John MacDonell (Scotus)
Encyclopedia
Colonel John MacDonell of Scotus was a Spanish officer and a Highland gentleman who emigrated to the Province of New York
in 1773. He was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War
and emigrated to Upper Canada after the war.
He was born 1728 into the clan MacDonell of Glengarry, the son of John of Crowlin. As a boy he was sent to the Scots College in Rome. He obtained a commission in one of the Irish regiments in the service of Spain. He saw some action in Italy and was promoted from cadet to lieutenant before volunteering. In 1746 he was part of the invasion force which the French government assembled, Irish Brigade (French)
, to assist the Jacobite rebels in Britain. In 1773 he emigrated with others in his clan to Caughnawaga
in the Mohawk valley of the Province of New York
at the invitation of Sir William Johnson.
After the war he settled in Upper Canada near St. Andrew's where he died on April 15, 1810.
His son Miles Macdonell
was the first governor of what is now Manitoba, another son John McDonell (Le Prêtre)
become a political figure in Upper Canada.
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
in 1773. He was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and emigrated to Upper Canada after the war.
He was born 1728 into the clan MacDonell of Glengarry, the son of John of Crowlin. As a boy he was sent to the Scots College in Rome. He obtained a commission in one of the Irish regiments in the service of Spain. He saw some action in Italy and was promoted from cadet to lieutenant before volunteering. In 1746 he was part of the invasion force which the French government assembled, Irish Brigade (French)
Irish Brigade (French)
The Irish Brigade was a brigade in the French army composed of Irish exiles, led by Robert Reid. It was formed in May 1690 when five Jacobite regiments were sent from Ireland to France in return for a larger force of French infantry who were sent to fight in the Williamite war in Ireland...
, to assist the Jacobite rebels in Britain. In 1773 he emigrated with others in his clan to Caughnawaga
Caughnawaga
Caughnawaga or Kahnawake can refer to:*Caughnawaga, a village of the Mohawk nation inhabited from 1666 to 1693, now an archaeological site near the village of Fonda, New York....
in the Mohawk valley of the Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
at the invitation of Sir William Johnson.
After the war he settled in Upper Canada near St. Andrew's where he died on April 15, 1810.
His son Miles Macdonell
Miles Macdonell
Miles MacDonell was the first governor of the Red River Colony , a 19th-century Scottish settlement located in present-day Manitoba and North Dakota.He was born in Inverness, Scotland, around 1767...
was the first governor of what is now Manitoba, another son John McDonell (Le Prêtre)
John McDonell (Le Prêtre)
John McDonell was a soldier, judge and political figure in Upper Canada. During the 1830s, he began spelling his surname Macdonell....
become a political figure in Upper Canada.