Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Four Soldiers Named William Ross


Of the original 1600 soldiers that served with Colonel Fraser during the Seven Years' War in North America, we have identified birth locales for about 250 of the nearly 900 men that officially discharged from the Regiment in the fall of 1763. William Ross was a common name found among the troops, and four men from the Regiment found on the surviving muster rolls at the conclusion of the war shared that same name. Albeit there is a limited amount of surviving paperwork available for the soldiers, the birthplace of Corporal William Ross has been positively identified. Further known details and the post-war disposition of each of these soldiers bearing the same name are as follows.

Corporal William Ross
Discharged from Captain John Nairn's Company on 23 August 1763, he was part of a larger group of 170 soldiers that discharged from the Regiment at the conclusion of the war and remained in Canada. He had follow-on service and bore arms in the late rebellion and was wounded in 1779 in Nova Scotia on an expedition with Lord Harvey. He had a wife by the name of Mary, and six sons, to wit: Alexander, William, John, Donald, Hector, and Lauchlan. He and his family settled in the Parish of Rimouskie, he was a merchant by trade, and was originally from the city of Tane [sic, Tain], in the shire of Ross, North Britain (Scotland). [LAC, Lower Canada Land Papers, RG1 L3, vol. 157].

Private William Ross
Discharged from the 78th Regiment in August of 1763, he re-entered service that same month with the 2d Bn, 60th Regiment of Foot, where he continued to provide guard over Quebec for a number of years.  He is located on the following muster roll with the 60th Regiment.

Captain Samuel Holland's Company
Reporting at Fort William Augustus, 25 July 1765 

His disposition beyond 1765 remains unknown. [TNA, W.O. 12/6935].

Private William Ross
Discharged from the 78th Regiment in August of 1763, he reentered service that same month with the 15th Regiment of Foot, where he continued to provide guard over Quebec for a number of years.  He is located on the following muster rolls with the 15th Regiment.

Captain James Cuthbert's Company 
Reporting at Quebec, 24 October 1763
Reporting at Quebec, 24 August 1764

Captain Andrew Cathcart's Company
Reporting at La Prairie, 8 August 1765
Reporting at St. John's, 9 October 1766
Reporting at Quebec, 18 July 1767

As the 15th Regiment returned to England in August 1768, his disposition beyond 1767 remains unknown. [LAC, W.O. 12, vol. 3228; film C-9202].

Private William Ross
Returned home to Scotland at the conclusion of the war in the fall of 1763, and his further disposition is currently unknown.

It's worth mentioning, as with all Colonel Fraser's soldiers, considering less than 900 men of the original Regiment remained at the conclusion of the war, we must be observant of the other approximately 700 men who share the same names. There is a distinct possibility other William Ross' were once present at some point during the conflict.

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2020.


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