Moravians in Salem During the Revolutionary War

By the fall of 1780, Patriots and Tories were fighting each other throughout the backcountry, and both sides took the policy that “if you’re not with us, you’re against us.” That left groups like the Moravians, who were mostly pacifists, in a difficult position. 

The Moravians supported the Patriots in the war. Like the Quakers, they would not swear an oath, including the oath of loyalty to the new state government, and most Moravians would not take up arms, though some younger members of the congregation did join the Patriot militia. The state Assembly recognized their loyalty, allowing them to affirm their loyalty without swearing an oath and exempting them from military service if they paid a triple tax. 

Still, many backcountry Patriots and Continental Army soldiers didn’t trust the Moravians. They spoke a different language (German); they practiced a different form of Protestant Christianity; and — worst of all — they refused to fight for either side.