[siebert] the AMERICAN LOYALISTS 17 



and brought into St. Johns at one time the greater part of a company, 

 which he afterwards increased, seeking permission, like many another 

 loyalist officer, to send agents beyond the Canadian boundary for the 

 purpose. In the official correspondence of the time it is expressly 

 stated that Myers' men were mustered as a company ''separate from 

 Rogers' corps." * 



The zeal for recruiting did not abate until the end of the con- 

 test. As late as April, 1783, Major General Riedesel, then com- 

 mandant at Sorel, was urging upon Haldimand the importance of 

 recruiting operations by the various corps, which, he said, were 

 "almost indispensable" in carrying on the fortifications, the scouting, 

 and the secret service, f As a matter of fact, it was not more than four 

 months after this that Haldimand, compelled by the approaching 

 cessation of hostilities, sent out orders to the loyalist officers to cease 

 recruiting. 



From the preceding pages, it will be seen that much of the loyalist 

 immigration into Canada was military in character; these Tories came 

 in larger or smaller parties under recognized leaders for the purpose 

 of joining the King's forces. Moreover, it is clear that this phase 

 of the movement continued throughout the war. Not all of the 

 refugee recruits, to be sure, made their way directly to the region north 

 of the states of New York and Vermont. A great part of them entered 

 the Canadian country west of the St. Lawrence and were quartered 

 at various places on that side of the river; but, sooner or later, almost 

 without exception they were sent across the river to garrison the 

 posts along the Richelieu and at other points, to strengthen and en- 

 large the fortifications of this region, to help defend the country from 

 invasion, to carry on scouting and secret service to the south, and 

 to take part in expeditions into the enemy's country. The effect of 

 Burgoyne's campaign was undoubtedly to stimulate the Tory move- 

 ment into this section of Canada, both by stirring up the hostility of 

 the revolutionists against the adherents of the Crown to a greater 

 pitch than ever, and by increasing the activity of the loyalist corps 

 in recruiting. 



Of course, we cannot suppose that all the loyalists who entered 

 Canada previous to Burgoyne's campaign came as actual or pros- 

 pective members of the provincial regiments then forming. There 

 must have been many, then and later, who entered unnoticed, settled 

 in sundry communities where they could take up the usual course of 

 their life with as little interruption as possible, or shifted about as 

 their necessities required. We hear of such a group living at Sorel 



*Can. Arch., 1888, 692, 695-699. 

 tHaldimand Papers, B. 138, p. 198, 



