Royal Nova Scotia Volunteer Regiment " Not to be confused with the Royal Nova Scotia Regiment " The Royal Regiment of Nova Scotia Volunteers was a Loyalist battalion of infantry raised in 1775 to defend British interests in the colony of Nova Scotia . The unit was commanded by Col . Francis Legge until replaced by Col . John Parr in 1782 . The Royal NS Volunteers had an undistinguished history through most of its existence , and never saw combat , but did play an important role in the defense of the colony of Nova Scotia in the later years of the American Revolution . Formation . Francis Legge was appointed as the royal governor of Nova Scotia in 1773 , just as troubles were brewing in the American colonies . Legge , " an earnest but highly prejudiced and therefore much disliked man " proposed to the Secretary of State on July 31 , 1775 that he be permitted to raise a regiment of 1 , 000 men , to be recruited from the German , neutral and Irish settlers in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland . Legge had grave doubts about the loyalty of the New England Planters who made up the majority of Nova Scotia ' s settlers at this point . ( Legge ' s distrust was not entirely misplaced , as the Eddy Rebellion was to prove . ) He proposed the name " Royal Nova Scotia Volunteers " , but this was denied and changed to " Loyal " . Some time around 1780 the " Royal " designation was bestowed for the duration of the war . Legge received a despatch from London , dated October 16 , authorizing him to raise the regiment as a Fencible unit , for local defense only . The men were to be paid and equipped like regular soldiers ; they would be , in effect , a full - time home guard . The officers of the Regiment were mostly lawyers and other men of the Halifax establishment and Legge ' s political hangers - on , with little or no military experience , along with a number of subaltern s brought in from the Fleet . The most distinguished senior officer was George Henry Monk , who became major and served for the duration . Recruiting proved to be extremely difficult , owing to Legge ' s unpopularity . He was finally ordered back to Britain in May , 1776 , although he remained colonel and governor " in absentia " until replaced by John Parr in 1782 . Despite a recruiting bounty of two guineas , by April , 1776 only sixty men had been mustered , at very heavy expense . The officers were so discouraged that they sent a petition of grievances to the Secretary of State on June 14 . Rather than being trained as soldiers , the men were sent to Spanish River , Cape Breton to dig coal for the army . The next summer , forty men went back to colliery while twenty served as marines on the Royal Navy sloop HMS Gage . The subalterns were returned to the Fleet . Service . As resentment of Legge died away , the fortunes of the Regiment changed . Returns show that by February , 1780 , 568 men had enlisted , 92 deserted , for an overall strength of 476 rank and file . This was very close to the re - authorized strength of a half - battalion ( 500 ) . Due to officer absences , the unit was under day - to - day command of the senior captain , John Solomon , at Fort Sackville . The Volunteers were taking a full share of garrison duties in Halifax and several outposts . Given the importance of Halifax to the overall British war effort , this was useful employment . In 1782 a detachment was sent to the Island of St . John . Not only the size , but the reputation of the Regiment grew in these later years . A few months before disbandment , Brigadier - General Henry Edward Fox expressed : . . . the great satisfaction he has received in seeing the two provincial battalions of Royal N . S . Volunteers and the King ' s Orange Rangers , and highly approves of their discipline and military appearance , more particularly of the soldierlike manoeuvres and quick - step of the Royal N . Sco . Volunteers which has so much the appearance of troops that have been employed in active service . The Royal Nova Scotia Volunteer Regiment was disbanded at noon on Mon . , October 20 , 1783 . The officers went on half - pay , and those officers and men who wished received land grants in the area of Ship Harbour . Cpt . Thomas Green , two sergeants , five corporals , and 22 private soldiers , some with their families , took up grants ranging from 100 to 450 acres . Uniforms . In 1775 - 76 , the men of the Volunteers mostly wore civilian clothing , essentially , whatever they were wearing when enlisted . Their first uniforms arrived in early 1777 , green coats faced white , with white smallclothes , in common with most other Loyalist corps of the American command at that time . Officers wore silver lace . By 1779 the regiment was wearing red coats faced buff , and officers ' metal had changed to gold . There is a reference to red coats faced green in 1783 .