John Small (13 March 1726 – 17 March 1796) was a career

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

military officer from Scotland who played a key role in raising and leading the

84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) The 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) was a British regiment in the American Revolutionary War that was raised to defend present day Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada from the constant land and sea attacks by American Revolutiona ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. After the war, he settled with many of the men of the 84th Regiment in Douglas Township,

Hants County, Nova Scotia Hants County is an historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the West Hants Regional Municipality, and the Municipality of the District of East Hants. History Formation The county of Hants ...

. The British Crown granted land to soldiers after the war to encourage settlement, especially in Upper Canada (now Ontario). Small is featured as one of the central figures in American artist

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756November 10, 1843) was an American artist of the early independence period, notable for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Re ...

's notable painting, '' The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775;'' versions were completed in the early 19th century. Small is shown deflecting a

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

away from General Warren, who had been a friend before the hostilities broke out. Small returned to Great Britain after the war. He was appointed as

Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the ''de facto'' head of state in Guernsey ...

and promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

, serving from 1793 until his death in 1796.

Early life

Born at Strathardle,

Atholl Atholl or Athole ( gd, Athall; Old Gaelic ''Athfhotla'') is a large historical division in the Scottish Highlands, bordering (in anti-clockwise order, from Northeast) Marr, Badenoch, Lochaber, Breadalbane, Strathearn, Perth, and Gowrie. H ...

, he was the son of Patrick Small of Leanoch in

Glen Shee Glen Shee () is a glen in eastern Perthshire, Scotland. Shee Water flows through the glen. The head of the glen, where Gleann Taitneach and Glen Lochsie meet, is approximately 2 km north-west of the Spittal of Glenshee; it then ru ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and Magdalen Robertson, daughter of Alexander Robertson, 5th

Laird Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...

of Straloch,

Perthshire Perthshire ( locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the nort ...

. His brothers were Alexander Small, who became an army surgeon, and James Small, who was a factor. John Small was a first cousin and close friend of John Robertson Reid, who became a general in the British Army. His niece, Magdalen (Small) MacDonald, was the mother of

John MacDonald of Garth John MacDonald of Garth (1771 – 25 January 1866) was a colourful character involved in the Canadian fur trade. He was an enthusiastic duellist and a shrewd businessman who became a partner in the North West Company and a member of the Beaver C ...

and Mrs.

William McGillivray Lt.-Colonel The Hon. William McGillivray (1764 – 16 October 1825), of Chateau St. Antoine, Montreal, was a Scottish-born fur trader who succeeded his uncle as the last chief partner of the North West Company. He was elected a member of the L ...

. John Small and his relatives were members of the Smalls of Dirnanean, and are also related to the Small-Kiers of

Kindrogan House Kindrogan House is located near Enochdhu, Blairgowrie and Rattray, Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross in Moulin parish, at the head of Strath Ardle, ENE of Pitlochry and northwest of Kirkmichael, Perth and Kinross, Kirkmichael. It is run by Somervil ...

. At an early age Small's family purchased a commission for him to enter the

Scots Brigade The Scots Brigade, also referred to as the Anglo-Dutch Brigade or the Anglo-Scots Brigade, was an infantry brigade of the Dutch States Army. First formed in 1586, by the late 17th century it usually comprised six infantry regiments, three recrui ...

, and he served with them in the

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. He was promoted to 2nd lieutenant in the Earl of Drumlanrig's Regiment when it was raised for service of the States General in 1747. In 1756, Small obtained a commission in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...

, becoming a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regime ...

just before its departure for

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

to fight in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...

Seven Years' War

Lieutenant Small went to North America to fight for Great Britain against French Canadian forces in the

. On that front, the war became known to the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies as the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

, referring to France and its Native American allies. Small fought at the

Battle of Fort Oswego The Battle of Fort Oswego was one in a series of early French victories in the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War won in spite of New France's military vulnerability. During the week of August 10, 1756, a force of regulars and Can ...

in New York. Two years later, in 1758, he fought at the Battle of Ticonderoga, also in New York, under General James Abercrombie. Following the defeat, he accompanied General Amherst on his successful expedition to

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/ Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type ...

. He was with him at the Surrender of Montreal in 1760. In

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, Small was placed in charge of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

prisoners and took them to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. General Amherst had great confidence in him, and frequently used him "on particular services". In 1762, Small was promoted to captain. He sailed with his regiment to take part in the Invasion of Martinique and the

British expedition against Cuba The siege of Havana was a successful British siege against Spanish-ruled Havana that lasted from March to August 1762, as part of the Seven Years' War. After Spain abandoned its former policy of neutrality by signing the family compact with F ...

, as Great Britain tried to take more power in the Caribbean during the Seven Years' War. Following the Treaty of Paris in 1763, Captain Small was placed on half-pay. According to General Stewart, he was almost immediately put on the full-pay list of the 21st North British Fusiliers. When the

left in 1767 for

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, most of the men of that regiment, who had earlier volunteered to stay in

, joined the Fusiliers in order to serve under Small. He was "deservedly popular" with them. That same year, Small was appointed

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section dire ...

to the forces in North America and returned there. It may have been during the interval between the

and the

that Small began to acquire his estate, Selmah Hall, in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. He later bequeathed part of it to his first cousin, friend, and heir General John Robertson Reid. During this period, Small became interested in local politics and formed friendships with several influential Anglo-American politicians.

American Revolution

In 1765, Captain Small was placed in command of a company of the

21st Regiment of Foot First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, serving with them throughout the

. In 1775, he received an unofficial assignment from

General Gage General Thomas Gage (10 March 1718/192 April 1787) was a British Army general officer and colonial official best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as British commander-in-chief in the early days of the ...

. Promoted to the rank of major, Small was sent to

to raise at his own expense the Young Royal Highlanders Regiment. This regiment was afterwards amalgamated into the

Battle of Bunker Hill, Boston

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill

, Small fought at the first major battle of the

, the

Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...

in Boston, Massachusetts. In the course of that day, his life was saved by the American General

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

. Seeing Small standing alone at a time when all around him had fallen, Putnam struck up the barrels of his men's

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually di ...

s to save his life. Small and Putnam had served together during the

. Along with three other members of the 84th Regiment, Small was wounded in the arm by

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

fire.

84th Highland Regiment of Foot

Small spent the most part of his time in

on staff duty. Small was commander of the

, 2nd Battalion. At the end of the war, the Crown aided many of its soldiers with land grants to settle in Nova Scotia and Upper Canada (current Ontario) in lieu of pay to encourage British colonization of the area. They often settled together as units, and the 84th Regiment of Foot settled in the Douglas Township in

. (Some members had lived there before the war.) Small also lived there for a time, constructing a manor house called "Selmah Hall"; the community of

Selma, Nova Scotia Selma is a small community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in The Municipality of the District of East Hants in Hants County. Acadians The LeJeune Family lived in Selma prior to the Acadian Exodus from the area in 1750 dur ...

, was named for his property.

Postwar years

After the war, Small was thought to have advised American artist

on his painting ''

The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill ''The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17, 1775'' refers to several oil paintings completed in the late 18th and early 19th century by the American artist John Trumbull depicting the death of Founding Father Joseph W ...

''. They met in London in 1786.See Trumbull's Letter dated March 30, 1818 in which he writes about his 1786 conversation with Major Small in London. Trumbull painted Major Small at the centre of the action, holding a

to prevent a fellow

soldier from killing his friend, American

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot movement in Boston during the early days of the American Revolution, ...

. (In fact, Warren was shot through the head during the battle and instantly killed by a musket ball). Trumbull wanted to express the divisions that the conflict created between people who were friends, yet were caught on opposite sides. In describing the painting for a catalogue of his works, Trumbull explained why he chose to emphasize Major Small's role. He said that Small, whom he had met in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, "was equally distinguished by acts of humanity and kindness to his enemies, as by bravery and fidelity to the cause he served."

Later years

In 1793, Small was appointed as

and received his final promotion to

. He died on Guernsey three years later, on 17 March 1796. He is buried within

Saint Peter Port St. Peter Port (french: Saint-Pierre Port) is a town and one of the ten parishes on the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is the capital of the Bailiwick of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2019 was 18,958. St. ...

Church. Small never married. At his death, his principal heir was his first cousin and good friend, John Robertson Reid. He left a valuable estate of four or five thousand

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

s in

to the general.

References

Primary Texts * Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Biography of Major Small by Kim Stacy
* Katcher, Philip, ''Encyclopaedia of British, Provincial, and German Army Units 1775-1783'', 1973,

External links

Major General John Small on Find A Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Small, John 1726 births 1796 deaths Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Nova Scotia 42nd Regiment of Foot officers People from Perth and Kinross British Army generals British Army personnel of the French and Indian War Royal Scots Fusiliers officers 84th Regiment of Foot officers British Army personnel of the American Revolutionary War Loyalists who settled Nova Scotia