The "New York Volunteers" were raised in Halifax, Province of Nova Scotia, in January, 1776. Two companies, in the 1776 New York Campaign. In March 1777 a detachment of the Volunteers along with soldiers of the Queen's Rangers were sent out to West Farms to fend off an insurgent raiding party in the act of rustling cattle and horses. The rebels were tracked to the home of Steven Bridge, leading to an evening siege in which as many as 50 were killed and another 27 taken prisoner. On May 2, 1779 New York Volunteers were placed on the American Establishment, as the 3rd American Regiment. A detachment of the regiment served, under Charles Grey in the defense of Plymouth, when their transport ship was blown across the Atlantic, after encountering foul weather, while sailing down the North American coastline. It was disbanded in Canada in 1783.