this unit had suffered
poorly at the hands of
Maj. Robert Rogers, for-
mer hero of the French
and Indian War, who was
now incapacitated by al-
coholism. Simcoe no
sooner assumed control
than he set about retrain-
ing his men into the most
proficient light infantry
force of the war. In time
they amassed a battle
record that was truly im-
pressive.
At its peak, the Queen’s
Rangers consisted of 11
companies of 30 men
each, including a high-
lander company, a gren-
adier company, and two
troops of hussars (light
cavalry). Simcoe insti-
tuted a system of march-
ing and field discipline
that, while strict, respected the intelligence of
individual soldiers and encouraged initiative.
Movement was always executed in quick time
and in complete silence, and plundering was
strictly forbidden. Great emphasis was also
placed upon scouting, shooting, and bayonet
drill. By the time the Queen’s Rangers were
redeployed under Simcoe in the spring of
1778, they were virtually a new unit. The
Americans learned at great cost how effective
they had become.
Commencing in March 1778, Simcoe began
ambushing and mauling a series of militia de-
tachments throughout Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. In May he accompanied Gen. James
Grant’s botched attempt to snare the Marquis
de Lafayette at Barren Hill but subsequently
performed useful service covering Gen.
Henry Clinton’s overland march from
Philadelphia to New York. From there, Sim-
coe engaged in a constant and generally suc-
cessful war of outposts around Staten Island,
New Jersey, and the New York highlands.
Clinton was so pleased
by Simcoe’s performance
that he promoted him to
lieutenant colonel as of
June 1778. The following
year the Queen’s Rangers
distinguished themselves
again during actions at
Stony Point and Ver-
planck’s Point along the
Hudson River. Conse-
quently, the unit was hon-
ored by being officially
renamed the First Ameri-
can Regiment. However,
while returning from a
successful raid in New
Jersey, Simcoe was him-
self ambushed and taken
prisoner on October 17,- After a brief intern-
ment, he was exchanged
two months later and re-
joined the Rangers back
in New York.
In the spring of 1780, Simcoe shipped south
with Lord Francis Rawdon-Hastingsto join
General Clinton during his successful siege of
Charleston, South Carolina. He presided over
several successful skirmishes and worked
closely with two other talented partisan com-
manders, Patrick Fergusonand the soon-to-
be-infamous Banastre Tarleton. Following
the surrender of Gen. Benjamin Lincoln’s army
in May, the Queen’s Rangers returned to New
York with Clinton. There they accompanied
Gen. Wilhelm von Knyphausenduring his
successful raids against Connecticut Farms
and Springfield, New Jersey. After several
more months of successful skirmishing, Sim-
coe was assigned to the staff of Gen. Benedict
Arnold, who had recently defected. This
arrangement arose through the none-too-sub-
tle expedient that the British did not exactly
trust the American traitor, and Simcoe was as-
signed to watch him closely. As events proved,
the two men—both talented military leaders—
worked together well.
SIMCOE, JOHNGRAVES
John Graves Simcoe
National Archives of Canada