‘The Death of General Montgomery in the Attack on Quebec’, by John Trumbull (1786)
The families of the Canadians that retreated from Canada with the Continental army in 1776 either followed the men that enlisted in the Canadian Regiment (their fathers, husbands or brothers), or else lived in the refugee camps at Albany and Fishkill and were placed under the care of General Schuyler.
When Lafayette brought a memorial to General Washington from the Canadian families at Albany in November 1780 that they had not been receiving any provisions, General Washington ordered General James Clinton to issue a ration per person per day until further orders. He sent the memorial on to Congress with his comment that:
“both justice and humanity make it infinitely to be desired, it were in our power to make some better provision for persons who have left their country, and involved themselves in every kind of distress in compliance with our invitation”.
Congress approved his orders to Clinton.
When the regiment was furloughed in June 1783, most of the soldiers joined families or friends in the refugee camps at Albany and Fishkill. They had received certificates for three months pay – that was good for cash only if they waited several years until Congress could redeem, or as most of them did, sold them at large discounts to eager speculators. They had dependents to support but no employment, their pay was in arrears, they had received no compensation yet for their outlays in raising their companies, and also, no compensation for their losses in Canada.
During the spring and summer of 1783, a steady stream of petitions from General Hazen and his officers were sent to Congress. On August 9th 1783, the committee of Congress acknowledged that they were ‘only withheld by the present exhausted state of the public finances, from recommending such a provision to be made to these unfortunate people as would afford them immediate relief, and would lay a foundation for the comfortable establishment of their families in the future’. Congress then resolved:
“that it be, and is hereby recommended to the State of New York, to receive the officers and men… agreeably to the prayer of their petition, as citizens of the said state”.(15)
They also resolved that the officers and each of the men, women and children ‘shall respectively receive a ration a day for their subsistence’, and they resolved that the commissioner, who was appointed to handle the public accounts of the state, ‘to settle the claims for advances represented to have been made by the said officers, for the use of the United States’.
Congress had resolved to make provision for granting lands to the officers and soldiers who engaged to serve in the Continental Army to the close of the war, and for the states to take care of their own veterans. But, this did not apply to the Canadian Regiment, which did not belong to any state but was under Congress. And while the peace treaty had provided for restitution of property of the loyalist refugees, it contained no provision for restitution of property and possessions that were lost by Canadian and Nova Scotia refugees.
On May 11th 1784 the legislature of New York enacted a law that provided land bounties for its veterans – including the refugees. Article XIV stated:
“That it shall and may be lawful for the said commissioners to direct the surveyor-general to lay out such a number of townships of unappropriated and unoccupied lands for the Canadian and Nova-Scotia refugees, upon a return signed by brigadier-general Moses Hazen and colonel James Livingston, or either of them, on the part of the Canadian refugees, and colonel Jeremiah Throop on the part of the Nova-Scotia refugees, at such place in the northern part of the state as they shall think proper, not exceeding one thousand acres to each of the commissioned officers, and five hundred acres to each other person, or persons, refugees as aforesaid… provided that such refugees had respectively actually left Canada or Nova-Scotia before the first day of November in the year 1782, and have respectively resided within this state for the term of two years preceding the said day last mentioned”.(16)
In January 1785, the Land Office commissioners defined the tract – starting on the western shore of lake Champlain – immediately south of the Canada border, at Rouses Point and proceeding west and south, veering around other existing patents. Balloting for the lots would take place on August 28th 1786.
On July 11th 1785, Congress would resolve to discontinue the rations to those above the rank of captain (only 7 officers) and to continue the rations to all others until June 1st 1786. But on June 30th Congress extended the rations for another 15 months, and also voted to subsidize the removal of the refugees to lake Champlain.
On September 22nd 1785, Congress would resolve that damages done by the British troops in Canada during the war to subjects of that province, charged with an attachment to the American cause, ‘cannot be compensated by the United States’.
Footnotes for chapter 62:
(15) It would be several years before citizenship was granted.
(16) Throop was able to prove that 3 officers and 5 privates met all the New York requirements.
General Moses Hazen,
Colonel James Livingston,
Lieutenant Colonel Edward Antill,
Lieutenant Colonel Udny Hay,
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Livingston,
Lieutenant Colonel Josiah Throop,
Major David Franks,
Captain Joseph Dalzen,
Captain Maurice Desdevans,
Captain Constant Freeman,
Captain Clement Gosline,
Captain John Hamtramk,
Captain John Baptiste Labonte,
Captain Augustine Lesseaux,
Captain Philip Liebert,
Captain Abraham Livingston,
Captain Laurence Olivier,
Captain Antoine Paulent,
Captain James Robisheaux,
Captain James Stewart,
Quartermaster Daniel Tucker,
Lieutenant John Bateman,
Lieutenant Pierre Boileau,
Lieutenant Duncan Campbell,
Lieutenant Francis Chandonet,
Lieutenant Edward Chinn,
Lieutenant Joseph Cone,
Lieutenant Germain Dione,
Lieutenant Nathaniel Earl,
Lieutenant Thomas Faulknier,
Lieutenant Alexander Ferriole,
Lieutenant Francis Gilmart,
Lieutenant Jacque Jollibois,
Lieutenant Murdock McPherson,
Lieutenant Francis Mouty,
Lieutenant Andrew Pepin,
Lieutenant John Potin,
Lieutenant Benjamin Thompson,
Lieutenant Thomas Thompson,
Lieutenant William Torey,
Lieutenant Felix Victoire,
Ensign Lewis Gosline.
Pritte Abaere, Baptiste Amlane, Michael Arbor,
Presque Ausline, John Aymand, Pierre Ayot,
Antoine Bedford, Julian Belanger, Noel Bellanger,
Gilliam Berjarong, Joseph Berjarong, Joseph Bindon,
James Blake, John Blake, Peter Blanchard,
William Blundan, Amable Boileau, Peter Boileau,
Louis Boise, Charles Boivan, William Bostwick,
Louis Bouvet, James Casety, Joseph Cayeaux,
Peter Cayeaux, Francis Cazeau, Peter Charlong,
Anthony Chartier, John Chartier, Joseph Chartier,
Joseph Chartier Jr., Peter Chartier, Theodore Chartier,
Joseph Chevalier, Peter Chapellon, Charles Clautiere,
Nicholas Constantine, Alexis Decloux, John Delisle,
John Dubar, James Dugan, William Dugan,
Anthony Dupelle, John Baptiste Dupre, Michael Dufons,
Joseph Dufrans, Joseph Dunca, Joseph Duncos,
Henry Duplossier, Daniel Earl, Daniel Earl Jr.,
Jonas Earl, Robert Earl, Watson Earl,
Alexander Femalle, Joseph Ferriole, Anthony Filbert,
Peter Frison, Nicholas Fund, Michael Gannie,
John Gauley, John Gayne, Francis Gigo,
Rene Gilbrown, Gabriel Godreau, John Halstead,
William Haywood, Ephraim Hoppings, Paul Hubert,
Peter Hubert, Peter Isement, Louis Jaque,
Joseph Jelie, John Jervis, Francis Labe,
Joseph Labe, William Labelle, John Baptiste Labonte,
Pierre La Bonte, Prudent La Jennesse, John Baptiste La Jeunesse,
Louis Lasouch, Joseph Latuma, Joseph Lauren,
Jacque Lavyne, Joseph Le Bumbard, Francis Le Clive,
Francis Lecotte, John Lecotte, Michael Le Croise,
Joseph Le Fountaine, Peter Le Frais, John Baptiste Le Framboise,
Nicholas Le Frambois, Jacque Le Framboise, John Baptiste Le Framboise Jr.,
Dominique Leglise, Thomas Le Pierre, Jacque Le Puis,
Joseph Lesperance, Anthony Levalle, Anthony Levant,
(Mary Anne) Levitre, Henry Lor, Augustine Levoy,
Pierre Levoy, Louis Levoye, Anthony Lisembert,
James Livingston Jr., John Livingston, John Livingston Jr.,
Richard Livingston Jr., Louis Lizotte, Louis Longchamps,
Ferman Lozelton, William Macarty, Baptiste Marlet,
Ebenezer Markham, Louis Marney, Anthony Martin,
Baptiste Martin, Francis Martin, Francis Martin Jr.,
Joseph Martin, Bernard Merchand, John Mercier,
Hardoin Merlet, Louis Monty Jr., Antoine Minard,
Francis Minard, Amable Monty, Enfant Monty,
Francis Monty Jr., Glaud Monty, Glaud Monty Jr.,
Jacque Monty, Joseph Monty, Charles Moran,
Francis Mulroi, Henry Parent, Robert Paul,
Amable Paulent, Clement Paulier, Joseph Paulier,
Alexander Pecar, Baptiste Pero, Pierre Picard,
Simeon Pilotte, Joseph Plomendon, James Price,
Germaine Prouse, Peter Qualfarge, Charles Racine,
Peter Racine, Charles Rattee, Joseph Ray,
Paul Ricard, Pierre Roberge, Emanuel Rodridge,
Jacque Rouse, Guilliame Sansouci, John Saratoga,
Joseph Smith, Philip Smith, Etienne St. Lawrence,
John Baptiste St. Pierre, John White Swift, Charles Tellier,
Alexis Tenville, Charles Tessier, Jean Tessier,
Michael Tibo, Etienne Trahon, Joseph Traverse,
Augustine Trebel, Joseph Trudel, Francis Turcot,
Michael Tyon, Louis Vastenous, Joseph Vericule,
Bernard Verlie, Francis Verlie, Michael Verlie,
John Vinette, Jacob Vander Heyden.
[and as an honorary member, #228 - Denis Tremblay - I promised my late friend that I would add his name to the list of Canadian Patriotes.]
[next week - chapter 63 - The Arrival of Dr. Franklin at Philadelphia, September 14th 1785]
*************
For those who may wish to support my continuing work on ‘The Unveiling of Canadian History’, you may purchase my books, that are available as PDFs and Paperback (on Amazon)
Volume 2 – Forlorn Hope – Quebec and Nova Scotia, and the War for Independence, 1775 – 1785.
Volume 3 – The Storming of Hell – the War for the Territory Northwest of Ohio, 1786 – 1796.
And hopefully,
Volume 5 – On the Trail of the Treasonous, 1804 – 1807.
may also appear in print, in the near future, while I continue to work on :
Volume 6 - Through the Perilous Fight, 1807 – 1814.
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