged thirteen prisoners at the Mackay House with savage relish, rather he imposed (or condoned) a widely approved penalty against parole breakers. Brown angrily denied that he ever encouraged Indians to barbarous behavior.

Florida and the Caribbean

In late 1782, Thomas Brown with several thousand Tory refugees from Charleston and Savannah relocated to British territory at St. Augustine, Florida. Fully expecting to settle permanently, the newcomers were shocked in 1783 by news that East Florida was ceded to Spain, and British citizens had eighteen months to depart. Even here Brown struck a blow by encouraging his Creek friends to cooperate with the new Spanish authorities in controlling American westward expansion. Five flags have flown over the city since 1565. ...

The British government contined to provide compensation for dispossessed Tories, and Brown's next destination was Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Brown led Abaco Loyalists in protesting lack of representation in the local Assembly, but the point became moot as the Abaco and later Caicos Islands lands proved unprofitable. The Abaco islands lie in the northern Bahamas and comprise the main islands of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, together with the smaller Wood Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana Cay, Gorda Cay, Elbow Cay, Man-o-War Cay, Strangers Cay, Umbrella Cay, Walkers Cay and Mores Island. ... The Turks and Caicos Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom consisting of two groups of tropical island located in the Caribbean. ...

In 1799 Brown applied for and received a grant on St. Vincent's Island. His status as a former colonizer still entitled him to a princely grant of several thousand acres, on which he finally lived his gentleman planter dream until his death in 1825.

Reference

• Cashin, Edward J. (1989). The King's Ranger: Thomas Brown and the American Revolution on the Southern Frontier. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 082031093X.