The History of the First West India Regiment Part 5

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 Ca.s.sidy " "

-- 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 pa.s.sage," 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.