"Deserted His Majesty's Service": Military Runaways, the British-American Press, and the Problem of Desertion during the Seven Years' War

During the Seven Years' War newspapers routinely published notices of desertions from the British regular and colonial forces that served in America. Evidence culled from these advertisements hints that many troops eventually deserted. Ashadowy war within a war ensued, pitting the formidable resources that elites commanded against the cunning minds and fast feet of deserters. The decisions of so many to flee their units, and the inability of officers to stop them, reveal three major points about this wartime phenomenon. First, these items show that deserters were a diverse group who differed from the overall population of troops. Many were Irish, and a disproportionate number were artisans or sailors. Second, the notices illustrate that the military used several methods to quell desertion, and when deterrence failed, officers sent out search parties and often imposed severe punishments on those they caught. Third, mutinies by New Englanders were not unique. Other provincial and regular units also revolted en masse. More commonly, however, were individuals or small groups who stole away from the army and used mobility, disguise, and aid from lovers, families, employers, fugitive slaves and sympathetic Indian communities to avoid the suspicious gaze and vigorous pace of their pursuers.