Malcolm Morrison, Loyalist of Fredericksburgh, New York

Background and Biographical Information

Malcolm Morrison was a landowner and militia officer in Dutchess County, New York, with family ties to other prominent Loyalists in the region. He married Mary Kent, making him a brother-in-law to John Kane (who married Sybil Kent) and to Charles Cullen and Alexander Grant (who also married sisters of the Kent family)[1]. In the early days of the Revolution, Morrison actually served on the American side: during 1775 he was the first Major in Colonel Jacobus Swartwout’s regiment of minutemen in Dutchess County. He resigned that post in March 1776 (being replaced by Henry Ludington)[2]. Morrison was regarded as a “successful landowner and businessman” in the county[3], holding an estate in the Dover Valley adjacent to John Kane’s property[4]. These connections and his early patriotic service suggest he was a man of local influence. However, by late 1776 Morrison had come under suspicion for disloyal activities, ultimately aligning himself with the Loyalist cause.

Accepting British Protection

In the fall of 1776, as the British army occupied New York City and its environs, Sir William Howe offered “protections” or passes to colonists who declared allegiance or neutrality. Morrison obtained such a British protection certificate in clandestine fashion. According to his own later testimony before New York authorities, “last Tuesday week, one David Akens, one of his neighbors, gave him a paper, which he put in his pocket, and the next day or that evening read; and that it was a protection from General Howe”[5]. In other words, Morrison received a document signed by the British commander guaranteeing his safety as a loyal subject of the Crown.

Morrison claimed that he had not actively sought out this protection pass. It was delivered to him by his neighbor David Akin (also spelled Akins), who had recently traveled behind enemy lines. Akin later swore under oath that he had been captured by the British in Westchester County and brought before a Loyalist officer, Captain Alexander Campbell. Captain Campbell offered to release Akin if he would secretly carry packets back to Dutchess County. Campbell gave Akin “protections from Gen. Howe” for a list of local men – “Malcolm Morrison, John Kain [Kane], Alexander Shedd, Matthew Patterson, Charles Collins, and one for himself” (Akin)[6][7]. In addition, Akin was given “two printed papers” (likely British proclamations or recruiting commissions) to distribute, though he claimed he did not read them[8]. Thus, Morrison’s British protection was essentially a safe-conduct pass that Akin had smuggled out at a British officer’s request. By accepting Howe’s protection, Morrison was implicitly pledging loyalty or at least non-resistance to the Crown, in return for which he expected security for his person and property should British forces reach his area.

Crucially, Morrison did not report to the American authorities that he had received this British pass. He admitted “he never informed the Committee of his District thereof, being diverted by private business”, nor did he inquire of Akin how or why he was given the protection[9]. He even shared news of the protection with two acquaintances, “one Alexander Ridd, who had formerly been of the District Committee; also one John Young, a saddler,” though he insisted he told “no other persons whatever”[10][11]. In failing to immediately notify the local Committee of Safety and by confiding in select friends instead, Morrison raised further suspicions about his intentions.

Evidence of Loyalist Recruitment Efforts

American officials soon uncovered evidence that Malcolm Morrison’s loyalist activities went beyond merely holding a protection paper. David Akin’s testimony linked Morrison to an active plot to recruit soldiers for the British cause. Akin reported that while he was with Captain Campbell, he learned “that M. Morrison had undertaken to raise a company of men for the enemy’s service, and that [Captain Campbell] wished he would be speedy about it”[12]. In other words, the British officer understood Morrison to be an organizing point for a Loyalist militia unit in Dutchess County. Campbell further indicated that once Morrison raised his company, it was to be placed under the command of a Loyalist leader referred to as “Governor Brown”[13] (likely a British officer or provincial official who would coordinate Loyalist companies).

Additional corroboration came from the network of conspirators being unraveled by the New York Committee for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies. John Kane – Morrison’s brother-in-law – was implicated in a similar scheme. When questioned, Kane admitted receiving a Howe protection from Akin around the same time[14][15]. Kane claimed his wife (Sybil) was so alarmed that she “burnt it” immediately[16]. He denied ever asking for British protection and professed loyalty to America, but evidence suggested otherwise. A drunken witness had overheard toasts to “Captain Kane and his company,” implying John Kane too was secretly raising a Loyalist company[17][18].

The circle of conspirators extended to others who had received protections via Akin. Charles Cullen (also recorded as Collins), another Kent brother-in-law, likewise had a Howe certificate and was arrested and petitioned for leniency[19][20]. These interlocking testimonies painted a picture of an underground Loyalist recruitment effort in Fredericksburgh Precinct. Morrison appeared to be a key contact tasked with organizing a unit of local Tories to join the enemy. The fact that he paid Akin “two dollars for his trouble” when receiving his protection paper shows his willing participation[21][22]. And when John Kane later warned Akin that “Malcolm Morrison had divulged the affair of the protection,” the co-conspirators even staged a public falling-out to cover their tracks (Kane “vilified” Akin in public as a ruse)[23][24]. Such details, recorded in the Committee’s minutes and depositions, provided compelling evidence that Morrison was not an innocent bystander but an active recruiter of Loyalist forces.

Arrest and Imprisonment in Kingston

Morrison’s activities did not go unnoticed by Patriot officials. Acting on orders of New York’s Committee for Detecting Conspiracies (sometimes referred to as the Committee of Safety), Colonel Henry B. Livingston apprehended Malcolm Morrison on December 20, 1776[25]. Morrison was brought before the Committee, which by this time included notable figures such as John Jay, Zephaniah Platt, Leonard Gansevoort, and William Duer. He was formally examined about the protection pass on December 20. After hearing his admission that he held a British protection, the Committee ordered “that Malcolm Morrison be committed to the custody of the Guard, and by them confined in irons”[26]. This severe measure (shackling the prisoner) reflected the gravity of the charge – effectively, treason by aiding the enemy.

Over the next days, the Committee gathered further evidence (including David Akin’s sworn deposition on December 21) to build the case against Morrison and his confederates[27][12]. On January 4, 1777, the Commissioners resolved to send Malcolm Morrison to the Ulster County Jail in Kingston, NY for long-term custody[28]. Kingston, then the state’s de facto capital, was a secure location where important prisoners were held. The order was that Morrison remain jailed “awaiting the pleasure of the committee or such order as the future legislature of the state might make concerning him.”[29] In effect, Morrison was to be held indefinitely until New York’s new government decided his fate.

While imprisoned at Kingston, Morrison attempted to defend his reputation and seek release. On February 19, 1777, from his cell, he petitioned the New York Convention (the revolutionary legislature). In this petition, Morrison portrayed himself as a patriot at heart who had rendered service to the American cause. He stated that he had “always been ready in advising and assisting both officers and soldiers in the public business, and in a most generous manner had advanced them cash for their relief,” leaving him considerably out of pocket[30]. He pointed out that none of these loans had been repaid to him “except the [£]16 lent Colonel Ludington and William Griffin to enable them to find out the pernicious plot of John Miller and Constant Nickerson.”[31] This reference was calculated to remind the Convention that he had financially helped Colonel Henry Ludington (the very officer who replaced him in the militia) to uncover a Loyalist plot by other men – suggesting that Morrison had been on the Patriots’ side in that instance. In essence, he was pleading that his prior contributions and goodwill toward American officers be taken into account.

Despite Morrison’s efforts, the evidence against him was damning. The Committee/Commission for Conspiracies did not free him. He remained in Kingston jail as the war progressed. By 1779, New York authorities formally attainted Malcolm Morrison as a traitor. An Act of Attainder passed in October 1779 named prominent Loyalists whose property was to be confiscated, and Morrison’s estate was among those seized and sold by the state[32][33]. Family reminiscences later recounted that Morrison, still in shackles, was even forced to watch the auction of his own household goods – a vivid (if dramatized) illustration of the consequences he suffered for backing the British[34][35].

In summary, Malcolm Morrison’s case exemplifies the fate of a New York Loyalist caught conspiring against the Revolutionary government. A once-trusted local officer and landowner, he clandestinely accepted British protection and agreed to raise troops for King George. Patriot officials, through their Committee for Detecting Conspiracies, gathered testimonies that exposed his recruitment activities and swiftly moved to neutralize the threat. Arrested in late 1776, Morrison spent the remainder of the war imprisoned – notably in Kingston, New York – and saw his fortunes and estate stripped away by the Patriot authorities[36][32]. His story, preserved in the minutes of the Committee and Commission, offers a detailed primary record of how Revolutionary New York dealt with internal conspiracies and the individuals who abetted the enemy.

Bibliography (Chicago Style)

• New York (State) Committee and Commission for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies. Minutes of the Committee and of the First Commission for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies in the State of New York, December 11, 1776 – September 23, 1778. Edited by Victor H. Paltsits. Albany: J. B. Lyon Co., State Printers, 1909. (Entries for Dec. 20–22, 1776, and Jan. 4, 1777, detailing Morrison’s examination, depositions of David Akin and others, and orders for commitment.)
• Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution. “Secret Service of the American Revolution.” Accessed November 17, 2025. (Web article containing a historical narrative of Henry Ludington’s involvement in counter-intelligence, including Malcolm Morrison’s case. Summarizes the Commission’s actions and quotes Morrison’s Feb. 19, 1777 petition.)
• Johnson, Willis Fletcher. Colonel Henry Ludington: A Memoir. New York: Printed by his grandchildren (L. E. Ludington and C. H. Ludington), 1907. (Provides background on Henry Ludington and related spy activities; includes an account of Malcolm Morrison’s arrest and Morrison’s letter to the Convention, based on primary records.)
• Kane, Edward D. “Story of John Kane of Dutchess County, New York.” Manuscript reminiscence (c.1900), transcribed on FamilySearch Memories. (Contains transcriptions of the Committee of Safety minutes and depositions concerning Malcolm Morrison, David Akin, John Kane, etc., from Dec. 1776, offering a first-hand look at the evidence recorded against Morrison.)
• New York (State) Commissioners of Forfeitures. Letter of Oct. 4, 1780, in Donald F. Clark Collection (New-York Historical Society). (Correspondence of state officials regarding the sale of Malcolm Morrison’s confiscated estate, confirming his attainder as a Loyalist.)

[1] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [34] [35] STORY OF JOHN KANE OF DUTCHESS COUNTY, NEW YORK | Memories on FamilySearch

https://www.familysearch.org/en/memories/memory/4212046/STORY+OF+JOHN+KANE+OF+DUTCHESS+COUNTY+NEW+YORK

[2] [28] [29] [30] [31] [36] SECRET SERVICE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION | Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution

https://www.sarconnecticut.org/secret-service-of-the-american-revolution/

[3] [PDF] new york transformed: committees, militias, and the social - UA

https://ir.ua.edu/bitstreams/c17a7180-d805-4b22-bee0-da735c2abf73/download

[32] [33] View Inventory: Donald F. Clark collection: NYU Special Collections Finding Aids

https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/nyhs/ms118_donald_clark/contents/items001/