The Fall of John Morris and His Loyalist Battalion

In late 1776, the 2nd Battalion of the New Jersey Volunteers was raised from the Monmouth Shore by John Morris of Manasquan, who was commissioned its Lt. Colonel. After successful recruiting in early 1777, it became the strongest of the original five Loyalist battalions raised from New Jersey. It was the only one selected to join the British Army in the Philadelphia Campaign of 1777 and the only one to participate in the Battle of Monmouth. But the march through its home county was hard on the battalion; it lost about 10 percent of its active men during the campaign (killed, captured, or deserted). Morris grew ill and spent most of 1778 away from his men; a court martial trial revealed that Morris tolerated a deserter living with his men, Jacob Wood, because he supplied him with fresh fish.

In late 1778, when the British Army invaded the South, the 2nd Battalion of New Jersey Volunteers was not selected to accompany them. It stayed on Staten Island with other battalions of New Jersey Volunteers. (In addition, the New Jersey Volunteers rotated companies to serve as guards at Sandy Hook.) A September 1779 return of the battalion shows that Morris was still in command but the battalion had only 223 enlisted men—half of whom were unable to fight (31 sick; 40 prisoners; six absent on leave; six deserted; two were out “recruiting”; and 31 were serving as officer waiters, wagoner's, shoemakers, or tailors.

By February 1780, the size of the battalion dropped further. It had consolidated from eight to six undersized companies. In addition to Morris, the battalion had two majors, five captains., eight lieutenants., two ensigns, one chaplain, one adjutant, one quartermaster, and one surgeon. The enlisted ranks had shrunk to thirteen Sergeants, eight corporals, five drummers, and 123 privates. The largest company had only 26 privates, half the amount of a full company. Morris was away from his men again; he was listed as “in New York.” Most interesting, a Lieutenant, a sergeant, a corporal, and ten privates were listed as "with the expedition." This is almost certainly a reference to these 13 men being pulled out of the regiment to serve under Major Patrick Ferguson in the Carolina Campaign.

The Fall of Lt. Colonel John Morris

Lt. Colonel Morris drifted further into disrepute. According to historian Alfred Jones, on August 13, 1780, he "was cashiered for making false returns and drawing provisions for more men than the effective strength of his battalion, but was shortly afterward reinstated.” After that, Morris was apparently coaxed into retirement with a half-pay pension due to sickness. Just a few months later, on October 1, Morris, still in New York City, petitioned for restoration of his full salary:

I am much hurt that after losing everything I have upon earth in the service. I should now, by those I supported as Provincials or others I know not of, be reduced to half pay, but add to this that I am a cripple. Nothing but the support of my wife & children could induce me to be troublesome in my situation.

The 2nd Battalion was consolidated into a battalion from North Jersey and lost its Monmouth County character as new recruits came in from other places. The disarray of the battalion continued. In August 1781, still on Staten Island, Colonel Joseph Lee wrote Lt. Colonel Isaac Allen, commanding New Jersey Loyalists in South Carolina, "the 2nd Batt of N. Jersey Volunteers is not drafted, owing to the barrack master having not got all the wood from Lloyd's Neck, I shall do everything I can to get some of those men."

John Morris remained mired in controversy. He faced court martial in 1781 for maintaining friendly relations with rebels. William Smith, Chief Justice of the Loyalist civil government in New York, was sympathetic to Morris. The case was outside his jurisdiction, but Smith noted that the prosecution "brought two witnesses against Col Morris -- a Doctor Fetter and a Hannah W -- they had neither anything to say respecting his disloyalty but what they had heard while in the country.” Smith concluded of their testimony that “the hearsay amounted to nothing but that Morris was called or esteemed by some of the rebels as their friend.” Morris was acquitted, “The Council were unanimously of the opinion that the accusation was false."

Morris stayed in New York through the end of the war. His reputation was partially restored, but he was retired from public service and, by his own statement, he was “crippled.” Twice in March 1782, he advocated for the wives of men who had served under him. On March 20, he attested to the good character of Jane Milligan, a widow of a Loyalist soldier and now a refugee in New York City. Morris wrote that "she was obliged to leave her house and she has a son in the King's service” and was worthy of support. He also wrote on behalf of a Mrs. Lewis, also a Loyalist refugee in New York. She had a son killed in service under Morris and another serving elsewhere in the British Army.

After the war, Morris was one of hundreds of Loyalists who applied for compensation for their lost estates. Morris narrated his service, noting that he raised a Loyalist battalion in 1776 and administered Loyalty oaths during the Loyalist insurrection of December 1776-January 1777. Another Monmouth County Loyalist, Captain Samuel Leonard of the New Jersey Volunteers, testified on his behalf. Leonard noted that Morris’ estate was seized and Morris’ "wife and children were turned out of doors." His livestock were sold off, dropping from 20 head of cattle to 0 and 20 sheep to 3 by the middle of 17777. Morris referred to himself as "crippled" during the war.

In 1776 and 1777, John Morris was, by most measures, the most consequential of Monmouth County’s Loyalist leaders. He commanded the strongest battalion of New Jersey Loyalists and his men developed strong London Trading ties along the Monmouth shore, from which his regiment was drawn. But Morris left his troops while they were in Philadelphia in the winter of 1777-1778 and, by the time he reunited with his men in July 1778, the war had changed him. He protested British military practices and indulged a deserter in exchange for a personal supply of fresh fish. His health was declining and he was permanently separated from his men. Morris survived court martial, but lived out the rest of the war in retirement with a half-pay pension.

The 2nd Battalion of New Jersey Volunteers withered and lost its Monmouth County identity. A January 1782 muster roll shows further disarray. Battalions and companies continued to consolidate—some companies lacked captains and others were commanded by majors or colonels. Only a few dozen men from the original 2nd Battalion were still serving. Four of those original Monmouth County men were listed as recently captured or deserted:

• Sgt. Vincent White, captured, September 24, 1780,

• Robert Thomson, captured, September 24, 1780,

• Thomas Reynolds, captured, September 24, 1780,

• Isaac Robins, deserted, December 21, 1781.

The American Revolution was a sad event for most Loyalists—certainly this was the case for John Morris and most of his men.

Related Historic Site: Fraunces Tavern (New York)

Sources: New Jersey Volunteers Troop Return, William Clements Library, Henry Clinton Papers, vol. 68; Morris’ location in New York is discussed in William S. Stryker, The New Jersey Volunteers in the Revolutionary War (Trenton: Naar, Day and Naar, 1887) p 30; New Jersey Volunteers Troops Return, NJ State Archives, Adjutant General's Loyalist Manuscripts, microfilm; Alfred Jones, “Letter of David Colden, Loyalist, 1783”, American Historical Review, October 1919, vol. 25, p80 n5; John Morris to ?, New York State Library, Special Collections; Joseph Lee to Isaac Allen, National Archives, Papers of the Continental Congress, reel 65, item 51, vol. 1, #595; William Smith, Historical Memoirs of William Smith: From 26 August 1778 to 12 November 1783 (New York: Arno, 1971)  p 472-3; Return of New Jersey Volunteers, Library of Congress, MMC - Courtland Skinner, box 9; Jane Milligan’s Memorial, David Library of the American Revolution, Great Britain Public Records Office, British Headquarters Papers, #4272 and 4278; Mrs. Lewis Memorial, BF Stevens, Report on American Manuscripts in the Royal Institution of Great Britain (London: Mackie & Co, 1906) v2, p428; Peter W. Coldham, comp., American Loyalist Claims (Washington, D.C.: National Genealogical Society, 1980), pp. 357-8.  Gregory Palmer, Biographical Sketches of Loyalists of the American Revolution (Westport, Conn. and London, 1984) pp. 625-6.  Rutgers University Library Special Collections, Great Britain Public Record Office, Loyalist Application Claims, D96, AO 13/19, reel 6.