01/03/07

Contents

1783 - The War ends for Philip Long - Journey to New York and then Saint John, New Brunswick

Key Events of 1783

Interesting Additional Information

1783 - The War Ends for Philip Long

Journey to New York

Philip Long’s name appears on at least three Muster Rolls in 1783. The first has already been mentioned and is dated January 26, 1783 at Flushing Fly, Long Island, New York. It is likely that Flushing Fly was an encampment at or very near the town of Flushing, which is still in existence today.

As mentioned previously, Philip Long’s name appears on a Muster for the Lieutenant Colonel George Campbell’s Company and is dated 9th August 1783 at Camp on Long Island. This Muster shows that there were thirteen Private Men present, one Lieutenant (Dugald Campbell who also served under Captain Attwood at one time), two Sergeants, two Corporals and one Drummer. There were five men listed as absent during the Muster (usually because they were on duty somewhere else while the Roll was taken), including George Campbell, the Captain and Lieutenant colonel for the Company and the KAR. His absence is described as “Suspended May 1783 by Sentence of a General court martial for 6 months”. We have not been able to find further information or traces for Campbell which might shed some light on what were the reasons for the convening of a court martial and the subsequent sentence imposed on Him. For your interest, we include here copies of the actual wording in the Muster beside Campbell’s name.

As we will see from the next Muster, George Campbell, who had served in the KAR from its beginning, was later “Suspended and gone to Europe by the Commander in Chief’s order”. We assume that this order was given by Colonel Edmund Fanning, Commander of the KAR. However, the expression “Commander in Chief” is usually reserved for the Commander of the entire forces which would have been in this circumstance Sir Guy Carleton, later to become Lord Dorchester.

Departure to Saint-John, New Brunswick

Philip Long, his company (which we now know would have been Campbell’s by the time of his departure from Long Island) have been stationed all of 1783 in New York to wait until they are sent to then Nova Scotia. Their trip took place in September-October (Fall Fleet) of 1783, and Philip Long arrived in what originally was known as Parrtown but actually became St. John. He could have arrived on one of these vessels that transported the Kings American Regiment: the King George, 275 tons (140 passengers) and the William, 282 tons (161 passengers). (Source: Esther Clark Wright).

Other vessels could also have transported him but it is less likely: the Elizabeth or the Montague (Source: New Brunswick Genealogical Society) To date, we have not found a passenger list for these vessels to prove conclusively which ship carried Philip Long. This is unusual since the Military were quite good at keeping records about every other activity they were engaged in.

Philip Long was decommissioned from the KAR with his entire regiment upon his arrival. in Saint-John, New Brunswick.

A new chapter in his life was about to begin.

Key Events of 1783

Please refer to the following chronology of the year 1781.

http://www.royalprovincial.com/history/chronology/chrono.shtml

Interesting Additional Information