I am in the process of transcribing the Revolutionary War Pension Application for Christian TROUT and ran into some very intriguing passages that mention a Tory (American loyal to the British) general by the name of "SANDS" that apparently lived along the Potomac on the northern reaches of Loudoun County. As background, Christian TROUT was born in Sharpsburg, Washington, MD in 1753, was raised there, and in May 1778, joined "The Sharpsburg Select Militia" under the command of Captain Joseph CHAPLINE, Jr. (son of Joseph Sr, the founder of Sharpsburg), in Colonel Jones' Regiment of Maryland Militia. During the course of four enlistments, Christian TROUT continued in active-duty militia service until October of 1780. Most of his service was spent in chasing Tories and then guarding both them and captured British soldiers jailed at various times in Sharpsburg, Hagerstown, and at "The Barracks" in Frederick. Of interest to Loudoun County readers (and the basis of my question) is the Sharpsburg Militia operations to capture Tories in Loudoun County. Specifically, in March of 1780, his unit (perhaps then under Captain Sisox) crossed the Potomac River into Loudoun County at Lucketts Ferry (just up river from Landers, MD, several miles below Brunswick, MD), camping there briefly, then commencing efforts to "proceed to arrest one General Sands, a Tory general... [who] lived on the Potomac River some distance... " They did not successfully capture General Sands, but they did capture his brother and several others, taking the Tory prisoners back to "The Barracks" in Frederick. I am totally intrigued. Has anyone ever heard of a Tory general by the name of SANDS living along the Potomac River in Northern Loudoun County? Obviously, he also had an adult brother at home with him. The fact that SANDS is referred to as a general suggests that he was a man of property and held in very high regard by the British. In truth, his "forces" were probably very meager at best, but exaggerated by the loyalists or the British for propaganda purposes. On occasion, Tories did form loyalist militia units, but I had not been aware of such units in Loudoun County. Has anyone read anything else about Maryland Militia units chasing Tories in Loudoun County in March of 1780? I do not know if this Christian TROUT is my line, but my Paul TROUT (TRAUT/DRAUT) and son Casper TROUT lived on the Loudoun side of the Potomac overlooking the Lucketts Ferry area by the end of the Revolution. I am searching all TROUT's living close by during that time period to search for any connections. Best regards to all, Craig H. Trout Lovettsville, VA