The Loyalist Regiments of the American Revolutionary War
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I The Loyalist Regiments of the American Revolutionary War 1775-1783 Stuart Salmon 0020749 PhD Dissertation, 2009. This dissertation is submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in History at the University of Stirling. II Abstract This dissertation is about the Loyalist Regiments of the American Revolution, 1775-1783. These were the formal regiments formed by the British, consisting of Americans who stayed Loyal to the British crown during the American Revolutionary War. They fought in most of the main campaigns of this war and in 1783 left with the British Army for Canada, where many of them settled. The Loyalist regiments have been neglected by academic historians with only one major work on them as a group. The intention of this dissertation is to give them their proper place in the historiography of the American Revolutionary War and of eighteenth century military history. The dissertation is laid out in the following way. Chapter one, will be an overview of the history of Regiments, from their origins in Colonial days until 1783. It will assess how they were dealt with by the British and examine both organisation and combat. Chapter two is a thematic chapter looking principally at the organisation of the regiments as well as their motivation and composition. The next four chapters are case studies of three Loyalist regiments. Chapters three and four are a case study of the Queens Rangers. A database of all the soldiers who served in this regiment was created and is included with this dissertation. Chapter five is about the controversial regiment, the British Legion. Chapter 6 is a case study of the frontier regiment Butler‘s Rangers. III Table of Contents Abstract. Acknowledgments. List of Maps, Tables and Appendices, including instructions for the database on the cd. Introduction, p. 1. Chapter 1: The Loyalist Regiments of the American Revolution 1775-1783, p. 19. Chapter 2: The Loyalist Regiments Organsisation, Themes and Issues, p. 77. Chapter 3: The Queens Rangers 1776-77, p. 126. Chapter 4: The Queens Rangers Under Simcoe, p. 186. Chapter 5: The British Legion, p. 240. Chapter 6: Butler’s Rangers, p. 302. Dissertation Conclusion, p. 369. Appendices. Bibliography IV Acknowledgments The greatest debt I owe in the writing of this dissertation is to Dr Colin Nicolson, my supervisor. His good advice, patience, helpfulness and willingness to devote time to assist me aided me enormously and he was a constant source of support. As this was a part-time, self funded thesis, his providing me with a job as his research assistant was vital to my continuance as a student. In this regard I would also like to thank the Department of history at the University of Stirling, and in particular the heads of department, Professors McKean and Peden, and Dr Jim Smyth, for employing me as a teaching assistant. This not only gave me much needed employment but benefited all aspects of experience as a PhD student. I also thank the universities of Edinburgh and Dundee for employing me as a tutor. I would like to thank all the members of staff in the History Department at Stirling, for help and support but in particular, my second supervisor Dr Emma Macleod who was of great help and was always willing to listen. Dr Ben Marsh was also a great support. Dr Phia Steyn, Professor Richard Oram, Dr Alistair Mann, Dr Mike Hopkinson, Dr Mike Rapport, Dr Michael Penman, Dr Helen Dingwall who all provided much appreciated assistance over the years. Staff at other Universities provided much needed assistance with both my thesis and sustaining my studies. These include, Professor Tony Parker, Dr Frank Cogliano, Dr Mathew Ward, Dr Mark Newman, Dr Alex Goodall, Dr Fabian Hilfrich and Dr Murray Frame. This thesis could not have been written without the kindness of the staff at the various archives and libraries I visited. They are too many to mention but in particular I owe a great debt to the staffs of the William Clements Library in Michigan, the Library and Archives Canada, the Detroit Public Library, the British Library, the V National Archives in Kew and the National Library of Scotland. I would also like to thank the staff of Stirling University Library, in particular those in the Document Delivery Department for not turning down all my unusual requests! I would also like to thank the Carnegie Trust for Travel funds. To lapse into cliché, no PhD student is an island and I could not have completed my thesis without my friends, many of whom are or were Stirling postgraduates. In particular I would like to single out: Amanda Frazier, for being a wonderful friend, fellow amateur drama enthusiast and constant source of encouragement; Dave Kaufman for bring an equal source of encouragement and for providing me with a laugh without fail when I needed one; Susie and Dave Burlinson for being great listeners and great friends. I would also like to mention, Mark Nixon, Sang Dong Lee, Neil Forsyth, Mark Lammey, James Cottam and Tim Lovering for making the Post grad office a great place to study. I would also like to mention Blair Kerr, my fellow post grad and flatmate. Out-with academia, my friends were always prepared to listen, usually over an alcoholic beverage. I would like to thank my oldest friends: Iain Walker, Bill Freeman, and Keith Main. Aileen Jones was one of my greatest sources of encouragement and friendship, thanks for putting up with me! I would also like to thank all the members of the Orwell Players in Kinross for providing me with a great source of escape. In particular: Jimmy, Roz, Bob, Ian, Zoe, Linda‘s F and P, Alan, Ann, Alan, Mary, Maggie and Gemma. I owe Laura Hughes an immense debt. She has made the last few months a joy and tolerated having to proof read my dissertation! Lastly, I would like to thank my family. My sisters Joanna and Ailsa and my brother in law Julian have always been there whenever I needed. The birth of my nephew Thomas brightened up the last year beyond measure. I cannot possibly repay VI the debt I owe to my parents, Ian and Eunice, in any sense of the word. All I can say is thank you. VII List of Maps Map1: The Colonies on the Eve of Independence, p.18. Map 2: New York Campaign, Showing Mamaroneck 22 October 1776 p. 154. Map 3: Brandywine Creek, 11 September 1777, showing the movements of the Queens Rangers, p.177. Map 4: The War in South Carolina 1780, p.269. Map 5: The Battle of Cowpens 17 January 1781, p. 290. Map 6: The Battle of Oriskany 6 August 1778 between pp.309-310. Map 7: The New York Frontier 1778-9, p. 315. Map 8: The War on the Western Frontiers, p.362. List of Tables Table 1: State of Cloathing for Provincials in New York and Charleston April 1781, p. 101. Table 2: Provincial Regiments Victualled at New York and Outposts on 25 September 1780, p.103. Table 3: Daily Pay Scale for the Royal Highland Emigrants March 1779, p. 106. Table 4: Money Paid out to Regiments serving in America 25/12/1777-24/4/1778, pp. 107-108. Table 5: Four companies of the Queens Rangers, 24 August 1776 to 24 December 1776, pp. 147-148. Table 6: Four companies of the Queens Rangers, 24 December 1776 to 30 March 1777, pp. 159-160. Table 7: Daily Wages for Two Companies of the Queens Rangers, p. 198. Table 8: Men recorded as enlisted in the Muster Rolls 1777-1783, pp. 200-201. Table 9: Soldiers Recorded For the First Time on the Muster Rolls, pp. 201. Table 10: Desertion rates November 1777-1783 compiled from the Muster rolls, p. 204. VIII Table 11: Length of Service, Queens Rangers 1776-1783, pp. 209-210. Table 12: Average Strength of the Queens Rangers 1776-1783, pp. 211-212. Table 13:Absences from Duty 1776-1783, pp.232-235. Table 14: List of Company Commanders of the British Legion with nationality given, pp. 252-254. Table 15: British Legion Regimental Totals 1780-1782, p. 255. Table 16: British Legion Rates of Pay 24 Dec. 1782 23 Feb. 1783, p. 257. Table 17: British Legion Rank and File Fit for Duty with Minutes of Muster January- October 1781, pp. 292-293. Table 18: Number of officers serving in Butler‘s Rangers 1778-1781, p. 321. Table 19: Total Numbers serving in Butler‘s Rangers 1778-1784, p. 326. Table 20: Pay for Butler‘s Rangers for 212 days with Daily Rates, pp. 330-331. Table 21: Expenditure on Armed Loyalists Northern Dept 1778-1784, p.338. List of Appendices. Appendix 1: Brig. Gen. Timothy Ruggles Proposal for the Formation of the Boston Association November 1774. Appendix 2: Table of Provincial Regiments Raised 1776- 1783. Appendix 3: Instructions for Queens Rangers Database. Appendix 4: Company Commanders of the Queens Rangers 1776-1777 Appendix 5: British Legion Minutes of Muster 1780-1782. Appendix 6: Butler‘s Rangers Officers. Appendix 7:Minutes of Muster for the Cavalry of the British Legion 25 August 1781- 23 February 1782. Appendix 8: Expenditure for Northern Command showing total expenditure on Butler‘s Rangers 1778-1784. Appendix 9: IX Subsistence Wanting for Butler‘s Rangers 25 October 1778 -24 May 1779. Appendix 10: Muster Roll of Captain John MacKay‘s Company of the Queens Rangers, 24 October 1778 to 23 February 1779. Appendix 11: Newspaper Report of Queens Rangers at Brandywine Creek, 11 September 1777. Appendix 12: Newspaper Report of British Legion‘s Victory at Waxhaws 29 May 1780.