The American Revolution anticipated the Civil War, fought less than a century after the North American colonies secured their independence from Britain. The cause of independence drove a deep wedge between neighbors and family members, creating a rift that the British sought to exploit to their advantage throughout the conflict with varying degrees of success. Some of the war’s most ferocious fighting occurred between Patriots (Americans in support of the colonies remaining British possessions) and Loyalists (those favoring the colonies’ independence).