Editing Flora MacDonald (section)

==Emigration to North Carolina==
Following their marriage in 1750, Flora and her husband Allan MacDonald lived at [[Flodigarry]] on Skye. Allan served in the [[114th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highlander Volunteers)|114th]] and [[62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot|62nd Regiments of Foot]] during the 1756 to 1763 [[Seven Years' War]], and inherited Kingsburgh when his father died in 1772. The couple was visited here by poet, [[essayist]], and [[lexicographer]] [[Dr. Johnson]] in 1773,{{efn|Johnson, who claimed to have Jacobite sympathies, asked to meet Flora, and described her as "a woman of soft features, gentle manners, kind soul and elegant presence"}} whose words were later inscribed on her memorial at [[Kilmuir, Skye|Kilmuir]]: "a name that will be mentioned in history, and if courage and fidelity be virtues, mentioned with honour".{{sfn|Bate|1955|p=463}}

However, a series of poor harvests and increasingly high rents resulted in what Johnson described as an "epidemic desire of wandering" throughout the Highlands in general. At the time of his visit in 1773, more than 800 people from the Sleat lands were preparing to emigrate to North America, and in 1774 Flora and her husband moved to [[Anson County, North Carolina]].{{sfn|Fraser|2022|pp=123-124}} Along with other [[Clan Donald]] transplants, they settled near what is now Cameron Hill, on a plantation named "Killegray".{{sfn|Quynn|1941|p=246}} 

When the [[American Revolutionary War]] began in 1775, Allan raised the Anson Battalion of the Loyalist North Carolina Militia, a total of around 1,000 men, including their sons Alexander and James.{{Sfn|McConnell|2014}} They then set off for the coast to link up with some 2,000 British reinforcements commanded by General [[Henry Clinton (1730–1795)|Henry Clinton]], who in reality had only just left [[Cork (city)|Cork]] in [[Ireland]]. Early on the morning of 27 February, they were ambushed at [[Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge|Moore's Creek Bridge]] by [[Patriot (American Revolution)|Patriot]] [[Minutemen|militia]] led by [[Richard Caswell]] and along with his troops, Allan MacDonald was taken prisoner.{{Sfn|McConnell|2014}} 

After the battle, Flora MacDonald was interrogated by the local [[Committee of Safety (American Revolution)|Committee of Safety]]. In April 1777, all Loyalist-owned property was confiscated and the MacDonalds were evicted from Killegray, losing all their possessions.{{Sfn|Meyer|1963|p=75}} After 18 months in captivity, Allan was released as part of a [[prisoner exchange]] in September 1777 and posted to [[Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)|Fort Edward, Nova Scotia]] as commander of the [[84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)|84th Regiment of Foot]]. He was joined here by his wife in August 1778.{{sfn|Quynn|1941|pp=249–251}}