The Clow Rebellion was a

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

insurrection that took place in mid-April 1778, during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. It took place on the

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

side of the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

-Delaware border and was led by

Cheney Clow Cheney Clow (1734–1788) was a loyalist from Delaware Colony during the American Revolution who staged a rebellion against the colonial government that was advocating separation from Great Britain. Early life Cheney Clow was born in 1734 in Dela ...

(sometimes spelled "China" Clow). The rebellion was suppressed by Maryland and Delaware militia. The insurrection was spurred by a foraging party that arrived in the area in late-February under the command of Henry Lee, who collected supplies for the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

stationed at

Valley Forge Valley Forge functioned as the third of eight winter encampments for the Continental Army's main body, commanded by General George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. In September 1777, Congress fled Philadelphia to escape the B ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Discontent over the foraging party led to the formation of an insurrection in March, which grew larger by mid-April, and coalesced under the command of Clow. The insurgents were active in both Maryland and Delaware. Commanding about 200 Loyalists, Clow constructed a fort on his own property, northwest of

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, near what is today

Kenton, Delaware Kenton is a town in Kent County, Delaware, Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Dover metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 261 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. Histo ...

. General

William Smallwood William Smallwood (1732February 14, 1792) was an American planter, soldier and politician from Charles County, Maryland. He served in the American Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of major general. He was serving as the fourth Governor ...

sent Colonel Charles Pope to quell the insurrection in early April. He gathered local militia, and approached Clow's fort to investigate on April 14. Clow responded by sending 150 of his men to oppose Pope's militia, and "a smart fire" erupted which left one dead on each side. Pope was forced to retreat, and called upon reinforcements to disperse Clow's force. Pope received reinforcements from both the Maryland and Delaware militia, and attacked Clow's fort again on April 16 or 17, and dispersed the Loyalists. The militia then burned the fort, and captured many of the Loyalist insurgents, although Clow escaped. In 1782, Clow was indicted for treason by the state of Delaware. Clow was convicted and sentenced to hang in 1783, although the execution was not carried out until 1788.Wayne Bodle, "The Ghost of Clow": Loyalist Insurgency in the Delmarva Peninsula." In ''The Other Loyalists: Ordinary People, Royalism, and the Revolution in the Middle Colonies, 1763-1787'', ed. Joseph S. Tiedemann, Eugene R. Fingerhut, and Robert W. Veneblss. New York: State University of New York Press, 2009.

References

{{Reflist American Revolutionary War