Commander Waterford Residence

Lore & Background

Hamilton participated in the Siege of Annapolis Royal (1745) during King George's War. He applied for compensation when his property was destroyed in the defence of the town. He was taken prisoner at the Siege of Grand Pre during Father Le Loutre's War in Nova Scotia (1750). The Mi'kmaq militia captured Lieutenant John Hamilton and eighteen soldiers under his command (including British officer John Handfield's son), while surveying the fort's environs.

He was imprisoned in Quebec for two years before he was able to negotiate for the freedom of himself and 60 other prisoners. He was helped to gain his release by both his father Otho Hamilton and his father-in-law William Shirriff, both of whom were members of the Nova Scotia Council. Jean-Louis Le Loutre had paid Mi'kmaq ransom for Hamilton's release. He also was traded for the daughter of an Indian chief that John Gorham had imprisoned in Boston at his own residence with his daughter.

Upon his return he married his second wife, daughter of his commander John Handfield. In 1767, he went with the 40th Regiment to Ireland.

Reader's Guide

He was also an artist and created important images of four forts during the war. His military career spanned both King George's War and Father Le Loutre's War, with a notable capture at the Siege of Grand Pre. His connections to the Nova Scotia Council through his father Otho Hamilton and father-in-law William Shirriff made him a valuable prisoner. His release involved a ransom paid by Jean-Louis Le Loutre and a trade for the daughter of an Indian chief imprisoned by John Gorham in Boston. He later served in Ireland with the 40th Regiment from 1767.