MAJOR-GENERAL WHYTE'S REGIMENT OF FOOT, 1795.
The terrible mortality which thinned the ranks of the British troops in
the West Indies, induced the British Ministers to think of reinforcing
the army with men better calculated to resist the influence of the
climate. The West India Governors were instructed, therefore, in 1795,
to bring forward in their respective legislatures a project for raising
five black regiments, consisting of 500 men each, to become a permanent
branch of the military establishment. There were already several black
corps in existence, for Mr. Dundas, during a debate in the House of
Commons on the West India Expedition, on the 28th of April, 1795, said
that "the West India Army of Europeans and Creoles consisted of 3000
militia and 6000 blacks."[19]
These black corps were distributed amongst the various islands, and
were the Carolina Corps, Malcolm's or the Royal Rangers, the Island
Rangers (Martinique), the St. Vincent Rangers, the Black Rangers
(Grenada), Angus' Black Corps (Grenada), the Tobago Blacks, and the
Dominica Rangers. Some of them, notably the Carolina Corps, Malcolm's
Corps, and the St. Vincent Rangers,[20] were paid by the Imperial
Government, and were consequently Imperial troops; although none of the
corps appeared in any Army List, nor were appointments thereto and
promotions therein notified in the _London Gazette_.
The five black regiments, now proposed to be raised, were to be in
addition to those small black corps already in Imperial pay, and which
were to be blended into three permanent regiments. Consequently, in the
Army List dated March 11th, 1796, showing the state of the army in
1795,[21] we find the following eight corps, indexed under the heading
of "Regiments raised to serve in the West Indies:"
Whyte's Regiment of Foot (Carolina and Malcolm's Corps).
Myers' " " (St. Vincent Rangers).
Keppell's " " (probably the Dominica Rangers).
Nicoll's " " }
Howe's " " }
Whitelock's " " }(the five new regiments).
Lewes' " " }
Skerrett's " " }
Major-General Whyte's regiment was called into existence by the
_Gazette_ of the 2nd of May, 1795; Major-General John Whyte, from the
6th Foot, being appointed colonel. On the 20th of May, Major Leeds
Booth, from the 32nd Foot, was appointed lieutenant-colonel; and other
officers were rapidly gazetted to it. On the 8th of August, Captain
Robert Malcolm, of the 41st Foot, was promoted major in Whyte's
regiment. The following is the list of officers appointed to the
regiment in 1795:
MAJOR-GENERAL WHYTE'S REGIMENT OF FOOT.
Rank. Name. Rank in the Regt. Army.
Colonel John Whyte April 24, 1795 M.G., Feb. 26, 1795
Lt.-Col. Leeds Booth May 20, 1795
Major Robert Malcolm July 1, 1795 Lieut.-Col.,
Oct. 5, 1795
Capts. James Abercrombie " " Major, March 1, 1794
Edward Cotter " "
Francis Costello " "
Alan Hampden Pye " "
Ralph Wilson " "
Thomas Cunninghame " "
(C.) William Powell Aug. 24, 1795
Thomas Deane Sept. 1, 1795
..............
..............
..............
..............
Lieuts. Ross Gillespie July 1, 1795 Dec. 20, 1794
Henry Maxwell " " March 8, 1795
David Butler " "
Benjamin Chadwick " "
James Reid " "
James Stewart " "
James Sutherland " "
James Calder " "
Andrew Coghlan Aug. 24, 1795 Sept. 14, 1792
Henry Goodinge Sept. 1, 1795
Thos. Page Sept. 16, 1795
..............
(11 vacancies)
..............
Ensigns William Graham July 1, 1795
James Cassidy " "
-- McShee " "
-- Lightfoot " "
-- M'Callum " "
-- Froggart " "
-- McLean " "
R.W. Atkins " "
John Egan " "
James Reed " "
(Cornet) W. Connor " "
-- Crump " "
John Morrison " "
Donald M'Grace " "
William Reid " "
-- Dalton Sept. 1, 1795
Thomas Byrne " "
C.B. Darley Sept. 9, 1795
Christ. Thos. Roberts Oct. 5, 1795
..............
..............
..............
Adjutant ..............
Qrmr. -- McWilliam Nov. 18, 1795
Surgeon -- Bishop June 10, 1795
Chaplain ..............
It was intended that each of these regiments raised for service in the
West Indies should have a cavalry troop, and in the _London Gazette_ are
the following:
MAJOR-GENERAL WHYTE'S REGIMENT OF FOOT.
August 1, 1795 Lieutenant--Powell, from the 8th Foot, to be
Lieutenant of Cavalry.
August 29 Lieutenant--Powell, Lieutenant of Cavalry, to be
Captain of Cavalry.
July 11 Acting Adjutant--Connor, from Lieutenant-Colonel
McDonnel's regiment, to be Cornet.
But this idea was soon abandoned, and in 1797 the cavalry troop
disappeared.
The 1st West India Regiment (for so it was at once styled in the West
Indies, although in the Army List and the _London Gazette_, the
designation "Major-General Whyte's Regiment of Foot" was not
discontinued until February, 1798) first appears in the "Monthly Return
for the Windward, Leeward, and Caribee Islands," in September, 1795, as
follows:
A: Colonel.
B: Lieut.-Colonel.
C: Majors.
D: Captains.
E: Lieutenants.
F: Ensigns.
G: Chaplain.
H: Adjutant.
I: Quarter-Master.
J: Surgeon.
K: Mate.
L: Sergeants Present.
M: Drummers Present.
N: Present, fit for duty.
O: Sick.
P: Recruiting.
Q: Total.
+-----------------+---------+-----------------------+--+--+----------+
| | | Officers Present. | | | |
| | +-------------+---------+ | |Effective |
| | |Commissioned.| Staff. | | |Rank&File.|
| Regiments |Stations.+-------------+---------+ | +----------+
| or Corps. | |A|B|C|D|E | F|G|H|I|J|K| L| M| N|O|P| Q |
+-----------------+---------+-+-+-+-+--+--+-+-+-+-+-+--+--+--+-+-+---+
|Maj.-Gen. Whyte's|Martinico|-|-|-|3| 1| 5|-|-|1|-|-| 6| 6|43|4|4| 51|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|Brig.-Gen. Myers'|Martinico|1|-|-|2| 1| 1|-|-|1|-|-| 5| 6|41|5|5| 51|
+-----------------+---------+-+-+-+-+--+--+-+-+-+-+-+--+--|--+-+-+---+
| |Total. |1|-|-|5| 2| 6|-|-|2|-|-|11|12|84|9|9|102|
+-----------------+---------+-+-+-+-+--+--+-+-+-+-+-+--+--+--+-+-+---+
and the following note is, in the same Return, appended to the state of
the company of the "Black Carolina Corps," which was in Grenada; the
other two companies having remained in Martinique since their removal
there from St. Lucia at the end of April, 1795. "This corps has been
reformed, and fifty of the men, who were fit for service, have been
drafted into the 1st New West India Regiment. When the remainder of the
corps can be collected together, it is possible a few more may be found
fit for service."
Major-General Whyte's, or the 1st West India Regiment, remained at
Martinique, without any further accession to its strength than these
fifty men from the Carolina Corps, till December, 1795.
In the "Muster Roll of His Majesty's 1st West India Regiment of Foot,
for 183 days, from the 25th of June to the 24th of December, 1795,
inclusive," the list of officers is given as already shown. Captain
James Abercrombie, Lieutenants David Butler, Benjamin Chadwick, and
James Sutherland are shown as "drowned on passage," and the following
note is added: "Some few of the dates of enlistments and enrolments of
the non-commissioned officers and drummers may not probably be quite
exact, and some others may have been engaged in England not down on the
muster roll, all the regimental books, attestation papers, etc., having
been left in possession of the paymaster, Brevet-Major Abercrombie (no
adjutant at that time being appointed), who was lost in December or
January last on board the _Robert and William_ transport, No. 44, on
the voyage to this country." The non-commissioned officers and drummers
were Europeans, one sergeant and three corporals being shown as "sick
and absent in England" in this roll; and, in the next, a drummer is
similarly shown. The roll is signed by Leeds Booth, Lieutenant-Colonel;
Ed. S. Cotter, Captain and Paymaster; and Thomas Holbrook, Acting
Adjutant. The following is the proof table:
A: Colonel.
B: Lieut.-Colonel.
C: Major.
D: Captains.
E: Lieutenants.
F: Cornets.
G: Ensigns.
H. Adjutant.
I. Chaplain.
J. Quartermaster.
K. Surgeon.
L. Mate.
M. Sergeants.
N. Corporals.
O. Drummers.
P. Privates.
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P |
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
|Present | - | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5| - | - | 1 | - | - | 10| - | 12| 9|
|Absent | 1 | - | 1 | 8 | 6 | - | 13| - | - | - | 1 | - | 7| 3 | 3| 27|
|Non-effective | - | - | - | 5 | 7 | - | 5| - | - | 1 | - | - | 5| 8 | 5| 13|
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
| Total. | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14| 14| 1 | 23| - | - | 2 | 1 | - | 22| 11| 20| 49|
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
Although it was intended that the privates of West India regiments
should be black, yet, apparently, white men were not prohibited from
serving in the ranks; for, in later muster rolls, two or three privates
are shown as "enrolled in England," and one of these is afterwards shown
as "transferred to 60th." A volunteer, David Scott, who joined 29th May,
1797, was also promoted ensign in November of that year. These
enrolments of Europeans only occur in the first three years of the
regiment's existence, and negro privates were available for promotion
to, at least, the rank of corporal very early; for a Private John
Lafontaine, who was promoted corporal, is shown in the muster roll
terminating December 24th, 1796, as "claimed as a slave." The pay of a
private in a West India regiment was then sixpence per diem.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 19: In the Account of the Extraordinary Expenditure of the
Army, from 25th December, 1795, to 6th December, 1796, is the following:
On account of pay for sundry black corps for the
year 1795, raised for service in the West Indies L10,120 12 9
On account of ditto for the year 1796 60,095 10 3
------------
L70,216 3 0
]
[Footnote 20: "The military force in St. Vincent consists at present of
a regiment of infantry and a company of artillery, sent from England;
and a black corps raised in the country, but provided for, with the
former, on the British Establishment, and receiving no additional pay
from the island."--Bryan Edwards, vol. i. p. 428.]
[Footnote 21: The Army List for 1795 is dated January 1st.]