John Small ( British Army officer ) Major - General John Small ( 13 March 1726 – 17 March 1796 ) was a British military officer who played a key role in raising and leading the 84th Regiment of Foot ( Royal Highland Emigrants ) during the American Revolution . He is one of the central figures in John Trumbull ' s famous painting , The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker ' s Hill , June 17 , 1775 , in which he is shown deflecting a bayonet away from General Warren , who had been his friend before the hostilities had broken out . Small was Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey from 1793 until his death in 1796 . Early life . Born at Strathardle , Athole , he was the son of Patrick Small of Leanoch in Glenshee , Scotland and Magdalen Robertson , daughter of Alexander Robertson , 5th Laird of Straloch , Perthshire . He was a brother of Alexander Small and James Small . He was a first cousin and close friend of General John Robertson Reid . His niece , Magdalen ( Small ) MacDonald , was the mother of John MacDonald of Garth and Mrs . William McGillivray . John Small and his relatives were members of the Smalls of Dirnanean , and are also related to the Small - Kiers of Kindrogan House . At an early age he purchased a commission into the Scots Brigade and served with them in the Netherlands . He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in the Earl of Drumlanrig ' s Regiment when it was raised for service of the States General in 1747 . In 1756 , Small obtained a commission in the British Army , becoming a Lieutenant in the Black Watch just before its departure for North America to fight in the Seven Years War . Seven Years War . Lieutenant Small fought at the Battle of Fort Oswego . Two years later , in 1758 , he fought at the Battle of Ticonderoga under General James Abercrombie . Following the defeat , he accompanied General Amherst on his successful expedition to Lake Champlain and with him was present at the Surrender of Montreal in 1760 . From Montreal he placed in charge of the French prisoners and took them to New York . General Amherst had great confidence in him , and frequently employed him " on particular services " . In 1762 , Small was promoted to Captain and sailed with his regiment to take part in the Invasion of Martinique and the British expedition against Cuba . Following the Treaty of Paris in 1763 , Captain Small was placed on half - pay , but , according to General Stewart , he was almost immediately put on the full - pay list of the 21st North British Fusiliers and when in 1767 the Black Watch left for Europe , most of the men of that regiment who had volunteered to stay in North America joined the Fusiliers in order to serve under Small , who was " deservedly popular " with them . Small , however , cannot have served long with the 21st , for in the same year in which the Black Watch left America he was appointed Brigade Major to the forces in North America . It was probably during the interval between the Seven Years War and the American Revolution that Small began to acquire his estate , Selmah Hall , in Nova Scotia , part of which he afterwards bequeathed to his first cousin , General John Robertson Reid . During this period , Small became interested in local politics and formed friendships with several influential American politicians . American Revolution . In 1765 , Captain Small was placed in command of a company of the 21st Regiment of Foot , serving with them throughout the American Revolution until 1775 , when he received an unofficial assignment from General Gage . Promoted to the rank of Major , Small was sent to Nova Scotia to raise at his own expense the Young Royal Highlanders Regiment . This regiment was afterwards amalgamated into the 84th Regiment of Foot ( Royal Highland Emigrants ) . Battle of Bunker Hill , Boston . As Brigade Major , Small fought at the first major battle of the American Revolution , the Battle of Bunker Hill . In the course of that day his life was saved by the American General Israel Putnam , who , seeing Small standing alone at a time when all around him had fallen , struck up the barrels of his men ' s musket s to save his life . He and Putnam had served together during the Seven Years War . Along with three other members of the 84th Regiment , Small was wounded in the arm by cannon fire . John Small was instrumental in assisting John Trumbull with his famous painting " The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill " . Major Small is at the centre of the action holding the bayonet to prevent a fellow British soldier from killing his friend , American Patriot Joseph Warren ( who in reality was shot through the head and instantly killed by a musket ball ) . The painting depicts the divisions the conflict created between people who were friends , yet were caught on opposite sides of the conflict . Trumbull , in describing the painting for a catalogue of his works , explained why he chose to emphasize Major Small ' s role , saying that Small , whom he had apparently encountered in London , " was equally distinguished by acts of humanity and kindness to his enemies , as by bravery and fidelity to the cause he served . " 84th Highland Regiment of Foot . Small spent the most part of his time in New York on staff duty . Small was commander of the 84th Regiment of Foot ( Royal Highland Emigrants ) , 2nd Battalion which eventually settled in the Douglas Township in Hants County , Nova Scotia . Small is reported to have built a manor house in Selma , Nova Scotia , called " Selmah Hall " , after which the community is named . Personal life . Small did not marry , and at his death his principal heir was his first cousin and good friend , General John Robertson Reid , to whom he left a valuable estate of four or five thousand acres in Nova Scotia . In 1793 , Small became Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey and received his final promotion to Major General . He died there three years later , on 17 March 1796 . He is buried within Saint Peter Port Church . References . Primary Texts