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Provincial Map with hatched areas showing the locations of the general Loyalist settlements.
1789
Province of New Brunswick


Credits:
Crook and Marteinson, A Pictorial History of the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's)

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The founding of Camp Sussex is deeply rooted in the founding of the Province of New Brunswick and the first developed military systems of that time. With the arrival of the Loyalist in 1783, the Province of Nova Scotia became the home to many military units. The influx of settlers to the northern sections of the province and the limited access to local government led to the founding of the Province of New Brunswick within two years.
A system of land grants was developed which saw complete Regiments settled in single areas, with soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers inter-dispersed. This was done to facilitate continuation of training and to ensure semi-formed units existed to provide any necessary defence required from time to time.
The first parliament of the province established it own Militia Act which established the requirement for all men between the ages of 16 and 60 to attend annual musters to train, two days in their local area and one day at the battalion level. No funds were provided for this training but fines were levied on absentees and these funds were re-directed to cover costs incurred by the training.

Due to the French Revolution of 1793 and the War of 1812 continued focus on the importance of the military was necessary. As the road network in the province continued to expand often with the help of military engineers, better communication was necessary within the military system. Until this time focus had been on maintaining infantry and artillery units, but it was now recognized that there was a need to establish cavalry units as well. The Militia Act of 1825 established nine troops to be attached to each of the current infantry battalions, three of which were in Kings County and three in Westmorland County. These six militia infantry battalions will evolve through this history as key units to train in Camp Sussex. It should be noted at this time however that each troop was made up of volunteers who provided all their own mounts, uniforms and armaments.

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Militia General Order 04 April 1848
4 April 1848
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada


Credits:
Crook and Marteinson; 125 Years of Service, The Pictorial History of the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's)
Douglas Howe; The 8th Hussars, A History of the Regiment
New Brunswick Provincial Archives

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The period 1840 to 1860 saw sharp declines in military emphasis and training. Focus turned to agriculture, lumbering and development of industry and various pieces of legislature were enacted suspending the annual musters. However a couple of significant events occurred during this period which would impact the development of the camp in later years. In 1848 the Militia Act organized all of the independent cavalry troops into a single Corp under one command. This in fact served to revitalize the cavalry units and they continued to train as volunteers for a number of years even without government encouragement. The other significant event was the founding of the railway and the opening ceremonies involved a number of units including the artillery and infantry units. An estimated 25,000 people attended this opening in Saint John.

In 1860 His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales visited the province and during that time he had the opportunity to observe the volunteer units existing in the province. On his departure he provided a challenge cup that was to be used for annual rifle competition for all volunteer units, and the Commander of the Forces provided 3000 new weapons for the use of these same units.

The first competition was held in at a most central location for all units at Sussex Vale. The railway was now established between Saint John and Moncton and the road network supported the selection advantageously. The first winner was from the Kings County Militia Battalion.

The start of the American Civil War during this period also enhanced the focus on military readiness. Numerous changes were made to the Militia Act which started supplies and uniform flowing but still no pay for these volunteers. However in 1865 one of the most comprehensive Acts was implemented which made major changes to the way the military trained. Militia units were authorized ten days paid training each year at local sites and Camps of Instruction were developed where skills were taught to Officers and NCOs. These camps could not exceed 28 days in duration. The first of these camps was held in Fredericton with 950 attendees and the second in Torryburn just outside Saint John in 1866 with 305 officers attending. Local training was still occurring around Sussex at this as well. Places like Fox Hill, Ossekeag, Upham and Springfield hosted local training.

In 1867 the Dominion of Canada was established and with it came the change in responsibility for defence. This was taken on by the federal authority under the Dominion Militia Act of 1869. To the credit of the many volunteer units in the province it was decided that this Act would closely model the New Brunswick system and upon its enactment changes were made to provincial militia units which we can now recognize as units who annually trained in Camp Sussex.

The province was designated Militia District # 8. Each of the county infantry battalions were amalgamated and given numbers: Saint John to 62nd Bn, York to 67th Bn, North Shore to 71st Bn, and Kings/Westmorland to 74th Bn. Each of these units would contribute greatly to Camp Sussex training for year to come. The 74th Battalion eventually became the New Brunswick Rangers, the 71st became the North Shore Regiment, and the 67th became the Carleton York Regiment. The number 8 was added the name of the Cavalry Regiment thus signally today's designation of the 8th Hussars.

In 1871, the largest camp held to date was conducted in Fredericton, and it was attended by all arms currently training in New Brunswick at that time. However funding for each camp continued to fluxuate and the years between1871 and 1879 saw units who could do nothing more than local volunteer training. Some milestones were pasted during this period. 1874 saw the first use of the railway to transport the cavalry horses. It was heavily debated with the main concern being the horse's welfare.