List of Prisoners Victualled at the Main Guard

While soldiers in the 78th Regiment were not all angels by any means, we have occasionally located a few records documenting rebellious and improper misconduct, which would land some men behind bars in the Quebec City guardhouse. (Jeffrey Campbell, Lockdown, 2024. Artist's rendition created...

Prisoners of War

The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates to about the year 1610, while the earliest known "prison of war" camp was established at Norman Cross Prison in Huntingdonshire, England in 1797. (Jeffrey Campbell, Brothers in War, 2024. Artist's rendition created with...

A Case of Robbery and Desertion

The stately 18th-century Ursuline Monastery in the heart of Quebec City, basking in the warm embrace of a late afternoon sunset. The ancient edifice, with its steeply pitched roofs and majestic stone facade, stands tall amidst the cobblestone streets and quaint surrounding buildings, which are cast...

Murder Among the Ranks

An enchanting 18th-century streetscape of downtown Quebec City, nestled within the fortified walls of its historic center. Cobblestone streets weave through a tapestry of ancient buildings adorned with vibrant, colonial-era facades, their windows dressed with wooden shutters and cast-iron balconies...

Desertion in the Ranks

An early 18th-century streetscape of Perth, Scotland, enveloped in the soft, ethereal light of dawn. The focal point is the ancient Perth Tolbooth, a formidable Gothic structure with its square tower and steeply-pitched rooflines casting long shadows onto the cobblestone street. The air is crisp and...

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...

Lieutenant Alexander Gregorson, 78th Regiment

Lieutenant Alexander Gregorson, of Ardtornish [1730-1789] - s/o James Macgregor & Marjorie Campbell [dau. of Alexander Campbell of Airds] - a gentleman volunteer gazetted an ensign on June 10, 1758 after the death of Lieutenant John Cuthbert created a vacancy.  Colonel Simon Fraser recommended him for the promotion before the regiment sailed for Halifax and Louisbourg in a letter, 23...