Thomas Gilbert (1714-1797) was a soldier in

King George's War King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in t ...

, the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. He was known as the "Leader of the New England Tories". He became 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 ...

, originally from Assonet in Freetown, Massachusetts, he settled a community that was eventually named after him, Gilberts Cove, Nova Scotia. During

, he fought in the Siege of Louisbourg (1745). During the French and Indian War, he also fought at the Battle of Lake George as Lieutenant-Colonel under Brigadier-General

Timothy Ruggles Timothy Dwight Ruggles (October 20, 1711 – August 4, 1795) was an American colonial military leader, jurist, and politician. He was a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress of 1765 and later a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War. Ear ...

afterward of Wilmot, Nova Scotia (Upper Granville, Nova Scotia), at Crown Point in 1755. Gilbert became commander of the forces under Colonel Ephraim Williams when the latter was killed in the same year at Lake George. During the American Revolution, Gilbert and his three sons fought for the British in Massachusetts. In May 1783 they were exiled to Nova Scotia along with their slaves. They settled in the community that became known as Gilberts Cove, Nova Scotia. They later moved to

Saint John River (New Brunswick) The Saint John River (french: Fleuve Saint-Jean; Maliseet-Passamaquoddy: ''Wolastoq'') is a long river that flows from Northern Maine into Canada, and runs south along the western side of New Brunswick, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean in the ...

References

John C. Crane. ''Col Thomas Gilbert: The Leader of New England Tories.'' Worcester, Mass, E. V. Newton Publisher. 1893.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Thomas People from Digby County, Nova Scotia Loyalists who settled Nova Scotia 1714 births 1797 deaths People from Assonet, Massachusetts