William Bayard of Greenwich Village, New York was determined to support the Crown in the civil war we now call the American Revolution.  He did so in 1776 by forming the King’s Orange Rangers, a Royal Provincial Loyalist Regiment comprised mainly of men from New York and New Jersey.  The KOR saw action in coastal New Jersey.  They were present at Kingsbridge, Haarlem Heights and Fort Knyphausen in New York.  Gaining a reputation for fractiousness, they were assigned to duties in Nova Scotia in 1778.  As part of the Halifax garrison, they served at the Eastern Battery in Dartmouth and from time to time went on missions to the Annapolis Valley and Lunenburg.

Captain John Howard’s Company of the King's Orange Rangers came to Liverpool at the request of the local citizens.  The company arrived December 13, 1778 and remained until August 23, 1783.  Their purpose was to deter rebel privateers which since 1776, had been harassing the people and stealing their property.  At first the KOR was quartered in the Town, but this led to many fights between them and the local men, especially around the taverns.  Captain Howard quickly decided it would be better to have the soldiers moved out of Town to Fort Point.

Deploying out of Liverpool, the KOR responded to rumors of rebel presence along Nova Scotia’s South Shore from La Have to Barrington. Often they returned to Liverpool with rebel prisoners and Crown deserters, sometimes from the KOR itself!  In the early years, the KOR often functioned as marines.  Local vessels crewed by Liverpool sailors and filled with soldiers of Captain Howard’s Company sallied out of Liverpool Bay to attack Congress privateers. 

When not on duty, men of the KOR earned extra money to support their families by working as local laborers.  A diarist of the time, Simeon Perkins, provides the names of many of these men and women who were so far from homes that increasingly they came to understand they would never see again.

The darkest moment for the KOR came on September 13, 1780 when 6 of them helped rebel privateers capture Fort Point along with most of their comrades.  It was only the coolness of Colonel Perkins and the determination of the Queens County Militia that saved the Town and the day.

With the arrival of peace, the King’s Orange Rangers along with all the other Loyalist corps were disbanded.  Many left for Saint John, New Brunswick to take up soldier grants in nearby St. Martins.  Others quietly returned to the new United States to try to re-establish themselves.  A few like sergeants Fadey and Jesse Philips chose to make Liverpool their new home.

For those interested in a more complete history, click on the link below.  This is a detailed history of the King's Orange Rangers provided by the group's Captain, John G. Leefe DCL, who is a retired secondary teacher, published historian, former MLA for Queens County and is currently in his second term as Mayor of the Region of Queens Municipality.

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