Lieutenant-Colonel John Butler 1725-1796

and

Butler's Rangers

There are two plaques about this gentleman
in The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Both can be seen on this page.

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted August, 2004

Photo from Google Street View ©2010 Google - Posted October, 2010

Photo Source - Canadian Heritage Gallery

Plaque Location

The Region of Niagara
The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
At the burying ground, at the very southern end of Butler Street

Coordinates: N 43 15.072 W 79 05.418

Plaque Text

Born in New London, Connecticut, Butler settled in the Mohawk Valley, New York, in 1742. Commissioned in the British Indian Department in 1755, he served in the Seven Years' War. At the outbreak of the American Revolution, he was compelled to leave his estates and was ordered to Fort Niagara. In 1777 he organized the Loyalist corps known as Butler's Rangers. By the end of war, this unit with British regulars and Indian allies, had effectively contributed to the establishment of British control south of the Great Lakes. The Rangers were disbanded in 1784, and led by their former commander, many settled in the Niagara Peninsula. Butler remained active in Indian affairs until his death at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake).

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Photo by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted November, 2009

Photo from Google Street View ©2010 Google - Posted December, 2010

Plaque Location

The Region of Niagara
The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
At the northeast corner of Byron and Melville Streets
a block west of Ricardo Street

Coordinates: N 43 15.239 W 79 03.948

Plaque Text

In 1777 John Butler of New York raised a force of Rangers who, with their Iroquois allies, raided the frontiers of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey throughout the American Revolutionary War. From their base at Fort Niagara they successfully maintained British military power on the frontiers and seriously threatened rebel food supplies. When Fort Niagara became overcrowded in the autumn of 1778, Butler built near here a group of barracks to house his Rangers and their families. Disbanded in June 1784, they were among the first Loyalists to settle in the Niagara peninsula.

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Related Ontario plaque
United Empire Loyalists

More
Information

More
The Military

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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted December 14, 2011
Thanks to my daughter's ancestry research, I am proud to find we are related to this remarkable man! This site provides good photos, with clear information, even maps. Thank you for this service to keep us all aware of our Canadian history!...Linda Duke, Elliot Lake, On

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