16 THE liOYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



on Octoljcr 6, announcing that the corps of Royal Americans was "more 

 than complete." Nevertheless, small parties of recruits for Jessup's 

 corps continued to arrive at the Isle aux Noix and Dutchman's Point 

 as late as March, 1783. With the approach of summer, the regiment 

 experienced a slight loss in numbers, this deficiency being made up by 

 despatching thirty of the men from the Yamaska blockhouse to the 

 Isle aux Noix in June. Judging from the correspondence of the time, 

 the companies under Major Jessup had their headquarters at Verchcres, 

 on the east bank of the St. Lawrence, while those under Colonel Jessup 

 were stationed at St. Johns and the neighboring posts. Toward the 

 close of November the corps was ordered disbanded. 



While recruiting was being carried on vigorously to complete and 

 to maintain at full strength the existing loyalist regiments, new corps 

 were also being organized. On May 1, 1779, Lieutenant Colonel 

 Robert Rogers was commissioned by Sir Henry Clinton "to raise two 

 battalions of able bodied rangers." Rogers was recommended to 

 Haldimand, and in July asked the latter to grant passports to his 

 officers for the purpose of obtaining recruits in Quebec. Two months 

 later, the Governor General frankly informed Rogers that his officers 

 wer^ "only losing time in Quebec, owing to the number of new levies 

 not being yet completed in spite of every exertion to get the loyalists 

 to join." He also advised the Colonel to go back to Penobscot where 

 the latter claimed to have a force of seven hundred recruits. But, 

 later on, Haldimand permitted Colonel Rogers' brother, Major James 

 Rogers, to enlist men for one of the proposed battalions, on condition 

 that his operations should be confined to the colonies. In order to 

 complete three companies, recruiting parties were sent to Gloucester, 

 the Green Mountains, and Charlotte and Cumberland counties in August 

 1780. Women and children were brought in along with the men, of 

 whom one hundred and thirty-three joined Rogers at St. Johns during 

 the next three months in a state of nakedness and great want. In 

 January, 1782, this detachment, which was called the King's Rangers, 

 numbered one hundred and ninety-three men, the officers being Azariah 

 Pritchard, and Henry Ruiter, in addition to Major Rogers. To the 

 end of April, 1783, the battalion formed part of the garrison at St. 

 Johns, then was made a source of supply of men for service aboard the 

 fleet on Lake Champlain, until the general order for the disbandment 

 of the provincial corps was received in November.* 



Another corps or company, first organized in July, 1781, was that 

 of John W. Myers, who had previously acted as a recruiting sergeant 

 for Rogers' detachment. Myers engaged his men in the colonies, 



*Can. Arch., 1888, 673-682; 1887, 446, 542, 544, 551, 552; 1886. 404; Haldimand 

 Papers, B. 167, 338-341. 



