Role in the American War of Independence
Loftus embarked for Boston from Cork on 10 April 1775 and arrived at a city under siege by local militia on 24 May. Three weeks later, Loftus, a cavalry Cornet, volunteered to dismount for his first military action at Bunker Hill overlooking the city, under the command of General Sir William Howe, who on this occasion, was pleased to give him the rank of Lieutenant. The shock of one of the bloodiest battles of the war was followed by long winter months under siege in Boston, which ended in an ignominious evacuation in March 1776. Loftus was seconded as an assistant engineer building fortifications in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the next few months (ibid.).
In July 1776, Loftus landed with his regiment on Staten Island, where the 17th joined forces with the newly recruited Hessian troops. He distinguished himself with great gallantry in his first command on the Bedford Road under Sir William Erskine, personally commended by General Howe for his part in driving back the Americans and capturing General Sullivan, together with two Brigadier-Generals and ten field officers (ibid). A few weeks later at Kip's Bay, Loftus was presented with the opportunity to change the course of history when he saw General Washington virtually unguarded and galloped to:
"...within a hundred yards of that General George Washington, whom he nearly captured. The men whom he had with him were all knocked out of their saddles by the American riflemen concealed behind a fence. Had he been fortunate enough to take such a prize, probably the whole course of events would have changed."
This account may well be apocryphal but it matches what is now known about a moment of fury on that day, 15 September 1776, when Washington briefly lowered his guard. A few weeks later, Loftus had the honour of being selected with twenty picked light dragoons, as General Howe's personal guard at Pelham Manor. At White Plains, Howe chose him to lead the Hessian Grenadiers across the Bronx River, where he was wounded. His wounds were not critical and he was back in the field the following month, when he joined Lord Percy's brigade at the Battle of Fort Washington. His regiment was unable to provide any hope for further promotion, so Loftus transferred to a company in the 44th regiment and was ordered by General Knyphausen to defend a pass at Kingsbridge with one hundred men. The pass was defended, finally pushing the militia back in Kingsbridge in what was one of the heaviest defeats for the Americans in that war but Loftus was once again wounded, and withdrew to winter quarters, missing the action at The Battle of Trenton. Loftus returned to active duty with Colonel Bird up the Hudson River to Peck's Hill in January 1777, where they blew up the American ammunitions stores. This was followed by a number of actions in New Jersey in 1777. Loftus was promoted to captain and returned to Ireland as aide-de-camp to the Lord Lieutenants of Ireland at Dublin Castle.
