After the surrender at
Yorktown, veterans of the
King's Royal Regiment of New York (KRRNY) and the
84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants), were given land on the north bank of the
St. Lawrence River so they could defend
Upper Canada from the new enemy to the south. In 1804, veterans of the
Glengarry Fencibles, a Highland regiment that served in Europe with the
British Army, settled just north of the
American Revolutionary War veterans. The first militia unit west of
Montreal was organized at
Cornwall in 1787 under the command of Major John Macdonnell, late of the KRRNY.
War of 1812 When the
War of 1812 broke out in June 1812, the
Militiamen from the area gathered to prevent an invasion of their homeland and the companies were formed into the various county militias. These regiments fought throughout the war, with many men from the regiments being transferred to the
Incorporated Battalion of Canadian Militia fighting in the
Niagara Peninsula at the
Battle of Lundy's Lane. The militias of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry were on active duty within the counties and fought in battles in
Dundas County,
Stormont County, and
New York. Their principle engagements were:
1812 •
Battle of Matilda •
First Battle of Ogdensburg •
Battle of French Mills 1813 •
Second Battle of Ogdensburg •
Battle of Point Iroquois •
Skirmish at Doran's Farm •
Battle of Hoople's Creek •
Battle of Crysler's Farm •
Occupation of Cornwall 1814 •
Raid on Madrid •
Salmon River Raid For a long time, breaks in unit continuity with the
pre-Confederation period denied the regiment the "Niagara" battle honour and the status of oldest anglophone militia regiment in Canada. However, on the occasion of the bicentennial of the War of 1812 in 2012, the Government of Canada permitted Canadian regiments to perpetuate and officially commemorate 1812 militia and Fencible units thus awarding the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders three War of 1812 battle honours, including the battle honour NIAGARA which had been awarded to the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles. After 1814, and Stormont and Dundas counties soon had two militia regiments each and
Glengarry County had four.
Rebellions of 1837–1838 All units fought the rebels of 1837–1838, two in
Lower Canada at the
Battle of Beauharnois and three at the 1838
Battle of the Windmill, where ten militiamen were killed and thirteen wounded.
Fenian Raids The
1855 Militia Act introduced voluntary service, and the United Counties raised many independent companies in 1862 following the
Trent Affair. The volunteer militia regiments raised in the
United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry during the 1850s–1860s were: • Cornwall Troop of Volunteer Militia Cavalry – raised on 15 February 1856, under Captain James J. Dickinson, with Lieutenant William D. Wood and Cornet John Kewan. The troop provided an honour guard for the
visit of the Prince of Wales to Dickinson's Landing in 1860. This troop was disbanded in March 1865 • Williamsburg Troop of Volunteer Militia Cavalry – raised on 16 October 1856, under Captain George W. Brouse, with Lieutenant J.A. Weegar and Cornet J.G. Merkley. This troop was disbanded in 1858 • 1st Volunteer Militia Rifle Company of Williamsburg – raised on 16 October 1856, under Captain Martin Carman, with Lieutenant William Gordon and Ensign William Casselman. Captain Carman was replaced by Captain James Holden in 1857. This company was disbanded in April 1864 • Morrisburg Rifle Company – raised on 22 January 1862, under Captain Alex. Farlinger, with Lieutenant Asaph B. Sherman and Ensign Charles P. Empey. This company was disbanded in November 1862 • 1st Volunteer Militia Rifle Company of Cornwall – raised on 22 January 1862, under Captain
Darby Bergin, with Lieutenant James A. Macdonell and Ensign William McGillivray. Formed part of the
59th Battalion in 1868 • 2nd Volunteer Militia Rifle Company of Cornwall – raised on 31 January 1862, under Captain Edward Oliver, with Lieutenant George S. Jarvis and Ensign D.B. MacLennan. Formed part of the
59th Battalion in 1868 • Volunteer Militia Foot Artillery Company of Morrisburg – raised on 14 February 1862, under Captain Thomas S. Rubidge, with Lieutenant Henry G. Merkley and Second Lieutenant Guy N. Loucks. This company was disbanded on 23 October 1868 • Volunteer Militia Foot Artillery Company of Iroquois – raised on 8 May 1862, under Captain Alex. Macdonell, with Lieutenant Rufus Carman and Second Lieutenant Samuel I. Boyd. This company was disbanded on 27 March 1874 , Cornwall Infantry Company, • Cornwall Infantry Company – raised on 14 November 1862, under Captain
Jacob F. Pringle, with Lieutenant D.B. McLennan and Ensign Hugh R. Macdonell. Formed part of the
59th Battalion in 1868 • Alexandria Infantry Company – raised on 19 November 1862, under Captain Lauchlin McDougald, with Lieutenant William McL. Grant and Ensign D.A. McDonald. This company was disbanded in September 1865 • Morrisburg Infantry Company – raised on 19 November 1862, under Captain Isaac N. Rose, with Lieutenant William D. Mickle and Ensign Samuel Garvey. This company was disbanded in April 1864 • Dixon's Corners Infantry Company – raised on 2 January 1863, under Captain Robert Lowery, with Lieutenant Adam J. Dixon and Ensign Josephus Rose. This company was disbanded in April 1864 • Kenyon Infantry Company – raised on 22 January 1863, under Captain Angus K. Macdonald, with Lieutenant Ronald R. Macdonald and Ensign John A. Macdougald. This company was disbanded in April 1864 • Lancaster Infantry Company – raised on 6 July 1866, under Captain D.B. McLennan, with Lieutenant R. McLennan and Ensign J.J. McNaughton. Formed part of the
59th Battalion in 1868 • Williamstown Infantry Company – raised on 6 July 1866, under Captain George H. McGillivray, with Lieutenant
Donald Macmaster. Formed part of the
59th Battalion in 1868 • Aultsville Infantry Company – raised on 20 July 1866, under Captain John J. Adams, with Lieutenant James H. Bredin and Ensign William D. Wilson. This company formed part of the
56th Grenville Battalion • Dickinson's Landing Infantry Company – raised on 20 July 1866, under Captain William S. Wood, with Lieutenant
Oscar Fulton and Ensign C. Archibald. Formed part of the
59th Battalion in 1868 • Dunvegan Infantry Company – raised on 21 August 1868, under Captain Donald McDiarmid, with Lieutenant Duncan J. McCuaig and Ensign John J. McCuaig. Formed part of the
59th Battalion in 1871 In 1866, the various companies in the counties were called out for service along the
St. Lawrence River frontier, serving at Prescott and Cornwall. An attack on Prescott and subsequent advance to Ottawa was prevented by the presence of a considerable force of volunteers from Dundas, Stormont, and Glengarry, and a British
gunboat on the river. The
Fenians then moved eastward to
Malone and vicinity, and an attack on Cornwall was expected, but the presence of three thousand troops there again dissuaded them from attacking. The following local companies served on active duty during the 1866 raid: • 59th Cornwall Battalion – at Cornwall, would become the
59th Stormont and Glengarry Battalion • Cornwall Company of Infantry and Rifles – at Cornwall,
James Pliny Whitney served with the unit • Morrisburg Garrison Artillery – at Prescott • Iroquois Garrison Artillery – at Prescott • Cornwall Mounted Patrol (Cavalry) – at Cornwall After the 1866 invasion, six of these companies amalgamated in 1868 to form the
59th Stormont and Glengarry Battalion and was again called out on active service on 24 May 1870. It served on the St. Lawrence River frontier at Prescott and Cornwall until it was removed from active service on 1 June 1870.
Sergeant Marc Daniel Leger from
Lancaster served as a soldier in the Highlanders from March 1991 to February 1993, when he transferred to
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). ==Organization==