The 104th Regiment of Foot was active from 1810 to 1817 as a British infantry regiment. Before 1810, it was known as a regiment of “fencibles.” In 1803, while the Napoleonic Wars were pitting the British kingdom against Napoleon’s France, the colonial governments of North America gained the right to raise regiments for the defence of their territory. In theory, the regiments were temporary units composed of colonial inhabitants under the command of army officers. Generally, they were tasked with conducting patrols or defending strongholds — hence their name, from the word “defensible” — meaning capable of being defended from attack. Since they were officially outside the jurisdiction of the army command, they were not used for offensive actions or attacks against enemy positions. Several regiments were organized: the Nova Scotia Fencibles, the Royal Newfoundland Fencibles, the Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry, and the New Brunswick Regiment of Fencible Infantry.
Although these regiments mostly accepted volunteers from the inhabitants of their respective colonies, it was not unusual for them to recruit farther afield. When Brigadier-General Martin Hunter was authorized to raise the New Brunswick Regiment of Fencible Infantry, he recruited men not only from the colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia but also from Lower Canada (present-day Québec). A certain number were Black Canadians. Some became infantry soldiers, but others were assigned other roles, notably as drummers or as pioneers. In fact, it seems that all of the regiment’s pioneers were Black.
Pioneers
In the late 18th century and early 19th, pioneers played a special role in British army regiments. Each regiment had a unit of pioneers whose main tasks were to support the regiment as it moved over the land. They were the ones who built roads through forests, prepared assaults on strongholds, and generally did the work of sappers or combat engineers. They could also be responsible for building certain parts of a camp. As crucial as their role might be, they were nonetheless viewed as individuals performing a supporting role for the regiment’s soldiers.
The example of George Lawrence
Born into slavery in 1790, George Lawrence was reportedly sold to a Loyalist who lived near Kingsclear, New Brunswick. Legend has it that he gained his freedom by saving the life of his master’s daughter. As a free man, he went to Fredericton, New Brunswick, and worked as a servant for a doctor in town. When the War of 1812 broke out, he enlisted in the 104th regiment and was given the position of drummer, an important one for communication in the armed forces. In addition to accompanying the troops as they marched and carried out different actions, drummers also used the pace of their drumbeat to relay the different orders from officers on the battlefield. They were also assigned other supporting tasks and would even administer whippings to soldiers guilty of crimes in their regiment.
Lawrence took part in his regiment’s actions in Upper Canada in 1813 and 1814. At war’s end, he returned to live in Fredericton, where he married Phoebe Stewart and raised six children. For the remainder of his days, he worked as a labourer and continued to serve in a local militia as a drill sergeant.
Lawrence was not the only example of a Black soldier in the 104th Regiment of Foot. There was also Private John Baker, born into slavery in Lower Canada, who joined the 104th regiment before continuing his military career in the British army and fighting in the Battle of Waterloo, in 1815. There was also drummer Henry Grant, a son of Black American Loyalists who took refuge in New Brunswick after the War of Independence and joined the 104th Regiment of Foot at the outbreak of the War of 1812. To date, no one knows the names of all the Black soldiers who joined this regiment or even their exact number.
The 104th during the War of 1812
In the early 19th century, the situation in North America was delicate between the British colonies and the United States of America. Many disputes had been simmering since the War of Independence, and a new war was likely to break out.
In this context, the New Brunswick Regiment of Fencible Infantry offered to join the army and become a regular infantry regiment. This offer was rejected in 1808, but accepted in 1810. The regiment was then officially renamed the 104th Regiment of Foot and brought into the structure of the British army. Following the declaration of war by the United States in June 1812, this regiment would first be deployed outside New Brunswick.
The 104th was sent to Upper Canada in 1813. Mustered in Fredericton, it began a long winter march to Kingston, Ontario. The 500 soldiers and 20 officers left on February 16, 1813 and arrived in Quebec City on March 15.
After a few days of rest, they continued their march to Kingston, where they arrived on April 12, 1813. They had covered more than 1,100 kilometres on this epic journey through the snow and cold of winter.
But there would be no rest for the men of the 104th. In late May 1813, they fought in the Battle of Sackets Harbor, and some companies also took part in the Battle of Beaver Dams on June 24, 1813. After spending the winter in Kingston, they engaged in the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, the siege of Fort Erie, and the Battle of Cook’s Mills in 1814. Their very active contribution was recognized when their regiment received the battle honours of “Niagara, 1814” and ”Defence of Canada, 1812-1815.” We know that some of them remained in Quebec City over the winter of 1814-1815. At the end of the war, in 1815, they were in Montreal after spending many months between Upper Canada and Lower Canada. In 1817, their regiment was finally disbanded in Montreal.
The example of George Lawrence and the 104th Regiment of Foot may seem anecdotal. Nonetheless, there are dozens of accounts like this one, all of which can help us begin to understand the presence of Black Canadians in the British and Canadian Armed Forces, and hence their major contribution to the country’s history. Although these accounts may seem rare or difficult to find, due to racism and discrimination, they are still a valuable first step in a long fight for meaningful social change.
