- Call Number:
- HIL-MICL FC LMR .G7A7K5R4
- Category:
- Military
- Creator:
- Great Britain. Army. King's New Brunswick Regiment.
- Material Description:
- 1 microfilm textual records 35 mm
- Background:
The outbreak of war between Britain and revolutionary France in 1793 caused great concern in New Brunswick because of the weak state of the defences, especially in the Bay of Fundy communities of Saint John and Saint Andrews which were vulnerable to French privateers operating out of American ports. Early in 1793, the 6th Regiment of Foot, the last unit of the British garrison in New Brunswick at that time was withdrawn, and the colony was left with only the militia as a defence force.
On 8 February 1793, a despatch arrived from London for Governor Thomas Carleton, instructing him to raise a provincial corps not to exceed 600 men for service in New Brunswick. The Governors of Nova Scotia, St John's Island (Prince Edward Island), Newfoundland, Lower Canada, and Upper Canada, all received similar instructions. Governor Carleton was the Colonel in command of the regiment, but Lieutenant-Colonel Beverley Robinson, the Colonel of the Loyalist corps, the Loyal American Regiment during the American Revolution was responsible for the organization and discipline of the Regiment. Carleton was allowed to select the officers, except for those already appointed by the Crown, and they were to be chosen from half-pay officers who were veterans of Loyalist regiments. A large number of the rank and file were also Loyalists and had fought in the American Revolution. Pay and subsistence were to be based on the same scale as that of the regular army, and equipment was to be issued from ordnance stores in Saint John and Halifax.
In July 1793, Carleton reported to London that 200 men had enlisted. The Regiment was made up of six companies with 400 men at its greatest effective strength. In 1799, the status of the Regiment was changed from a provincial to a fencible corps, which meant that the unit could be asked to serve anywhere in North America. On 17 January 1800, the name Royal New Brunswick Regiment was first used. When peace was restored by the Treaty of Amiens on 27 March 1802, the Regiment was disbanded at Fort Howe in Saint John on 14 August 1802.
- Contents:
The regimental returns of the King's New Brunswick Regiment that have been recorded on this reel begin on 25 April 1793 and end on 24 December 1797. As the returns are numerous, long, and detailed, and follow the same pattern of reporting from 1793 until 1797, a few examples will suffice to show the nature of the material: abstract of 63 days pay from 25 April-24 June 1793; a return of the King's New Brunswick Regiment which is dated, 24 June 1793, and gives the names of the officers with their rank, as well as a nominal role of sergeants, corporals, drummers, and privates; account of subsistence for recruits, 25 April-24, June 1793, including name, rank, and amount of subsistence; amount of non-subsistence due to companies, 25 April-24 June 1793; abstract of 61 days subsistence for the Regiment, 25 October-24 December 1793; account of recruits and casualties, 25 August-24 October 1793; and similar as well as additional records for each year of the regimental returns.
- Originals:
The original records are held by the New Brunswick Museum Archives in Saint John, New Brunswick.
- Archival Ref. No.:
OS F 104
- Notes:
The typewritten target information at the beginning of the reel is incorrect. The King's New Brunswick Regiment was not a militia unit. The New Brunswick Militia was an entirely different organization.