What does QR stand for?

This year the Landing Event will be featuring a large encampment of various military re-enactment units of the Northern Brigade, including the King's Royal Yorkers, King's Rangers, Butler's Rangers, Queen's Rangers, New Jersey Volunteers, Maryland Loyalists, 84th Highland Emigrants, Indian Allied Forces, British and Crown Forces, Royal Artillery and Yorker Guns, as well as a flotilla of seven bateaux.

Hamilton Merritt, son of Thomas Merritt who had served under John Graves Simcoe in the Queen's Rangers during the American Revolution, was a key promoter of the Canal.

Loyalists are mentioned several times in the book, but don't expect a lot on Loyalist regiments, as the only one active in the campaign was the Queen's Rangers.

The two units were: --Captain Evan Thomas Bucks County Volunteers attached to the Queen's Rangers and --Captain William Luces Armed Boat Company probably attached to the Queen's Rangers and whose warrant was issued by Clinton.

The Royal Yorkers were supported on parade by other member units of the "Northern Brigade": the Company of Select Marksmen; the Queen's Rangers, 1st Americans; McDonell's & Ten Broeck's Companies of Butler's Rangers; Monin's Company of Quebec Militia and Westbrook's Party of Brant's Volunteers and the brigade's Loyal Refugees and Followers.

A short history of each Corps is given, and those included are DeLancey's Brigade, Guides and Pioneers, King's American Dragoons, King's American Regiment, King's Orange Rangers, Loyal American Regiment, Maryland Loyalists, New Jersey Volunteers, New York Volunteers, Pennsylvania Loyalists, Prince of Wales Regiment, Queen's Rangers, Royal Fencible Americans, Royal Highland Emigrants (84th), and even the Westchester Refugees.

By and large they chose a Loyalist stand, and after a bit of a fumbled start in the Wax, Stephen Jarvis found his true place with the Queen's Rangers, (not to be confused with his cousin William Jarvis UE, also of the Queen's Rangers, and the subject of a well known painting.

As commander of the Queen's Rangers, he proved himself to be a superior leader during the American Revolution, and a `Tory' commander is how our friends south of the border remember him.