Chevalier de Johnstone
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James Johnstone (1719 – c. 1791), also known as Chevalier de Johnstone or Johnstone de Moffatt, was the son of an
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
merchant. He escaped to France after participating in the 1745 Rising; in 1750, he was commissioned in the colonial army and served in
French North America New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain ...
. His military career was undistinguished and he remained a
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after ten years of service. Following the loss of
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in 1760, he returned to France and left the army. There are few details on his later life and he is thought to have died sometime after 1791. He is best remembered for his ''Memoirs of the rebellion in 1745 and 1746'', first published in 1820.


Life

James Johnstone was born 25 July 1719, only son of Jeremy Boone Johnstone, an
Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
merchant; his mother was a distant relative of Lady Jane (or Jean) Douglas (ca 1698-1753), later the centre of a famous inheritance case known as the Douglas Cause. He had two sisters; the elder, Cecilia (ca 1715-1746), married John Rollo (1708-1783), later 6th
Lord Rollo Lord Rollo, of Duncrub in the County of Perth, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created on 10 January 1651 for Sir Andrew Rollo. His great-great-grandson, the fifth Lord, was a Brigadier-General in the Army and fought in North ...
. His other sister Jean married Hugh Leslie of Dalkeith and their great-grandson purchased Johnstone's manuscripts in 1870. There is no record of Johnstone ever marrying or having children.


Career

There are few details of Johnstone's early life, apart from those given in his autobiography but he admits to being a poor student, 'given to dissipation and extravagance.' He had a difficult relationship with his father, but was indulged by his mother and Lady Jane, who lent him money. In 1738, he persuaded his father to send him to
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, where he stayed with his mother's uncle, James Hewitt, an expatriate Scot and merchant. Another uncle, Gustav Otto Douglas (1687-1771), was a
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
general, who was born in Sweden, then changed sides after being captured at Poltava in 1709. Douglas arranged a commission for Johnstone in the Russian military but his father threatened to disinherit him if he accepted and after a period in London, he returned to Edinburgh in 1740. His sister's marriage into the Rollo family connected Johnstone to the small circle of Jacobite gentry in Perthshire that supplied over 20% of the rebel army in the 1745 Rising.McCann, Jean E (1963) ''The Organisation of the Jacobite Army'' (PHD thesis) Edinburgh University, OCLC 646764870, pp. xvi-xvii. Robert, 4th Lord Rollo (1679-1758) participated in the
1715 Rising The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, lo ...
, although his son Andrew Rollo (1703-1765) served with the British army in
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during the
War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's ...
. Johnstone joined the Jacobites when they reached
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in early September 1745 and was appointed captain in the Duke of Perth's regiment. Although his claim to have been aide-de-camp to Lord George Murray cannot be verified, he was present throughout the campaign, including the invasion of England. Perth ordered him to join the garrison left at Carlisle in December but he refused, saying he 'would never be a victim by choice.' At Culloden in April 1746, he allegedly took part in the attack on the government lines, before escaping by taking someone else's horse. He made his way to
Ruthven Barracks Ruthven Barracks (), near Ruthven in Badenoch, Scotland, are the best preserved of the four barracks built in 1719 after the 1715 Jacobite rising. Set on an old castle mound, the complex comprises two large three-storey blocks occupying two sid ...
along with around 1,500 other survivors; on 20 April, Charles ordered them to disperse until he returned from France with additional support. Johnstone accompanied Lord Ogilvy to Clova in Angus, then spent several weeks hiding in the
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, before reaching Edinburgh, where his old friend Lady Jane Douglas helped him escape to
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. He records watching members of the Jacobite Manchester Regiment being taken to
Kennington Common Kennington Common was a swathe of common land mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth. It was one of the earliest venues for cricket around London, with matches played between 1724 and 1785.G B Buckley, ''Fresh Light on 18th Century Cricket'' ...
for their execution on 30 July 1746. Disguised as one of Lady Jane's servants, he eventually arrived in the Dutch city of
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, where they parted. Although he had originally intended to return to Russia, Johnstone stayed in Paris until Prince Charles was expelled from France after the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. In 1750, a connection to the Marquis de Puisieulx, then French Foreign Minister led to his appointment as
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in the Compagnies Franches de la Marine. These were regular troops raised for service in
French North America New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain ...
and Johnstone was posted to Île-Royale, Nova Scotia. A recurring theme of his ''Memoirs'' are complaints of unfair treatment and he considered this rank an insult; however, he arrived in Louisbourg and was promoted
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
in 1754. The colonial dispute between Britain and France or the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
began in 1754, two years before the better known global conflict called the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
. When the British captured Louisbourg in June 1758, Johnstone was stationed on
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and escaped to
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 thirtee ...
. He served under Montcalm, commander at Quebec until his death on 13 September in the
Battle of the Plains of Abraham The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec (french: Bataille des Plaines d'Abraham, Première bataille de Québec), was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War (referred to as the French and Indian War to describe ...
; despite being recognised by the British as a Scot, he was allowed to return to France in October 1760. The loss of North America resulted in the disbandment of the Compagnies; Johnstone was paid a small pension and appointed to the Order of Saint Louis in 1762. Although the ''Memoirs'' often refer to his preference for a military life, his career was undistinguished and it ended here. There are few details of his life thereafter; he apparently visited Scotland in 1779 but seems to have had little contact with his family. The parlous state of French government finances resulted in his pension being reduced in the 1770s; it was stopped completely following the 1789 French Revolution but later restored. While it is generally agreed he died in Paris, the date is uncertain; the
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
suggests circa 1800. There is no record of him after 1791, which is used by the
Dictionary of Canadian Biography The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; french: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is a ...
and other sources. Johnstone reportedly deposited his manuscripts in the
Scots College, Paris The Scots College ( la, Collegium Scoticum; french: Collège des Écossais) was a college of the University of Paris, France, founded by an Act of the Parliament of Paris on 8 July 1333. The act was a ratification of an event that had already tak ...
, including ''Memoirs of the rebellion in 1745-46'', translated into English and published in 1822. While full of complaints about the injustice of the world and often extremely self-centred, they are lively and include the occasional flash of insight. Like many, he disliked Prince Charles but although an admirer of Lord George Murray, he recorded his talents were offset by a quick temper, arrogance and inability to take advice. Other works dealing with his time in Canada were printed in Quebec in 1887; ''The Campaign of 1760 in Canada'' and ''A dialogue in Hades: a parallel of military errors, of which the French and English armies were guilty, during the campaign of 1759, in Canada.''Alger, Oxford DNB Online


References


Sources

* * * * McCann, Jean E (1963) ''The Organisation of the Jacobite Army'' (PHD thesis) Edinburgh University, OCLC 646764870 * *


External links

* * *
L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia - "James Chevalier de Johnstone"
*
“Memoirs of the rebellion in 1745 and 1746″ – media and intelligence in James Johnstone’s autobiography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnstone, Chevalier De 1719 births 1791 deaths Order of Saint Louis recipients Scottish Jacobites Military personnel from Edinburgh Jacobite military personnel of the Jacobite rising of 1745 People of New France British people of the French and Indian War French military personnel of the Seven Years' War