The Canadian Military Heritage Project

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American Revolution


All files on The American Revolution reproduced here with permission of The Olive Tree Genealogy Homepage

THREE LOYALIST UNITS:
BUTLER'S RANGERS, SIR JOHN JOHNSTON'S BRIGADE & KING'S ROYAL REGIMENT OF NEW YORK (KRRNY)

In June 1775 Sir Guy Johnson, superintendent of Indians in the north, was forced out of his home in the Mohawk Valley of New York. He took with him the Butlers - John and his son Walter; Gilbert Tice; Daniel Claus; Frey; William Fraser; and the Indian brothers Peter and William Johnson.

In June 1776 Sir John Johnson led 200 of his friends, his tenants and some Mohawks and left the Mohawk Valley of New York. After 19 days of near-starvation they arrived at St. Regis. Continuing on to Chambly he was given permission to raise the 1st. Batallion of the Kings Royal Regiment of New York, also known as the King's Royal Yorkers; Johnson's Greens; the Royal Greens and Sir John's Corps.

On Aug. 6 1777 at Oriskany, forces under Sir John Johnson's command including 150 KKRNY, 40 Indian Department Rangers commanded by Major John Butler (later reorganized as Butler's Rangers), 50 German riflemen and many Mohawks and Senecas ambushed 800 militia on their way to Fort Stanwix. 400 rebels were killed.

In September 1777, Butler's Rangers was formally organized with eight companies, several of them doing special duty with the natives. They began their raids of the Mohawk Valley, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other areas.

Butler's Rangers Roster rolls are incomplete. In 1778 only half the corps had been recruited. By war's end (1783) the Ranger corps was at full strength with about 519 men on the roster.

List of Men formerly in Sir John Johnston's Brigade

These two lists are signed by John French who states the men listed have been in his command since the year 1777. Both lists state that the men enlisted in Sir John Johnston's Brigade under orders of the late Mr. Howetson and have now joined other units "of their own accord" [REF:"Loyalty on The Northern Frontier of New York , 1775-84" by Dwight M. Turner, as found in "Families Vol. 26 #2 1987]

Many of these men settled the Crown Lands at Niagara Ontario when they were disbanded in 1783.

List of Men From the Turloch Militia who Joined KRRNY or Butler's Rangers

Turloch was a small village in Tryon County New York that had been settled by Palatine immigrants in the early 1700s. 54 men from this area, proclaiming their loyalty to the British Crown, united to form the Turloch Militia under Captain Jacob Miller from 1775 to 1777.

The Turloch Militia arrived at Fort Stanwix on 14 August 1777, 10 days after the rebel defeat at Oriskany. Because they were considered too small to continue as a unit, the Militia was divided between Sir John Johnson's 1st. Batallion of the Kings Royal Rangers of New York (KRRNY) and Butler's Rangers.

Following is a list of men who joined these forces. Many settled in Upper Canada as Loyalists, particularly in Williamsburg Township.

For more information on Butler's Rangers, visit Butler's Rangers Homepage

 

 

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Brian Lee Massey
Copyright © 1998
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 This page was last modified on Wednesday, 22-Apr-1998 10:27:27 MDT

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