{{Infobox military unit , unit_name = McAlpin's Corps , image = , image_size = , caption = , country = {{flagcountry, Kingdom of Great Britain , allegiance = {{army, Kingdom of Great Britain , type = Loyalist local volunteer corps, (

auxiliary Auxiliary may refer to: * A backup site or system In language * Auxiliary language (disambiguation) * Auxiliary verb In military and law enforcement * Auxiliary police * Auxiliaries, civilians or quasi-military personnel who provide support of ...

troops) , branch =

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

, dates = 1777-1783 , specialization = infantry,

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

construction , command_structure = , size = battalion-corps (184) , current_commander = , garrison =

Province of Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...

, ceremonial_chief = , nickname = McAlpin's Corps of Royalists, American Volunteers , motto = , colors = , march = , mascot = , battles =

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Saratoga Campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British high command for North America to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of the British ...

(1777) *

Battle of Freeman's Farm The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

(1777) , notable_commanders = General

Sir William Howe William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB PC (10 August 172912 July 1814) was a British Army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British land forces in the Colonies during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three brot ...

General John Burgoyne Brigadier General

Sir John Johnson Brigadier General Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet (5 November 1741 – 4 January 1830) was an American-born military officer, magistrate, landowner and colonial official in the British Indian Department who fought as a Loyalist during the American ...

Lieutenant General

Sir Frederick Haldimand Sir Frederick Haldimand, Order of the Bath, KB (11 August 1718 – 5 June 1791) was a military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. From 1778 ...

Major-Commandant Daniel McAlpin Major

John Nairne Lieutenant-Colonel John Nairne (1 March 1731 – 14 July 1802) was a Scottish-Canadian soldier and seigneur. Nairne came to Canada in 1758 as a lieutenant, and participated in the captures of Louisbourg and Quebec City. Given Nairne's lac ...

Major

Edward Jessup Edward Jessup (December24, 1735February3, 1816), together with his brother Ebenezer Jessup (July 1739 – 1818), was a large landowner in present-day New York State before the American Revolution, and later a soldier and political figure in Upp ...

Major Patrick Ferguson , anniversaries = McAlpin's Corps, also known as McAlpin's Corps of Royalists and the American Volunteers, referred to either of two loyalist units in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

, in British Canada, commanded by Major Daniel McAlpin, during the

. In most instances, the name described the American Volunteers, a corps of American Loyalists, who served in the 1777 Burgoyne Expedition, of the

. The term was also used, at times, to refer to a 'battalion' put under the command of McAlpin, in 1779, formed from the remnants of General Burgoyne's several loyalist corps, including the "American Volunteers", the

King's Loyal Americans Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

, the Queen's Loyal Rangers, and

Adams' Rangers {{Infobox military unit , unit_name= Adams' Rangers , image= Dr. Samuel Adams.png , image_size = 275px , caption = A woodcut of Dr. Samuel Adams, the future British Loyalist and American Revolutionary War military leader of Adams' Rangers, who ...

Corps formed

McAlpin's Corps, the "American Volunteers", first mustered in on August 1, 1777. Daniel McAlpin was a retired, elderly British army captain of the 60th Royal American Regiment who had become a major landholder, in Stillwater,

Province of New York The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the Uni ...

. After 1775, Daniel McAlpin was actively persecuted by rebels for his loyalty. In September 1776, he received a warrant from

to raise a Loyalist corps and secretly begin recruiting men. McAlpin was arrested, but later escaped and went into hiding. When the British Army, under General John Burgoyne, marched south towards Albany, McAlpin joined at Fort Edward.

Campaigns

The corps numbered some 184 men and officers and was engaged largely in the "

batteau A bateau or batteau is a shallow-draft, flat-bottomed boat which was used extensively across North America, especially in the colonial period and in the fur trade. It was traditionally pointed at both ends but came in a wide variety of sizes. ...

service" and defending supply lines, during the

. Following the

, a portion of Daniel McAlpin's men were drafted into British regiments to help offset heavy casualties. After the defeat at the battle of Bemis Heights, Burgoyne allowed loyalist troops to quietly escape before his surrender. Men of the American Volunteers were entrusted with transporting Burgoyne's military pay chest back to Canada to prevent its capture. Fifty of these men were taken prisoner on the retreat, but the chest was safely delivered. The Loyalist units of Burgoyne's army returned to British Canada seriously mauled and badly under-strength. The Corps was loosely assembled into a battalion, initially under

of the King's Royal Regiment. In May 1779, the unit was turned over to McAlpin, who was made Major-Commandant. The troops were primarily engaged in

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

duty and building

fortifications A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

to secure the

against Patriot American invasion. In late 1779, Daniel McAlpin became seriously ill. Despite his condition, he continued in his duties until his death in July, 1780. McAlpin was replaced by Major

, of the

84th Regiment of Foot The 84th (York and Lancaster) Regiment of Foot was a regiment in the British Army, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 65th (2nd Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot to form the York and Lancaster Regiment, with ...

or "Royal Highland Emigrants", who was ordered to form the rather loose collection of men into formal companies. Even so, the unit was often referred to as McAlpin's Corps. In November, 1781, the American Volunteers, King's Loyal Americans and most of the Queens Loyal Rangers were incorporated into a new provincial regiment, the

Loyal Rangers The Loyal Rangers, or Jessup's Loyal Rangers, was a volunteer regiment of Loyalists in the American Revolution established in 1781 by the amalgamation of several smaller units, including the King's Loyal Americans. They were commanded by Major Edw ...

, under the command of Major

. The former Corps also, became a part of the, King's American Regiment.

Corps disbanded and resettled in British Canada

Following the war the Loyal Rangers, including former American Volunteers, were settled in the South East of what is now the Province of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, in Ernestown, Edwardsburgh, Augusta, and Elizabethtown townships.

References

''King's Men: The soldier founders of Ontario''
Mary Beacock Fryer, Dundurn Press, Toronto, Ontario, 1980 ''Skulking for the King''
J. Fraser, The Boston Mills Press, Erin, Ontario, 1985 ''The History and Master Roll of the King's Royal Regiment of New York''
Cruikshank and Watt, Global Heritage Press, Campbellville, Ontario, 2006

External links

Index to McAlpin's Corps of Royalists History - The On-line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies
Loyalist military units in the American Revolution