| John Small | |
|---|---|
Major General John Small |
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| Born | 1726 Strathardle, Athole |
| Died | 17 March 1796 Guernsey, England |
| Buried at | Guernsey, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Battles/wars | Seven Years' War American Revolutionary War |
Major-General John Small (1726 – 17 March 1796) was a British military officer who was most famous for his leadership in the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) and his involvement in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
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In 1756, Major Small served in the 42nd Regiment of Foot in the Seven Years War. He was involved in the Oswego, Montreal, Battle of Ticonderoga (1758), and West Indies campaigns.
In 1762, Major Small was promoted to captain. In 1765, he was appointed to a company of the 21st Regiment of Foot.
Small served with the 21st in America until 1775 when he received an unofficial commission from General Gage to raise the Young Royal Highlanders at his own expense which was later amalgamated into the Royal Highland Emigrants (84th Regiment of Foot). Small spent the greatest part of his time in New York on staff duty.
Major John Small was engaged to establish the Royal Highland Emigrants on 13 June 1775. About a week later, Small and a number of other members of the Regiment were in the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major battle of the American Revolution.[1]
Along with three other members of the 84th Regiment, Small was wounded in the arm by cannon fire.[2]
John Small was instrumental in assisting John Trumbull with his famous painting The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill.[3] Major Small is at the centre of the action holding the bayonet to prevent a British soldier from killing his friend, American Patriot Joseph Warren (who was in reality shot through the head and instantly killed by a musket ball). The painting depicts the divisions the conflict created between people who were friends, yet were caught on opposite sides of the conflict. (Small also served with Israel Putnam, the colonial general at Bunker Hill, during the French and Indian War.)
Small was commander of the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants), 2nd Battalion which eventually settled in the Douglas Township in Hants County, Nova Scotia. Small is reported to have built a manor house in Selma, Nova Scotia, called "Selmah Hall", after which the community is named.[4]
In 1794, he became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey and promoted to major general.
| Wikisource has the text of the 1885–1900 Dictionary of National Biography's article about John Small. |
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| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by Sir James Craig |
Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey 1793 |
Succeeded by Sir Hew Dalrymple |