Draught Soldiers to the 27th Regiment

In the summer of 1763, having received King George’s instructions regarding the reduction of the British armies in North America, the acting generals set in motion their plan to augment the three regiments that would remain to garrison Quebec. It was decided that the 15th Foot, the 27th Foot, and the 2nd Battalion of the 60th Royal American Regiment would be assigned this task.

An analysis of the official subsistence rolls of the 78th Regiment reveals that approximately 358 soldiers remained in North America for this duty. Some were volunteers; others were retained due to time remaining on their enlistment contracts.

At the conclusion of the war, the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment experienced a significant reduction in its number of soldiers. To maintain the troop levels required for guarding Quebec, subsequent muster rolls include reinforcements from the 47th and 78th Foot, each contributing men to replenish the regiment.

By September 1765, the regiment was distributed as follows: four companies in the town of Quebec, three companies at Trois-Rivières, and two in Montreal, with Colonel Massey appointed to command the district.

In August 1767, the regiment embarked on board transports for Europe, landed at Cork, Ireland on September 29th, and proceeded to Dublin the following day. In the ensuing year, the regiment was quartered in Limerick, returning to Dublin in 1769, where it remained until 1774, when it returned once again to Limerick.

It is not known how many soldiers from this group remained in North America.

Draught Soldiers 
The following soldiers, most likely veterans of the 78th Foot, are identified as having joined the 27th Foot on 25 August 1763. This muster is for 183 days ending 24 October 1763, the earliest available rolls after 1 September 1763, the date by which most of Colonel Fraser's men had transferred.

Lieutenant-Colonel Massey's Company

Reporting at St. Peters on South River, 24 October 1763
1. Private Andrew Anderson

2. Private John Cameron
3. Private Robert Keith
4. Private Loughlin Mitchal
5. Private Daniel McIntosh
6. Private John McIntosh
7. Private William McKinzie
8. Private James Taveish

Major John Maunsell's Company

Reporting at St. Peters on South River, 24 October 1763
9. Private Allexr. Faquher
10. Private Keneth McLean
11. Private Angush McDonold

Captain James Holmes' Company

Reporting at Trois Rivieres, 29 October 1763
12. Private Malkam Fergison
13. Private John Kennady
14. Private Laughlin McGuire

Captain John Campbell's Company

Reporting at St. Francois, 2 November 1763
15. Private Bryan Cairy
16. Private Donald Camaron
17. Private Evan Camaron
18. Private Collin Campbell
19. Private John Campbell
20. Private John Fraser
21. Private Jeremiah Fraser
22. Private Allexander Fraser
23. Private John Hutcheson
24. Private William McGilveroy
25. Private John McDonald, Senr.
26. Private Donald McPhii
27. Private Christopher McKinzey
28. Private John McDonald, Junr.
29. Private Evan McBean
30. Private Evan McMullan
31. Private Donald McDonald
32. Private John McGibbans
33. Private Robert McKinn
34. Private Allexander Murray
35. Private Robert Pellypren [Bellypren?]
36. Private John Summers

Captain Apollos Morris' Company

Reporting at Point au Tremble, 25 October 1763
37. Private Dennis Carney
38. Private Duncan Campbell
39. Private James Filk
40. Private Hugh Grimes
41. Private John McGinnis
42. Private Bryan Murphy
43. Private William Morrow
44. Private Peter McIntire
45. Private William Noble

Captain Henry Pringle's Company

Reporting at De Chambo, 27 October 1763
46. Private Jno. Duff
47. Private Alexr. Fletcher
48. Private Danl. Frazer
49. Private Jno. Reed

Captain Philip Skene's Company

Reporting at St. Anns, 28 October 1763
50. Private Alexander Hackny
51. Private John Muster'd
52. Private Robert McFarling
53. Private Archibold Robinson

Captain William Stewart's Company

Reporting at Trois Rivieres, 29 October 1763
54. Private William Hearly
55. Private George Strachan

Soldiers' notes.
2. Later joined the 2nd Battalion, 60th Royal Americans by 9 October 1767.
4. Listed as Lachlin Mitchell on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
5. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify.
6. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify.
7. Recorded as 78th veteran, and appears on a 1765 land grant submitted by veterans, but not listed on any known rosters for the 78th Regiment.
8. Listed as Tavish on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Later joined the 52nd Foot by 9 October 1767.
9. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify.
10. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify.
11. Probably Angus McDonell, as listed on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
12. Listed as Malcolm Ferguson on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Later joined the 2nd Battalion, 60th Royal Americans by 9 October 1767.
13. Listed as Kennedy on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
14. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify. Later joined the 52nd Foot by 9 October 1767.
15. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify. Later joined the 2nd Battalion, 60th Royal Americans by 9 October 1767; there recorded as Keary.
16. Listed as Cameron on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
17. Listed as Cameron on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
21. Later joined the 15th Foot by 9 October 1767.
22. Listed as Alexander on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
23. Listed as Hutchinson on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Later joined the 1st Battalion, 60th Royal Americans by 9 October 1767.
24. Listed as McGillivrae on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
25. Listed as McDonell on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Father to soldier #28.
26. Listed as McPhie on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
27. Listed as McKenzie on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
28. Listed as McDonell on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Son to soldier #25.
30. Listed as McMillan on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
32. Listed as Gibbons on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Later joined the 15th Foot by 9 October 1767; there recorded as McGibbons.
34. Listed as Alexander on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Later joined the 52nd Foot by 9 October 1767.
35. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify.
36. Listed as Summer on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
37. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify. Name appears elsewhere as a veteran of the 47th Foot. Later joined the 15th Foot by 9 October 1767.
39. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify.
40. Possibly Hugh Graham, as listed on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
41. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify.
42. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify. Later joined the 29th Foot by 9 October 1767.
43. Possibly William Moore or More, as listed on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Later joined the 15th Foot by 9 October 1767; there recorded as Mourow.
44. Listed as McIntyre on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Later joined the 2nd Battalion, 60th Royal Americans by 9 October 1767.
47. Later joined the 2nd Battalion, 60th Royal Americans by 9 October 1767.
46. Listed as Duffie on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
48. Recorded as 78th veteran [possibly Donald Fraser], but unable to properly verify. See Forenames explanation below. A certificate of service for Donald Fraser, submitted on his behalf in 1765 for surveyed lands in Albany County, New York, reads, "...who formerly served in the 78th Regiment of Foot and was Drafted into the twenty Seven Regt. and who on finding a man in his room, got his discharge from said Regt. took his passage from Quebec to Greenock along with the 78th Regt..."
49. Listed as Ried on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.
50. Recorded as 78th veteran, but unable to properly verify. Later joined the 1st Battalion, 60th Royal Americans by 9 October 1767.
51. Recorded as "away on command." Listed as Mustard on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.

52. Recorded as "away on command." Listed as McFarlane on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls. Later joined the 2nd Battalion, 60th Royal Americans by 9 October 1767.
53. Recorded as "away on command."
54. Listed as Harley on the 78th Regiment subsistence rolls.

Interchangeable Names
The following names were most likely used interchangeably:

Forenames
- Daniel & Donald are sometimes, but not always, interchangeable in Scotland, because Domhnall, the Gaelic version of Donald, may be Anglicised as Daniel.

Surnames
- Graham/Grimes
- McDonald/McDonell

Works Cited:

War Office Records. 27th Foot, 1st Battalion. Commissary General of Musters Office and successors: General Muster Books and Pay Lists, 1759-1777. TNA, W.O. 12/4328.

War Office Records: Muster Books and Paylists: General, 47th Regiment, 1760-1763. LAC, W.O. 12/5871, Microfilm C-9202.

War Office Records: Return of Volunteers from the Inniskilling Regiment of Foot, given to the following Regiments. New York, 9 October 1767. In Letters, Military Despatches, Gen. Gage, 1767-1769, W.O. 1, vol. 8. LAC.

Trimble, William Copeland. The Historical Record of the 27th Inniskilling Regiment: from the Period of Its Institution as a Volunteer Corps till the Present Time. Clowes, 1876.

National Battlefields Commission, "Database of 1759-1760: Soldiers on the Plains of Abraham." Web. http://www.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca/en/history-heritage/battles-1759-1760/soldiers/. Accessed 17 December 2018.

Treasury Board Papers, "Subsistence Rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th), 1763." LAC, T.1, vol. 422.

Treasury Board Papers, "Subsistence Rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th), 1763." TNA, T.1, vol. 422.

Marie Fraser, "Subsistence Rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th), 1763." Clan Fraser Society, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2001.

McIntosh, Walter H. 78th or Colonel Simon Fraser's Regiment [Topsfield, Massachusetts, n.d.]

Donald Whyte, "Scottish Forenames." Details of a the forename Daniel. Web.

http://www.whatsinaname.net/male-names/Daniel.html. Accessed 17 December 2018.

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2018. 

Army Return of the Battle of Sainte-Foy, 28 Apr. 1760

The Battle of Sainte-Foy, sometimes called the Battle of Quebec, was fought on April 28, 1760 near the British-held town of Quebec in the French province of Canada during the Seven Years' War (called the French and Indian War in the United States). It was a victory for the French under the Chevalier de Lévis over the British army under General Murray. The battle was notably bloodier than the Battle of the Plains of Abraham of the previous September, and it was considered the last French victory in North America.

Return of the Officers, that were Killed, Wounded, Taken Prisoners, Missing, on the 28th of April 1760

Amherst's 15th Regiment

Killed:

1. Lieut. Maxwell, Senr.
Wounded:

2. Capt. Lieut. Cockburn

3. Lieut. Mukins

4. Lieut. Maxwell, Junr.

5. Lieut. Cathcart

6. Lieut. Winter

7. Lieut. Irwin

8. Lieut. Lockhart

9. Ens. Moneypenny

10. Ens. Bartlett

11. Ens. Mills

12. Ens. Barker
Wounded Prisoner:

13. Lt. Hamilton

14. Ens. Montgomery

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Serjeants: 4
- Rank & File: 21
Wounded:
- Serjeants: 9
- Rank & File: 82

Notes:
1 & 4: Lts. Maxwell: father/son
14. Ens. Montgomery would later expire at Montreal from his wounds.

Bragg's 28th Regiment

Wounded:

1. Colonel Walsh

2. Major Dalling

3. Capt. Spann

4. Capt. Mitchelson

5. Lt. & Adj. Tassell

6. Lieut. Brown

7. Lieut. Phibbs

8. Ens. Gilmer

9. Ens. Sheppard

10. Ens. Beal

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Serjeants: 1
- Rank & File: 14
Wounded:
- Serjeants: 4
- Drummers: 4
- Rank & File: 100

Otway's 35th Regiment

Wounded Prisoner:

1. Captain Ince

2. Lieut. Brown

3. Ens. Lysaght

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Rank & File: 12
Wounded:
- Serjeants: 3
- Drummers: 1
- Rank & File: 43

Notes:
1. Captain Ince would later expire at Montreal from his wounds.

Kennedy's 43rd Regiment

Wounded:
1. Captain Skey
2. Lieut. Clements
Prisoner:
3. Captain Maitland
Wounded Prisoner:
4. Ens. Maw

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Rank & File: 5
Wounded:
- Rank & File: 16

Lascelle's 47th Regiment
Killed:
1. Major Hussey
Prisoner:
2. Lieut. Sheriff
Wounded:
3. Lieut. Forster
4. Lieut. Bassett
5. Lieut. Ewer
6. Lieut. Stratford
7. Ens. Ulstik
8. Ens. Handfield
Wounded Prisoner:
9. Captain Archbold

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Serjeants: 1
- Rank & File: 10
Wounded:
- Serjeants: 3
- Drummers: 1
- Rank & File: 43

Notes:
9. Captain Archbold would later expire at Montreal from his wounds.

Webb's 48th Regiment
Killed:
1. Ens. Nicholson
Wounded:
2. Capt. Sir James Cockburn
3. Capt. Lieut. Barbutt
4. Lieut. Waterhouse
5. Lieut. Royce
6. Lieut. Crowe
7. Lieut. Moore
8. Ens. Campbell
9. Ens. Johnson
Prisoner:
10. Lieut. Davers

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Rank & File: 22
Wounded:
- Rank & File: 63

Anstruther's 58th Regiment
Killed:
1. Ens. Conway

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Serjeants: 1
- Rank & File: 7
Wounded:
- Serjeants: 3
- Rank & File: 45

Monckton's 2d Bn. 60th Regiment
Wounded:
1. Ens. Snow Steel
2. Ens. Donald McDonald

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Drummers: 1
- Rank & File: 1
Wounded:
- Rank & File: 9

Lawrence's 3d Bn. 60th Regiment
Wounded:
1. Capt. Faesch
2. Lieut. Faesch
3. Lieut. Campbell
4. Lieut. Grant
5. Lieut. Stephens
6. Lieut. Lewis Forbes
7. Ens. Pinckney
8. Ens. McGee
9. Ens. Hill
10. Ens. Stewart
Prisoner:
11. Colonel Young
12. Capt. Charteris

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Serjeants: 1
- Rank & File: 9
Wounded:
- Rank & File: 32

Notes:
6. Lieut. Lewis Forbes would later expire at Montreal from his wounds.

Fraser's 78th Regiment
Killed:
1. Capt. Donald McDonnell
2. Lieut. Cosmo Gordon
Wounded:
3. Colonel Fraser
4. Capt. John Campbell
5. Capt. Alexr. Fraser
6. Capt. McLeod
7. Lieut. Archd. Campbell
8. Lt. Hector McDonnell
9. Lt. Donald McBean
10. Lt. Alexr. Fraser, Senr.
11. Lt. John Nairn
12. Lt. Arthur Rose
13. Lt. Alexr. Fraser, Junr.
14. Lt. Simon Fraser, Senr.
15. Lt. Archd. McAllister
16. Lt. Alexr. Fraser, Grenadiers
17. Lt. John Chissolm
18. Lt. Simon Fraser, Junr.
19. Lt. Malcolm Fraser
20. Lt. Donald McNeil
21. Ens. Henry Munroe
22. Ens. Robert Menzies
23. Ens. Charles Stewart
24. Ens. Duncan Cameron
25. Ens. William Robertson
26. Capt. Lt. Chas. McDonnell
Wounded Prisoner:
27. Ens. Alexr. Gregorson
28. Ens. Malcolm Fraser
Missing:
29. Lt. Alexr. Campbell

Non-commissioned officers
Killed:
- Serjeants: 3
- Drummers: 1
- Rank & File: 51
Wounded:
- Serjeants: 10
- Rank & File: 119

Notes:
8. Lt. Hector McDonnell expired 8 May 1760 from his wounds.
10 & 13: Lts. Fraser: father/son
14 & 18: Lts. Fraser: father/son
28. Ens. Malcom Fraser would later expire at Montreal from his wounds.

Artillery
Wounded:
1. Major Goodwin
2. 2d Lieut. Heathcoat
3. 2d Lieut. Scott
4. Lt. Fireworker Davidson
Wounded Prisoner:
5. Lt. Fireworker Cooke

Wounded:
- Bombardiers: 3
- Gunners: 1
- Matrosses: 6
Missing:
- Matrosses: 1

Chief Engineer
Wounded:
1. Major McKellar

Rangers
Wounded:
1. Capt. Hazzen

Sources:
James Wolfe, "Return of the officers, that were killed, wounded, taken prisoners, missing, on the 28th of April 1760." Northcliff Collection: Series 1: Robert Monckton Papers. LAC, Microfilm: C-366.

James Murray, "List of officers sent in Governor Murray’s return not included in the list of English prisoners returned from Canada, June 14, 1760." War Officer Records: Amherst Papers. Correspondence between French Officers in North America and the Commander-in-Chief, 1757-1761. LAC, W.O. 34, vol. 10.

Marie Fraser, "Lieutenant Hector McDonnell died of his wounds, 8 May 1760." Clan Fraser Society, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2001.

“Capt Ince and four officers died of their wounds.” The Pennsylvania Gazette, 3 July 1760.

“Battle of Sainte-Foy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 Aug. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sainte-Foy.

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2018.

Transport Vessels for the Highland Battalions

Whitehall March 10, 1757.

Ldrs of the Admty. 

My Lords

I am commanded to signify to your Lordships His Majesty's Pleasure that you do forthwith cause a sufficient number of the Transport Vessels, (ordered by my Letters of the 22d past) to be fitted up, victualled, & provided with Bedding, for receiving on board, and conveying to North America, at the rate of two tons for each person, Two Highland Battalions of Foot, commanded by Lt. Col. Montgomery & Lt. Col. Fraser, Each Battalion consisting of 44 commission & Staff officers, 80 Non Commissioned officers, 20 Drummers, & 1000 private Men, together with the usual allowance of 6 Women, & 3 Servant to Each Company. And it's the Kings' further Pleasure that the said Transport Vessels so fitted up, be directed to repair to Cork in Ireland, under such convoy as your Lordships shall judge sufficient, where the Two Battalions above mentioned are to be embarked; and from whence such of the Transport Vessels, as shall have on board the Battalion, commanded by Lieut. Colonel Montgomery are to proceed to Charles Town in South Carolina, and the remainder, with the Battalion, commanded by Lieut. Colonel Fraser are to proceed to Halifax, in Nova Scotia, at which place they are to be respectively disembarked; And your Lordships will accordingly give the necessary Orders for this purpose to the Commanding Officer of the s Officer, commanding the said Convoy, & Transport Vessels.

Draft

Endorsed:
Draft to the Ldrs of the Admty

March 10th, 1757.

2 Tents, Baggage &c

Transports for Highlanders &c.

After arriving at Glasgow, Scotland, newspaper accounts depict the main body of Fraser's Highlanders, on or about 19 April 1757, proceeding southwest to Portpatrick en route to Donaghadee, Ireland, where they would continue their march some 400 miles south to Cork, Ireland, and depart for North America in transport vessels under the cover of HMS Enterprize, a 40-gun man of war. The merchant transport ships were contracted by the British Government for a period of about 13 months for service in North America. 

The makeup of ships in the Enterprize convoy to North America is revealed by Captain [John] Lewis, who accompanied the group from Cork Harbour, Ireland, on 30 June 1757, for the transatlantic voyage. While the captain's decision to depart from the convoy approximately 236 miles southwest of the Azores (or Western Islands) remains a mystery, he landed in New York in early September. A thorough ship count of the convoy is located in the following contemporary newspaper extract.

Annapolis Maryland Gazette  

15 September 1757

New York, September 5.

Friday last arrived here the Brig. Bell-Savage, Capt. Lewis, from Cork, and informs, That he sail'd from thence the 30th of June, in Company with eighteen Sail of Transports, having on board 2500 Highlanders, five Sail loaded with Powder and Ball, and seventeen Sail of Merchantmen for the West-Indies, Philadelphia, and Boston; all under Convoy of the Enterprize Man of War of 40 Guns, the Faulkland of 50 Guns, and the Stork Sloop of 10 Guns; and that on July 25, in Lat. 35 North, and Long. 30 West, he left the Convoy.

Captain Lewis' account of 18 transports assigned to the Highlanders reveals an even distribution of ships to both Colonels Fraser and Montgomery's battalions and is further confirmed in the official ship's logs of HMS Falkland, who accompanied nine of Montgomery's transports to South Carolina. And while the names of eight of Colonel Fraser's transports have been identified in the official ship's logs for HMS Enterprize, the ninth and unidentified final ship may have carried extra supplies, perhaps to include a small contingency of arms, ordnance, and camp necessaries such as tents, extra utensils, food, drinks, and clothing. It's also could have been used as a temporary hospital ship for any sick men in the battalion. The following list comprises all nine vessels which transported Colonel Fraser's men to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in the summer months of 1757.

Transports for Colonel Fraser's Second Highland Battalion

Ann

Owner: William Dodsworth

Tonnage/Parts: 391/19

Commencing/Ending: 8 March 1757-8 April 1758

Months/Days: 13/1

Freight: £3314:0:3

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Brotherly Love

Owner: John Richardson

Master: Armstrong

Tonnage/Parts: 357/18

Hired: 24 February 1757

Commencing/Ending: 7 March 1757-18 April 1758

Months/Days: 13/12

Freight: £3108:17:3

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Cecilia

Owner: John Brathery

Tonnage/Parts: 214/86

Hired: 24 February 1757

Commencing/Ending: 17 March 1757-8 April 1758

Months/Days: 12/23

Freight: £1781:19:3

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Cumberland

Owner: Thomas Boulby

Hired: 24 February 1757

Commencing/Ending: 11 March 1757-8 April 1758

Months/Days: 12/29

Freight: £2105:12:11

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Dutchess of Hamilton

Owner: Anthony Bacon

Tonnage/Parts: 379/72

Hired: 24 February 1757

Commencing/Ending: 29 March 1757-8 April 1758

Months/Days: 12/11

Freight: £3015:8:10

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Kent

Owner: Thomas Brown

Master: Henry Lawson

Tonnage/Parts: 218/89

Hired: 24 February 1757

Commencing/Ending: 2 March 1757-8 April 1758

Months/Days: 13/7

Freight: £1882:17:0

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Matilda

Owner: Elidad Blackwell

Tonnage/Parts: 166/34

Hired: 24 February 1757

Commencing/Ending: 22 March 1757-8 April 1758

Months/Days: 12/18

Freight: £1361:12:3

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Mertilla

Owner: David Trinder

Tonnage/Parts: 241/42

Hired: 24 February 1757

Commencing/Ending: 10 March 1757-8 April 1758

Months/Days: 12/30

Freight: £2038:1:6

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America. 

Note: Other documents record her as Myrtilla.

Neptune

Owner: Robert Harrison

Master: John Williams

Tonnage/Parts: 192/58

Hired: 24 February 1757

Commencing/Ending: 9 March 1757-8 April 1758

Months/Days: 13/0

Freight: £1627:12:3

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America. Discharged at Deptford.

Total passengers include 32 serjeants, 19 drummers, 869 rank & file, 150 supernumeraries, 22 deserters, 33 invalids, 110 women & 29 children. [TNA, GD122/22/17, p. 18-20]. 

It's worth noting Matilda is recorded as having arrived from America to the Downs, London, on 11 April 1757, with Duchess of Hamilton, Myrtilla, Brotherly Love, Neptune, and Kent. [Lloyds List, No. 2219, 12 April 1757].

Note: Originally commissioned Norwich in May 1718, she was later renamed Enterprize on 23 May 1744.

Source: Lists of Transports, 1754-1773. TNA, ADM 49/126; the shipmasters of Kent and Neptune (Lawson and Williams) are located in Captain John Donkley's Journal (HMS Enterprize), while the shipmaster of the Brotherly Love (Armstrong) is located in Lloyd's List, 1757.

Colonel Simon Fraser

From aboard the Ann transport ship in Cove Harbour, Colonel Fraser wrote on June 28th, 1757:

My Dr Sir,

Tho I have been long hurryd I am not less so than ever & have but just time to tell you that we marched safe and sound thro Ireland without the loss of a man since we landed they hardly gave us time to cool our bloods when they embarked us & here we are all alive and merry.

I don’t know if I said anything in answer to yours about the meal but it must be sent for & distributed first to the widows, then to the wives & so on to the third and fourth generation of them that loved me well enough to follow me. As to the Deserters I woud have them be sent by the first troops to Glasgow & Mr Geo Buchanan Junr there will send them by some Capt transporting convicts to Halifax where we are destined to & this I would have done with the rest if any are taken. God bless you my Dr Sir, the Wyfie poor beoch, the bairns, Hopefull &c &c I shall find time to write you at sea.  

[signed]

Yrs S. Fraser

Sergeant James Thompson

The following is an excerpt from Sergeant James Thompson's diary on the sailing to North America.

Our Regiment rendezvou'd at Cork, there to embark for Service, somewhere or other in North America. We sail'd with seal'd orders, which were only to be open'd when we reach'd a certain latitude. The hir'd vessel I was embark'd in was call'd the Martello, a beautiful new ship, and it was her first voyage. The Captain did not know her trim, and the first few days after our sailing she would run away from the Commodore in no time, in spite of our short'ning sail, and for this high offense, which he couldn't help, the Captain had frequently a shot fired at him, to make him keep under the wing of the Commodore, the shot however, did no further injury than subject the Captain to a fine of six and eight pence for every shot. One day we had a fine stiff breeze and our ship actually outsailed the whole of the Fleet altho' only under bare poles. When the Commodore saw this he was satisfied it wasn't the Captain's fault, and he made him pay no more six-and-eight pence per shot. The ship was so tight that she didn't require pumping the whole of the voyage, which was a lucky circumstance indeed.

At last, we discover'd the Commodore's Signal for the whole of the Fleet to heave-to, and when we had done this as cleverly as we could, the Signal was made for all Commanding Officers of Corps to go on board the Commodore's ship. This was to make known our Destination, and to receive their Orders accordingly. We soon after found out that our place of destination was Halifax. As good luck would have it, the Fleet was safe, and soon after we cast our Anchor, our Captain was anxious to try the tightness of his ship and gave his orders to have her pump'd. The men had difficulty in getting the pumps to draw, and when, at last, water came, it was as black as my Bonnet, and it produced such a stench, that it would soon have poison'd all the men on board. It turn'd out that instead of pumping out, 'afaith they were obliged to pump in, to prevent the Troops getting sick.

When we landed at Halifax, we found our Commander-in-Chief General Wolfe there, drilling away the men, and making fight sham-battles at a place round the Town called Deptford, where the ground is level. We were not long at Halifax when we received Orders to set sail for the River Saint Lawrence, and in a few days we came to anchor opposite the harbour of Louisbourg which we knew it was our business to try and take.

Further research indicates the hired vessel Martello that Serjeant Thompson spoke of may have actually been named Myrtilla, as recorded on October 17, 1757 with the Second Highland Battalion in Halifax Harbour. Thompson describes her as "...a beautiful new ship," and early records confirm she was originally built in 1754. Because Thompson's diary was recorded some years later, it would not be uncommon, due to advanced age, to have erred in his recollections.

On 21 October 1757, it was reported a ship named Myrtilla [Capt. March] foundered in the Gulf of Florida on her way from Jamaica to London, "but the Crew are got to South Carolina." [Lloyds List, 21 October & 1 November 1757]. It has not been established if this was Serjeant Thompson's vessel or not.

Transports for Colonel Montgomery's First Highland Battalion

Britannia

Owner: William Coates

Tonnage/Parts: 371/75

Commencing/Ending: 11 March 1757-2 January 1759

Months/Days: 21/23

Freight: £5257:15:6

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Dolphin

Owner: Peter Tearon

Tonnage/Parts: 258/22

Commencing/Ending: 22 March 1757-10 November 1758

Months/Days: 19/20

Freight: £3299:11:1

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Duke William

Owner: Thomas Gibson

Tonnage/Parts: 404/75

Commencing/Ending: 58 March 1757-3 January 1759

Months/Days: 21/30

Freight: £5785:0:0

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Lyon

Owner: Adam Boulby

Tonnage/Parts: 293/81

Commencing/Ending: 10 March 1757-25 November 1758

Months/Days: 20/16

Freight: £3920:13:16

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Ruby

Owner: Robert Middleton

Tonnage/Parts: 381/67

Commencing/Ending: 8 March 1757-5 December 1758

Months/Days: 20/28

Freight: £5190:13:3

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Success

Owner: William Thompson

Tonnage/Parts: 231/53

Commencing/Ending: 11 March 1757-27 June 1758

Months/Days: 15/17

Freight: £2341:17:4

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

Tamerlane

Owner: Robert Rogers

Tonnage/Parts: 214/14

Commencing/Ending: 10 March 1757-21 February 1759

Months/Days: 23/12

Freight: £3256:8:9

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America

William and Ann

Nominal Guns: 20

Operator: Royal Navy

Acquired: 5.1757

First Commissioned: 23.5.1757

Category: Hired Vessel

Commander: Thomas Gordon

Note: William and Ann belonged to the British Royal Navy.

Wye River

Owner: William Anderson

Tonnage/Parts: 246/41

Commencing/Ending: 10 March 1757-2 December 1757

Months/Days: 8/23

Freight: £1402:11:10

Employed: Carrying Forces to North America and Discharge at So. Carolina

Source: Lists of Transports, 1754-1773. TNA, ADM 49/126.

Transport Vessels Depart Louisbourg, 1759
In the early summer of 1759, the British Fleet set sail from Louisbourg for Quebec, in all approximately 9,000 soldiers strong. The regiments were divided into three divisions/brigades [white - 1st brigade, red - 2nd brigade, blue - 3rd brigade], and to further distinguish between regiments the ships were dressed with color-coded vanes. Colonel Fraser's transport vessels for this voyage were as follows:

White Division - 1st Brigade
Colonel Fraser, 78th Foot
Vanes: white, and two blue balls

Ship: Ann & Elizabeth
Shipmaster: Wm. Robinson
Tons: 215
Troops: 113
Taken up: London
With one cutter boat

Ship: Argyle
Shipmaster: Alexr. Morrison
Tons: 300
Troops: 193
Taken up: Boston
With three whale boats

Ship: Jane
Shipmaster: Jno. Garnett
Tons: 273
Troops: 97
Taken up: London
With one cutter boat

Ship: James & Henrietta
Shipmaster: Jno. Meeke
Tons: 357
Troops: 196
Taken up: London
With one flat boat

Ship: Resolution
Shipmaster: Zachy Marshall
Tons: 238
Troops: 122
Taken up: London
With one cutter boat

Ship: Thornton
Shipmaster: Jno. Ekshaw
Tons: 331
Troops: 221
Taken up: New York

Ship: Venus [2]
Shipmaster: Wm. Duffield
Tons: 317
Troops: 208
Taken up: London
With two cutter boats

Total troops: 1150

Note: Venus [2] was the second of two vessels by the same name operating for the British Fleet at this time. The first Venus transport vessel operating in the area was commanded by Shipmaster Johnson.

Sources:

Baugh, Daniel A. The Global Seven Years War, 1754–1763: Britain and France in a Great Power Contest. Routledge, 2011.

Earl John Chapman, “Troop Transport Martello.” Received by Rootsweb.com, Rootsweb, 10 Apr. 2010, newsarch.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/MARINERS/2010-04/1271681061. Accessed 2 July 2017.

Rodger, N. A. M. The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649–1815. W. W. Norton & Company, 2005.

Syrett, David. Shipping and the American War, 1775–83: A Study of British Transport Organization. Athlone Press, 1970.

“Transport Vessels for the Highland Battalions.” Letter received by Lords of Admiralty, 10 March 1757. America and West Indies, Original Correspondence, etc. Despatches to governors and others, 1756-1757, C.O. 5 ed., vol. 212, pp. 423-426. Public Archives Canada. Print.

"Transports in the White Division." Northcliffe Collection: Series 1: Robert Monckton Papers. LAC, Microfilm C-366.

Col. Simon Fraser, "Colonel Fraser in Cove Harbour, 28 June. 1757." Clan Fraser Society, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2001.

"Halifax Harbour Transporte List." Elizabeth Rose Family papers. NAS, GD125-22-17, p. 18.

Lloyd's Register Group, “Lloyd's Register of Ships.” Lloyd's Register Group Limited, 2017, www.lrfoundation.org.uk/public_education/reference-library/register-of-ships-online/.

Andrew Welsh, "Enterprize departs Cork, Ireland, 30 June 1757." The Magazine of magazines, compiled from original pieces, with extracts from the most celebrated books and periodical compositions published in Europe, vol. 13, p. 575. London. Printed for W. Owen, 1757.

British Fourth Rate Ships of the Line, "Norwich Renamed Enterprize, 1744." Three Decks, Warships in the Age of Sail, 2017. https://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_ship&id=559#BWAS-1714. Accessed 2 July 2017. Web.

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2018.  All rights reserved.

Last updated 21 May 2025.

Companies of the 78th Regiment, 1763

In the frozen silence of a snow-laced forest, four Highland soldiers press forward, their breath sharp in the biting air. A Union Jack unfurls defiantly above the scene, gripped by a screaming officer whose coat flutters like a banner of vengeance. Behind them, a log cabin erupts in flame—its blaze a shocking defiance against the cold, mirrored in the icy stream that slices through the snow. Rifles are raised, kilts stiffened by frost, their eyes locked on unseen foes. Fire and frost converge in this charged moment—an unyielding clash of loyalty, destruction, and survival at the edge of an empire’s wilderness. (Jeffrey Campbell, Echoes of Fire and Frost, 2025)

Companies of the 78th Regiment, 1763

As early as March 1759, Colonel Fraser’s 78th Highlanders numbered over 1,500 men and women, organized into 14 companies, each led by a commissioned officer. By 1763, that figure had decreased significantly, with the regiment reduced to just under 900 personnel. While comprehensive muster rolls from the early years—including full lists of soldier names—are no longer available, it is during the later stages of the war that we finally begin to see documentation identifying the individuals who served in what is now regarded as one of the most pivotal military campaigns in early North American history.

For centuries, muster rolls have played a central role in military administration. Beyond simply listing names within a company, battalion, or regiment, they often included a “record of events” summarizing a unit’s activities. Their primary purpose was to capture key information such as personnel identity, numbers, condition, equipment status, and pay eligibility—critical data used for effective oversight of the British Army. Rolls were typically generated at the time of a regiment’s formation and updated on a monthly, bimonthly, or semiannual basis until the unit was disbanded. There are even accounts of officers “padding the rolls”—reporting more men than were actually present—in order to draw additional rations at month’s end.

The earliest surviving subsistence rolls for the 78th Highlanders, which recorded discharge dates and rations allocated to each soldier, are dated 19 July 1763, followed by a second set in August. Though not without errors—hardly surprising when accounting for nearly 900 names—these documents represent the official discharge roster at the time of the regiment’s disbandment and remain a vital resource for researchers today.

Colonel Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 1763

     - Colonel Fraser's Company
     - Major James Abercrombie's Company
     - Major John Campbell's Company
     - Captain John McDonell's Company
     - Captain Hugh Cameron's Company
     - Captain Archibald Campbell's Company
     - Captain John Fraser's Company
     - Captain Alexander Campbell's Company
     - Captain John Nairn's Company
     - Captain Hugh Fraser's Company
     - Captain Hugh Montgomerie's Company
     - Captain Alexander McLeod's Company
     - Captain Ranald McDonell's Company
     - Captain Alexander Wood's Company

Works Cited:

“Revolutionary War Rolls, 1894-1913.” National Archives Catalog, War Department, National Archives, Washington, D.C., 1947, catalog.archives.gov/id/602384.

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2018.

Draught Soldiers to the 60th Regiment

In the summer of 1763, having received King George’s instructions regarding the reduction of the British armies in North America, the acting generals set in motion their plan to augment the three regiments assigned to garrison Quebec. It was decided that the 15th Foot, the 27th Foot, and the 2nd Battalion of the 60th Royal American Regiment would carry out this task.

An analysis of the official subsistence rolls of the 78th Regiment reveals that approximately 358 soldiers remained in North America for this duty. Some were volunteers; others were retained due to time remaining on their enlistment contracts. While the exact number of soldiers who transferred to the 2nd Battalion of the 60th Royal American Regiment cannot be positively identified—owing to incomplete and ambiguous reporting at multiple levels—we have identified 143 draught soldiers from Colonel Simon Fraser’s 78th Highlanders who most likely joined that summer.

Draught Soldiers
The following names of soldiers in the 2d Battalion, 60th R.A. Regiment, listed with their company commanders, are synonymous with the names of soldiers in the 78th Regiment at the time of its disbandment. This muster is for 182 days ending 24 April 1765, the earliest available rolls after 1 September 1763, the date by which most of Colonel Fraser's men had transferred.

Note: Our research indicates nine original companies for this duty; however, muster rolls are only available for eight companies during this reporting period. 

Colonel James Murray's Company

Reporting at Ticonderoga, 3 October 1765
1. Drummer Alexander Kennedy
2. Private Alexander Cameron

3. Private Alexander Cameron

4. Private Alexander Cameron

5. Private John Cameron

6. Private William Cameron

7. Private Angus Cameron

7a Private Thomas Cameron

8. Private William Fraser

9. Private William Forbes

10. Private John Gunn
11. Private Alexander Johnson
12. Private James Knight
13. Private John McDonald

14. Private Murdoch McKinzie

15. Private Donald McKinzie

16. Private Donald McDonald
17. Private Alexander McDonald
18. Private Even McPhee
19. Private James McKinzie
20. Private Walter Simpson

Colonel Frederick Haldiman's Company
Reporting at Crown Point, 20 September 1765
21. Private Hector Cameron
22. Private James McDonald
23. Private John Chisolm
24. Private Alexander Fraser
25. Private David Fulerton
26. Private John McKenzie
27. Private Alexander McPherson
28. Private Donald McPherson
29. Private John McPherson
30. Private John McLeod
31. Private Donald McLeod
32. Private James McIntosh
33. Private John McIntosh
34. Private Arthur Rose
35. Private James Smith
36. Private James Wright
37. Private James McDonald
38. Private Peter MacDonald

Captain Thomas Barnsly's Company
Reporting at Fort Oswegatchie, 24 July 1765
39. Corporal Gregor Mcgregor
40. Drummer John Provan
41. Private Donald Black
42. Private Donald Campbele
43. Private Roderick Ferguson
44. Private Duncan Ferguson
45. Private Hugh Grant
46. Private John Gray
47. Private Duncan Gillis
48. Private Coal Henderson
49. Private James Lamb
50. Private John Mcaybin
51. Private Allan McDougall
52. Private John McArthur
53. Private Niel McArthur
54. Private Donald McArthur
55. Private Donald McMillan
56. Private John Munro
57. Private Malcolm McLeod
58. Private Donald Thompson
59. Private William McLeod

Captain Robert Bayard's Company
Reporting at Fort George, New York, 12 August 1765
60. Private Finly Campbell
61. Private William Cameron
62. Private John Fletcher
63. Private John McGilora
64. Private James McPherson
65. Private John Stuart
66. Private John Strachan
67. Private George Thomson
68. Private John McLeod

Captain John Bradstreet's Company
Reporting at Crown Point, 28 September 1765
69. Drummer Duncan McKenzie
70. Private John Brown
71. Private Duncan Campbell
72. Private Alexander Fraser
73. Private Alexander Fraser
74. Private Donald Fraser
75. Private Duncan Fraser
76. Private James Fraser
77. Private Hugh Fraser
78. Private James McNouloch
79. Private Collin McCulloch
80. Private Duncan McCra
81. Private Alexander McKenzie
82. Private Duncan McKenzie
83. Private Donald McKenzie
84. Private Alexander McPherson
85. Private John McGregor
86. Private Petter McGregor
87. Private Malcolm McGregor

Captain Robert Brigstock's Company
Reporting at Fort William Augustus, 25 June 1765
88. Serjeant Allan MacDonald
89. Serjeant William Watson
90. Private Donald Cameron
91. Private William Fraser
92. Private Hugh Fraser
93. Private John Fraser
94. Private John Fraser
95. Private John Fraser
96. Private William Grubb
97. Private John MacDonald
98. Private Hugh Munro
99. Private Hugh Ross
100. Private William Stewart
101. Private Lachline Sinclair
102. Private Peter Macdonald
102a Private Duncan Cumming

Captain John Brown's Company
Reporting at Fort William Augustus, 25 July 1765
103. Drummer Thomas Fraser
104. Private Alexander Baine
105. Private John Chisolm
106. Private Donald Cameron
107. Private Duncan Cameron
108. Private John Cameron
109. Private Donald Cameron
110. Private Donald Campbell
111. Private Alexander Ferguson
112. Private Hugh Fraser
113. Private James Fraser
114. Private Lewis Grant
115. Private John Livingston
116. Private John Mackay
117. Private Alexander MacDonald
118. Private William Mills
119. Private Donald Ross
120. Private Ranald Johnston
121. Private Angus MacIntosh

Captain Samuel Holland's Company
Reporting at Fort William Augustus, 25 July 1765
122. Drummer John McDonell
123. Private Archibald Bochanan
124. Private John Cameron
125. Private Donald Campbell
126. [See notes]
127. Private Angus Fletcher
128. Private John Fraser
129. Private John Forbes
130. Private John Kennedy
131. Private John McBean
132. Private Duncan McDougal
133. Private Donald McDonald
134. Private John McDonell
135. Private John McIntosh
136. Private Duncan McNicall
137. Private John Mcpherson
138. Private William Ross
139. Private John Smith
140. Private John Mcpherson
141. Private Hugh McDonald

Muster roll not available.

142. Murdoch Cameron

143. Donald McKinnon

Notes:

1. Alexander Kennedy appears on the list of 78th soldiers discharged in North America, 1763.
7a Discharged soldier of the 78th Foot (Colonel Fraser's Company), he served in James Murray's Company of the 2nd Battalion, 60th R.A., from about 13 September 1763 through January 1764; spouse: Marie Francoise Roy. [Library Archives Canada, Land Petitions of Lower Canada, 1764-1841, Microfilm C-2514, Reference RG-1 L3L, Item 14196].
39. Gregor Mcgregor appears on the list of 78th soldiers discharged in North America, 1763.
40. John Provan appears on the list of 78th soldiers discharged in North America, 1763.
48. Colin Henderson.
50. John McBain.
58. Donald Thompson died 27 December 1764.
54. William McLeod deserted 9 June 1765 at Fort Oswegatchie.

56. While not definitive he served in the 78th Foot, we placed him here as a very strong candidate.
59. John McGillivrae.
69. Duncan McKenzie appears on the list of 78th soldiers discharged in North America, 1763. He deserted 1 October 1764 near Crown Point.
78. James McNulloch.
80. Duncan McCraw.
88. Allan McDonnel appears on the list of 78th soldiers discharged in North America, 1763.
89. William Watson appears on the list of 78th soldiers discharged in North America, 1763.
98. While not definitive he served in the 78th Foot, we placed him here as a strong candidate.

102a Private Duncan Cumming discharged from Captain Brigstock's Company 29 March 1765; however, his name does not appear on this muster roll.
116. John McKay.
117. Alexander McDonald.
120. Ranald Johnson discharged 24 April 1765 at Fort William Augustus.
121. Angus MacIntosh died 15 July 1765 at Fort William Augustus.
123. Archibald Buchanan.

126. Soldier removed due to transcription error.

131. Possibly John McBain.
140. John Mcpherson transferred 24 April 1765 at Fort William Augustus to unk.
141. Hugh McDonald deserted 2 June 1765 at Fort William Augustus.

142. His name does not appear on these muster rolls; however, his wife's Memorial for Assistance, dated April 27, 1779, following the government’s appropriation of a house she had purchased in St. Roch (Quebec City), confirms seven years of service with the 78th Foot and five years with the 60th Foot. [British Library, Haldimand Papers, Memorial from Civilians, n.d., 1777-1785, MG 21, Add. Mss. 21877, (B-217)].

143. His name does not appear on these muster rolls; however, his 1778 Memorial for Assistance lists him as a lieutenant in the Royal Highland Regiment and a former non-commissioned officer in the Seventy-Eighth Regiment, stating that he enlisted in 1754 [sic, 1757] and was reduced in 1763, after which he entered the Second Battalion of the 60th Royal Americans for a period of two and a half years. [British Library, Haldiman Papers, Memorials from Offices [sic, Officers] and Soldiers of the Army, n.d., 1778-1784, MG 21, Add. Mss. 21873, (B-213)].

- McDonald/McDonell surnames were used interchangeably.

Works Cited:

War Office Records. 2nd Battalion, 60th Foot, 1764-1783. Commissary General of Musters Office and successors: General Muster Books and Pay Lists. TNA, W.O. 12/6935.

Treasury Board Papers, "Subsistence Rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th), 1763." LAC, T.1, vol. 422.

Treasury Board Papers, "Subsistence Rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th), 1763." TNA, T.1, vol. 422.

Marie Fraser, "Subsistence Rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th), 1763." Clan Fraser Society, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2001.

McIntosh, Walter H. 78th or Colonel Simon Fraser's Regiment [Topsfield, Massachusetts, n.d.]

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2018. 

Last updated 20 December 2023.

Surname Variations in the 78th Regiment

The company clerks for the 78th Regiment did a wonderful job in recording the many different surnames for over 1500 soldiers during their stay in North America, and we would expect to see some variations throughout the hundreds of documents they were charged with maintaining. From pay accounts to invalid lists and even muster rolls, while many of the surnames are synonymous with today's spelling, we've uncovered the following variations throughout the Regiment, probably differing with each clerk depending on who the particular scribe may have been. We hope this list assists in your research, and be sure to let us know in the comments section below if we've missed any names. We'll be sure to get those added for you.

Surname Variations in the 78th Regiment

Beaton, Beatton

Bochanan, Buchanan

Brown, Browne

Cairy, Keary

Campbel, Campbele, Campbell, Campble

Camaron, Cameron, Camron

Canvin, Kinnavin

Carmichael, Carmichail

Carr, Kerr

Chisam, Chisholm, Chisolm

Clark, Clarke, Clerk

Cormack, Cormak, Cormake

Cumming, Cummings, Cummins

Davison, Davidson

Fergison, Ferguson

Forbes, Forbis

Forsyth, Forsythe,

Fraser, Frasier, Frazer

Fulerton, Fullerton

Gillies, Gillis

Gun, Gunn

Harley, Hearly

Hutcheson, Hutchinson

Johnson, Johnston

Irving, Irwin

Kenady, Kenedy, Kennedy

Law, Lowe

Levoche, Levock

McAlester, McAlister, McAllester

McAllum, McCallum

McAula, McAuley, McCauley

McBain, McBaine, McBean, Mcaybin

McCall, McCole, McColl

McCarly, McErbie

McCertar

Mcra, McCraw, McGrah

McDougal, McDougall

McFarlane, McFarlin

McGibbans, McGibbons

McGilbray, McGiliveroy, McGilora, McGilvray, McGilleray, McGillivray, McGillvray, McGilavrie

McGregar, McGregor, McGrigor

McIntire, McIntyre

Mckay, McKay, Mckey

McKenon, McKinnon, McKinven, McKinvin

McLachlan, Mclachlin, McLaughlin

McMillen, McMullen

McNab, McNabb

McNaughten, McNaughton, McNorton

McNicall, McNicoll

McNouloch, McNulloch

McPhie, McPhii

McQueen, McQuin

McTormet, McTormitt

MacDonald, Mackdonald, McDonald*

Mack crae, McCrae

Mack Lean, MackLean, MacLean, McLea, McLean, McLay

MackLeod, Mcleod

Mack queen, Mcqueen

MackDonnel, McDonel, McDonell*

Mackenzie, McEnzie, McKenzie, McKinn, McKinzey, McKinzie

Mackay, Macky

MacLeod, McLeod, McLoud

Mackniel, McNeal, McNiel

Martin, Martine

Milles, Mills

Mitchal, Mitchell

Monro, Munro, Munroe

More, Moore

Morrow, Mourow

Mustard, Muster'd

Nichols, Nicoll

Robertson, Robinson*

Simson, Simpson

Steward, Stewart, Stuart

Strachen, Strauchen

Taveish, Tavish

Thomson, Thompson

Tolmay, Tolmey, Tolmie

Vass, Vauss, Wass

Ware, Weir, Wier, 

Note: McDonald/McDonell and Robertson/Robinson were used interchangeably.

Sources:
War Office Records. Muster Books and Paylists: General, 15th Regiment, 1760-1767. LAC, W.O. 12, vol. 3228, Microfilm C-9202.

War Office Records. 2nd Battalion, 60th Foot, 1764-1783. Commissary General of Musters Office and successors: General Muster Books and Pay Lists. TNA, W.O. 12/6935.

Treasury Board Papers, "Subsistence Rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th), 1763." LAC, T.1, vol. 422.

Treasury Board Papers, "Subsistence Rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th), 1763." TNA, T.1, vol. 422.

Marie Fraser, "Subsistence Rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th), 1763." Clan Fraser Society, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2001.

McIntosh, Walter H. 78th or Colonel Simon Fraser's Regiment [Topsfield, Massachusetts, n.d.]

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2018.

This article last update 8 November 2021.

Invalid Soldiers of the 78th Regiment, 1759-1763

Invalid soldiers were typically injured soldiers fully capable of performing light garrison duties, but not cleared to participate in extended campaigns. They were given duties such as gate guard, cook's assistant, or night watch patrols until such a time when funding and availability permitted their transport back home to Royal Chelsea Hospital in London to attend to their injuries. However, some of these men of Fraser's 78th Regiment, as described by Governor Murray in a letter dated October 20, 1762, were certainly not well off and appear to be in a very bad way.

"...Frasers Regt. is not as strong as it appears to be on paper, I have the honor to inclose a Return of the Invalids of that Corps who are unfit for Garrison duty, and there are many besides who are incapable of taking the field. As those unfit for any duty are kept here at a great expense to the Crown, I did propose to Major Abercrombie to send them Home by the Aldborough, but he told me he believed it was not your intention to discharge any of them, I therefore conclude there are particular Reasons for keeping them on the Roles, some of them want legs, & some arms."

In an excerpt from this December 1762 letter, Governor Murray continues in addressing the situation. Given the time of year, winter freeze most likely forced his decision to refrain from sending the men home at that time.

"...There will not now probably be an opportunity to send home the Invalids of the 78th Regt. 'till the disolution of the Corps, if it shall turn out otherwise, I shall be carefull that none are discharged, but real objects of compassion."

Invalids
The following is a collection of invalid soldiers from Colonel Simon Fraser's 78th Regiment extracted from various documents covering 1759-1763.

1. Title: Return of Invalids put on board the Nightingale Man of War who Sailed from Louisbourg Harbour June 11th 1759.

Regiments:

Artillery: 2

22 Regiment: 10

35 Regiment: 6

40 Regiment: 10

43 Regiment: 10

45 Regiment: 11

47 Regiment: 1

63 Regiment: 10

Total: 60

2. Title: Return of Invalids under the Command of Ensign Shorne of the Inniskilling Regt. Embarked on board the Unanimous Transport, New York, 9th January 1760.

Colonel Fraser's Regiment
Archd. Stewart
Robert Ross
John Cameron
John Mcleron
Donald Livingstone
John McLeod
George Crookshanks
Hector McTeal
Hugh McMullen
Neal McIntosh
Alexr. McCall
John McDougall
John Cameron

The above men are all paid to the Twenty fourth December 1759, and have signed to that purpose on the back of their Discharges, and Ensign Shorne of the Inniskilling Regt. has received for them sixty one days pay to the Twenty third of February Inclusive. And he has my orders upon his arrival at Portsmouth, or wheresoever he may arrive to notify his coming to the Secretary at War, waiting his orders for his preceding to London, either by sea if there should be an order for it or by Land agreeable to the march route, he may Receive for that purpose. He is directed upon his arrival at London to Deliver over said Invalids to the Agents of the Regiment they belong to and to pay over to them the pay he may still have in his hands belonging to those men.

Colonel Fraser's Regiment
James Taylor
John McDonald

The above [two] men are Discharged and not Recommended to Chelsea, but have Desired passage to England.

[signed]
Jeff Amherst

3. Title: Return of Invalids to be discharged, 1 May 1760.

Colonel Fraser's Regiment
Alexr. Kenedy: Old Age
Murdoch McKinzey: Old Age
Wm. McLeod: Old Age & Rhumatic
David Gallen: Old Age
Danl. Campble: Old Age
Robt. Monroe: Old Age
Keneth McLeod: Old Age
Alexr. McDougald: Old Age
John Fraser: Old Age
Danl. Black: Old Age
James Fraser: Old Age
John McNab: Old Age
Niel Beaton: Old Age
Archd. McQuin: Old Age

[signed]
John Adair
Surgeon of the Hospital

Endorsed: Return of the Invalids to be Discharged
May 1st, 1760
Enclosed to Capt. Blakeney of
the 35th Regt. 2d. May 1760

4. Title: Return of men to be sent to their Regiment from the Hospital at New York, 1 May 1760.

Colonel Fraser's Regiment
Duncan McGregar
Peter Thompson

[signed]
John Adair
Surgeon of the Hospital

Endorsed: Return of men to be sent to their Regiment from the Hospital at New York.
May 1st, 1760
Enclosed to Capt. Blakeney of
the 35th Regt. 2d. May 1760

5. Title: Return of men to be left in Hospital for further tryal, 1 May 1760.

Colonel Fraser's Regiment
Saml. McDonald
Peter McNiel
John Campbel
James Tolmay
Charles Robinson
Laughlin McIntosh
David Morrison
Geo: Sutherland
Alexr. McDonald

[signed]
John Adair
Surgeon of the Hospital

Endorsed: Return of men to be left in Hospital for further tryal
May 1st, 1760
Enclosed to Capt. Blakeney of
the 35th Regt. 2d. May 1760

6. Title: Return of Invalids Under the Command of Capt. Gordon of the Royal Embarked on board the Lyon Transport, New York, 8 Decemr. 1760.

78th Regiment
Andrew Kennedy
Neal McKay
Charles Robinson
James Tolmie
David Morrison

The above men are all paid to the 24th Decemr. 1760 & have signed to that purpose on the back of their Discharges; Capt. Gordon of the Royal Regt. has received for them sixty one days pay to the 23d. Feby. Inclusively, and he has my orders upon his Arrival at Portsmouth, or wheresoever he may Arrive, to apply to the Commanding Naval Officer, for a Convoy to conduct the vessell, in which the said Invalids are, up the River Thames to London, & Notifying his Arrival to His Majesty's Secretary at War; He is likewise Directed upon his Arrival in London, to deliver over said Invalids to the Agents of the Regts. they belong to, & to pay over to them the pay he may still have in his hands belonging to those men. Some of these men have been in the Hospital here, and so long Absent from their Regiments that they could not be cloathed, they have received an allowance in Lieu of the cloathing that was due, that they might be entirely cleared, & not have any Demands to claim on their Arrival in England.

[signed]
Jeff Amherst

Endorsed: Return of Invalids Under the Command of Captain Gordon, Embarked on board the Lyon Transport, New York, 8th Decemr. 1760

Enclosed to Lord Barrington, of said Month.

7. Title: A List of Invalids of the Seventy Eight Regiment unfit for any sort of duty, 11 November 1762.

Col. Fraser's Company

Murdock McKenzie

Major Abercrombie's Company
Niel Beatton

Donald McDonald

John Anderson

Alexander McKay

John McIver

John McLeod

Donald Ross

Major Campbell's Company
John Campbell - Corporal

Duncan Campbell

Robert Munroe

John Kenedy

John Ferguson

James Lamb

Donald Cameron

Kennitt McLeod

Peter Hill

John Clerk

Captain Jno McDonnell's Company

Donald McDonald

Donald Stuart

John McDonnel

Captain Simon Fraser's Company

John McKay

Alexander Cormack

Hector McNeil

Donald Munroe

Captain Hugh Fraser's Company

Samuel Cameron

Arch'b McQueen

Captain Hugh Cameron's Company

Alexander Fraser

Evan McMillan

Geo'r Sutherland

James Rhind

Alexander McDougal

John Law

Alex'r Ramsay

Donald Gun Drum'r

John McPhie

Donald McAlister

John Fraser

Captain John Fraser's Company

Donald McGrower [possibly McGrover]

Hugh McTormit

John McKinzie

Captain John Nairn's Company

John McKay, Serj

Alexander Munroe

John McDonnel

James Henderson

William Ross

Captain Alexander Campbell's Company

Donald McPherson

Donald McPherson

Captain Archibald Campbell's Company

Donald Black

Lachlan McIntosh

David Gollan 

John Brown

John Fraser

William Rose

A true copy from the regimental return. 

Thomas Mills, Town Major. Nov 11th

8. Title: Detachment Invalids: Detachment of 78th Regt. belonging to companies in continent, August 1763.

Time of Entry: 16 Aug
Number of Days Victulled: 7

James Gunn, Drummer
Dond. Thompson, Pvt.
Dond. Fraser, Pvt.
Dun Cumming, Pvt.
John Fraser, [illegible] [21 days]
James Robinson, Serjt.
Simon Fraser, Drummer
Alexr. McArthur, Pvt.
Dond. Cuthbert, Pvt.
Lachn. McIntosh, Pvt.
Allan McDonell, Serjt.
Dond. Burke, Drummer
Jno. Coll
Wm. Moore
John Clarke, Serjt.
Alexr. Fraser, Drummer
John Fraser, Private
Dond. McQueen, Pvt.
John Fraser, Drummer
John McDonell, Private
Rand. McDonell, Pvt.
Jas. Crawford, Pvt.
Jno. McDonell, Pvt.
Mary Kennedy

Time of Entry: Aug. 30
Number of Days Victulled: 7

Niel Mahan
Lachn. McKenon
Dun. McDonald.

Sources:
War Office Records: Amherst Papers. "Return of Invalids put on board the Nightingale Man of War, 11 June 1759." Correspondence between the Governors of Cape Breton Island and the Commander-in-Chief, New York, 175801762. W.O. 34, vol. 17. LAC.

War Office Records: Amherst Papers. "Return of Invalids under the Command of Ensign Shorne of the Inniskilling Regt. Embarked on board the Unanimity Transport, New York, 9th January 1760." Unknown. LAC.

War Office Records: Amherst Papers. "Return of Invalids to be Discharged, 1 May 1760." Correspondence between Commander-in-Chief and Director of Hospitals and various officers in charge of vessels on the Lakes, 1757-63, 1759. W.O. 34, vol. 64. LAC.

Ibid. "Return of men to be sent to their Regiment from the Hospital at New York, 1 May 1760."

Ibid. "Return of men to be left in Hospital for further tryal, 1 May 1760."

War Office Records: Amherst Papers. "Return of Invalids Under the Command of Capt. Gordon of the Royal Embarked on board the Lyon Transport, New York, 8 Decemr. 1760." Correspondence between Commander-in-Chief and Masters of vessels, etc. 1757-1763. W.O. 34, vol. 60. LAC.

War Office Records: Amherst Papers. "A List of Invalids of the Seventy Eight Regiment unfit for any sort of duty, 11 November 1762." Letters from the Governor of Quebec to the Commanders-in-Chief, New York, 1760-1763. W.O. 34, vol. 2. LAC.

Treasury Board Papers, "Detachment Invalids: Detachment of 78th Regt. belonging to companies in continent, August 1763." Subsistence rolls of Fraser's Highlanders (the 78th) 1763. T.1, vol. 422. LAC.

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2018.

Court-martial of Corporal Angus McDonald, 78th Regiment of Foot, 1761

In his Sketches, Stewart of Garth maintained that the high moral code of the early Highlanders meant that misconduct was virtually unknown within their regiments. Although it is true that Highlanders feature far less frequently in the General Courts-martial records than miscreants from other battalions, it would be wrong to go to the other extreme and suggest that their ranks were filled with plaster saints. A worthy champion of this violent heritage was Corporal Angus McDonald of Fraser's Highlanders, who was brought before a General Court-martial at Quebec in September 1761.

The following is a complete transcript of the corporal's legal proceedings.

Official proceedings
Proceedings of a General Court Martial held at Quebec the 25th Day of September 1761, By Virtue of a Warrant from his Excellency Governor Murray dated the 24th said Month.

Major James Agnew President.

Members:

Captain Samuel Gardiner

Captain George Byrd

Captain Robert Rutherford

Captain John Carden

Captain Edmund Malcome

Captain John Brown

Captain Nicholas Cox

Captain James Dalrymple

Captain Thomas Smelt

Captain Robert Brigstock

Captain Henry Alt

Captain Edward Crymble

Hector Theophilus Cramaché Deputy Judge Advocate.

Opening statement

The Court being duly Sworn the Prisoner Angus MacDonald of the 78th Regiment was brought before the Court and tried for quitting his Post, and robbing several of the French Inhabitants under Pretence he had orders to take Quarters for some Troops.

Deposition of Lieutenant Henry Marr

A Letter from Lieutenant Marr of the 47th Regiment dated the 21st of September at St. Lawrence to Lieutenant Mills as Town Adjutant.

St. Lawrence 21st September 1761

Dear Sir,

When I left St Francois to proceed to this Place, I was ordered by Major Irving to leave a Corporal, and two Men, as a Guard, to the King's wood; I accordingly ordered the Prisoner Corporal Macdonald of the 78th Regiment to remain there, but he either tired with Solitude, or fond of Novelty and Frolick, determined to leave his Guard and cross the River to the Parishes of St. Joachim, St. Anns, and Chateau in the North Shore, where he behaved in a very extraordinary manner; as you will see by the enclosed Letter, which fully represents the Affair, when I first heard of his being absent I imagined he had deserted, and ordered Strick Search to be made for him every where till Sunday last, when I was favoured with the enclosed relating to him.

/Signed/

Henry Marr Lieutenant

47th Regiment

Deposition of Ensign Philip Pitman

A Letter from Ensign Pitman of the 19th September dated at Chateau River.

Chateau River 19th Sepr. 1761

Dear Sir,

One Angus Monro or McDonald has been up and down the Parishes of St. Joachim, St. Anns, and Chateau for this week past, imposing on the Inhabitants of said Parishes in a most Vilinous, and extraordinary manner, by extorting from them Money, Horses, and anything he had occasion for shewing as he pretended an order for so doing in writing; and sometimes on refusal threatened to beat, or put them to Death, pretending to be an officer, he is a Soldier of the 78th Regiment above the middle size, and has Caroty Hair, is of Captain Nairns Company, and I understand belongs to your Party, I this Day rode from Chateau to St. Anns privetly to apprehend him, but unfortunately he was gone over to the Island an Hour before I got there, I hope you will take all possible Care to secure him, that he may be brought to Justice, I write this Letter which I send with the Captains of Malitia of whom he got four Dollars, as he did from the Captains of Malitia of the other two Parishes.

/Signed/

Ph: Pitman

Deposition of John Morris

John Morris Soldier of the 58th Regiment was sworn and deposes, that the Prisoner is a Soldier belonging to Lieutenant Marrs Party, on the Island of Orleans, and was ordered with two other Men to take some Wood, at St. Francois in that Island, and that Lieut. Marr, having received Information the Prisoner had drawn some Money from the Captains of Militia on the North Shore, the Deponent was sent by him for them, where he saw the Houses marked with scores for Quarters and Magazines as he was informed by the Canadians that he returned, and was sent to St. Francois by Lieutenant Marr with four Men, to take him up, which he did, and Carried him to Town.

Deposition of Captain Jacques Perrault

Jacques Perrault Captain of the Militia of St. Famille in the Island of Orleans being sworn deposes, that the Prisoner came to his Parish, saying he had Orders to see what Houses in his Parish were capable of receiving Men, that he asked him for his Orders, that he said he had none, and must make a Report to the General first, that afterwards he demanded four Dollars of the Deponent and upon his saying he had none, he ordered him to get a canoe with three Men and that he would go straight to Quebec, to complain, that fearing the Consequence he offered him two which he accepted, that he commanded a Canoe to carry him over to the North Shore.

Deposition of Captain Jean Lesarre

Jean Lesarre Captain of the Militia of St. Anns being sworn deposes, that he found on his Return, from Town, the Prisoner at his House, where he had landed from St. Famille, that the Prisoner told him he must shew him the best Houses to Lodge 48 Men, and they must cut and carry to the water Side every Week 48 Cords of Wood, that he, or his Serjeant must go with him to St. Joachim what he made him assemble the whole Parish, nay even ordered the Women to appear, and said he would not Quarter Men in the Houses where there were young Women, that he demanded five Dollars, that the Deponent not having a farthing was obliged to search the whole Parish to borrow three, for which he pretended to give a Receipt, now produced, being a Scrap of paper, with some scratches on it, the Deponent further says the Prisoner was there three Days backwards and forewards in this Parish, and that he appeared to him the whole Time very much in his Senses, in the same manner he does now, and further that he ordered a Canoe to carry him back to St. Famille.

The Deponent being asked upon what pretense the Prisoner demanded the Money, says, he informed him, it was the Generals order he should have five Dollars of each Captain for his Expenses, produced five, or six Papers, which he said were these orders, and threatened to send him to Quebec, if he did not comply.

Deposition of Captain Francis Raneour

Francis Raneour Captain of the Militia of St. Joachim being sworn deposes, he was sent for by the Prisoner to a Publick House, about ¾ of a League from his, that after some Time he told him he must Quarter 48 Men, and some Officers; to the amount of Sixty, and demands four Dollars, which the Deponent protested he could not comply with, after pressing, the Man of the Publick House lent the Man four Dollars, which he gave the Prisoner, who returned him a Shilling, that he did not give a Receipt, but took his name down upon a Piece of Paper.

The Deponent being asked upon what Pretence he demanded the four Dollars, says by the Generals Order, and it would be repaid by his Secretary.

Deposition of Captain Eustache Bacon

Eustache Bacon Captain of the Militia of Chateau Richer being sworn deposes that he was sent for by the Prisoner to a House where he was told to assemble the Company next morning at Six Oclock, that representing this was a little too early he put it till eight o'clock, that he afterwards demanded four dollars of him, by order of the Governor, and after making some Difficulty, he borrowed two French Crowns, and two Dollars, which he gave the Prisoner who returned one Shilling.

The Deponent being asked if the Prisoner appeared at all wrong in the head, answers on the Contrary appeared very Sensible.

Deposition of Corporal Angus McDonald

The Prisoner in his Defence says he was out of his Senses at that Time, that he is subject to the falling Sickness, for which he was marked down by Doctor Russel to be discharged, and that he is generally out of his Senses three Days after he comes out of a Fitt, one of which he had before he left the Island of Orleans.

Deposition of Ensign [John] Gregarson

Ensign Gregarson of the 2d Battalion of the Royal American Regiment being sworn Deposes, that he was in the 78th Regt. and heard that the Prisoner had Fitts, but never heard that he was Mad; being asked if he ever saw him in Fitts, or Mad, says not.

Deposition of Ensign Robert McPherson

Ensign Robert McPherson of said Battalion being sworn, Deposes, that he remembers the Prisoner, in the Regiment in which he was Volunteer, and never heard of his having Fitts, till this day.

Deposition of Serjeant James Robinson

Serjeant James Robinson of the 78th Regiment being Sworn, Deposes, that he heard a Serjeant who kept the Hospital say the Prisoner had the falling Sickness. 

Verdict

The Court having heard and examined the Allegations against the Prisoner, together with what he has to offer in his Defence Is of opinion that Angus McDonald Soldier of the 78th Regiment is Guilty of the Charge brought against him, and doth adjudge him to receive two thousand Lashes, To repay the Captains of Militia the Money said McDonald extorted from them, if there is so much owing to him by his Captain, or be put under Stoppages, not exceeding one half of his Pay till the whole is repaid.

Sentencing confirmation
I do hereby confirm the foregoing Sentence, that Angus McDonald Soldier in the 78th Regiment shall receive two thousand Lashes and repay the Money extorted from the Captains of Militia.

Given under my Hand at
Quebec this 26th Sept. 1761
/Signed/
Ja: Murray

Note: Corporal Angus McDonald does not appear on any known muster rolls after this date and is presumed to have been discharged prior to the official disbandment of his Regiment in December 1763.

Sources: 

General Courts-martial records, Quebec, 25 September 1761, TNA WO 71/71.

Stewart, Sketches of the Highlanders, I, 235-6.

Brumwell, Stephen, Redcoats: The British Soldier and War in the Americas, 1755-1763, pp. 280-1. Cambridge University Press, 2002.

©  Jeffrey Campbell, The 78th Regiment of Foot, 2018.