In the years immediately preceding the Revolution and even in 1776
itself they came in increasing numbers. They knew nothing of the
smoldering fire just about to break into flames in the country of their
choice, but the Royal Governor, Josiah Martin, knew that Highland arms
would soon be ceded by His Majesty. He knew something of Highland honor,
too; for he would not let the Gaels proceed after their landing until
they had bound themselves by oath to support the Government of King
George. So it was that the unfortunate Highlanders found themselves,
according too their strict code of honor, forced to wield arms against
the very Americans who had received and befriended them--and for the
crowned brother of a prince whose name is execrated to this day in
Highland song and story!

They were led by Allan MacDonald of Kingsborough; and tradition gives us
a stirring picture of Allan's wife--the famous Flora MacDonald, who
in Scotland had protected the Young Pretender in his flight--making an
impassioned address in Gaelic to the Highland soldiers and urging them
on to die for honor's sake. When this Highland force was conquered by
the Americans, the large majority willingly bound themselves not to
fight further against the American cause and were set at liberty.
Many of them felt that, by offering their lives to the swords of the
Americans, they had canceled their obligation to King George and were
now free to draw their swords again and, this time, in accordance with
their sympathies; so they went over to the American side and fought
gallantly for independence.

Although the brave glory of this pioneer age shines so brightly on the
Lion Rampant of Caledonia, not to Scots alone does that whole glory
belong. The second largest racial stream which flowed into the Back
Country of Virginia and North Carolina was German. Most of these Germans
went down from Pennsylvania and were generally called "Pennsylvania
Dutch," an incorrect rendering of Pennsylvanische Deutsche. The upper
Shenandoah Valley was settled almost entirely by Germans. They were
members of the Lutheran, German Reformed, and Moravian churches. The
cause which sent vast numbers of this sturdy people across the ocean,
during the first years of the eighteenth century, was religious
persecution. By statute and by word the Roman Catholic powers of Austria
sought to wipe out the Salzburg Lutherans and the Moravian followers of
John Huss. In that region of the Rhine co