Last night's meeting was a success--approximately thirty-five members and guests met at the Gayton Branch of the Henrico County Library for our first in-person meeting since the onset of COVID.
David O. Stewart (pictured above) presented a stellar talk on George Washington and his early political rise. David's book is available from Amazon and all booksellers in the know.
Our January 19, 2022 meeting is also being planned for the same location. Stay tuned for more information.
ARRT-Richmond 9/15/21 Meeting Notes
Pre-Guest Speaker Notes:
ARRT-R’s next meeting is scheduled for 11/17/21 at 6:30 p.m. This is an in person meeting! The meeting will take place at the Gayton Branch of the Henrico County Library System. The Gayton Branch is located at 10600 Gayton Road, at the intersection of Gayton and Pump Roads.
David O. Stewart will be our November 17th speaker, presenting on his newest book “George Washington: The Political Rise of America’s Founding Father”.David is a lawyer by trade and has written books on Burr, Madison, and Andrew Johnson. He is also the former president of the Washington Independent Review of Books, an online publication for new book reviews and related content.
Guest Speaker:
Dr. Holly A. Mayer – “Congress’s Own: A Canadian Regiment, the Continental Army, and the American Union”.Holly is a Professor Emerita at Duquesne University at Pittsburgh and the author of Belonging to The Army: Camp Followers and Community during the American Revolution. Holly spoke to us on that topic in 2009. She is now a Williamsburg resident but spending a teaching semester at West Point.
2nd Canadian Regiment Congress’s Own Canadian Old Regiment Significant Dates of Service:
Retreat from Canada – 1776
Staten Island, Brandywine, Germantown – 1777
Highlands Department & New Hampshire Brigade – 1778
Coos County Campaign – April-August
1779
Morristown to Highlands – 1780
Yorktown – 1781
Lancaster Guard Duty – 1782
Furloughed – June 1783
Disbanded – November 1783
As a result of the French & Indian Wars some Americans moved north into the Montreal area of Canada.
During the American invasion of 1775/early 1776 Americans encountered these “former”
American’s. American commanders thought that forming Canadian military units would encourage Canadians to join the American cause.
The Regiment was formed and authorized in January 1776.Moses Hazen the original regimental commander was a former British officer who had settled in Canada.
By the summer of 1776 the regiment contained only 100 out of the original 300 man strength.--the retreat from Canada and smallpox had taken a substantial toll.
In 1776 the regiment was re-authorized by Congress but was allowed to recruit from all states in order to increase its manning. Companies where initially segregated by state – this would not last the entire war.
By 1777 the majority of the regiment was no longer Canadian.
In 1781 all foreign nationals in the army where moved into the regiment.
The regiment served during the Yorktown campaign with it’s members helping to capture Redoubt#10.
During the war 1900 soldiers were mentioned on the regiment’s roster.
--Noah Rogers
