Showing posts with label Transports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Transports. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Journal of Captain John Donkley, HMS Enterprize, 1757

A distinguished British naval officer of 29 years, serving as able seaman in 1729, with a tenacious work ethic, John Donkley advanced to midshipman in 1732, and first passed his lieutenants' examination on 1 August 1735/36. In the next five years, he completed service as a lieutenant on board Dursley Galley (20 guns); Faversham (44 guns); Dragon (60 guns), and Neptune (90 guns).

By 1745, his tour of duty included serving as commander and commanding officer of the Spence sloop (8 guns) in the Mediterranean Sea and he transferred in 1755 to Brilliant (16 guns), serving in the same capacity.

After advancing to captain in 1756, he saw service on the Nightingale (22 guns), Aldborough (20 guns), and on 10 November he became Commanding Officer of Enterprize (44 guns), where he provided escort for the following nine transport ships carrying Colonel Fraser's Second Highland Battalion, their tents and baggage, departing Cork Harbour, Ireland on 30 June 1757, and arriving at Halifax, Nova Scotia between 24 and 29 August 1757 [Captain John Donkley, tinyurl.com/5n92dxze].

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: Numerous other documents record this ship 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.

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

Letter of 4 June 1757
Sir,
Please acquaint their Lordships I this day arrived here and received from Rear Admiral Broderick their Commands of the 2d Instant in addition to their former orders of the 16th. 17th. 18th. 21st of May and 1st June and acquainting me, that there is a Sum of Money to be put on board his Majesty's Ship under my Command for the Payment of the Troops at Boston in New England, and directing me in addition to the former Orders, to receive on board the said Money and proceed with it after seeing the Transports in safety to Halifax, to Boston, and there to remain not longer than Ten days, and after having collected together all the trade bound to England that may be ready and desirous to accompany me, to proceed with the said Convoy and see them in safety as far as the Downes. Am to acquaint you I shall put their Lordships Orders in Execution with the utmost dispatch.

I am Sir
Your most Obedient
humble Servant
Jno. Donkley

Enterprize
Spithead
4th June 1757

Letter of 16 June 1757
Sir,
Please to acquaint their Lordships that I arrived this day at this place with his Majesty's Ship under my Command, have wrote to the Commanding Officer of His Majesty's Land Forces at Cork to acquaint him therewith, and to let him know that all the assistance in my Power shall be given to forward the Embarking the Troops, and shall be ready to proceed as soon as they are on board.

I am Sir
Your most Obedient
humble Servant
Jno. Donkley

Enterprize
Cove of Cork June 16th 1757

Letter of 28 June 1757
Sir,
Please to acquaint their Lordships, that yesterday I received a Packet directed to Captain Knight Commander of His Majesty's Ship Fouguenx or the Commanding Officer at Cork or Kingsale; to make Enquiry into the State of the Prisons and Prisoners of War at Kingsale, and to make a Report thereof to the Commissioners of Sick and Wounded. As we are just upon sailing with the Transports, prevents me making an Inspection, and have closed the Packett again, directed to Captain Knight or the Commanding Officer that may arrive here, which I have left in the care of the Contractor for Victualling His Majesty's Ships at this place. The Major part of the Troops was embarked last Night, expect they will all be on board this day; hope we shall be able to Sail tomorrow morning with the Convoy, no time shall be lost, will make all possible dispatch. and am

Sir
Your most Obedient
humble Servant
Jno. Donkley

Enterprize
Cove of Cork 28th June 1757

Source: Three Letters of Captain John Donkley (June 1757). TNA, ADM 1/1700.

Journal of Captain John Donkley
For both naval and general military historians, the captain's journal, in remarkably good condition, considering its age and exposure to the salt atmosphere, is a glimpse into the past of daily shipboard operations in-port and while at-sea, from the perspective of the captain and those who were authorized access. Although the penmanship does appear somewhat consistent throughout the two-month period we consulted, there is evidence of more than one scribe.

Beautifully handwritten script with period ink, and approximately 10" x 12" in hardcover binding, as the book is folded open there are 13 separate folios cataloging the journey in escorting Colonel Fraser's nine transport ships from Cork Harbour, Ireland, to Halifax, Nova Scotia during the summer months of 1757. Each two-page folio contains left and right-side pages, with eight vertical navigational aide columns on the left page and one general remarks column on the right page. Each completed folio is then further divided into horizontal rows from top to bottom, distinguishing the different category headers at the top with each row descending containing the day of the month in ascending order. Depending on the amount of daily data recorded, each completed folio might contain anywhere from six to ten days of information. 

The log recounts the complete overseas voyage, and highlights some of the daily challenges to keep the convoy of 44 sail together and responsive to the Enterprize's nautical signals, which involved periodically firing 'shots' to send message to other ships in the group.  Also present are HMS Falkland and HMS Stork (escorting Colonel Montgomery's Battalion to South Carolina), who are often sent by Enterprize's senior leadership to give 'chace' [sic, chase] to various unidentified ships lurking about. Albeit a game of 'cat-and-mouse', there are no mentions of any military engagements en route to Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Although the journal was opened on 18 November 1756, for the purpose of this article, we begin a partial transcription of the voyage overseas on Wednesday, 15 June 1757, the day prior to the arrival of HMS Enterprize to Cork Harbour, Ireland, and extend through Friday, 8 July 1757, eight days after her departure. This allows the reader an opportunity to experience a few days at sea with Enterprize and her convoy.

Additionally, although we have imposed in-house folio numbers for clarity in dividing each completed section, these numbers do not appear in the journal. Finally, please be advised the book's general format of vertical columns has been modified to fit this format.

 [Title page]

ENTERPRIZE

18 NOV. 1756

26 JAN. 1764

[Second page: inscription]

Journal keep't by Captain

John Donkley Betw." 18 Nov. 1756,

and the 17 March 1758.

[Folio one]

[June 1757]
Week/Day: Wednesday, 15
Winds: Varl.
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Glander Harbour; S&W; Dist. 3 Leagues
Remarks: Modt. Cloudy w at 3PM Do. w: at 5AM came on board a Pilot Do. saw the Land bearing NNW 3 Leag: set Steerg. sails At 7 Parted Co. wth one of the Tenders she being bound to Waterford, The two tenders under Convoy in Co. Ventalated 1/2 an hour every watch.

The following explanation for the remarks made on 15 June is provided as clarity to better understanding the acronyms and abbreviations used. 

"Moderate, cloudy winds; at 3 p.m., ditto winds. At 5 a.m., came on board a pilot; ditto [also, at 5 a.m.], saw the land bearing north-northwest [at] three leagues; set steering sails. At 7 [a.m., we] parted company with one of the tenders, she being bound to Waterford [Ireland]. The two tenders under convoy [are] in company. Ventilated [the ship each] 1/2 an hour every [guard] watch."

Week/Day: Thursday, 16th
Winds: SbE; NbW; No.
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Moor'd in the Cove of Cork
Remarks: Do. w at 6PM fired a gun & made the signl. to anchor At 7 anchor'd in 7 fam. wa. At 8 Morr'd ship in Cork harbour found riding here his Maj: ship Falkland & Stork sloop Hard bowling Isd. WNW Cove NWBW at 7 unbent all ye sails & got down Topgallt yards At 8 the Stork sloop made the signal for all Mast. of mercht. ships Vent'd. 1/2 an hour &c.

Week/Day: Friday, 17
Winds: No.; NNW
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: Modt. & Cloudy PM got Top Gt. yds. across. Empd. setting up the lower Rigging At 4 AM reced on board Beer & fresh Beef for the ships Co. Empd. Blacking the yards. Ventd. 1/2 an hour every watch.

Week/Day: Saturday, 18
Winds: SW; W; NW
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: Fresh gales and Cloudy PM Empd. Stowing the Beer away At 9 got the sheet anchor over the side At 11 AM sent the Cutter on Shore for water Ventalated 1/2 an hour &c. 

Week/Day: Sunday, 19
Winds: SSW; SW
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: Modt. & Cloudy sail'd hence a Brigg who saluted us with 7 Guns we retd. 5 At 1/2 pt. 4 sail'd a sloop who Saluted us with 7 we retd. 5 At 8 Reced on bd. fresh beef Ventalated 1/2 an &c.

Week/Day: Monday, 20
Winds: SW; WBS
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: Modt. and Rainy PM Heel'd ship and Scrub'd the Larboard side of the ship At 4 AM Heel'd and scrub'd the Starbd. side of the ship Ventalated 1/2 an hour &c.

Week/Day: Tuesday, 21st
Winds: SW; WbS
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: Modt. & Clear PM Tarr'd the ships sides At 1 AM Reced on board Beer and fresh Beef Ventalated 1/2 an hour every watch.

Week/Day: Wednesday, 22d
Winds: W; WSW;SW
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: Modt. and Cloudy w: At 1 PM Fired 17 Guns being the Kings accession to the throne Ventalated 1/2 an hour &c.

Week/Day: Thursday, 23d
Winds: SSW; SW; ESE
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: Modt Gales with drizling rain middle pt calm At 2 PM saluted the Earl of Inchequin with 13 Guns he return'd 7 Do. bent small sails At 5 Empd. on Sundrys At 5 AM Bent Sails Do loos'd Foretopsail as a signl. for sailing At 10 Empd. Fleeting the Ratlines Fore and Aft Do. Punish'd Archibald Kell for drunkeness & abuse to his officer & John McLeod for Drunkeness & Neglect of Duty with a Dozen lashes each Ventd. 1/2 an hour &c.

Week/Day: Friday, 24th
Winds: ESE
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: First and middle pt. modt. & clear At 1 PM came in here a ship from Bristol which saluted us with 9 Guns we retd. 7 At 4 AM Fresh Gales & cloudy Do. Heel'd ship & gave her a Boot top on the Larbd. side Ventd. 1/2 an hour every watch.

Week/Day: Saturday, 25th
Winds: SE; ESE
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: First and middle parts modt. and cloudy At 1 PM came in here a ship from Bristol who saluted us with 9 Guns we return'd 7 PM employ'd fleeting the Ratlines latter fresh gales and clear At 4 AM heel'd ship and gave her a Boottop on the Starboard side Ventd. 1/2 an hour every watch.

[Folio two]

Week/Day: Sunday, 26th
Winds: ESE; SE
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Moor'd in the Cove of Cork
Remarks: Modt & Cloudy PM Do. w: AM loos'd Foretopsl. & fir'd a Gun and made the signl for all Masrs. of Mercht men. Reced on bd. 4480 lo of Bread 12 firkins Butter 1460 l cheese & 892 Pounds Fresh Beef Draught of water abaft 16 Ft. 10 In. & Torn'd 15 Ft. 10 in height of midship Port 2 Ft. 9 In. Bent the Main & Foresail Work't the Ventalation 1/2 an Hour every Watch.

Week/Day: Monday, 27th
Winds: SE; SSE
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: Do w PM sent the Longbt. for water & compleated. do Excecis'd small arms Pass'd by his Maj: ship Yorks Prize, who saluted us with 7 Guns do ret'd 5. do came in a ship from Bristol and saluted us with 11 Guns do retd. 9 Work't Ventulator 1/2 an hour every watch.

Week/Day: Tuesday, 28th
Winds: ESE; SE; SSE; So.
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: First and middle pts. Light airs and Calm fine weather At 4 PM reced 9 men from the Hospital At 5 one of the Transports fired 7 Guns at which time the Troops began to Embarque, latter fresh Breezes & Cloudy at 10 AM Fired a Gun & made the signal for Unmooring Work't Vent. 1/2 an hour each watch.

Week/Day: Wednesday, 29th
Winds: Et; SE; NbE
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Do.
Remarks: Little Wind and Variable got the sheet anchor on the Gunnel AM a snow saluted us 9 Guns return'd 7 Compleated our water Work't Ventulated 1/2 an hour &c.

Week/Day: Thursday. 30th
Winds: SW; NW; NNW; WbN
Course:
Dist:
Latt:
Long:
Beargs. &c at Noon: Old Head of Kingsale; No. 3 Leags.
Remarks: Little wind and hazey weather with rain PM came in a ship from Bristol who Saluted us with 11 Guns, return'd 9. At 2 AM Fired a Gun and made the signl. to weigh do hoisted in the Longbt. At 1/2 pt. 3 weigh'd & came to sail in Co. with his Majesty's ship Falkland and Stork sloop with 43 sail of Mercht Vessels under Convoy At 11 fired a Gun and made a signal for the Weathermost of the Convoy to come under our Stern & the Headmost to shorten sail Ventd. 1/2 an hour &c.

[July 1757]
Week/Day: Friday, 1st
Winds: WbS; SWbS; NW; WNW; WbN; W
Course: S20ÂşW
Dist: 90'
Latt: 50Âş 07'
Long: 9Âş 48'
Beargs. &c at Noon: Old Head of Kingsale N20ÂşEt; Dt. 30 Leagues
Remarks: Modt and Cloudy At 2 PM in 2 Rf Topsails At 4 fired a shot at one of the Convoy to Shorten sail do fired a Gun and made the signal for the headmost ships to Shorten Sail 1/2 past bore down to the Falkland At 6 fired a shot at one of the Convoy to shorten sail do fired 2 Guns & made the signal for the Convoy to come under our stern At 8 in 3d Rf Topsails At 9 in 4th Rf main Topsail At 10 got down TopGallt. yards At 4AM Fresh Gales & hazey 40 sail in sight At 8 41 sail in sight At 9 fired a Gun & made signal for the Sternmost ships to make sail At 10 fired a Gun & made Signal for the Headmost ships to shorten sail At noon the Falkland, Stork & 40 sail in sight Work't Ventulator 1/2 an hour &c.

Week/Day: Saturday, 2d
Winds: W; WBN; W; WbN; W; NW; NNW; NWbN
NNW; NWbN
Course: S6ÂşW
Dist: 67'
Latt: 49 01'
Long: 9 58'
Beargs. &c at Noon: Cape Finister So. 2ÂşW Dist 115 Leagues; Lizard No. 71 Et. Dist 63 Leagues
Remarks: Modt Cloudy with thick wear. 1/2 pt. saw a Strange sail in the SE Qr. made the Falkland signal to chace At 3 lay too 1/2 pt. made the signl. for the Ships ahead to Shorten sail but not minding the signl. fired shot at them At 4 fired 2 Guns & made the signal for the Convoy to come under our Stern 1/2 pt. saw a Strange Ship in the SW Qr. & made the Falkland signal to chace At 5 made the signl. for Convoy to bear down under our Stern but they not regardg. it fired a Shot at them At 8, 43 sail in sight At 9 kept away for some of the Convoy being a great way to Leeward 1/2 pt. 1 AM handed Fore topsail At 2 set Do. At 8, 44 sail in sight At 9 Fired a Gun and made the signl. for the Headmost ships to shorten sail At 10 made the signal & fired a Gun for the ships a stern to make more sail At 11 made the Signal to speak wth. the Stork At 12 the Falkland made sail to speak wth. the Headmost ships they not minding the signal Ventulated 1/2 an hour &c.

[Folio three]

Week/Day: Sunday, 3d
Winds: WbN; So; NW; WNW; WbN; W; WbN
Course: S1ÂşE
Dist: 63'
Latt: 47Âş 57'
Long: 9Âş 54'
Beargs. &c at Noon: Lizard No. 51 Et. Dist 66 Leagues
Remarks: Modt Cloudy Unbent the Bt & Small Bowr Cables do sent the Falkland a Head to speak with the Convoy they not minding our Signals. Fired two Guns & made the signal for the Convoy to come under our Stern At 4 PM in 2 af Topsails At 1/2 pt. 5 saw 2 sail to the Wtward do made the signal for the Falkland to Chace At 6 Fired a Gun & made the signal for the Falkland to leave off chace Handed the Mainsl do saw a large Fleet to the SEd in 3 Rf Topsails Hauled down the Signal for ye Convoy to come under our Stern they paying no regard to it At 8 the two strange sail to Leeward bore EbS and the two to the Winward NWbN at 4 AM fired a Gun & made the signal for the headmost ships to shorten sail At 7 out 3 Rf Topsails saw a strange sail in the SW Qr. which we took for a Privateer made the Falkland & Stork signals to Chace At 11 fired a Gun & made the signl. Falkd. Work't Ventulated 1/2 an hour every watch.

Week/Day: Monday, 4th
Winds: W; WbN; W; WSW; WbS; W; WbS; W; WbN
Course: N59ÂşW
Dist: 20'
Latt: 48Âş 04'
Long: 10Âş 14'
Beargs. &c at Noon: Lizard No. 59Âş Et. 75 Leags.
Remarks: Fresh gales and Cloudy fired two Guns and made the signal for the Convoy to come under Stern do bore down to the Leeward ships of the Convoy the ships to Windward not regarding the signal At 4 PM fired two Guns At one of the Transports to windward who would not bear down & the signl. being out 44 sail in sight At 1/2 pt. 4 fired a shot at one of the Transports not minding the Signal At 8, 44 sail in Sight At 10 made the Storks signal to speak with her [----] the Kent Transport Henry Lawson Masr. 2 Shot, Neptune do. John Williams Masr. 1 shot for not bearing down tho' the signal was out from 12 to 4 in the Evening Work't Ventulator 1/2 an hour &c.

Week/Day: Tuesday, 5th
Winds: W; SW; SWbW; SWbS; SSW; W; So.;W
Course: WSW
Dist: 20'
Latt: 47Âş 50'
Long: 10Âş 53'
Beargs. &c at Noon: Old Head of Kingsale No. 17Âş Et. Dist 79 Leag.; Lizard No. 59Et. Dist. 84 Leagues
Remarks: Modt and hazey At 1/2 pt. 12 fired a Gun and made the Signl for the ships a Stern to make sail at 1 PM Fired a Gun & made the signal to speak with the Stork At 1/2 pt. 7 made the signl. and fired a Gun to K to the Wt.ward Little wind and hazey 44 sail in sight At 3 AM Modt & hazey Out 3d Rf Topsls. At 6 the Falkland made ye signl. for seeing 4 strange sail to the Wt.ward do made the Signl. for the Falkland & Stork to Chace 1/2 pt. 7 Fired a Gun & made the signl. for the Convoy to come under my Stern do made the Signal for the Stork to Chace to the SW At 10 fired a Gun and made the signal for the Falkland & Stork to leave off Chace At Noon 44 sail in sight Work't Ventulator 1/2 an hour &c.

Week/Day: Wednesday, 6th
Winds: SWbS; SW
Course: WNW
Dist: 38'
Latt: 48Âş 00'
Long: 11Âş 36'W
Beargs. &c at Noon: Old Head of Kingsale No. 30Âş Et. Dist 63 Leagues; Lizard No. 64 Et. Dist. 85 Leagues
Remarks: Modt and Cloudy In 2d Rf Topsails At 2 PM Fired a Gun & made the signl. for the Stork to leave off chace 1/2 past made the signl. & none to the NW 45 sail in sight At 8 Modt and Cloudy 44 sail in sight At 4 AM [----] 44 sail in sight At 8 little wind and Cloudy Out 2 Rf Topsails Fired a Gun made signl. for the ships a Head to shorten sail 1/2 pt. made the Storks Signal to chace in the SW Quar. At 10 made the signl. for the Convoy to come under our Stern. Work't Ventulator 1/2 an hour &c.

[Folio four]

Week/Day: Thursday, 7th
Winds: SW; SWbW; NW; NNW; No.; NEbN; NE
Course: SW1/2W
Dist: 66'
Latt: 47Âş 20'
Long: 12Âş 53'
Beargs. &c at Noon: Old Head of Kingsale No. 29 Et. Dist 90 Ls.; Lizard No. 66Âş Et. Dist. 101 Leagues
Remarks: Modt. and hazey made the signl to speak with the Stork At 6PM Fired a Gun and made the signal to K. to the Westward At 7 Brot to with the main Topsail to ye mast 1/2 pt. 8 fill'd main Topsail Modt. & hazey In 2d Rf Topsails 44 sail in sight At 12 Modt. and Cloudy At 4 AM Do. wr: At 8 Do. wr: Out 2 Rf Topsails At 10 little wind and Cloudy Exercis'd Great Guns and small arms at Noon Do. wr: Brot too wth. Main topsail to the mast 44 sail in sight Work't Ventulator 1/2 an hour every Watch.

Week/Day: Friday, 8th
Winds: NEbN; ENE; ESE; SE; ESE
Course: SW1/2S
Dist: 74'
Latt: 46Âş 30'
Long: 14Âş 01'
Beargs. &c at Noon: Old Head of Kingsale No. 29 Et. Dist 125 Leag:; Lizard No. 58Âş Et. Dist. 134 Leagues
Remarks: Modt. and Cloudy lay too for the Convoy 1/2 pt. 1 PM bore away and made the signl. for the Sternmost Ships to make more sail Exercis'd small arms At 6 Brot. too 1/2 pt. 7 In 2d Rf TSls. At 8 Light airs and Cloudy 44 sail in sight At 9 AM Fired a Gun and made the Signl. for the Sternmost Ships to make more sail At 10 made the Falklands Signal to Chase to the SE Brot: too and made the Convoy come under our Stern Exercis'd Great Guns At Noon 44 sail in sight the Falkland still in Chace Work't Ventulator 1/2 an hour &c.

While part of Colonel Fraser's convoy separated from Enterprize off Sable Island, a small island situated about 300 km (190 mi) southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the colonel's group arrived at port on 24 August 1757. Enterprize spent a few extra days at sea, finally setting anchor on 29 August, not before encountering HMS Newark, transporting Vice Admiral Holbourn, the Invincible (Read Admiral Hardy), the Grafton (Commodore Holmes), and 13 additional sails of the line. All the longboats belonging to the admiral's fleet replenished Enterprize with much needed fresh water. She departed port a few days later for a quick layover at Boston Harbor.

Sources: 
Donkley, John, TNA, ADM 51/313; two additional journals covering this voyage are available: Masters Journal. TNA, ADM 52/844, and Lieutenant's Logbook for HMS Enterprize, 1757-1759. Royal Museum Greenwich, London, ADM/L/E/119.

© Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2023.

Share:
Continue Reading →

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Fair Winds Home

The instructions for disbanding and reducing the corps in North America were issued on 17 May 1763, by the War Office in London. And while a plan was put in motion on which regiments would remain in defense, the two Highland regiments commanded by Colonel Montgomery (77th Foot) and Colonel Fraser (78th Foot) were not addressed in the extremely detailed seven-page summation. The task of notifying both these colonels, including Lascelle's 47th Foot, Gansell's 55th Foot, Erskine's five companies, and others, was delegated to Secretary of State Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont for the Southern Department. That same day, Secretary-at-War Welbore Ellis wrote Egremont the following letter [TNA, WO 4/72, p.426].

War Office, 17 May 1763

My Lord,
I had the honor sometime ago, to submit to your Lordship's consideration, a Paper containing the intended disposition of His Majesty's forces; in which the Corps mentioned in the margin hereof, were propos'd to be brought to Great Britain, and Ireland, together with the reduced men of the 17th, 42d, 44th, & 45th Regts. If your Lordship should have no objection, you will take the King's pleasure thereupon, and be pleased to give such directions as you shall think proper, relating to transporting the said men, From North America to Europe.

I have the honor to be
My Lord, &c
W Ellis.

[To]
Earl of Egremont &c.

[Left margin]
For Great Britain
1st Foot. Erskine's 5 Compy's
77th Montgomery's
78th Fraser's

For Ireland
47th Lascelles's
55th Gansell's

Note: Egremont's notification letter to the various commanders has not been located.

Royal Bounty Money
Five months later, in October 1763, after a grueling 7-year war in North America, the funding of 14 days of subsistence was provided by the British Government to the soldiers of the 78th Regiment to carry them home to Europe. The money (referred to as Royal Bounty Money) was meant as an offset to supplement the costs of a service member's meals and travel expenses. Under this declaration, each man, either single or married, was funded at the daily rate of four shillings, eight pence (or 56d.) for related travel expenses. 

The funding outlined in the following document, when referenced in concert with the official Embarkation Return of the 47th and 78th Regiment, will assist in determining the final makeup of passengers of the 78th Regiment who returned to the United Kingdom two months later. Unfortunately, a named manifest is not available. The funding of three shillings of sword money, a stipend given to corporals and private soldiers for turning in their swords, was annexed separately. It is thought that any of the original serjeants brought swords with them when draughted from other regiments.

Signed by Governor James Murray (countersigned by H.T. Cramahé), the warrant allows for the funding of 80 pounds, two shillings to Paymaster Captain Alexander Campbell of the 78th Regiment (or his assigns) and reads as follows:

By the Honble James Murray Esq:r

Governor of Quebec &c.

You are hereby required and directed out of such monies as are or shall come into your hands for the Contingent Expenses of His Majesty’s Forces under my Command, to Pay or cause to be paid to Capt. Alexander Campbell Paymaster of His Majesty’s 78th Regiment of Foot or his assigns, the sum of Eighty Pounds, two shillings Sterling, in Dollars at four Shillings and eight Pence each without Deduction, being for fourteen days Subsistence for each man to carry him Home, and His Majesty’s Royal Bounty of three Shillings for their swords as p. the annexed amount, and for so doing this with the acquittance [sic] of the said Captain Alexander Campbell or his assigns, shall be your Sufficient Warrant and Discharge.

Given under my Hand at Quebec

This 17th Day of October 1763

/Signed Ja: Murray

[left margin]
Ster:
£80 “ 2 ~
Dollars

To John Powell Esq[ui]r[e]
D[eput]y. Paym[aste]r: to His Majesty’s
Forces in Quebec

/Countsd H T Cramahé

Old English Money
The history of English money dates back to shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066 when the monetary British pound was divided into 20 shillings or 240 pennies. 

Before the year 1971, the British currency was originally divided as follows:
  • pounds (£ or l.)
  • shillings (s.) and
  • pennies (d.)
Under this system, there were 12 pennies (or pence) in one shilling and 20 shillings (or 240 pence) in one pound. Pence were further subdivided into farthings and half-pennies as late as 1969 when they were abolished as legal tender throughout the United Kingdom. And by applying a wee bit of math, we're able to identify the ratio of soldiers to dependents authorized to sail home in October 1763.

The math:
£80 (pounds) multiplied by 240d. (pence per pound) equals 19200d. Add 2s. (shillings, or 24d.) for a total of 19224d. Further divide 19224d by the daily rate (4s., 8d. each soldier, or 56d.) for a total of 343.28.
 
Funding was provided for 343 soldiers to return home.

Embarkation Return
Simply put, the embarkation return, dated 12 October 1763 at Quebec, was a numerical manifest of passengers who set sail on board the two transport ships Briton and Neptune to Glasgow, Scotland, and Portsmouth, England, respectively. As each transport was originally built to carry one man per tonnage (a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship), it was necessary to refit both vessels to support two men per tonnage, essentially doubling the cargo weight. Since both transports departed Quebec a few days later, it would be necessary to complete the work while underway.

Transport ship: Briton
Shipmaster: Josias Hutchinson.
Built: 1762, Parr & Co.
Original tonnage: 140
Passengers: 78th Regiment - 283; 4th Battalion, 60th Royal American Regiment - 2.
 
Refit included:
  • 12 planks of two-inch, each one hundred twenty boards.
  • 300 of two shilling nails.
  • 300 of 12d. nails.
  • 300 of 8d. nails.
  • 150 bricks of lime (to make an area for officers to cook provisions).
  • 20 water butts.
Extra bedding material was requested to the Agent of Transports at New York, however, none was available to provide. [Library and Archives Canada, Microfilm C-12837, image 489; W.O. 34, vol. 2, no. 121].
 
Briton arrived on 25 November 1763 in Glasgow, Scotland, and the soldiers disbanded on 14 December at Glasgow Green, a park situated on the east end of Glasgow, on the north bank of River Clyde. While some men with time remaining on their contracts continued service in North America, 43 men that paid to take their discharges in lieu of "were not be entitled to His Majesty's Bounty" [Lord George Beauclerk to Welbore Ellis, 5 Dec. 1763. W.O. 1/615, p.595].

Transport ship: Neptune
Shipmaster: Edward Symonds
Built: unknown
Original tonnage: unknown
Passengers: 78th Regiment - 76 invalid men, women, &c.; 47th Regiment - 98 invalid men, women, &c.; 2nd Battalion, 60th Royal American Regiment - 58 invalid men, women, &c.

Refit included:
  • 50 boards with nails.
  • Additional artificers to fit more births.
  • 10 water butts.
Extra bedding material was requested and provided for by the Agent of Transports in New York. [Library and Archives Canada, Microfilm C-12837, image 491; W.O. 34, vol. 2, no. 121].
 
Neptune arrived on 1 December 1763 in Portsmouth, England, allowing the invalid men an opportunity to seek medical care at Royal Chelsea Hospital, London. She also sustained damage making her way through the Catwater as chronicled in the following contemporary letter.

"...On Thursday last the Neptune Transport arriv'd from Quebec with Troops, the Master of her informs me he drove her ashore in Catwater and is apprehensive she has receiv'd some damage; If it is anything material I shall acquaint you, if not shall order him to proceed to Deptford agreeable to your desire to me on that head [Fredk. Rogers, Plymouth Yard, 4 December 1763. TNA, ADM 106_1128, p.277].

Of the 359 passengers of the 78th Regiment who embarked on the voyage home, 343 are identified as soldiers, while the remaining 16 passengers consisted of women and children.

Disbanding Orders for the 77th and 78th Regiments
Letter of Welbore Ellis (Secretary at War) to Lord George Beauclerck (Commander in Chief, Scotland), War Office, 30 November 1763.

[Left margin]
Orders and Instructions for 
disbanding the 77th Regt. of
Foot, commanded by Colo. Montgomery

George R.
Whereas We have thought fit to order the 77th Regt of Foot commanded by Our Trusty & Welbeloved Colonel Archibald Montgomery to be forthwith disbanded; Our Will and Pleasure therefore is, that you, or such Person or Persons as you shall appoint for this Service, do repair to the Quarters of Our said Regiment and disband them accordingly, in doing whereof, the following Rules are to be observed.  Viz.:

1st – Before such Disbanding, you are to cause an exact Muster to be taken of the said Regiment, which you may draw together at one or more of the several respective Quarters, or Places adjacent, as you shall see most convenient, and give an Account of their Condition and numbers, at the Time of their Disbanding, to Our Secretary at War for Our Information.

2dly – And Whereas Our Intention is only to pay off, at present, and clear the noncommissioned Officers and private Soldiers of Our said Regiment, and give an Allowance of Half Pay to the commissioned Officers, from the Time of their Disbanding, you are to take care before their Disbanding, that the Quarters of Our said Regiment be duly satisfied; that the Accounts between the noncommissioned Officers & private Men and their Officers, be made up to the Day of their Discharge, and that they be fully satisfied and paid their Arrears, or other just Pretentions whereof the said Officers are to produce Acquittances and Discharges from them respectively.

3rdly – That care to be taken that the [380] Arms delivered out of Our Stores of Ordnance, and indented for, be returned thither again, and Acquittances taken for the same.

4thly – That care be taken that each noncommissioned Officer and private Soldier hereby to be disbanded, be permitted to carry away with him his Cloaths, Belt, and Knapsack which he now wears, and that each private Soldier, Corporal and Drummer, be paid three Shillings for his Sword, which is to be delivered with the other Arms into Our Stores of Ordnance; And We being pleased to allow each Serjeant, Corporal, Drummer and private Man, who shall be hereby disbanded, fourteen Days Subsistence, as of Our Royal Bounty, to carry them home, you are to cause Payment to be made of the same, to each of them respectively, out of such monies as shall be advanced for that purpose, and to take Receipts for the same, from each noncommissioned Officer and private Soldier respectively, & transmit them to Our Paymaster General as Vouchers for the Bounty Money so paid, and you are to send to Our Secretary at War, an authentick [sic] List attested in the best Manner, by yourself, or Officer commanding Our said Regiment, of the Names of the noncommissioned Officers and Private Soldiers so disbanded, and to give them Passes in case they shall desire the same, to the Places of their former Residence, allowing them a convenient Time to repair thither, & giving them likewise in strict Charge, that they do not presume to travel with any Arms, nor more [381] than three in Company together, upon pain of the severest Punishment.  

       And to the ends the said noncommissioned Officers and private Men may be sensible of the Care We have taken of them upon their Dismissions, you are to cause These Our Directions to be read at the Head of each Company for a more ready Compliance with Our Pleasure hereby signified, and see the same be put in Execution.  Given at Our Court at St. James’s this 30th Day of November 1763, in the fourth Year of Our Reign.

                                  By H[is].M[ajesty’s].C[ommand].  
                                                W. Ellis

To
Our Trusty and Welbeloved George Beauclerck, Esqr (commonly called Lord George Beauclerck) or to the Person or Persons appointed by him for the Service within mentioned.

Like Orders and Instructions, of the same Date, for disbanding the 78th Regiment of Foot, commanded by Colonel Simon Fraser.

Source: TNA, WO/26/26, pp.379-381.

A very warm "thank you" to Mr. Earl Chapman, 78th Regiment Historian, for his transcription of our document of the disbanding orders.

Notes:
James Murray - joined the British army in 1739/40 and served in the West Indies and Europe. Sent to North America in 1757 as a lieutenant colonel during the Seven Years’ War, he commanded a brigade in 1758 during the successful British siege of Louisbourg, in what is now Nova Scotia, under Jeffery Amherst. He was one of General James Wolfe’s three brigadiers in the British expedition against Quebec in 1759. After the British captured the city, Murray was made its military governor. When the French capitulated in 1760, he became military governor of the Quebec district; he became the first civil governor of Quebec after its formal cession to Great Britain in 1763 [Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 September 2022].

Hector Theophilus CramahĂ© - a Swiss by birth; appointed Captain of the 15th Regiment, March 1754; served with the army in Louisbourg; appointed Deputy Judge-Advocate, 1759. After the capitulation of Quebec, September 18, 1759, he acted as Secretary to General Murray at Quebec; became Member of the Council in Quebec; and was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Quebec, June 6, 1771, and continued in office till 1782  [Earl Chapman, 78th Regiment Historian].

Captain Archibald Roy Campbell (1728-1779) - youngest son of John Campbell of Fortingall and Glenlyon who died in 1746, "Archie Roy" as he was commonly known,  was gazetted a lieutenant on January 23, 1757, in Captain John MacDonell’s Company of Colonel Fraser's then-Second Highland Battalion; listed among the officers who sailed for Louisbourg in 1758; wounded at the battle of Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759 [PRO, C5/51], made captain-lieutenant on December 13, 1759; wounded again at the battle of Sillery on April 28, 1760; promoted to captain on April 29, 1760 "in room of" Donald Macdonell killed. The following year his company was in garrison at Berthier, Quebec; commanded a company when the regiment was disbanded in 1763 and exchanged to half-pay. The London Gazeteer and New Daily Advertiser, Wed. Dec. 29, 1779, reported that “Capt. Archibald Campbell, of the late 78th regiment of foot" died of old wounds reopening on December 16, 1779 "At Armaddy in Argyllshire, Scotland" [Marie Fraser, Clan Fraser Society, Toronto, Canada].

Sources:
Orders and instructions for disbanding and reducing Forces in North America (royal autograph), May 1763. Kent History and Library Centre, U1350/O43/9B.

James Murray, Subsistence funding for the 78th Regiment, 17 October 1763, LAC, Microfilm C-10462, image 795: Letterbook/Copie de lettres, 1763-1771, RG 4, C 2, vol. 1.

Embarkation Return of the 47th and 78th Regiments (12 October 1763). Kent History and Library Centre, U1350/O53/6.

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2022.

Share:
Continue Reading →

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Over 900 Reinforcements Arrive in North America in 1758

While recruiting for Colonel Fraser's original 10 Companies was complete by April 1757, three additional companies consisting of about 300 men were authorized formation for service three months later, in July. These augments (including over 600 men from the 42nd and 77th Foot) embarked on 16 November for their two-month voyage to North America. 

It's interesting to note any children that may have accompanied their family overseas were not separately accounted for, as recorded on other regimental returns.


Letter of Lord Barrington to Henry Fox, Paymaster [1]

War Office 21 July 1757

Sir

His Majesty having thought fit to add thee comps. to each of the Highland Corps mentioned in the Margin hereof each Company to consist of Four Serjeants four Corporals two Drummers & one hundred Effective Private Men besides Commission Officers their Pay to commence from the 25 Of April 1757 and to allow £3 p man Levy Money I have the Honour to acquaint you therewith that you may be pleased to lay a Memorial before the Rt. Honble the Lords Commrs. of His Majesty's Treasury for the Money wanting for this Service.

I am

Sir  &c

Barrington

[Margin entries]

Lord John Murrays

Lt. Col. Montgomery 

Lt. Col. Fraser 


Letter of John Cleveland, Esq. [2]

Navy Office 26 Novr. 1757

Sir, 

Mr. Rowland who we appointed to act as agent for the Transports at Greenock, being returned from thence, and acquainted us that the Embarkation of the Nine Additional Companies was compleated at that place the 16th inst. And he having made us a Return of the said Embarkation, we send you on the otherside a copy thereof, for the information of the Right Honble the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty and are

Sir

Your very humble Servants

Tho. Slade; G. Adams; John Cleveland Esqr.; Rich'd [...]; Tm Brett

Embarkation of Troops

A return of the number of men and women embarked at Greenock [Scotland] of the nine additional companies of Highlanders.

L:r John Murrays

Captains: 3

Lieutenants: 4

Ensigns: 2

Serjeants: 12

Corporals: 12

Drummers: 6

Private: 258

Servants: 9

Women: 18

Total: 324

Col: Montgomerys

Captains: 3

Lieutenants: 5

Ensigns: 1

Serjeants: 12

Corporals: 12

Drummers: 6

Private: 269

Servants: 9

Women: 18

Total: 335

Col: Fraziers

Captains: 3

Lieutenants: 6

Ensigns: 3

Serjeants: 9

Corporals: 10

Drummers: 4

Private: 245

Servants: 9

Women: 18

Total: 307


Letter of Loudoun to Barrington [3]

New York 16:th February 1758

My Lord,

By the Packet, which arrived in January, I had the honor to receive several duplicates of Letters from your Lordship, and a Letter with Orders, to send home Lord Charles Hay, which I forwarded to Major General Hopson along with the Letters to His Lordship.

I send your Lordship the returns of the Troops, enclosed, and likewise the returns of the drafts that came from Europe, amounting to 1559; and 101. Prisoners from France; part of the recruits from Germany, and some of last years drafts from Ireland, who had been taken at Sea and carried to France.

Of this years drafts I have discharged 22, on a Certificate, I send enclosed. No man with a rupture can serve here; for, whenever they March or are Employed in carrying of wood, or making Entrenchments in the Summer, it encreases it immediately to such a Degree, as to make entirely unserviceable ever after. Those I have returned with the Transports.

From your Lordships Letters, I see that it was expected, that the cloathing, the drafts brought with them, should serve till next cloathing; but as many of them, when they arrived, were almost naked; many having not received cloathing since September 1756, and a great number cloathed at Christmas 1756, as will appear from the enclosed return of them, made out from the returns, received from the officers of the different Corps who came along with them, and the returns of the Regiments that received them, who complain'd greatly of the cloathing of many of the men; and as we never can cloath in this Country, till the end of November and often in December; I found on an Examination, that it was absolutely necessary to cloath a great many of them; for which reason I have order'd, that all those men, that have received no cloathing since the 1st of March 1757, should be cloathed, which in the whole amounts to 578; as without that Order, those men would have been naked.

As this is the case, I hope your Lordship will think it reasonable, that the Regiments here, should not have the offreckonings stopped, for that number we have been obliged to new cloath with this years cloathing; for otherwise, that number of the Troops here, will be without cloaths next year, as the Soldiers cloaths are much worse in this Country at the end of a campaign, than they are in Europe; which happens, from their never having any straw after they march into the back Country, but are obliged to lay on boards & twigs of Trees, which wears out their cloathing immediately.

I have return'd the officers that came with the drafts in the Transports that brought out Lieut. Colonel Frazers Battalion, who by their Charter parties, were to remain on Pay till they returned to the River with the Convoy: there came no agent, neither with those nor with Lieut. Colonel Montgomerys Battalion; nor did I receive any directions about them. The ship which Admiral Holbourne sent here with Colonel Frazers Battalion, having got a Malignant Fever on board, was not able to proceed with those Transports; therefore Captain Darby, who came with the drafts, took the charge of them. The Admiral left it to me, to do with those Transports as I saw proper; but as I had no Orders, I thought it would be wrong to detain them.

Seven of the Transports that were sent to South Carolina, have absolutely refused their Discharge; as that was the case, I have order'd them here with the five companies of the Royal Americans now there, whom I have sent thither last Spring; as His Majesty has provided for the security of that Province, by sending a Battalion of a thousand men there.

I have likewise sent home with the Transports, forty two Invalides; part of them are from the Regiments that came last from Ireland, who brought over several unserviceable Men: I must beg, that as soon as those Men are received into Chelsea, I may be informed; as they must stand on Our returns, till that information arrives.

Enclosed, your Lordship has a List of the commissions I have signed.

As there were not Magazines at Halifase [sic, Halifax], capable to contain the whole of the Powder, I was obliged to leave part of it on board the Fleet; part of which they have carried back to England, which will make a further supply necessary.

As part of the light Field Train were lost at Fort William Henry, it would be of great use here, to have a Supply of the light brass 12 & 6 Pounders; as the Battery Train cannot be moved into this Country but by water, so that it comes to be of no use in the back Country, whereas we can always carry the light 12. Pounders.

I must beg leave, once more to mention, the Contingent Men, which are cut off from the Troops in this Service, which makes a great discontent among them, as they are allowed to all the other Troops in the Kings Service; and as the captains have no fund for the many contingencies that arise in this Country; they make very large contingent accounts, and those must contain Articles, that used to be bourne out of that Fund. I must beg that your Lordship will endeavor, to get the Contingent Men allowed.

I have mentioned, in my Letter to the Secretary of State, a proposal made by Lieut. Colonel Gage, in order to reduce the Expence the Rangers are now at, and in order to get, not only a cheaper but a more useful sett of Rangers, and one on whose Intelligence I may rely; I have so far agreed to it, as to allow him to raise the Regiment, and to chose, out of the Subalterns of the Troops, Officers for it, who remain on their Pay in the Regiment they now belong to, and to have their Pay made up, from the contingencies, to the rank they have in this New Regiment; but to take no Rank in the Army, by this commission, till the Kings Pleasure be known on this subject: nor will I look on those commissions as vacant, in the Regiment they belong to, till the King's Pleasure is known; which I beg you will communicate, as soon as His Majesty has signified it. Enclosed, I send your Lordship, Lieut. Gage's memorial to me.

I have advanced the money, for the cloathing and raising those men, on an obligation, from the Colonel to repay it, if the King thinks proper to accept of his Proposal.

I forgot to mention to your Lordship, that Lieut. Adam Williamson, lately promoted by me in His Majestys 22d Regiment of Foot, was Ensign in Lieut. Guise's Regiment: He is son to Lieut. Colonel Williamson, of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, is an Engineer in this Service, and stands strongly recommended to me by Lord Dupplin.

I am with the greatest Regard,

My Lord, your Lordships,

Most Obedient and Most

Humble Servant

Cover sheet:

The Earl of Loudoun

to Lord Barrington

Febry. 16th 1758

Duplicate

Sources:

1. War Office Records: Out Letters: Secretary at War. General Letters, Apr. 1757 - Oct. 1757. LAC, W.O. 4, 54 (Selections), p. 232.

2. National Maritime Museum: The Caird Library and Archive, London. ADM 354/157/205. John Cleveland served as Secretary to the Admiralty, 1751-1763; a further discussion regarding Colonel Fraser's 10 original transport ships can be found here.

3. John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun (1705-1782) Ms.L.unsigned to [William Wildman, 3rd] Viscount Barrington; New York, 16 Feb 1758. Houghton Library, Harvard University. John Campbell Loudoun Papers Concerning the Siege and Fall of Quebec, 1756-1784 (MS Can 64). Cambridge, MA. https://bit.ly/2WbDiMv. [Acc: 19 Aug. 2021].

©  Jeffrey Campbell, Fraser's 78th Regiment of Foot, 2021.

Share:
Continue Reading →

Sunday, October 21, 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:
“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.

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.

"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 7 October 2023.
Share:
Continue Reading →