Royal Nova Scotia Volunteer Regiment

Loyal Regiment of Nova Scotia Volunteers (1775-1780) Royal Regiment of Nova Scotia Volunteers (1780-1783)
Active	1775-1783
Country	Great Britain
Allegiance	King George III
Branch	British provincial corps
Type	infantry, (auxiliary troops)
Role	garrison troops
Size	5 or 6 companies (battalion)
Garrison/HQ	Halifax (1780-1783) Fort Sackville (Nova Scotia), Nova Scotia (1780-1783) Prince Edward Island (1782-1783)
Engagements	American Revolutionary War Never saw combat
Commanders
Notable commanders	Colonel Francis Legge Governor John Parr

The Royal Nova Scotia Volunteer Regiment, also known as the Loyal Regiment of Nova Scotia Volunteers and Loyal Nova Scotia Volunteers, from 1775-1780, the Royal Regiment of Nova Scotia Volunteers, from 1780-1783, and the Royal Nova Scotia Volunteer Regiment and Nova Scotia Volunteers, was a British Loyalist provincial battalion, of infantry, raised in 1775, to defend British interests, in the colony of Nova Scotia. The unit was commanded by Col. Francis Legge, until replaced by Col. John Parr in 1782. The Royal NS Volunteers never saw combat, but did play an important role in the defense of the colony of Nova Scotia, in the later years, of the American Revolution.

Regiment formed[]

Hibbert Newton Binney, only known portrait of someone in the regiment

Part of a series on the
Military history of Nova Scotia
Citadel Hill in Halifax
Notable events Battle of Port Royal 1690 Siege of Port Royal 1710 Battle of Winnepang 1722 Northeast Coast Campaign 1745 Battle of Grand Pré 1747 Dartmouth Massacre 1751 Bay of Fundy Campaign 1755 Siege of Louisbourg 1758 Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax 1758 Halifax Treaties 1760–1761 Battle of Fort Cumberland 1776 Raid on Lunenburg 1782 Establishment of New Ireland 1812 Capture of USS Chesapeake 1813 ‪Battle of the Great Redan 1855 ‪Siege of Lucknow 1857 CSS Tallahassee escape 1861 ‪Halifax Provisional Battalion 1885 ‪Battle of Witpoort 1899 ‪Battle of Paardeberg 1899 Imprisonment of Leon Trotsky 1917 Jewish Legion formed 1917 Sinking of Llandovery Castle 1918 Battle of the St. Lawrence 1942–1944 Sinking of Point Pleasant Park 1945 Halifax VE-Day riot 1945
Notable regiments Mi'kmaq militias 1677–1779 Acadian militias 1689–1761 40th Regiment of Foot 1717–1757 Louisbourg Garrison 1717–1758 Gorham's Rangers 1744–1762 Danks' Rangers 1756–1762 84th Regiment of Foot 1775–1784 Royal Fencible American 1775–1783 Royal Nova Scotia Volunteers 1775–1783 King's Orange Rangers 1776–1783 1st Field Artillery from 1791 Royal Nova Scotia 1793–1802 Nova Scotia Fencibles 1803–1816 Halifax Rifles from 1860 Princess Louise Fusiliers from 1867 78th Highland 1869–1871 Cape Breton Highlanders from 1871 Nova Scotia Rifles 1914–1919 No. 2 Construction Battalion 1916–1919 West Nova Scotia from 1916 Nova Scotia Highlanders from 1954
Related topics Captivity narratives Impressment
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Francis Legge was appointed the royal governor of Nova Scotia in 1773, just as troubles were brewing in the American colonies. Legge, "an earnest but highly prejudiced and therefore much disliked man"^[1] proposed to the Secretary of State on July 31, 1775 that he be permitted to raise a regiment of 1,000 men, to be recruited from the German, neutral and Irish settlers in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Legge had grave doubts about the loyalty of the New England Planters who made up the majority of Nova Scotia's settlers at this point. (Legge's distrust was not entirely misplaced, as the Eddy Rebellion was to prove.) He proposed the name "Royal Nova Scotia Volunteers", but this was denied and changed to "Loyal". Some time around 1780 the "Royal" designation was bestowed for the duration of the war.

Francis Legge received a dispatch from London dated October 16, 1775, authorizing him to raise the Loyal Regiment of Nova Scotia Volunteers as a fencible unit, for strictly local defense. The recruits were to be paid and equipped like regular soldiers; they would be, in effect, a full-time home guard.^[2]

The officers of the "Royal Nova Scotia Volunteers" were mostly lawyers and other men of the Halifax establishment and Francis Legge's political hangers-on, with little or no military experience, along with a number of subalterns brought in from the British Fleet. The most distinguished senior officer was George Henry Monk, who became major and served for the duration.^[3]

Recruiting for the Loyal Regiment of Nova Scotia Volunteers proved to be extremely difficult, owing to Francis Legge's unpopularity. He was finally ordered back to Britain in May, 1776, although he remained colonel and governor in absentia until replaced by John Parr in 1782. Despite a recruiting bounty of two guineas, by April, 1776, only sixty men had been mustered, at very heavy expense. The officers were so discouraged that they sent a petition of grievances to the Secretary of State on June 14. Rather than being trained as soldiers, the men were sent to Spanish River, Cape Breton to dig coal for the army. The next summer, forty men went back to colliery while twenty served as marines on the Royal Navy sloop . The subalterns were returned to the Fleet.^[4]

Service duties[]

As resentment of Francis Legge died away, the fortunes of the Loyal Regiment changed. Returns show that by February, 1780, 568 men had enlisted and 92 had deserted, for an overall strength of 476 rank and file. This was very close to the re-authorized strength of a half-battalion (500). Due to officer absences, the unit was under day-to-day command of the senior captain, John Solomon, at Fort Sackville. The Volunteers were taking a full share of garrison duties in Halifax and several outposts.^[5] Given the importance of Halifax to the overall British war effort, this was useful employment. In 1782 a detachment was sent to the Island of St. John.

Not only the size, but the desirable reputation of the Loyal Nova Scotia Volunteers grew in later years. A few months before disbandment, Brigadier-General Henry Edward Fox expressed:

... the great satisfaction he has received in seeing the two provincial battalions of Royal N.S. Volunteers and the King's Orange Rangers, and highly approves of their discipline and military appearance, more particularly of the soldierlike manoeuvres and quick-step of the Royal N. Sco. Volunteers which has so much the appearance of troops that have been employed in active service.^[6]

Uniforms[]

In 1775-1776 the men of the Volunteers mostly wore civilian clothing; essentially, whatever they were wearing when they enlisted. Their first uniforms arrived in early 1777, green coats faced white, with white smallclothes, in common with most other Loyalist corps of the American command at that time. Officers wore silver lace. By 1779 the regiment was wearing red coats faced buff, and officers' metal had changed to gold. There is a reference to red coats faced green in 1783.^[7]

Regiment Disbanded[]

The Loyal Nova Scotia Volunteer Regiment was disbanded at noon on Monday, October 20, 1783. The officers went on half-pay, and those officers and men who wished received land grants in the area of Ship Harbour.^[8] Cpt. Thomas Green, two sergeants, five corporals, and 22 private soldiers, some with their families, took up grants ranging from 100 to 450 acres.^[9] Captain and his father Lt Col. Timothy Hierlihy of the Regiment settled in Antigonish ( and are named after the son.^[10])

Notable members[]

• Gilfred Studholme
• Charles Morris (1759–1831)
• Timothy Hierlihy
• Hibbert Newton Binney
• ^[11]

See also[]

• American Revolution - Nova Scotia theatre

References[]

External links[]

• On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies Various period papers and other records of the Nova Scotia Volunteers.
• Barry Cahill. Royal NS Volunteer Regiment. 1988.