Sunday, February 3, 2013

A Canadian Company Of Blacks

Captain Runchey's Company of the First Lincoln Regiment:

Source
Engagements:  Queenston, 13th, Oct., 12. and Fort George, 27th May, 13.

Captain Robert Runchey, Sr.
             James Robertson
Lieutenant George Runchey


From Wikipedia:  On 3 March 1813, the unit was converted into the Corps of Provincial Artificers under the command of Lt. James Robertson, a black settler formerly of Detroit who had been a member of Butlers Rangers in the Revolutionary War as well as the Corps of Provincial Artificers before joining the Coloured Corps sometime before the Battle of Queenston Heights. While this might have appeared to be a backward step, the scarcity of the sundry skills required of Artificers meant that they were paid two to four times as much as they would have been as private soldiers.

Working under the direction of a white officer, Captain Robert Runchey Sr., thousands of volunteers fought for the British during the War of 1812. Niagara Blacks in Runchey’s unit included Pierpoint, brothers James and Humphrey Waters, John Delay, John Jackson, Robert Jupiter, John Saunders, and George Martin.

The blog, North End Journal, has a post about Runchey's men.

1 comment:

Dorene from Ohio said...

So interesting to read about the company of blacks from Canada!!