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Lorsqua le document est trop grand pour Atra reproduit en un seul clichA, il est filmA A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut an bas, en prenant le nombre d'imagas nAcessaire. Las diagrammas suivants illustrant la mAthoda. rrata :o pelure, D 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 J O U R N A L OF THE OPERATIONS O F The queen's RANGERS, From the End of the Year 1777, TO T H 5 CONCLUSION OF THE LATE AMERICAN WAR. By Lieutenant - Colonel S I M C O £, COMMANDER «f that CORPS. EXETER; PRINTED FQRTHE AUTHOR. l^/^^^Tc^ /c^Pp^^ INTRODUCTION, THE Writer of thcfc Memoirs has been induced to print them by a variety of rcafons, among which the following are included. Adtions crroncoufly attributed to Others may be rcftored to Thofe who really per- formed them: I lis own memory may be renewed, and prcferved in their bofoms, whofc patronage and cor.iluence he acknowledges with pride and gratitude ; while, at the fame time, he bears teftimony to the merits of thofc excellent officers and foldiers whom it was his good fortune to command, during the late war in America : a war which he always confidcred as forced upon Great Britain, and in which he ferved from principle. Events, however unfortuiute, can neither alter its nature nor cancel his opinion. Had he fuppofed it to have been unjuft, he would have refigncd his com- niilTion ; for no true foldicr and fervant of his country will ever admit that a Britifti officer can divert himfelfof the duties of a citizen, or in a civil conteft is bound to fupport the caufe his confcience rcjcds. The command of a light corps, or, as it is termed, the fcrvice of a parti- zan, is generally clleemed the beft mode of inftruvflion for thofc who aim at higher ftatians ; as it gives an opportunity of exemplifying profeflionaldC- -quifitions, fixes the habit of felf-^ependancc for refourccs, and obliges to that prompt deciiion which in the common rotation of duty fubordinatc A 2 officers "^SStB INTRODUCTION. officers can fcldom exhibit, yet without which none can be qualified for any truft of importance. To attain this employment was therefore an early objc(ft with the author ; nor could he be diverted from his purpofe by the fliamcfulchara»5tcr ofdiflionefty, rapine, and falfchood, fuppofcd to attend it ; at leaf! by thofc who formed their judgment on the convcrfation of fuch ofTicers as had been witnclfcs to the campaigns in Germany. He had fairer examples to profit from ; as the page of military hiftory fcarcely details more fpiritcd exertions in this kind of fcrvlcc, than what diftinguifliingly marked the lall civil commotions in England ; and MalTey's well-known faying, " that he could not look upon the goods of any Englidiman as thofc " of an enemy," delineated the integrity of the citizen, and the honourable policy of the foldicr. His intimate connexion with that mod upright and zealous officer the late Admiral Graves, who commanded at Bofton in the year 1 775, and fome fcrvices which he was plcafcd to intrurt him with, brought him acquainted with many of the American Loyalifts : from them he foon learned the practicability of raifing troops in the country whenever it fhould be opened to the King's forces ; and the propriety of fuch a mcafurc appeared to be felf- evident. He therefore importuned Admiral Graves to afli of General (5age that he might enlift fuch negroes as were in Bofton, and with them put himfelf under the diredion of Sir James Wallace, who was then aftively engaged at Rhode Idand, and to whom that colony had oppofed negroes ; adding to the Admiral, who fcemed furprized at his requeft, " that " he entertained no doubt he fliould foon exchange them for whites:" General Gage, on the Admiral's application, informed him that the negroes were not fufficiently numerous to be ferviceablc, and that he had other cm- ploymeni for thofe who were in Bofton. When the army failed from Halifax for Staten ifland, the author was Captain of the grenadier company of the 40th regiment, and during the time of winter quarters at Brunfwick, in 1776, went purpofely to New- York INTRODUCTION. ■\ ■:• York to folicit the command of the Queen's Rangers, then vacant. The boat he was in, being driven from the place of its deftination, he was ex- ceedingly chagrined to find that he had arrived fomc hours too late : but he defired that Col. Cuyler, Sir William Howe's Aid-de-Camp, would mention his coming thither to him, as well as his dcfign. On the army's cm- barking for the Chefapcak, he wrote to General Grant, under whom he had fcrvcd, requeuing his good offices in procuring him a command like that of the Queen's Rangers, if any other corps intended for fimilar employment ihould be raifed in the country, to which the expedition was dcftined. Thefe circumftanccs arc related, not only as introdudVory to the fubfe- quent journal, but to ftiew how very early his thoughts were bent on at- taining the command of a corps raifed in America, for the adive duty of light troops. The journal, as it is in its own nature, not generally interefting, and guarded from any obfcr/ations foreign to the fubjeCt, he by no means wifliea to obtrude upon the public; but hopes it will be favourably received by thofe to whom he (hall offer it as a teftimony of refped, and with whom it may claim fome indulgence, as the particular nature and event of the American war gives a degree of confequencc to operations however minute : for it terminated not in the lofs of fomc petty fortrcfs, or trivial ifland, but in the divulfion of a continent from a continent ; of a world from a world. The officer who conduds a light corps properly, will in his fmall fphere make ufeofthe fame principles which Generals apply to the regulation of armies. He will naturally imitat '.ho; commanders under whom he ferves ; while the individuals of his corps (fc in fuch a fervice only individuals be- come of importance) will manifcft a fpirit which probably the whole army may poflefs without having fimilar opportunities of calling it intoadlion. Hiftory cannot produce examples of more ardent zeal in the fervice of their country, than that which charaftcrized the Britifli officers and foldiers in America. They defpifed all thofe conveniencies without which it would be thought INTRODUCTION. M thought impradicablc for European armies to move. They did not tamely vait for the moment of exertion in the prccifc line of their duty, but boldly fought out danger and death ; and no fooner was one officer loft on any hazardous fcrvicc than many competitors appeared to fuccecd in the port of honor. It was this fpirit w hich, among uncommon difficulties, fo frequently triumphed over numbers of brave, fliilful, and cnterpri/ing opponents. The Britilh foldicr who thought himfclf fupcrior, aiflually became fo j arwl the afcendcncy which he claimed was in many inftanccs importantly admitted by his antagonifts. Nor was this fpirit, the refult of principle, confined to the operations of the field : it was flicwn in the hour of civil pcrfccution and rigorous imprifonment ; in iituatiuns where coolnefs fupplics the place of adlivity, and thought precedes execution. General Gage in a celebrated letter to Wafliington at the commencement of the war, had faid, " that fuch " trials would be met with the fortitude of martyrs j" and the behaviour of the Loyalifts amply confirmed his prophcfy. The Britilh Generals were commonly obliged to hazard their armies without any poffibility of retreat in cafeof mifadventure : they truftcd to the fpirit and difcipline of their troops ; and the decilion, with which they rifkcd themfelvcs, forms the moft ftriking and Angular feature of the American war. Nor was this only done when the armies were in their full force ; by Sir William Howe in his campaigns, particularly in the glorious battle of the Brandy wine J by Sir Henry Clinton in his celebrated march through the Jerfies ; by Earl Comwallis in a latter period at Guildford, when the war was transferred to the Carolina's ; and eminently by Lord Rawdon, who was *' Left to bide the difadvantage of a field " Where nothing but the found of Britain's name " Did fcem defenfible ;" — but the fame fpirit was infufcd into the itnalleft operations ; and the light troops in their enterprises, confident in the fuperiority of their compofition, fcarcely admitted the idea of retreat, or calculated againft the contingency of a repulfe. An account of the Queen's Rangers* INTRODUCTION. Rangers, and their operations, will clucidntc the preceding; pofitions ; flicw in fuch a point of view their fimilitude to the Britifli army, and contain, ai it were, an epitome of its hiftory. This Journal allcdgcs no hil but what the author believes to be true ; the frequent introdudion of his own name may appear redundant, but is abfo- lutely nccclFary to the perfpicuity of the work. He never valued himfclf fo highly on the aclions which it was his good fortune to perform to the fatisfac- tion of his fuperiors, as voluntarily to prelcribe them for the boundaries of his profefTional ambition. Yet, as a Britilh ofTicer, fliould he live to double the number of years which he has already devoted to the fervice of his country, it is fcarcely podiblc that he fliall ever be appointed to fo important a truft as that which he folicited, when hcollercd to fortify and maintain Billing's Port : And as an European foldier, and an European fubjeJl, what field for honor- .tblc cntcrprizc can ever be fo wide, as that which he would have expatiated in, had he according to his own plan, joined the Indians ; dirctflcd them to collateral exertion ; and alFociating the Loyalifts of the back countries zea- lous in the Britifli caufc, united them with the enemies of Congrefs ; fct be- fore them the Queens Rangers as their mofl nccediiry guides and examples ; led the whole combination to inccfTint and adventurous a«flion during the war ; and if victorious, had remained at their head in that hour when AmCo rica was declared independent by a critical and unexpected peace I A JOURNAL -";* JOURNAL, &c. ON the 15th of Odober, 1777. Sir William Howe was pleafed to appoint Captain Simcoe of the Grenadiers, with the Provin- cial rank of Major, to the command of the Queen's Rangers j the next day he joined that regiment, which was encamped with the army in the vicinity of German-Town. On the 19th the army marched to Philadelphia, the Queen's Ran- gers formed the rear guard of the left column, and, in the encamp- ment, their poft was on the right of the line, in front of the village of Kenfington ; the army extending from the Delaware to the Schuylkill. On the 20th the regiment was augmented with nearly an hundred men, who had been enlifted by Captain Smyth during the various marches from the landing of the army in the CheCipeak to this period. This was a very feafonable recruit to the regiment j it had fuffered materially in the adtion at Brandywine, and was too much reduced in numbers to be of any efficient fervice ; but if the lofs of a great number of gallant officers and foldiers had been fevercly felt, the im- preffion ^ff I I [ 2 ] prcflion which that aft Ion had left upon their minds was of tlic higheft advantage to the regiment ; officers and foldiers became known to each other ; they had been engaged in a more ferious man- ner, and with greater difadvantages than they were Hkely again to meet with in the common chance of war j and having extricated themfdves moft gallantly from fuch a fituation, they felt themfelves invincible. This fpirit vibrated among them at the time Major Simcoe joined them ; and it was obvious, that he had nothing to do but to cherifli and prcferve it. Sir William Howe, in confequence of their behaviour at Brandywine, had promifed that all promotions fliould go in the regiment, and accordingly they now took place. The Qiiecn's Rangers had been originally raifed in Connecticut, and the vicinity of New- York, by Colonel Rogers, for the duties which their name implies, and which were detailed in his commifTion j at one period they muftered above four hundred men, all Americans, and all Loyalifts. Hardfliips and neglcdl had much reduced their numbers, when the command of them was giyen to Colonel French, and afterwards to Major Wcymefs, to whom Major Simcoe fucceeded ; their officers alfo had undergone a materlnl change j many gentlemen of the fouthern colonies who had joined Lord Dunmore, and diftln- guifhed themfelves under his orders, were appointed to fuperfcde thofe who were not thought competent to the commiffions they had hitherto borne j to thefe were added fome volunteers from the army, the whole confifting of young men, adlive, full of love of the fervice, emulous to diftinguifli themfelves in it, and looking forward to obtain, througli their adtions, the honor of being enrolled with the Britifli army. The Provincial corps, now fonning, were raifed on the fuppofed influence which their officers had among their loyal countrymen, and were underftood to be native American Loyalifts ; added to an equal chance among thcfe, a greater refourcc was opened to the Queen's Rangers, in the exchifive privilege of enlifting old country- men [ 3 ] men (as Europeans were termed in America), and deferters from the rebel army; fo that could the officers to whom the Commander in Chief delegated the infpedlion of the Provincial corps have executed their orders, the Queen's Rangers, however dangcroufly and inccflantly employed, would never have been in want of recruits ; at the fame time, the original Loyalifts, and thofe of this defcription, who were from time to time enlifted, forming the grofs of the corps, were the fource from whence it derived its value and its difcipline j they were men who had already been exiled for their attachment to the Britifti government, and who now adled upon the firmeft prin- ciples in its defence ; on the contrary, the people they had to oppofe, however charadterifed by the enemies of Great Britain, had never been confidcred by them as engaged in an honourable caufe, or fight- ing for the freedom of their country ; they eftimated them not by their words, but by an intimate obfervance of their adtions, and to civil defecration, experience had taught them to add military con- tempt. Such was the compofition of the Queen's Rangers, and tlic fpirit that animated it. The junction of Captain Smyth's company augmented the regiment into eleven companies, the number of which was equalized, and the eleventh was formed of Highlanders. Several of thofe brave men, who had been defeated in an attempt to join the army in North Caro- lina, were now in the corps j to thofe others were added, and the comnnand was given to Captain M'Kay ; they were furnilhed with the Highland drefs, and their national piper, and were ported on the left flank of the regiment, which confifted of eight battalion , a gre- nadier, and light infantry company. Upon the march from Ger- man Town to Kenfington, Sir William Erfkine, in directing what duties Major Simcoe fhould do, had told him to call upon him for dragoons whenever he wanted them ; upon this. Major Simcoe took the liberty of obferving, '• that the cloathingand habiliments of the dragoons were fo diiferent from thofe of the Queen's Rangers (the •* B 2 one i",B.*a?"»yHraw?nwMBw [ 4 ] " one helng la red, and with wliitc belts, eaivly fccn at a diflancr, '* -.md the other in 2'''^<^'"'> '^"^ accoutred for concealment), tiiat he " thought it would be more uleful to mount a dozen Ibldiers of the " rc9:iinent." Sir Willinni Erfkine highly approved of the idea, and fent a fuitablc number of horfes, faddles, and fwords j fuch men were k"]c*!k'd for the fervicc as the oriicers recommended for fpirit .'.nd prelence of mind ; they were put under the diredlion of Kelly, a ferjeant of diftinguidied gallantry. A light corps, augmented as that of the Queen's Rangers was, and employed on the duties of an outport, had no opportunity of being inftrudled in the general difti- pline of the army, nor indeed was it very necefliiry : the mofl im- portant duties, thofe of vigilance, adivity, and patience of fatigue, \\crc bell learnt in the field ; a few motions of the manual exercife were thought fufficient ; they were carefully inftrudled in tnofc of firing, but above all, attention was paid to inculcate the ufe of the bayonet, and a total reliance on that weapon. The divifions being fully officered, and weak in numbers, was of the greateft utility, and in many trying fituations was the prefervation of the corps ; two files in the centre, and two on each flank, were diredted to be compofed of trained foldiers, without regard to their fize or appearance. It was explained, that no rotation, except in ordinary duties, fliould take place among light troops, but that thofe officers would be feledted for any fervice who appeared to be moft capable of executing it : it was alfo enforced by example, that no fervice was to be meafured by the numbers employed on it, but by its own importance, and that five men, in critical fituations or employment, was a more honour- able command than an hundred on common duties. Serjeants guards were in a manner aboliflied, a circumftance to which in a great mea- fure may be attributed, that no centinel or guard of the Queen's Rangers was ever furprifed; the vigilance of a gentleman and an officer being tranfcendantly fuperior to that of any non-commiflioncd officer whatfoever. An attention to the interior ceconomy of a company, indifpenfable [ 5 ] 1 I indifpenilible as it is, by i.o mc.uis forms the mod pleafing military duty upon lervice, wiiere tlic otlicer looks up to Ibmcthing more cf- fentially uieful, and values himfclf upon its execution. A young corps raifed in the midft of adlive fervice, and without the habits of difcipline, which are learnt in time of peace, required the ftridlefl attention in this point. It was obfcrved, that regularity in melhng, and cleanlinefs in every reipedl, conduced to the health of the Ibldier ; and from the numbers that each regiment brought into the field, fuperior ofKcers would in general form the heft eftimate of the atten- tion of a corps to its interior a'conomy ; and to enforce the performance of thefe duties in the ftrongeft: manner, it was declared in public or- ders, ** that to fuch only when in the field, the commanding officer " would entruft the duties of it, who fliould execute with fpirit what " belongs to the interior ceconomy of the regiment when in quarters." To avoid written orders as much as poflible, after the morning pa- rade, the officers attended, as the German cullom is, and received verbally whatever could be fo delivered to them, and they were de- clared anfwerable that every written order was read to the men on their feparate paraded. Near the end of Odober the Queen's Rangers were direded to pa- trole beyond Frankfort, four miles from Philadelphia ; it was the day that Colonel Donop made his unfortunate attempt on Red Bank ; they advanced as far as the Red Lion, which feveral of the rebel officers had left a few minutes before. The country in front of Philadelphia, where the Queen's Rangers were employed, was in general cleared ground, but interfered with many woods ; the fields were fenced out with very high railing ; the 1. ain road led ftrait from Philadelphi. ■> Briftol Ferry on the Dela- ware ; about five miles from Philadei^ ,, on this road, was Frank- fort Creek which fell into the Delaware nearly at that diftance, and the angle that it formed was called Point-no-Point, within which were many good houfes and plantations. Beyond f '■i ! 'I ill ili ;!' [ 6 J Beyond the bridge over the creek, on a height, was the village of Frankfort ; below the bridge it was not fordable, but it was eafily pafled in many places above it. The rebels frequently patrolled as far as Franlifort, and to a place called the Rocks, about a mile be- yond it. Four miles farther was Pennypack Creek, over which was a bridge ; three miles beyond this was the Red Lion tavern, and two miles further was Briftol, a fmall town oppofite Burling- ton : this road was the neareft to the river Delaware ; nearly pa- rallel to it was the road to York, which was attended to by the light infantry, of the guards, and the army ; there were many crofs roads that interfciftcd the country between thefe main roads, a moft perfedl knowledge of which was endeavoured to be acquired by maps, drawn from the information of the country people, and by ocular obfer- vation. The village of Kenfington was feveral times attacked by the rebel patrolling parties -, they could come by means of the woods very near to it undiicovered ; there was a road over a fmall creek to Point-no- Point ; to defend this a houfe was made mufket proof, and the bridge taken up ; cavalry only approached to this poff, for it lying, as has been mentioned, in an angle between the Delav«^are and the Frankfort road, infantry were liable to be cut off; on the left there was a knowl that overlooked the country ; this was the pod of the piquet in the day-time, but corn fields high enough to conceal the approach of an enemy reached to its bafis ; centinels from hence inclined to the • left and joined thofe of Colonel Twifleton's (now Lord Say and Sele] light infantry of the guards, fo that this hill projected forward, and on that account was ordered by Sir William Erfkine not to be defended if attacked in force, and it was withdrawn at night. It was ufual, if the enemy approached, to quit this po(l 'till fuch time as the corps could get under arms, and the light infantry of the guards were informed of it ; when, marching up the road, the enemy fearing to be fhut up within the creek that has been mentioned, abandoned their [ 7 ] ■their ground and generally fufFered in their retreat to the woods. At night the corps was drawn back to the houfes nearer Philadelphia, and guards were placed behind breaftworks, made by heaping up the fences in fuch points as commanded the avenues to the village, (which was laid out and enclofed in right angles) j thefe were themfelves overlooked by others that conftituted the alarm poft of the different companies. Fires alfo were made in particular places before the picquet, to difcover whatfocver fliould approach. Before day the whole corps was under arms, and remained fo 'till the picquets returned to their day poft, which they refumed, taking every pre- caution againft ambufcades ; the light infantry of the guards advanced their picquets at the fame time, and Colonel Twifleton was an admirable pattern for attention and fpirit, to all who ferved with him. He was conftantly with the picquets, which generally found out the enemy's patroles, and interchanged fliot with them : his horfe was one morning wounded by a rifle fliot. The mounted men of the Queen's Rangers were found very ferviceable on thefe occafions. The woods in the front were every day diminiihing, being cut down for the ufes of the army, and the enemy kept at a greater diftance. An attempt was made to furprize the rebel poft at Frankfort ; by orders from head quarters the Queen's Rangers were to march near to the bridge at Frankfort, and to lay there in anibufcade 'till fuch time as Major Gwyn, who made a circuit with a detachment of cavalry, fliould fall into the rear of the town. Accordingly the corps marched through bye paths, and attained its pofition : fome dragoons at the appointed time pafled the bridge from Frankfort. The light was not fufficient to enable the rangers to difcover whether they were friends or enemies, 'till upon their turning back and hearing a Hiot, the corps ruflied into the town ; unfortunately, cither by accicknt or from information, the rebel poft had been withdrawn. Some da} s after the Queen's Rangers, with thirty dragoons of the i6t]i, under Lieutenant Pidcock, marched at midnight to attempt the fame poft ; after I r |! r i Mi ' Il i: -( I 1 t 1 H 1. * ! . 1 '■ ' 1 i: ; 1 i 1 1 J [ 8 ] after making a circuit, and nearly attaining the rear of the Jolly Poft, the public houl'e where the guard was kept, the party fell in with a patrole; this was cut off from the houfe ; it luckily did not fire, but ran towards the wood : the detachment was carefully prevented from firing. No time was loft in the purfuit of the enemy, but the infantry crofled the fields immediately in the rear of the houfe, and a dilpolition was formed for attacking it, in cafe, as it well might have been, it fliould be defended : the cavalry made a circuit to the road in the rear, and the port was complcatly furprized. An officer and twenty men were taken prifoners, two or three of whom were flightly wounded in an attempt to efcape ; they were militia, and what is very remarkable, they had the word '* Richmond" chalked in their hats ; tiie officer faid " Richmond was the counterfign, and " that he chalked it there that his men might not forget it." Ser- jeant Kelly difmounted an officer, and in purfuit of another man, left him ; the officer gave his watch to another dragoon ; it was however adjudged to the ferjeant, as he was the perfon who dif- mounted him, fpared his life, and purfued his duty. It is not improper here to obferve, that formerly Major Fimcoe had forbidden tiic foldicrs to take watches, and indeed did (o after this, 'till he accidentally overheard a man fay it was not worth while to bring in a prifoncr : he therefore made it a rule, that any one who took a prilbner, if he publicly declared he had his watch, lliould keep it; fo that no Ibldicr was interefted to kill any man. This fpirit of taking as niany prifoners as poffible was moll earneftly attempted to be inculcated, and not without fuccefs. Soon after, as a ftrong patrole of cavalry, under IVr;ijor Gwyn, was out, fome of its men returned in great confufion, faying, " that they were attacked by a fuperior " body, both in front and rear:" at the fune time Colonel Twifleton and M;ijor Simcoc, who were on the Knovvl, occupied by the picquctofthe Rangers, could perceive by the glittering of arms, a large body of foot in a wood, near which Major Gwyn was to return, they [ 9 ] they immediately took their refpedlive picquets, about twenty men, and marched to mafk the wood. The foldiers in camp were ordered to run to the Knowl, without waiting, and the officer of the picquct was directed to form them as fail as they came up, by twelves, and to forward them under the firft officer or ferjeant who fliould arrive. The whole regiment and the light infantry of the guards were foon on the march j the enemy in the wood retreated, and gaining better intelligence. Colonel Twifleton halted on the verge of it, 'till Major Gwyn, who had beaten back the enemy, returned. The next day it was known that Pulafki had commanded the enemy : a (kir- mi(h had happened the day before, between fmaller parties, and he, fuppofing that a large patrole would be fent out from Philadelphia, obtained the command of a very ftrong one to ambufcade it j but, however able and fpirited he might be, he was foon convinced that his irregulars could not withftand the promptitude and ftrength of the British cavalry. Parties of the Rangers every day went to Frankfort, where the enemy no longer kept a fixed poft, tho' they frequently fent a patrole to ftop the market people. A patrolling party of the Rangers ap- proached undifcovered fo clofe to a rebel centinel, ported upon the bridge, that it would have been eafy to have killed him. A boy, whom he had juft examined, was fent back to inform him of this, and to diredt him immediately to quit his port or that he rtiould be ftiot ; he ran off, and the whole party, on his arrival at the guard, fled with equal precipitation ; nor were there any more cen- tinels placed there : a matter of fome confequence to the poor people of Philadelphia, as they were not prevented from getting their flour ground at Frankfort mills. It was the objedt, to inftil into the men, that their fuperiority lay in clofe fight, and in the ufe of the bayonet, in which the individual courage, and perfonal adtivity that charafterife the Britifh foldier can beft difplay themfelves. The whole corps being together on the C Frankfort [ 'o ] 1 '• I ii li!! til:! ^:i r> i ' t Frankfort road, information was received that Pulafki with his cavalry was approaching j on each fide of the road, for fome difbince, there was wood, and very high rails fenced it from die road ; the march was not interrupted, and the following difpofition was made to attack him. The light infantry in front were loaded, and occupied the whole fpacc of the road ; Captain Stephenfon, who commanded it, was di- rcdled not to fire at one or two men, who might advance, but, either on their firing or turning back, to give notice of his approach, to follow at a brifk and ftcady rate, and to fire only on the main body when he came clofe to them. — The eight battalion companies were formed about thirty feet from the light infantry, in clofe column by companies, their bayonets fixed, and not loaded j they were inftrudted not to heed the enemy's horfcs, but to bayonet the men. The grenadiers and Highland company were in the rear, loaded ; and the directions given to Captain Armftrong were, that the grenadiers (hould crofs the fences on the right, and the Highlanders thofe on the left, and fecurc the flanks ; the men were fo prepared and fo chearful, that if an opportunity of rufhing on Pulafki's cavalry had offered, which by the winding of the road was probable, before they could be put into career, there remains no doubt upon the minds of thofe who were pre- fcnt, but that it would have been a very honourable day for the Rangers. On the 3d of November the news of the furrcnder of General Burgoyne's array was communicated in general orders. It was read to the Rangers on their parade j and amidll the diftrels that fuch an event muft naturally occafion to Engliflimen anij foldicrs, never did Major Simcoe feel himfelf more elevated, or augur better of the officers and men he had the honour to command, than when he came to the rejection of one of the propofed articles, in the following terms : " Sooner than this army will confent to ground their arms * in their encampment, they will rulh on the enemy, determined ■' to take no quarter ;" the whole corps thrilled with animation, and rcfentment againft the enemy, and with fympathy for thtir fellow foldicrs ; [ H ] foldicrs : it would have been the moft favourable moment, had the enemy appeared, to have attacked them. Major Grymes, a Virginia gentleman of loyalty, education, and fortune, who was fecond Major of the Queen's Rangers, at this time refigned his commiflion, to the great regret of Major Simcoc and of the corps, whofe confidence he had won by extricating them from a very difadvantageous fituation, by a decifive and bold exertion at Brandywine : he was fucceeded in duties, with the rank of Captain Commandant, by Lieutenant Rofs of the 35th regiment, with whofe intrepidity, and zeal for the fervice. Major Simcoe was well acquainted. The redoubts in front of Philadelphia being finilhed, the advance picquets were withdrawn and ported in them, that of the Queen's Rangers excepted ; it remained without the redoubt, the' it had fallen back much nearer to it : it was liable to infult, but it would have been difficult to have furprized it. The Knowl was ftill the o«rt-poft, and the general place to which many of the officers of the line rode, in order to laugh at the mounted men and their habili- ments ; but other troops of cavalry were now raifing, and the utility of them, through all the ridicule of bad horfes and want of appointments, became very obvious. On General Wafhington's occupying the camp at Whitemarrti, Sir William Howe thought proper to move towards him, and the army marched accordingly on the 5th of December; the Queen's Rangers were ordered to flank the right of the baggage. The army encamped on Chefnut-Hill and its vicinity ; and the picquet of the Rangers made fires on the road that led to it, fo that the approach of any parties of the enemy could eafily be feen. The army re- mained the next day in the fame pofition. On the 7th, at night. Major Simcoe with the Queen's Rangers, and a party of dragoons under Captain Lord Cathcart, took up the pofition of fome of the troops who had retired ; this port was fomctime afterwards quitted Cz in Y}[\ i-'i [ '2 ] in great lilcncc, and he joined the cohimn that was marching under General Grey. The General marched all night, and on approaching the enemy's out-poft, he formed liis column into three divilions ; the advanced guard of the center confifted of the Heilian Yagers, who marched with their cannon up the road that led through the wood, in which the enemy's light troops were pofted ; the light infantry of the guards advanced upon the right, and the Queen's Rangers on the left ; the enemy were outflanked on each wing, and were turned in attempting to efcapc by the unparellelled fwiftnefs of the light infantry of the guards, and driven acrofs the fire of the Yagers, and the Queen's Rangers. The lofs of the rebels was com- puted at near an hundred, with little or none on the part of the King's troops ; a mounted man of the Queen's Rangers, in the pur- fuit, was killed by a Yager, through miftakc : he wore a helmet that had been taken from a rebel patrole a few days before. General Grey was pleafed to exprefs himfclf highly fatisfied with the order, and rapidity v/ith which the Rangers advanced. The night w«s palled in awood not far from the enemy's camp. The next day Major Simcoe patrolled in the vicinity : he left the infantry of his party at tlie edge of the wood, and approached a houfcj the owner of it, who luppofed that all the Britifh foldiers wore red, was cafily impofed upon to believe him a rebel officer, and a cow-bell being, as pre- concerted, rang in the wood, and an Officer gallopping to Major Simcoe »nd telling him, that the Britiili were marauding and hunting the cattle, the man had no doubt of the matter, and inftantly acquiefced in a propofal to fetch fome more cavalry to feize the Britifh ; he accordingly mounted his horle and gallopped off. The ambufcade was properly laid for whomlbever lie fliould bring, when Captain Andre came with orders to retreat, the column being already in motion ; the infantry were fcarce fent off and the mounted men following, when about thirty of the rebel dragoons appeared in fight and ;iii! i !| [ '3 ] and on the gallop j thsy fired fevcral carbine Ihot, to no jiurpolc. The army returned to Philadelphia. The difafler that happened to the mounted Ranger determined Major Simcoe to provide high caps, which might at onoe diilinguilh them both from the rebel army and their own ; the mounted men were termed Huzzars, were armed with a fword, and fuch piftols as could be bought, or taken from the enemy j Major Simcoc's wifli was to atld a dagger to thefe arms, not only as ufeful in clofe adUon, but to lead the minds of the foMier to expedt that decifive mode of combat. Several good horfes had been taken from the rebels, fo that the Huzzars were now well mounted, pn hardy ferviccable horfes, which bore a very unufual (hare of fatigue. Lieutenant Wickhnm, an officer of quicknefs, and courage, was appointed to command them, and a ferjeant of the i6th regiment of light dragoons attended their parade, to give them regularity in its duties. Several men having deferted. Major Simcoe dire<5ted that the coun- terfign Hiould not be given to the centinels ; they were ordered to (lop any perfons at a diflance, more than one, untill the guard turned out; and in poding of centinels, the rule was, to place tliem to, that, if poflible, . they could fee and not be feen, and in different ports in the night from thofe of the day. Near high-roads, liouble Centinels, without being loaded, were advanced beyond the front of the chain ; thefe were compofed of old foldiers, who, with all others, were fedulouHy inftrufted to challenge very loud. The centinels were relieved every hour. The fubaltern frequently patrolled, as did the captain of the day, and the field officers : the confequencc was, that the Queen's Rangers never gave a fiilfe alarm, or had a Centinel furprized, during the war. It is remarkable, that a man de- ferted at this time, who left all his neccflaries, regimentals excepted : he had lately come from Europe, and, to all appearance, had cnlifted merely to facilitate his joining the rebel army. C3 It > I ;,« n m ■]h i I) 'l^i ! [ '4 J It may be here a proper place to defcribc the country in front of Plii- ladeiphia ; ami the general duties on which the Queen's Rangers were employed, during the winter. The road on the right, and ncareft the Delaware, has been already mentioned by the name of the Frankfort road : from the center of Philadelphia, the rriain road led up the country, and about two miles off, at the Rifmg Sun, it branched into the Old York road on the ri'^ht, and that of the Gcrmantown on the left. The light infantry <3f the guards patrolled up the York-Town rqad, as that of the line did the German-Town ; thofe that ran on the fide of the Skuylkill, were in front of the Yagers, and jjatroUed by them. The Queen's Rangers, by their pofition, were at the greateft diftance from Mr. Walhington's camp, which was now at Valley Forge, beyond the Skuylkill, and as the courfe of the Delaware inclined away from the Skuylkill, the diflance was confiderably increafed ; fo that no detach- ment from his camp could have been made without extreme hazard ; from the York-Town road, therefore, on the left, and the Delaware river on the right. Major Simcoe felt no apprehenfions ; when he paHcd Frankfort creek in front he was to be guided by circumflances. The general diredions he received was to fecure the country, and facilitate the inhabitants bringing in their produce to market. To prevent this intercourfe, the enemy added, to the fevere exer- tions of their civil powers, their militia. The roads, the creeks, and the general inclination of the inhabitants to the Britifh government, and to their own profit, aided the endeavour of the Queen* Rangers. The redoubt on the right had been garrifoned by the ccrps, till, on Major Simcoe's rcprefentation that the duty was too fevere, it was given to the line : within this redoubt the corps fitted up their bar- racks. The 4th of January was the firft day fince their landing at the head of Elk, that any man could be permitted to unaccoutre. There is not an officer in the world who is ignorant, that per- mitting the foldier to plunder, or maraud, muft inevivitably deftroy him; li [ '5 ] him ; that, In a civil war, it muft alienate the large body of people*, who, IT fuch aco fcft, aredelirous of neutrality, and four their minds into dillatisfadion : but, however obvious the necellity may be, there is nothing more difficult than for a commander in chief to prevent marauding. The numerous orders that arc extant in King Charles' and the Parliament's army, prove it in thofe dreadful times ; and the Duke of Argyle, in his defcription of the Dutch auxiliaries, in the year 171 5, who, he fays, " were mighty apt to mirtake friend for foe," exemplifies the additional difficulty where foreign troops arc combined with natives. No officer could pofllbly feel the attention that was ne- certary to this duty more rtrongly than Major Simcoe, and he thought himfelf warranted to declare, when a general order was given out to en- force it, ** that, it is with the utmofl fatisfidion Major Simcoe believes '* there would have been no neceffity for the general orders of this •' day, had every corps of the army been as regular, in rcfpcdl to ** their abftaining from plunder and marauding, as the Rangers. He " trufts, that fo truly a military behaviour will be continued; and *• that the officer and foldier of the corps, will confidcr it as ho- «• norable to him as the moft diftinguirtied bravery." Major Simcoo took care to prevent the poffibility of plunder, as mucli as lay in his power : he never halted, if he could avoid it, but in a wood ; fent lafcguarils to every houfe ; allowed no man, in marching, to quit his ranks i and was, in general, fuccefsful in infilling into the minds of the men, that while they proteded the country, the inhabitants would give every information of the enemy's movements, and ambufcades. The officers were vigilant in their attention to this duty, and the foldiers had admirable examples of difcipline and good order, from the native loyaUfts of the corps, who were moftly non-commiffioned officers. On the contrary, the rebel patroles, who came to rtop the markets, were confidered by the conn y people as robbers j and pri- vate fignals were every where eftabli/1. '. by which the fmalleft party of the Rangers would have been lafe in the patrolling the country. The general 1)1 \'-i M [ i6 ] 11 "4 'i, N V, general mode that Major Simcoe adopted was, to keep perfedly fccret the hour, the road, and the manner of his march ; to penetrate, in one body, about ten miles into the country. This body generally marched in three divilions, one hundred yards from each other, fo that it would have required a large force to have embraced the whole in an ambufcade, and either divifion, being upon the flank, it would have been hazardous for an enemy fo inferior in every refpedl, but numbers, as the rebels were, to have encountered it; at ten or twelve miles the corps divided, and ambufcaded different roads ; and at the appointed time rcttirned home. There was not a bye path or Ford unknown, and the Muzzars would generally patrole fome miles in front of the infantry. The market people, who over-night would get into the woods, came out on the appearance of the corps, and proceeded uninterruptedly, and from market they had an efcort, whenever it was prefumed that the enemy was on the Philadelphia fide of Frankfort to intercept them on their return into the woods. The infantry, however inclement the weather, feldom marched lefs than ninety miles a week ; the flank companies, Highlanders, and Iluzzars, frequently more: thefe marches were, by many people, deemed adventurous, and the deflruftion of the corps was frequently prophefied. The detail that has been exhibited, and experience, takes away all appearance of improper temerity ; and, by thefe patroles, the corps was formed to that tolerance of fatigue, and marching, which excelled that of the chofcn light troops of the army, as will hereafter be fliewn. Thefe matters have been dwelt upon, not only as they exhibit what is conceived to have been the drilling of the Queen's Rangers for more important fervices, but, as it proves that the protedion of Phi- ladelphia and the opening a way to its markets, were provided for by Sir William Howe, and that his orders were fyftematically and induftrioufly obeyed. The 1 .; \ t .1 ■ ' j , \ t 1 ■ ii; i i J> •i [ 17 ] The Huzzars, by this time, were encreafed to thirty, mounted on fuch horfes as they had taken from the enemy ; and Hnlign Proftor was added to them. Tlie country in front of Philadelphia was fo- raged, and the Queen's Rangers formed the advance guard of the parties which made it ; but it was with great reludlance that Major Simcoc faw Point-no-Point included in the general forage, as he had taken particular care to preferve it from plunder : it is impoflible to proted any country from the depredations of foraging parties. The cloath- ing of the Provincials was ferved by contract ; the duties of the Queen's Rangers would have worn out much better -, they were obliged, by the inclemency of the weather, to wear the new ones, without altering. It being determined, for the next year, to cloatli the Provincials in red. Major Simcoe exerted himfelf to preferve the Rangers in green, and to procure for them green waiftcoats : his purpofe was to wear the wairtcoats with their fleeves during the campaign, and to add fleeves to the (l\ell, or outer coat, to be worn over the waiftcoats in winter: green is without comparilbn the bed color for light troops wit}\ dnrk accoutrements; and if put on in the fpring, by autumn it nearly fades with the leaves, preflrving its charadlerillic of bcini; fcarcely difcernablc at a diftance. At the end of February, General Wayne having been detached from Wafliington's army to colleft fuch cattle as were in the lower Jcrfics, Sir William Howe lent Lieutenant -Colonel Abcrcrombie down the Delaware, to land and attack him, while Colonel Stirling with the 42d regiment and the Queen's Rangers, crolfcd that river op- pofite to Philadelphia, and marched to Haddoiificld, to intercept him ; at the fame time, a detachment under Colonel Markham pafl'ed over, .ind took port at Cooper's ferry, to collc- \\\(\\ fome few militia as prifoners, who, from their j^recii tloathiiiL;, iiud miftaken the Rangers for what they attempted to appear — Wayne's rear guard. At midnight. Colonel Stirling fent for Major Simcoe, who found at his quarters one of thofc Refugees to whom the boats had been intruded : he related, that during tl'.eir progrefs down the creek, they had been attacked by the militia of the country, and that amidil the confufion he got a(hore, and efcaped. Major Simcoe was directed to march as early as pofliblc, and to quell any of the militia who might be there, and to give an opportunity for the Refugees, who moft probably had concealed themfelves in the marlhes, to cf- cape. Before day-break Major Simcoe furrounded the houfe of Tew, a militia lieutenant, with the Iluzzars, and in perfect fecrccy and filence lay there untill the arrival of the infantry : Tew was fuppofed to have headed fome of his neighbours in arms, as it was well known there was no body of men in the country, and only a few in- habitants who could pollibly be collefted. Captain Saunders, with the cavalry and fome infantry, was fent further down the creek, to pro- cure information. There was nobody in Tew's houfe but his wife, and other females ; fhe was informed, that if her hufband, as was fuppofed, appeared to be at the head of the party, who, contrary to common prudence and the rules of war, had fired upon the boats the preceding night, his houfe ihoiild be burnt, as an example to deter others ; at the fame time flie might have alliftance to remove her furniture, and to lave it in an outhoufs,-, for which purpofe fome Re- fugees, her former neighbours, offered to allill her; and preparations were accordingly making, when Captain Saunders returned with certain information, that a predatory party from the ihippingat Philadelphia, imagining themfelves fccure from the troops being at Haddonfield, had rowed up the creek, and meeting the Refugees, they fired D 2 upon II ii n I W H w i If;'!- [ 20 ] Upon each other, but the miftake being loon dilcovered, they returned together to the Delaware. Tew's houfe, of courle, remained uninjured, and the troops marched back to Haddonfield, and early the next morn- ing made an cxcurfion on the road to Egg-harbour, to get what cattle and rum (of which there was intelligence) might be found on it. The advanced part of the corps, and the Iluzzars, marched about twenty miles from Haddonfield ; a few hogfhcads of rum and fome cattle were procured, and fomc tobacco deftroyed. On the return, and about two miles from Haddonfield, Major Simcoe was obferving to fomc officers a peculiar ftrong ground, when, looking back, he liivv a houfc that he had pafied in flames j it was too far gone for all his endeavours to fave it ; he was exceedingly hurt at the circumftancc, but neither threats of punifhment, nor offers of reward, could induce a difcovcry : this was the only inAance of a diforder of this nature that ever happened under his command, and he afterwards knew it tvas not perpetrated by any of the Queen's Rangers. At night, a man arrived at the outpod, fumilhed with fuch credentials as made it proper to believe his information : his account was, that Wayne Avas on his march from mount Holly, to attack the troops at Had- donfield, and that he intended to make a circuit to fall in upon the ) tght ; the man was immediately forwarded to Colonel Stirling ; and Major Simcoe remarked to Captain Saunders, his confidential friend, " that probably Colonel Stirling would fend for him, and, ii any " room Should be left for confultation, his advice would be, that the " whole corps fhould move forward and ambufcade Wayne's march " on the ftrong ground which Major Simcoe had remarked a few " hours before ; that every inhabitant of the town fhould be fecured, " and the Huzzars left to take pofl at the direct roads ; that, upon " information being forwarded to Sir William Howe, Colonel Mark- *• ham would probably be fent to Haddonfield, and pofTibly a ftrong *• corps embarked, and pafTed up the Delaware, above Wayne." Major Simcoe accordingly was fent for, but it was to receive direc- tions l-\'n, . [ 21 ] tions for an immediate retreat : Colonel Stirling underftandin^; that the force under Wayne had been fo confidcrably augmented, tliat it would be imprudent to remain at Haddonfield ; his bufincfs there being compleated, and his intentions, otherwife, being to return the next morning; the rum was ftaved, and the whole detachment pre- pared to march immediately. In confideration of the fatigue of the Queen's Rangers, and that there was no probability of any adion. Major Simcoc folicitcd to lead the march. In the mean time, Ibine of the enemy fired upon the advanced pofts of the Rangers, and made great noife to draw their attention that way : this was a frequent mode of the rebels ; it might have been proper at the moment of attack, but anticipating it for fome hours, in general it gave a know- ledge of their defigns, and encreafed a jufl and military contempt for this mode of condudjing them. The night was uncommonly fcverc, and a cold fleet fell the whole way from Haddonfield to Cooper's ferry, where the troops arrived late, and the ground being occupied by barns and forage, they were neceilltated to pafs the coldeft night that they ever felt, without fire. As dawn arrived, the weather cleared up ; about three miles and half from Cooper's ferr)', and half a mile within the dirc<5l road to Haddonfield, there was fome fomgc remain- ing } fifty of the 42d and Rangers, under the command of Captain Kerr, were fent as an efcort to the waggons that went for it. Lieu- tenant Wickham, with ten Huzzars, was diredlcd by Colonel Stirling to patrole in his front towards Haddonfield. A few miles ofl^. Lieu- tenant Wickham met the enemy j he fent information to Captain Kerr, and to Colonel Stirling, and, with fix Huzzars, attended their front. As the road led through thick woods, the enemy were appre- henfivcof ambufcades, and were intimidated by Lieutenant Wickham's frequently calling out, as to the infantry, " to halt, not to march fo " faft," &c. &c. fo that the enemy's cavalry, though more than two hundred, did not rufli on him. He gave time to Captain Kerr to re- treat, then joined and returned to camp with him, ulhcring the enemy to I ml r h I ■'I I' ! i I t r!i , iil !!'' I » ■!„ [ 22 1 to tiic very cjut-pofl. The line was formed; the 42cl regiment on the ri^;ht, Colonel Markham's detachment in the center, and the Q^ieen's Rangers on the left. Tlic embarkation ftill proceeded ; the horfes were now fent off", and, as the enemy did not advance. Colonel Mark- ham's detachment f )llo\ved them. It was fcarce half way over the Del.uvare, when the picquets were attacked. The enemy were pro- bably induced to attack earlier than they intended, by a barn having been accidentally fet on fire, and which it was reafonablc for them to fuppofe mi^ht have been done by fome lurking perfon, after the troops in general had embarked. Upon the appearance of the enemy, the 42d regiment marched forward in line, and orders were lent to the Queen's Rangers to advance, which it did, in column, by companies; Cooper's crock fccurcd its left Hank ; the artillery horfes of the three pounders being embarked, the feamen, with their accullomed alacrity, offered to draw on the cannon j the artillery followed the light infantry com- pany, and preceded the battalion. Some of the enemy appearing on the oppofite bank of the Cooper creek, Captain Armflrong, with the grenadiers, was directed to march and line a dyke on this fide : an ad- vantage the enemy had not ; and to keep off any ftragglers who might be ported there. A heavy fire was kept up on the right, by the 42di there was nothing oppofcd to the Rangers but fome cavalry, watching their motions, and as Major Simcoe advanced rapidly to gain an eminence in front, which he conceived to be a ftrong advantageous pofition, they fled into the wood, an officer excepted, who, reining back his horle, and fronting the Rangers as they advanced, flowly waved with his fcimetar fur his attendants to retire; the light infan- try being within fifty yards of him, he was called out to, " You are " a brave fellow, but you mull: go away," to which not paying fo much attention as he ought, M'Gill, afterwards quarter mafter, was direded to fire at him, on which he retired into the woods. A few llraggling (hot were fired in the front ; the light infantry company sv.is detached there, and fupported by the Highlanders, who foon cleared ,r(:; 1 ! |r!|:i [ ] cleared the front ; the battalion halted on the advantageous ground it had moved towards, and, at the entreaties of tiie failors, a few can- non Hiot were fired at a party of the enemy, v. ho were near the brid jc over Cooper Creek, 'till perceiving they were bufv in dcrtroying il, they were no longer interrupted : the firing totally ccafi;d, and the enemy retreated. Some. few of the Rangers were wounded, aniong whom, Serjeant M'Pherfon of the grenadiers died ; in cvliv rcf[ e*ll he was much to be lamented. The pcrfon whom M'Gill hrcd ;.f, proved to be Pulafkij his horfe was wounded; and liad not the Hu/i- zars been fent over the Delaware previous to the attack, he \\ould have been taken, or killed. The embarkation took place without any interruption ; :.nd on the 2d of March the Queen's Rangers returned to their old quarters, and former duties. Colonel Stirling made the mofl; handfome and favorable report of the behaviour of the corps, to Sir William Howe. • An expedition was formed under the command of the late Colonel Mawhood, confifting of the 27th and 46th regiments, the Qiteen's Rangers, and New Jerfey Volunteers ; they embarked tne 12th of March, and fell down the Delaware. On the 17th, the Queen's Rangers landed, at three o'clock in the morning, about lix miles from Salem, the Huzzars carrying their accoutrements and fwords. Major Simcoe was direfted to I'eize horfes, to mount the cavalry, and the ftaff, and to join Colonel Mawhood at Salem ; this was accord- ingly executed. Major Simcoe, making a circuit and palling over Lambllone's bridge, arrived at Salem, near v.hich Coloiiel Mawhood lajided. Th Huzzars were tolerably well mounted, and fufiicient horfes procured for the other exigencies of the fervicc : Colonel Mawhood had given the rtrideft charge againll plundering ; and Major Simcoe, in taking the horfes, had affured the inhabitants that tliey iliould be returned, or paid for, if they did not appear in arms, in a very few days ; and, none but officers entering the houfcs, they received no other injury. The Queen's Rangers' infiintry [ 24 ] I: i'' i 1" I ■|(. 'I I f' I'" iiifiintry were about two hundred and fevcnty, rank and file, and thirty cavalry ; Colonel Mawhood gave diredions for the forage to take place on the 1 8 th. The town of Salcn*. lies upon a creek of that name which falls into the Delaware nearly oppofite Reedy ifland ; the Aloes, or Alewas creek, runs almoft parallel to the Salem creek, and falls into the Delaware to the fouthward of it ; over this creek there were three bridges : Hancock's was the lower one, Quintin's that in the center, and Thompfon's the upper one ; between thefe creeks the foraging was to commence ; the neck, or peninfula, formed by them was at its greateft diftance fcvcn, and at its leaft four miles wide. The rebel militia was ported at Hancock's and Quintin's, the neareft bridges, which they had taken up, and defended by breaft- works. Colonel Mawhood made detachments to maflc thefe bridges ; and foraged in their rear : the officer who commanded the detachment, confifting of fcventy of the 17th infantry, at Quintin's bridge, fent information that the enemy were aflembled in great numbers at the bridge, and indicated as if they meant to pafs over whenever he fhould quit it, in which cafe his party would be'in great danger. Colonel Mawhood marched with the Queen's Rangers to his affiftance : he made a circuit, fo as to fall in upon the road that led from Thompfon's to Quintin bridge, to deceive any patrole which he might meet on his march, and to make them believe that he direfted it to Thomp- fon's, net Quintin's bridge. Approaching the bridge, the Ranr-irs halted in the wood, and Colonel Mawhood and Major Simcoe went to the party of the 17th, but in fuch a manner as to give no fufpicion that they were part of a reinforcement ; the ground was high, till within two hundred yards of the bridge, where it became marihy ; iinmediatcly beyond the bridge, the banks were ftcep, and on them the enemy had thrown up breaft- works ; there was a pxiblic houfe very near the road, at the edge of its declivity into the marfh, on the Salem fide. Colonel Mawhood allied Major Simcoe, " whether he " thought, if he left a party in the houfe, the enemy would pal>< by • h. IN I [ 25 ] ** by it or not ?" who replied, " that hs thought they would bo " too cowardly to do it ; but at any rate the attempt could ilo no " harm, and, if he pleafed, he would try." Colonel Mawliood directed Major Simcoe to do fo, who accordingly profiting by the broken ground of the orchard which was behind it, and the cloathing of his men, brought Captain Stephenfon and his ccinpanv into the houfe, undifcovered : the front windows were opened, mil the back ones were fliut, fo that no thorough light could be fecn ; the women of the houfe were put in the cellar and ordered to be filent; the door was left open, and Lieutenant M'Kay flood behind it, with a bayonet, ready to fcize the firft perfon whofe curiofity might prompt him to enter; the Queen's Rangers were brought into the wood near to that part where it ended in clear ground, and two companies, under Captain Saunders, were advanced to the fences at the very edge of it, where they lay flat. Colonel Mawhood then gave orders for the detachment of the 17th, \\ho were ported near the houfe, to call in their ccntinels and retreat up the road in full view of the enemy. This party had fcarcely moved, when the enemy laid the bridge and palled it ; a detach- ment of them went immediately acrofs the marHi to the heights on the left, but the principal party, about two hundred, in two divifions, proceeded up the road ; Captain Stephenfon, as they ap- proached the houfe, could hear them fiy, " let us go into the " houfe," &c. but they were prevented, both by v/ords and by ac- tion, by the officer who was at their head : he was on horfcb.ick, a;ul fpurring forward, quitted the road to go into the ficl.l, on the ri^lit, thro' a vacancy made by the rails being taken for fires ; his jvariy ftill proceeded up the road, and the firrt divifion pafied t!ie houfe : the officer, his fight ftill fixed on the red cloaths of the 17th, ap- proached clofe up to the fence where Captain Saunders lay ; Ik diii not immediately obferve the Rangers, and, it is probable, he n.ii;lit not, had he not heard one of the men ftiflin"; a lauuh : luokinT licA-. n E lie- 11 1 ■■>■' w f" '"^ '1 ' '^ [ 26 ] :| 111 li It^ he r.iw them, and galloppcd off; he was fired at, wounded, and taken. The divilion that had parted the houfe attempted to return : Captain Stephenfon HdUed, drove them acrofs the fields. Captain Saunders purfued them ; the Iluzzars were let loofe and afterwards the battaUon, Colonel Mawhood leading them ; Major Simcoe diredcd the 17th back to the houfe, with the grenadiers, and Highlanders of the Rangers, ready to force the bridge, if ordered ; the enemy, for a moment, quitted it. Colonel Mawhood thouj^ht it ufelefs to pafs it. Some of the divifion, who palTed the houfe, were taken prifoners, but the greater part were drowned in the Aloes creek. The officer, who was taken, proved to be a French- man. The Rangers had one Huzzar mortally wounded j and what was unfortunate, he was wounded by a man, whom in the eager- nefs of the purfuit he had pafled, given quarters to, and not dif- armed : the villain, or coward, was killed by another Huzzar. The corps returned to Salem. The rebels ftill occupying the ports at Quintin and Hancock's bridge, and probably accumulating, Colonel Mawhood determined to attack them at the latter, v ht;re, from all reports, they were aflembled to near four hundred men. He entrurted the enterprizc to Major Simcoe, and went with him and a patrole oppofite to the place : the Major afcended a tree and made a rough iketch of the buildings, which by converfing with the guides, he improved into a tolerable plan of the place, and formed his mode of attack accordingly. He embarked on the 20th, at night, on board the flat boats ; he was to be landed at an inlet, feven miles below Aloes creek, when the boats were immediately to be returned, and by a private road he was to reach Hancock's bridge, oppofite to which. Major iMitchell was detached with the 27th regiment, to co-operate with him. Major Simcoe forefaw the difficulties, and dangers, but he kept them to himfelf : every thing depended upon furprize. The enemy were nearly double his numbers; and his retreat, by the Bl li ! Ir :i' 1 [ 27 ] abfolute orders to fend back the boats, was cut off j but he had juft confidence in the filcnce, attention, and fpirit of the corps. By fomc ftrange error in the naval deparment, when the boats arrived off Aloes creek, the tide fet fo ftrong againft them, that, in the opinion of the officer of the navy, they could not reach the place of their deftination 'till mid-day. Major Simcoe determined not to return, but to land on the marches, at the mouth of the Aloes creek ; there were good guides with him : they found out a landing place, and after a march of two miles thro' marfties, up to the knees in mud and water ; la- bours rendered more fatiguing by the carriage of the firft wooden planks they met with, to form bridges with them over the ditches, they at length arrived at a wood upon dry land. Here the corps was formed for the attack. There was no public road which led to Hancock's bridge, but that which the Rangers were now in poffeffion of i a bank, on which there was a footway, led from Hancock's to Quintin's bridge. Hancock's houfe was a large brick houfe ; there were many ftore-houfes round it, and fome few cottages. Captain Saunders was detached to ambufcade the dyke that led to Quintin's bridge, about half a mile from the quarters, and to take up a fmall bridge which was upon it, as the enemy would, probably, fly that way, and if not purfucd too clofely, would be more eafily defeated. Captain Dunlop was detached to the rear of Hancock's houfe j in which it was prefumed the rebel officers quartered \ direded to force it, occupy and barricade it, as it commanded the paffage of the bridge. Different detachments were allotted to the houfes fuppofed to be the enemy's quarters, which ha\ ing maftered, they were ordered to af- femble at Hancock's ; a party was appropriated to relay the bridge. On approaching the place, two centries were difcovered : two men of the light infantry followed them, and, as they turned about, bayoneted them ; the companies ruHied in, and each, with proper guides, forced the quarters allotted to it. No refiftance being made, the light infantry, who were in refcrve, reached Hancock's houfe by E 2 tllfi t !'j [ 28 ] the road, and forced the front door, at the Tunc time that Captain DiKilop, by a more dilllcult way, entered the back door; as it was very dark, thefe companies had nearly attacked each other. The lurprile was compleat, and would have been fo, had the whole of the enemy's force been prcfcnt, but, fortunately for them, they had quitted it the evening before, leaving a detachment of twenty or thirty men, all of wliom were killed. Some vci-y unfortunate circumtlances happened here. Among the killed was a friend of Government, then a pri- fontr with tlie rebels, old Hancock, the owner of the houfe, and his brother : Major Simcoe had made particular enquiry, and was in- formed that he did not live at home, fince the rebels had occupied the bridge. The information was partly true ; he was not there in the day-time, but unfortunately returned home at night : events like thefe arc the real miferies of war. The roads which led to the country were immediately ambufcaded ; and Lieutenant Whitlock was dcMched to furprize a patrole of fcven men who had been fent down the creek : this he cftetflcd completely. On their refufal to furrcnder, he fired on them, only one cfcaped. This firing gave the firll notice of the fuccefs of the enterprifc to the 27th regiment ; with fo much filence it had hitherto been condudcd. The bridge was now laid ; and Major Simcoe communicated to Colonel Mitchell, that the enemy were at Quintin's bridge ; that he had good guides to condad: them thither by a private road, and that the poflertion of Hancock's houfe fecured a retreat. Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell faid, that his regiment was much fatigued by the cold, and that he would return to Salem as foon as the troops joined. The am- bufcadcs were of courfe withdrawn, and the Queen's Rangers were forming to pafs the bridge, when a rebel patrole pafied where an ambufcade had been, and difcovering the corps, gallopped back. I.icutciuint-Coloncl Mitchell, finding his men in high fpirits, had roturnod, purpofing to march to Quintin's bridge : hut being in- formed of the enemy's patrole, it was thought bcfl: to return. Colonel ini ^.Ctipt . iiunl«fi t/t^tHrA*if to lAr rrar of't/ieiift. ¥ . Capf.Stiii/ntfrs to aniiu^^idf t/ir Uikr ... iK^^r.l A' titice 1^ ii» BnU^e^ Vt.L'.tUAfHiAfJlkthr ij'^Rfff! i 'i J 'I ^1 iff la i^ \ . Ifiimvi'Av Htuijff. I }L.Capl.Duni«p dttatt/itd to tAr rrur t>f' t/itiK't. 11. liri'Ji/e />nirti i/i'Hn 1 V.(apf.Saiind*rs fo an»iu*(tuif thr DiAr V .Miiri'A I'/'fAf (hiren'.' Rim ; :'!. [ 44 ] the I ft of July, Licutcnant-Coloncl Simcoc refumed lils commanil, and marched, to efcort Sir William Krlkine to Sandy-Hook. The army remained in this vicinity 'till the 5th, when it marched toSandy-Hook alfo : this peninfula had been made an illand by the ftorms of the pre- ceding winter ; a bridge of boats was thrown acrofs the channel, over which the army palled, the Queen's Rangers excepted, who, forming the rear guard, embarked in boats from the Jerfey fide, as foon as the bridge was broken up. It is remarkable, and what few other corps in the army could lay, tliat in this march the Queen's Rangers loft no men, by dcfcrtion. They landed at New-York, marched up to Morris's houfc, and encamped there. Foon after, the troops returned from Philadelphia, it appearing probable to Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe, that America would be quitted by the IJritiih forces, and the war carried on in the Weft- Indies ; he applied to Colonel Drummond, (then aid-du-camp,) to» make the requeft from him to Sir Heniy Clinton, that lie might be permitted, with his corps, and other Loyalifts, to join the Indians and troops under Colonel Butler, who had juft been heard of on the upper parts of the Delaware. The Commander in Chief's anfwer to him was, " that he much applauded his fpirit, but that " he would find fufficient employment for him with his army." He had digefted the detail of his rout ; his mode of fubfiftence, and operations : the idea he entertained, of what fuch a jundion might Iiave led to, was, and is ftill, unbounded. Lieutenant- Colonel Simcoe was ill in New- York, and did not join 'till the 14th, during this period, nothing material happened. On the 15th, the Queen's Rangers, and Emerick's corps, encamped outfide Kingft)ridge ; the three Provincial troops of Hovenden, James, and Sandford, alfo joined the Queen's Rangers : an Amuzette, and three artillery men, were now added to the three pounder attached to the regiment. The port was of great extent, liable to infult, and re- quired many centinels : it was ftrengthened as much as poflible j and. 'ii m [ '^5 ] and, in all matters of labour, the Ibldiers worked with the grcatcfl energy, under the infpedion of their officers, and were eafily made to comprehend, not only the general fecurity, but the benefit which they, individually, received from their works, by its operating to leflen their duties ; of courfe, they were taught that tlie work fhould not be flighted. Mr. Wartiington's army encamping at the White Plains, the Yagers, and Queen's Rangers, had full employment. Lieutenant- Colonel Simcoe was ever averfe to patroles, except, as in the cafe at Philadelphia, where they ferved to cover a well-affedted country, and were made fyftematically, and in force ; or to afccrtain fome precile objedl : circumftanced as the armies now were, they appeared to him to be particularly dangerous, and totally ufelefs. The inclinatioii-s of the Americans, tho' averfe from tadical arrangement, had always been turned to patrolling, in their antiquated dialed:, fcouting : the Indians, their original enemies, and the nature of their country, had familiarized them to this fpccies of warfare, and they were, in general, excellent markfmen. There was nothing, either in the American generals or their troops, that could warrant a belief, that they would make a ferious attempt upon Kingfbridgc ; added to the ftrong works within the ifland, the eminences in front of it were covered witli a chain of redoubts within a diflance from each other, barely more than neceflary to fecurc the flanks of a battalion; and indeed, for the purpofc of protedting a weak army, they had been originally con- ftruded ; half a mile in front of thefe redoubts, lay the light troops, to fecurc them from furprize, fo that it was manifeft any general move of Mr. Wafliington's army could not take place for fo fmall an objed, as that of beating up the huts of a light corps. Wafliington's advance corps lay on the heights, near Tuckahoe, under the command of General Scott, to the amount of two thoufand men, whofe light troops occu- pied a line from Phillip's creek, on tiie north, to new Rochelle, on the Eafl: river. Small patroles frequently came to William's bridge, on the Brunx, and fometimes, General Scott came, in force, to Valentine's m m ■• ^ [ 46 ] \m. t.',if: ( -fl Valentine's hill. The country between was irregular, intcrfedlcd with woods, and fo broken and covered with ftone walls, as to be moft liable to ambufcades : the inhabitants were, by no means, to be trufted, and, in general, fo harrafled by their country being the feat of war, that it was not reafonable to place any confidence in them j on the other hand, the Queen's Rangers had many of the natives of the country among them, and Lieutenant-Colonel Emcrick's corps was, in a great meafure, compofed of them. Lieutenant- Colonel Simcce made a few patroles, in force, merely to inform himfelf of the fituation of the country ; but he fpared no pains to acquire an account of what ports the enemy occupied, at night,* his determination being to attack them, whenever he faw a fit opportunity. Generals Clinton and Morgan, with a corps of fifteen hundred men, covered the forage of the country, on the fide of the enemy. Colonel Wurmb, and Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe, upon intelligence, had agreed to meet on Valentine's hill, one morning, in force, and, accordingly, Lieutenant-Colonel Simcoe, with his Huzzars, was upon the hill, waiting for him; the infantry, and Provincial cavalry, were left in the plain, under the command of Captain Rofs ; the light infantry and Highland companies being ambufcaded in an orchard, at the place where the roads fork to Hunt's bridge, and Valentine's hill. Colonel Wurmb, finding the enemy in force at Phillips's, did not chufc to move to Valentine's hill, and fent the Vagcr cavalry to give the Rangers the neceflary information. At the fame time the enemy appeared advancing to Valentine's hill. As Lieutenant- Colonel Simcoe was quitting it, to return to his corps. Lieutenant M'Nab, of the Huzzars, who had been fent with a patrole beyond the Brunx, confirmed the intelligence which He had been furniflied with the night before, that a ftrong body, with cannon, was approaching to Hunt's bridge, on the oppofite fide of the Brunx : this bricTge was commanded by the heights on the fide of Kingfbridge, which had been fortified by I [ 47 ] by the rebels in 1776; their works were not dcmolilbcd. In th.ir rear was a v ood ; it had been deligncd to conceal the R,ui:.','.rs ; and, while the Yagers and cavalry ftiould have engaged with any corps who might patrole to Valentine's hill, it was thougiit probable, that the enemy on the oppofite fide of the Brunx would pa