The 104th (New Brunswick) Regiment of Foot in the War of 1812

Monthly Returns for the 104th Foot

During the Great War of 1793 to 1814, every unit or independent detachment of the British Army was required to provide a complete return once a month. Until June 1809, the monthly return was to be completed on the first of the month; thereafter it was changed to the 25th. Completed returns were sent to the general officer under whose command the unit served and to the adjutant general at the Horse Guards, the headquarters of the British Army.

The monthly return was useful in a number of ways. In the case of the Canadas, the return provided the commander-in-chief of British North America with a timely appreciation of two important pieces of information: the strength and fitness of the units under his command. This information could influence a regiment’s employment in operations — revealing, for example, the need for additional training — and signal the need for reinforcements by transferring units from another, quieter garrison, by calling up additional militia, or, if manpower was becoming acute, by applying to England for more men.

The monthly returns of the 104th Foot presented in Tables 1 and 2 are drawn from two sets of returns for British North America. Table 1 shows the regiment’s strength while it was based in New Brunswick and reported to Nova Scotia Command. The Nova Scotia returns encompassed the forces based in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward Island, Bermuda, and, in 1814 and 1815, troops engaged in operations against Maine. Table 2 provides the regimental returns from its service in the Canadas between May 1813 and July 1815. Although Canada Command began reporting on the 104th in May 1813, Nova Scotia continued to submit figures for a detachment that remained in New Brunswick until September 1814. These returns are for the rank and file only; officers were reported in a separate return, which I have not included. Finally, the return was only as accurate as the information entered into it. The adjutants, staff officers, and clerks who compiled the information and completed the forms were always short of time and often focussed on immediate operations. Sometimes they were lazy and occasionally careless in their work.

Table 1: Nova Scotia Command Returns,
104th Regiment of Foot, January 1812-September 1814

Date	Effective	Effective (%)	Sick	Sick (%)	On Command	Total Other Ranks	Dead since Last Return	Deserters	Sent Home
Jan 1812	663	77.73	29	3.40	161	853	2	0	0
Feb 1812a	851	94.24	52	5.76	0	903	3	0	0
Mar 1812	666	78.08	24	2.81	163	853	0	0	0
Apr 1812	655	76.97	36	4.23	160	851	0	0	0
May 1812	850	96.81	28	3.19	0	878	4	2	0
Jun 1812	881	97.13	26	2.87	0	907	2	10	0
Jul 1812	862	95.25	43	4.75	0	905	1	1	0
Aug 1812	796	88.84	60	6.70	40	896	2	1	0
Sep 1812	859	95.98	36	4.02	0	895	2	3	0
Oct 1812b	859	95.98	36	4.02	0	895	0	0	0
Nov 1812	859	95.87	37	4.13	0	896	0	7	0
Dec 1812	855	95.32	42	4.68	0	897	2	0	0
Jan 1813c	851	94.24	52	5.76	0	903	3	0	0
Feb 1813	354	91.95	31	8.05	0	385	0	0	0
Mar 1813	354	91.95	31	8.05	0	385	0	0	0
Apr 1813	357	93.46	25	6.54	0	382	0	0	0
May 1813	153	100.00	0	0.00	0	153	0	0	0
Jun 1813	153	100.00	0	0.00	0	153	0	0	0
Jul 1813	161	100.00	0	0.00	0	161	0	0	0
Aug 1813	156	96.89	5	3.11	0	161	0	0	0
Sep 1813	156	96.89	5	3.11	0	161	0	0	0
Oct 1813	156	96.89	5	3.11	0	161	0	0	0
Nov 1813	156	96.30	6	3.70	0	162	0	0	0
Dec 1813	156	96.30	6	3.70	0	162	0	0	0
Jan 1814	162	100.00	0	0.00	0	162	0	0	0
Feb 1814	152	95.60	7	4.40	0	159	0	0	0
Mar 1814	152	95.60	7	4.40	0	159	0	0	0
Apr 1814	152	95.60	7	4.40	0	159	0	0	0
May 1814	159	100.00	0	0.00	0	159	0	0	0
Jun 1814	159	100.00	0	0.00	0	159	0	0	0
July 1814	159	100.00	0	0.00	0	159	1	0	0
Aug 1814	153	97.45	4	2.55	0	157	0	1	0
Sep 1814	74	92.50	6	7.50	0	80	0	0	0

Note: “On command” identifies personnel, whether as individuals or a detachment,
who were employed away from the unit.

a One member also shown as being on furlough.

b Three members also shown as being on furlough.

c One member also shown as being on furlough.

Sources: United Kingdom, National Archives, Kew, War Office 17/2259-2263, Office of the Commander in Chief: Monthly Returns to the Adjutant General Nova Scotia, January 1812 to December 1815; and WO 17/1516-1519, Office of the Commander in Chief: Monthly Returns to the Adjutant General Canada, January 1812 to December 1815.

Table 2: Canada Command Monthly Returns,
104th Regiment of Foot, March 1813-July 1815

Date	Effective	Effective (%)	Sick	Sick (%)	On Command	Total Other Ranks	Dead since Last Return	Deserters	Sent Home
Mar 1813	489	53.85	14	1.54	405	908	1	0	0
Apr 1813	304	33.52	46	5.07	557	907	3	2	0
May 1813	422	47.26	67	7.50	404	893	18	0	0
June 1813	422	47.26	67	7.50	404	893	0	0	0
July 1813	422	47.26	67	7.50	404	893	0	0	0
Aug 1813	156	19.31	10	1.24	642	808	6	5	0
Sep 1813	146	19.29	147	19.42	464	757	8	20	0
Oct 1813	282	38.06	200	26.99	259	741	9	3	0
Nov 1813	352	48.55	95	13.10	278	725	18	1	0
Dec 1813	389	54.33	66	9.22	261	716	9	0	0
Jan 1814	393	72.51	57	10.52	92	542	10	0	0
Feb 1814	379	69.54	49	8.99	117	545	6	0	0
Mar 1814	380	54.91	48	6.94	264	692	4	0	0
Apr 1814	386	56.27	65	9.48	235	686	5	0	0
May 1814	344	51.04	47	6.97	283	674	7	4	14
June 1814	327	48.81	45	6.72	298	670	4	0	1
July 1814	201	30.32	35	5.28	427	663	2	6	1
Aug 1814	191	29.52	7	1.08	449	647	9	1	0
Sep 1814	203	32.58	12	1.93	408	623	24	2	0
Oct 1814	154	24.02	62	9.67	398	641	7	3	0
Nov 1814	361	61.82	80	13.70	143	584	4	6	20
Dec 1814	423	72.56	33	5.66	127	583	1	0	0
Jan 1815	427	74.65	42	7.34	103	572	7	0	0
Feb 1815	393	72.78	25	4.63	122	540	1	1	0
Mar 1815	467	85.53	19	3.48	60	546	2	1	0
Apr 1815	396	74.02	65	12.15	74	535	2	0	20
May 1815	438	84.39	17	3.28	64	519	1	16	0
July 1815	432	85.38	17	3.36	57	506	1	13	0