Extracts from the Letter-Book of Captain Alexander McDonald 

 of the Royal Highland Emigrants, 1775-1779^ 



Ira K. Morris 



Captain Alexander McDonald was an old line officer of the 

 British Army, who came to this country with his command just 

 prior to the Revolution and settled on Staten Island, where he 

 pretended to own a farm. 



On glancing over his Letter-Book, through the courtesy of 

 the New York Historical Society, we find him to be a very 

 strenuous Royalist, who uses the most bitter language about the 

 Americans, whom he delights to class as " Rebels." He was an 

 unreasonable extremist in whatever he said or did. Several times 

 he had the Continental army wiped off the face of the earth — 

 theoretically. 



The first letter we find in his book was addressed to General 

 Gage, in the summer of 1775. If, however, he was no better 

 soldier than grammarian, he certainly did very little harm to his 

 enemies. He suggests to General Gage that Staten Island would 

 furnish fresh provisions for his army. He goes on to tell how 

 easily the armed sloops of the British Navy, while on their way 

 from Sandy Hook to Albany, "Taking in Staten island, they 

 might Burn and Destroy Brunswick & amboy, for nothing can 

 cure the Madness that prevails all over America but the Severest 

 of usage." 



On November 4, 1775, Captain McDonald writes to Walter and 

 Thomas Buchanan as follows : 



" Pray for god sake Let me know why the people of New York 

 and thereabouts has pronounced Sentence of death on me, is it 

 because I would not offer such violence to my honour and Con- 

 science as to falsify my oath of fidelity and allegiance and take 



1 Presented in abstract at the meeting of the Association November 20, 



19x5. 



79 



