Preface: Historical Documents Relating to the Blockade of Quebec by the American Revolutionists, vol.1, 1775-1776

 

By Frederick Christian Wurtele

 

[Originally published by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec in Historical Documents, Series 7 (1905)]

 

As a foreword, a few remarks may not be out of place, respecting the following manuscripts now published for the first time.

 

The Ainslie Journal was evidently written during the blockade of Quebec in the winter of 1775-1776, by Thomas Ainslie the Collector of Customs at the Port of Quebec, one of the City's defenders being Captain in the British Militia, and is a reliable account of the daily occurrences which transpired during that memorable winter.

 

This Journal as well as other British diaries kept in the City, is to a great extent corroborated by the "Orderly Book" as far as current events were noticed in such a strictly military record.

How the Ainslie Journal came into the possession of George Chalmers the Scottish antiquarian, collector of manuscripts, &c. and writer of a history of the United Colonies, which was never completed, is not on record. After his death, his books and manuscripts were sold in London in 1843 and the Ainslie Journal, with others, was purchased by Jared Sparks sometime President of Harvard, and bequeathed by him to the University. We are indebted for communication thereof with permission to publish, to the kindness of Mr. William Lane, Librarian of that University.

 

A copy of the Journal intituled:—"Journal of the most remarkable occurrences in Quebec, since Arnold appear'd before the Town on the 14th November 1775," was kindly lent for publication by Dr. James Bain, Jr. D.C.L., Librarian of the Toronto Public Library, who had purchased it many years ago in London.

 

There are several other journals by officers serving in Quebec at that time, but unfortunately without giving the names of their authors; however, they all bear a family likeness, but are not so full of details as Ainslie's which might possibly have been the progenitor of them all, but taking them all as original productions, they corroborate each other and agree at all points with information contained in the despatches and letters of Guy Carleton and Lieut.-Governor Cramahé to the British Government, copies of which State papers are in the Dominion Archives at Ottawa.

 

The "Orderly Book," purchased by the Dominion Government at the sale of the late Hon. L. B. Masson's Library, was written by Captain Vialars and Captain Robert Lester of the British Militia, and communication thereof with permission to publish, was kindly given by Dr. A. G. Doughty, F.B.S.C, the Dominion Archivist.

 

Of the other journals, one was published in 1875, by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec as part of its 4th series of Historical Documents, intituled:— "Journal of the Siege and Blockade of Quebec by the American rebels in autumn of 1775 and winter of 1776." And relates, that, "this journal is partly in the handwriting of Captain Patrick Daly, then Lieutenant in the Emigrants (MacLean's) and from him I had it, and seems very correct and just. Who it was kept by, I don’t know, but suppose Mr. Hugh Finlay may be the gentleman who made it for his amusement. The above preface is in the handwriting of Malcolm Fraser, Esq. formerly Lieutenant in the 78th Regiment (or Fraser 's Highlanders.) The manuscript is in the possession of Hon. J. M. Fraser who kindly allowed a copy to be made for the use of the Literary and Historical Society."

 

G. B. FARIBAULT.

Mr. Faribault was sometime President of the Society.

 

The New York Historical Society published in its "Collections of 1880," a diary;—"Journal of the most remarkable occurrences in Quebec from 14th November 1775, to 7th May 1776, by an officer of the Garrison." The New York Society, we are informed, copied this journal from Smith's History of Canada published in 1815, and Smith evidently copied it from a journal of the same title published in Almon's "Remembrancer," a magazine printed in London in 1778;—it is the same journal word for word although Smith omitted to mention where he got it, or its author.

 

Mr. Lane mentions still another Quebec journal, presumably by an Artillery officer, which closed on the 9th May 1776; "as the scene of action is now removed from this, I close the journal."

 

A sixth journal is in the Library of Parliament at Ottawa, intituled:— "Journal of the Principal occurrences during the Siege of Quebec by the American 'revolutionists under Generals Montgomery and Arnold in 1775-76." Edited by W. T. P. Short, of H. M. 17th Regiment and Printed by Simpkin & Co. London in 1824.

 

This journal is presumed to have been written by Sir J. Hamilton, Captain of H. M. S. Lizard, which wintered in Quebec during the Siege, when he took a prominent part in the defence of the Sault-au-Matelot barricade.

 

The Society has obtained copies of these two journals and will publish them next year.

The characters mentioned in the "Orderly Book" and Journals are well known in Quebec's history; Robert Lester, Captain in the British Militia was the first Treasurer of the Quebec Library in 1779, was one of Quebec's merchants and represented the Lower Town in the first Provincial Parliament in 1792 and also in 1801.

 

Arthur Davidson was Secretary of the Quebec Library and at one time resided at Levis, where Davidson's Hill still bears his name.

 

Hugh Finlay was deputy Post-master General of Canada from 1774 to 1800. William Grant was Receiver General of the Province in 1770 and afterwards member for the Upper Town of Quebec during the first two Parliaments from 1792. Grant Street in St. Rochs is

named after him. Dr. Adam Mabane was a prominent physician and surgeon in Quebec, and resided at Samos on the St. Louis Road, which property is now Woodfield or St. Patrick's Cemetery. Peter Fargues was a Quebec merchant who died in 1780. All those gentlemen took their turn of military duty, in all grades of rank, during the blockade.

 

The Royal Highland Emigrant Regiment, subsequently the 84th, consisted of two battalions, and was raised in 1775, when war became inevitable. The first battalion was organized by Colonel Allan MacLean, on the Northern Frontiers of New York, from discharged men of the 42nd Regiment, Fraser's and Montgomery's Highlanders who had settled in the Old Colonies at the peace of 1763. Colonel MacLean led the corps, he had hastily formed, by a series of forced marches, to the aid of Sir Guy Carleton at Quebec, and materially assisted with his Highlanders in the defence of that fortress against the armies of Montgomery and Benedict Arnold.

 

The 2nd Battalion was recruited in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward's Island and Newfoundland. The organization of the battalion was begun at Halifax early in the summer of 1775 and the oldest commissions to the officers were dated 13th and 14th June. The battalion was styled "His Majesty's Royal Highland Regiment of Emigrants" and was known as the Royal Emigrants. Captain John Small, formerly of the 42nd Highlanders was Major Commandant.

In the Militia Department at Ottawa, there is preserved an interesting relic of the old corps, a flag or guidon mounted on a halberd bearing the name Royal Emigrants. (Acadiensis Vol. IV, No. 1.)

 

There were two regiments of Quebec Militia under arms during the siege, the British commanded by Lt. Col. Caldwell, and the Canadian (French) by Lt. Col. Voyer. The Roster of the latter is in two lists, the first being the nominal roll of the Militia in the district liable to called out, and the second is the service roll of those who did duty with the regiment from the 14th November 1774 to the end of the siege, and constitutes the honor roll of Quebec's French Canadian Citizens who nobly took their round of military duty in those perilous times, and forms another corroborative link in the history of the siege. The nominal roll records both the occupation and street residences of those Militiamen, many of whose descendants are now living in the Old Fortress City.

 

These rosters were collected by Captain Gabriel Elzear Taschereau, and presented in 1830 to the Literary and Historical Society by the Honorable Justice Taschereau, and survived the fires which played havoc with its Archives and Library.

 

The roster of the British regiment may be extant, and if the efforts now being made for its discovery prove successful, it will form part of the next historical document.

 

FRED. C. WURTELE,

Hon. Librarian.

Lit. & Hist. Society of Quebec.