84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)

The 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) was a British regiment in the American Revolutionary War that was raised to defend present-day Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada from the constant land and sea attacks by American Revolutionaries.The provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick were created only after the American Revolution by dividing Quebec and Nova Scotia, respectively. Prior to 1793, Ontario was part of Quebec, and New Brunswick was part of Nova Scotia. The 84th Regiment was also involved in offensive action in the Thirteen Colonies, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, and what is now Maine, as well as raids upon Lake Champlain and the Mohawk Valley. The regiment consisted of 2,000 men in twenty companies. The 84th Regiment was raised from Scottish soldiers who had served in the Seven Years' War and stayed in North America. As a result, the 84th Regiment had one of the oldest and most experienced officer corps of any regiment in North America.Stacy, p. 56 The Scottish Highland regiments were a key element of the British Army in the American Revolution.How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur L. Herman. p. 255

The 84th Regiment was clothed, armed, and accoutred the same as the Black Watch, with Lieutenant Colonel Allan Maclean commanding the first battalion and Major General John Small of Strathardle commanding the second.Initially, Major John's Small's regiment was named the Young Royal Highlanders and Allan Maclean's was called the Royal Highland Immigrants. John Small's regiment was later amalgamated into Allan MacLean's, both taking on the name the Royal Highland Emigrants. In January 1779, all battalions of the regiment were moved from the Provincial to the Regular Establishment as the 84th Regiment of Foot. They served as part of the Regular Establishment until the end of the war. The two Battalions operated independently of each other and saw little action together.

First Battalion

Historical context - Quebec and Ontario The British Province of Quebec (which included much of the present-day provinces of Quebec and Ontario) was the target of an invasion by Continental Army forces in 1775.

Lieutenant Colonel Allan Maclean, Commander, 1st Battalion

The distinguished war hero, Lieutenant Colonel Allan Maclean of Torloisk (1725–83), was authorized by Lieutenant General Thomas Gage to raise a regiment from Scottish communities in Canada, New York and the Carolinas. The 84th Highland Regiment was the first to be raised from American Loyalists. The soldiers were drawn from those who had served Britain in the Seven Years' War – the 42nd Regiment of Foot (Black Watch), 77th Regiment of Foot (Montgomerie's Highlanders), and 78th Fraser Highlanders.Brander, pp.203-205

The prospect of raising regiments in the Thirteen Colonies was a dangerous mission. Only two battalions of the five originally requested were raised because of the difficulty of recruiting. When Maclean arrived in New York not long after the war broke out, he was warned not to disembark in his uniform for fear of attack. As a result, when travelling alone he dressed as a doctor.Fryer, Mary Beacock, Allan Maclean, Jacobite General: The life of an eighteenth century career soldier, Dundurn Press, Toronto, 1987, p. 123 The dangers of recruiting American Loyalists became even clearer after the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, a patriot victory, in North Carolina.Fryer, pp. 121–122

Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, North Carolina Members of the 84th Highland Regiment were in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, North Carolina, in early 1776. On 27 February 1776, the 84th Regiment, with a number of new recruits, was marching to the port of Wilmington, North Carolina. There they were to join with a force arriving from Europe and participate in operations in the southern colonies. The recruited force, at first numbering 1,600 American Loyalists but reduced during the march by desertions to fewer than 800, faced off against 1,000 American Patriots. The American Loyalists' movement was blocked by Patriot forces on two occasions, but the Loyalists managed to bypass them to reach the bridge over Widow Moore's Creek. Captain McLeod, who had survived the Battle of Bunker Hill, was killed leading history's last known Highland charge at Moore's Creek Bridge. Half of the regiment was captured and thirty were killed; with ninety six officers and men taken prisoner.Bruce, Bernard. The British Eighty-Fourth Regiment, (1775–1784). Nova Scotia Records and Archive Management. MG. 100., Vil. 137, No. 9G, p. 4 The majority of the Carolina recruits were never able to join the regiment since the Loyalist forces were scattered after the battle.Rankin (1986)

Lt. Col. Donald MacDonald helped with the recruiting in North Carolina and fought in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge.MacDonald had also fought in The Battle of Bunker Hill with Major Small (The North Carolina Continentals By Hugh F. Rankin, p. 33) Both MacLean and MacDonald were taken prisoner.

Sorel, Quebec, Headquarters, 1st Battalion

In 1777 the Headquarters moved from Quebec to Sorel.Kim Stacy (1994). No One harms me with impunity - the History, Organization and Biographies of the 84th Highland Regiment (Royal Highland Emigrants) and Young Royal Highlanders during the Revolutionary War 1775-1784. Unpublished manuscript. p. 61

Military operations – Quebec Under McLean's command, the First Battalion acted primarily to defend Quebec from American Patriot forces. It marched from Quebec in an attempt to repel Brigadier General Richard Montgomery's invasion in the Siege of Fort St. Jean, Quebec. The regiment made two attempts to relieve the fort, but eventually returned to Quebec, where it helped to stiffen the resolve of the civil population until Carleton's return from Montreal.

The regiment was also involved in the Battle of Quebec. Montgomery and Benedict Arnold, who led an expedition through the wilderness of what is now Maine, combined forces and mounted attack on Quebec City. At a crucial moment in the battle, Captain McDougal led 120 of the 84th and 60 Royal Navy sailors against a force of New Hampshire troops commanded by Henry Dearborn. They overwhelmed Dearborn's men, forcing the survivors to surrender.Lefkowitz, pp. 257-258

Military operations – Thirteen Colonies Later in the war, they took part in raids upon Lake Champlain in 1778 and into the Mohawk Valley in 1780, 1781 and 1782.

Second Battalion

Historical context – Atlantic Canada The 84th was tasked with defending British maritime provinces from American Revolutionary attacks by land and sea. Throughout the war, American privateers devastated the maritime economy by raiding many of the coastal communities. There were constant attacks by American privateers,Benjamin Franklin also engaged France in the war, which meant that many of the privateers were also from France. such as the Sack of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1782), numerous raids on Liverpool, Nova Scotia (October 1776, March 1777, September, 1777, May 1778, September 1780) and a raid on Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia (1781).Roger Marsters (2004). Bold Privateers: Terror, Plunder and Profit on Canada's Atlantic Coast, p. 87-89. There was also a naval engagement with a French fleet at Sydney, Nova Scotia, near Spanish River, Cape Breton (1781).Thomas B. Akins. (1895) History of Halifax. Dartmouth: Brook House Press.p. 82

In the fall of 1775 General George Washington authorized some ship's captains to engage in privateering activities. In violation of their charter (which allowed the taking of ships but not raids on land targets), the privateering ships Hancock and Franklin made an unopposed landing at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on 17 November 1775. Three days later, they sailed to Nova Scotia and raided Canso, Nova Scotia. In 1779, American privateers returned to Canso and destroyed the fisheries, which were worth £50,000 a year to Britain.Lieutenant Governor Sir Richard Hughes stated in a dispatch to Lord Germaine that "rebel cruisers" made the attack.

To guard against such attacks, the 84th was garrisoned at forts around the maritime provinces. One such fort was Fort Howe,Fort Frederick was destroyed and rebuilt at Fort Howe. at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy at what is now Saint John, New Brunswick. As soon as the fort was built, it was immediately pillaged and burned by American privateers (August, 1775).Bold Privateers, p. 88 Saint John was raided three more times in the span of two months (1777) before the 84th was able to rebuild Fort Howe.Stacy, pp. 26–27

In Newfoundland, American privateers sacked numerous ports such as Chateau Bay (1778) and Twillingate (1779). Off the coast of Newfoundland, the 84th Regiment were the first to defeat an American privateer in the Battle of the Newcastle Jane (1776). Major Small also had companies from the 84th Regiment stationed in Fort Frederick, Placentia, Newfoundland.

The 84th Regiment also defended Nova Scotia, attacking an American privateer off Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1775). The 84th was led by Captain John MacDonald. They boarded the warship when part of its crew were ashore seeking plunder. They captured the crew and sailed her into Halifax.Craig, C. (1989). The Young Emigrants: Craigs of the Magaguadavic. p. 53

There were also Patriot attacks on Nova Scotia by land, such as the Battle of Fort Cumberland (also known as the Eddy Rebellion). There was the constant fear that American Patriots would attack Halifax, Nova Scotia, by land. The threat involved American Patriots landing in Windsor and marching to Halifax. As a result, in the summer of 1778, Major John Small moved the headquarters of the 84th Regiment from Halifax to Fort Edward (Nova Scotia) in Windsor.

Major General John Small, Commander, 2nd Battalion

When Col. Allan Maclean landed in America, he discovered that Major General John Small, was already mobilizing American Loyalists from the 13 Colonies as well as present day Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada to create a Highland Regiment.While it wore the Scottish Highland uniform and was known as a Highland Regiment, it consisted of no more than 25% Scottish membership, the rest made up of the other nationalities present in the English Colonies during the American Revolution. Along with getting soldiers who fought in 77th Regiment of Foot (Montgomerie's Highlanders) and 78th Regiment of Foot (Fraser's Highlanders), Small was recruiting soldiers from the 42nd Regiment of Foot (Black Watch); the same regiment that he had served with in the Seven Years' War. The regiment was known as the "Young Royal Highlanders" until it turned into the 84th Regiment.Savas, p. xli

Small was involved with also recruiting new immigrants as they arrived off transports from the British Isles. On one occasion, the transport George arrived in New York with 172 immigrant Highlanders. Major Small went aboard, explained the situation, and pressed the men into service. Small gave them assurance that their families would be well taken care of by the regiment. The same thing happened on 3 October 1775, with Scottish immigrants arriving in New York on the ship Glasgow. On that occasion, there were 255 immigrants (men and their families). Upon Small redirecting the immigrants to Halifax, the officer in command in Halifax reported that their amount of luggage was enough to "fill St. Paul's Church."Duncanson, John (1989) p. 64

Battle of Bunker Hill, Boston