Captain John MacDonald of e Royal Highla Emigrants By Brian McConnell, UE * On a low hill overlooking e upper Hillsborough River in norwestern Queens County, Prince Edward Isla is an imposing monument to Captain John MacDonald, an officer of e 2 Battalion, 84 Regiment of Foot (Royal Highla Emigrants). It was erected in Scotchfort Cemetery by his desceants a oers who remember him as e fouer of e First Scottish Caolic Settlement in Prince Edward Isla. In early November, 2015, as a history enusiast a member of e 84 of Foot, 2 Battalion, Regimental Association I visited e site. Captain John MacDonald s Monument John MacDonald, born September 29, 1742 at Glenalladale, Moidart, Scotla was e eldest son of Alexaer MacDonald, 7 Laird of Glenalladale. He was educated at a Roman Caolic seminary at Regensburg in Germany a acted as e factor to e Clanranald estates. Feeling unsatisfied wi e economic a religious circumstances in e west Highlas he supported a plan at led to a group of 210 settlers arriving in Prince Edward Isla in 1772 at Scotchfort.(1) The families at left Scotla on board e Alexaer included: Beaton, Campbell, Gillis, MacDonald, MacEachern, MacIntosh, MacKenzie, MacKinnon, MacPhee, a MacRae. They were all Roman Caolics from e Hebridean islas of Sou Uist a Eigg a from mainla areas of Moydart a Arisaig.
- 2 - On e 150 anniversary of e arrival of e Glenalladale pioneers in July 1922, a large granite Celtic Cross was unveiled in e Scotchfort Cemetery. A small white cross to e noreast commemorates John MacDonald, his wife Margaret, a daughter Flora. Anoer small plaque to e west denotes Faer James MacDonald. There are also 35 stones in e cemetery arranged in a row at e back behi two larger crosses as well as unmarked graves on e site dating back to e French Regime. (2) Scotchfort Cemetery The Glenalladale branch of Clan MacDonald joined e staard of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie (son of exiled King James ), in rebellion a it was on eir territory at Glenfinnan at Charles raised e staard in 1745. The faer of John MacDonald, Alexaer MacDonald, a his uncle, Angus MacDonald, were officers in Prince Charles Army. After e defeat at Culloden a e of e rebellion, ey suffered e loss of cattle a destruction of eir property. On e dea of his faer in January, 1761, after schooling in Germany, John MacDonald became e 8 Laird of Glenalladale. Wiin next few years he married his first wife, Isabella Gordon, aunt of e famous 19 century admiral, Sir James Gordon. She unfortunately died in childbir a e child only survived a few mons.
- 3 - By 1770 e persecution of poor Caolics in e west Highlas led e Bishop a leaders to believe only choice was emigration to America. (3) Financing was taken on by e Caolic Church. A public subscription made among Caolics in Engla raised enough to help se e Glenalladale emigrants to Prince Edward Isla. They purchased la from e Lord Advocate of Scotla, James William Montgomery, on St. John s (later known as Prince Edward) Isla. It was Lot 36, later named Scotchfort. John MacDonald joined e settlers at Scotchfort in 1773 a visited Philadelphia first to gain information about e circumstances he was facing. MacDonald s efforts at establishing a permanent settlement was interrupted by e outbreak of e American Revolution. In June, 1775 he received an invitation from Lieutenant Allan Maclean a Major John Small to join em in raising a regiment of Scots Highlaers en dispersed in e different provinces of e continent of Nor America. MacDonald expressed e opinion in a paper to e Secretary of State for Nova Scotia at he could not decline an example a exertion of loyalty specially required by His Majesty when e dismemberment of e Empire was in question a especially e dismemberment of e part to which e petitioner now belongs. (4) Despite never having belonged to any military regiment before, John MacDonald was appointed a Captain a made a Company Commaer in e 2 Battalion of e Royal Highla Emigrants, later to be known as e 84 Regiment of Foot. The 2 Battalion, led by Major John st Small, formerly of e 42 Highlaers a en of e 21 Regiment, was to have its headquarters in Halifax a be made up of recruits from Nova Scotia, Newfoula, St. John s Isla (Prince Edward Isla), a from e Highla settlers in Nor Carolina. Colonel st MacLean organized e 1 Battalion about Quebec a on e norern frontier of New York from discharged men of e 42 Regiment, Fraser a Montgomery Highlaers who had settled after e e of e Seven Years War ( French - Iian War ) in 1763. Captain MacDonald raised a Company among his own Scots a oers on Prince Edward Isla. It was brought to Halifax a en he went to Newfoula to recruit in at colony. While MacDonald was away his sister Helen (Nelly) was to manage his Estate. When he returned to Halifax he spent two years ere until in summer of 1776 he returned to Scotchfort to deal wi some dissatisfied tenants. Late in 1778 he was given comma of a detachment in Annapolis.(5) In e Muster Roll of January 21, 1778, Captain John MacDonald s Company was identified as e 9 Company of e 2 Battalion. (6) The Royal Highla Emigrants were regularized a placed on e British establishment on December 25, 1778 a numbered as e 84 Regiment of Foot. Captain MacDonald remained on active service until late in 1783. Major Small complimented e service of Captain MacDonald wi e 84 Regiment by referring to his activity a unabating zeal, in bringing an excellent company into e field a to his being one of e most accomplished men, a best Officers of his rank, in His Majesty s Service. (7)
- 4 - Captain MacDonald said at he did not meet e enemy, however ere is an account of his seizure of an American man-of-war, which was appreheed on a pluering expedition along e coast of Nova Scotia, at iicated: During e American Revolution an American ship of war came to e Nova Scotia coast, near a port where Glenalladale was on detachment, wi a small party of his men of e 84 Highla Emigrants. A part of e enemy s crew having laed for e purpose of pluering e people of e country. Captain MacDonald wi his haful of men boarded e vessel, overcame ose who had been left to take charge of her, hoisted e sails a took her in triumph into e harbour of Halifax. He en returned wi a reinforcement a took e crews of Americans a French all prisoners. (8) Wi e e of e war a disbament of e 84 Regiment, Captain MacDonald was placed on half pay a returned to his affairs on Prince Edward Isla. The share of his regimental las granted to Col. John Small in trust for all e officers, men a families of e 2 Battalion, 84 Regiment, was located on Five Mile River. On December 13, 1785, Captain MacDonald was deeded 700 acres in a 1000 acre regimental lot No. 5E near e NW corner of las belonging to John Lehey. He struggled wi his Estate in Prince Edward Isla as most of his tenants left for oer las. In 1805 he fou it necessary to go to Engla a consider selling his Estate. He managed however to have his past rents at were due to e Crown forgiven a to retain his property. When he died on December 28, 1810 he was survived by his seco wife Margaret a five children, Donald, who was his successor as head of e Estate, William, John, Roderick C., a Flora Anna Maria. (9) Captain MacDonald was unique in several ways among e Officers of e 84 Regiment: 1) unlike oer Officers he had no previous military experience; 2) he was a Roman Caolic while his Commaer a oer Officers were Protestant; 3) he had already settled in what would become part of Canada a remained ere after e war, unlike most oer Officers who returned to Scotla; 4) he was one of e few Officers to have his place of dea recognized wi a Monument. For ese reasons it is perhaps easier to remember him a to recognize his place in history.
- 5 - Wording on Monument to Capt. John MacDonald: Here lie deposited in e face of Christ awaiting e coming of e Judge of e Living a of e Dead In e Hope of a Glorious Resurrection a a happy immortality e mortal remains of John MacDonald of Glenalladale, Esq., a Captain of His Majesty's 84 Regiment of Foot who emigrated wi his Family to is Isla A.D. 1773 bringing wi him a number of his Clansmen from e Highlas of Scotla, a of Margaret, his wife, a of Flora Anna Margaret eir daughter, relect of e late Alexaer MacDonnell _ May ey 'Rest in Peace' Amen Eternal rest give unto em o Lord A let perpetual light shine upon em.
- 6 - Notes: * This article was prepared on November 21, 2015. To contact Brian McConnell email: brianm564@gmail.com (1) Captain John MacDonald, Glenalladale, article by Rev. Allan F. MacDonald, CCHA, Report, 31 (1964) pp. 21-37 (2) Scotchfort Pioneer Cemetery, Canada s Historic Places, http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=12282 (3) MacDonald of Glenaladale, John (Iain MacDhomhnaill), by F. L. Pigot, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonald_of_glenaladale_john_5e.html (4) Letter from Captain Alexaer MacDonald to Captain John MacDonald, November 18, 1778 in The Letter Book of Captain Alexaer MacDonald, 1775-1779 (5) Quoted in Montreal Gazette, May 10, 1919. His loyalty to e crown is also attested by his presentation, in 1776, of a paper to Secretary of State Germain of Nova Scotia, in which he stressed e need for pursuing hencefor e most vigorous measures to counteract e propensity to Iepeency. P.A.C. Annual Report, 1894, p. 354 (6) Transcriptions of 15 Early Muster Rolls ( for e period 1775-1778) of e 2 Battalion, Young Royal Highla Regiment of Foot, later called e Royal Highla Emigrants, e 84 Regiment of Foot contained in e Ward Chipman Fos, Library a Archives Canada, MG23 D-1, Vol 27, Microfilm C9818. See: http://www.uelac.org/pdf/early-muster-rolls-84-regiment.pdf (7) See MacDonald of Glenaladale, John (Iain MacDhomhnaill), by F. L. Pigot, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/macdonald_of_glenaladale_john_5e.html (8) R.C. MacDonald, Sketches of Highlaers (St. John: Nenry Chubb & Co., 1843), pp. 44-45 (9) John V. Duncanson, Rawdon/Douglas: Two Loyalist Townships in Nova Scotia, (Belleville, Ontario: Mika Publishing, 1989 )