Happy Fourth of July to all of my fellow Americans, wherever you may be.

I’ve been musing about the American War for Independence. Part of my family descends from 20th century immigrants, and the other half traces back to at least the early 18th century, with one ancestor serving in the Continental army.

It’s hard to imagine the gravity of the risks taken by the early founders of the United States in rebelling against a powerful motherland with great wealth and an experienced army.

It’s also hard to imagine the divisions at home, with British loyalists pitted against fellow colonials fighting for independence.  At the Battle of Waxhaws, loyalists troops under the command of Banastre Tarleton massacred surrendering Continental Army troops. Continental forces later returned the brutality on loyalist troops at the Battle of Kings Mountain.

Tarleton, from a Liverpool family that made its wealth in the slave trade, acquired the nickname “Bloody Ban”. He went on to serve as a Member of Parliament strongly opposed to the abolition of slavery, and in the Peninsular War, and was eventually made a baronet. His personal life included a lengthy relationship with an actress and a childless marriage. He’s frequently trotted out, sometimes pseudonymously, as a villain in movies set in this milieu and he’s a great model for a Regency romance villain.

But what about the sacrifices of the signers of the Declaration of Independence?

Here’s a bit of what I found:

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the revolutionary army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships resulting from the Revolutionary War.

True or not true? If you’ve done the research, please tell us in the comments!

You can find out more about the signers in Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the Declaration of American Independence, by B. J. Lossing. The 1848 edition is available for download on Google Books.

Happy Fourth of July to everyone who’s celebrating.

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