“P” is for Provincials

“P” is for Provincials. When warfare broke out between the colonies and Great Britain in 1775, in addition to British soldiers and German mercenaries, British officials organized loyal Americans into conventional fighting units commonly referred to as provincials. A provincial soldier was a volunteer subject to the same control, benefits, and hardships as a British soldier. In 1780, the South Carolina Royalists (a unit actually formed in East Florida from loyal refugees who were chiefly from Ninety Six District), the King's American Regiment, and the British Legion were provincial units instrumental in the British victory at Charleston. Other provincial units –formed after the fall of Charleston--were the South Carolina Rangers and the Black Carolina Corps. With the end of hostilities, the officers and men of the various provincial units chose to relocate to Canada, Britain, and the West Indies.