Dutch army. In 1747, he
served in Drumlanrig’s
Scots-Dutch regiment dur-
ing the siege of Bergen-op-
zoom and was wounded.
Fraser then transferred to
the British service in 1755
as a lieutenant in the fa-
mous 60th Regiment of
Foot. The following year
he served with the 78th
Highlanders as a captain-
lieutenant and in 1758 was
present at the capture of
Louisbourg. As a captain,
Fraser next accompanied
the expedition of Gen.
James Wolfe against Que-
bec in 1759, where he gar-
nered additional laurels.
Service in North America,
however, convinced him
of the need for effective
skirmishing, screening,
and outpost work, and
thereafter he functioned as a light infantry
specialist. In 1760, Fraser campaigned in Ger-
many, where he gained an appointment as
an aide-de-camp to Prince Ferdinand of
Brunswick. He then assumed command of a
body of light infantry, consisting of volunteers
from line regiments, which was informally
christened “Fraser’s Chasseurs.” He demon-
strated his tactical mastery of light infantry
on several occasions, and at Wezen on No-
vember 9, 1761, Fraser drove off 400 French
infantry with only 50 handpicked troops. In
1763, he was elevated to major of the 24th
Regiment and, five years later, rose to become
their lieutenant colonel. In recognition of his
fine services, Fraser became an aide-de-camp
to Jeffrey Townshend, Lord Lieutenant of Ire-
land, and in 1770 he took on additional re-
sponsibilities as Irish quartermaster general.
Fraser also drilled his 24th in the maneuvers
established by Gen. William Howe, thereby
becoming one of few regular British outfits
capable of light infantry tactics.
In April 1776, Fraser
commanded five regi-
ments that were shipped
from Ireland to fight in
the American Revolution.
He arrived at Quebec that
May and joined the garri-
son under Gen. Guy
Carleton, then besieged
by American troops. Once
reinforced, the British
drove off their assailants
and pursued them out of
Canada. On June 7, 1776,
Fraser’s 2,000 men were
attacked by a like num-
ber of Americans under
Gen. John Sullivan and
Anthony Wayne at Trois
Rivieres. Following stiff
fighting and some adroit
maneuvering, he defeated
the enemy and drove
them into the woods.
Carleton then elevated
Fraser to temporary brigadier general and ap-
pointed him commander of the Advanced
Corps. This consisted of his own 24th Regi-
ment along with light and grenadier compa-
nies of other regiments pooled to form a sepa-
rate battalion. By October the British had
pursued the fleeing Americans down the Lake
Champlain corridor as far as Chimney Point.
At this point Carleton, wary of the onset of
winter and ill-prepared for a siege of Fort
Ticonderoga, fell back to Canada. For the
next several months, Fraser commenced
drilling various troops in the skirmishing and
woodland tactics essential for warfare in
North America. Under his tutelage they be-
came as adept as their rebel counterparts.
In the spring of 1777, ambitious plans were
afoot in Canada. Gen. John Burgoynehad
arrived intent on leading 8,000 men into New
York for the purpose of capturing the state
capital at Albany. Such a blow would effec-
tively isolate New England from the rest of
the country and, he anticipated, end the war.FRASER, SIMON
Simon Fraser
New York Historical Society