British Light Infantryman

of the Seven Years' War

North America 175 7-63
LIEUTENANT COLONEL IAN M
McCULLOCH is a military
historian and former Deputy
Director of History & Heritage
for the Canadian Forces,
currently serving at NATO
Allied Command HQ i n
Norfolk, Virginia. He has been
published in numerous
international journals and
magazines and Is finishing
a book entitled "Sons of the
Mountains chronicling the
service of the three Highland
regiments that fought In North
America during the Seven
Years' War.
TIM J TODISH Is a native
of Grand Rapids, Michigan,
and a graduate of Michigan
State University. A retired
police officer with over 27
years service, he now works
as a historical writer and
consultant. His published
works Include America's
FIRST First World War.
The French and Indian War,
The Annotated and
Illustrated Journals of Major
Robert Rogers, and
Alamo Sourcebook 1836:
A Comprehensive Guide
to the Alamo and the Texas
Revolution.
STEVE NOON was born In
Kent, UK, and attended art
college In Cornwall. He has
had a lifelong passion for
illustration, and since t 98!5
has worked as a professional
artist. Steve has provided
award-winning illustrations for
renowned publishers Dortlng
Kindersley, where his Interest
In historical illustration began,
and he has Illustrated several
books for Osprey.
Warrior . 88
O SPREY
~ SHING
British Light Infantryman
of the Seven Years' War
North America 17 57-63
lan M McCulloch & Tim J Todish Illustrated by Steve Noon
published In Great Bntaln rn 2004 by Osprey Publrohrng, Elms Court,
Chapel Way, Belley, Oxford OX2 9LP, Unrted Krngdom
Ema I. rnfo@ospreypubhShrng com
C 2004 O.prey Publ sh ng Ltd
All ng11ts teS<lfVed Apart from any far dearrng fcx the pUrpose o' pnvate study.
research. cnt.crsm Ot "'II a """"'tied undar the Copynght. Oesrgns and
Patems Alct 1988. no pan of thrs pUbhcaton may be reproduced. stcxed 1n a
retr811al system. or 1n any lorm or oy any means. etectronrc,
e ectncn chemocal. mechanocal. opt en. ptlotocoP)'1119 recor<:llng or otnetw1se.
wrthout !"e p<rOf v.rtten perm1ssoon of the coPyr gnt owner EnQu nes Should be
adore"<><! to the 1'\;blishefs
A CtP cata ogue recOtd fO< thrs book IS a variable from the Bntrsh Lrbrary
ISBN 1 84 1 76 733 6
tan McCurloch and T m TO<Jrsh have as..erted thM nght under the Copynght,
Designs and Patents Act. 1988. to be ldentlfred dS the Authors of thrs Work
Edrtor Srmon Rrchert
Oesrgn: Ken Varl Orophl c Design. Cnmbndge. UK
Index by Alan Thatcher
Maps by John Rrchards
Ongrnated by The [ lectronrc Page Company. Cwmbran. UK
Pnnted rn Chrna through Worl d Prrnt Ltd
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Artist's note
Readers may care to note that the ong1nal pa1ntings from
which the colour plates 1n this book were prepared are
available for private sale. All reproduction copyright
whatsoever ts retained by the Publishers. All enquines
should be addressed to
Steve Noon,
50 Colchester Avenue,
Penylan,
Cardiff.
South Wales UK
CF23 9BP
Steve would ltke to thank Allan and Rosemary Jones from
the Corps of Light Infantry. whose website can be found at
www. espintdecorps. usmchq. com
The Publishers regret that they can enter into no
correspondence upon this matter.
Author' s Acknowledgements
The author wishes to thank. f1rst and foremost. his
esteemed colleagues: Timothy J. Todish who prov1ded his
vast knowledge on weapons and un1forms of the period as
well as conduct1ng the detailed research on the colour
plates; and, Steve Noon, our artist, who brought it all to life.
Thanks also go out to the many people and 1nst1tutions 1n
Canada, the US and UK that ass1sted in the preparat1on of
this book. In no particular order. they are: Bnan Leigh
Dunnigan. Curator of Maps at the Will iam L. Clements
Library, M1ch1gan; Nicholas Westbrook. Executtve D1rector
and Chnstopher Fox, Antony D. Pell Curator of CollectiOns.
Fort Ticonderoga Museum. New York; J.R. Maguire; Bob
Andrews; George Bray Ill : Jerry Seymour: Gary Zaboly;
Robert Gnffing; John Buxton: the Nat1onal Archives of
Canada, Ottawa: L1eutenant Colonel Dan McKay, Deputy
Director, Directorate of H1story & Hentage. Department of
National Defense. Ottawa; Jo Wooley, Public Relations,
Nattonal Army Museum, London, UK; the Ohio State
Historical Society; Fort Ligonier Museum, Pennsylvania;
Peter Rind1sbacher: Dr Stephen Brumwell; Colleen Todish;
and my wife, Susan Johnson McCulloch. The author would
also like to thank his editors William Shepherd, Rebecca
Cullen and Simon Richert, who, in the words of Lord
Selkirk, are to be commended for their 'guid guiding'.
Cover IllustratiOn: MaJor George Scott, 40th Foot , 1758-59.
Reproduced for the ftrst t1me here 1n color, this portratt by
John S1ngleton Copley gives us a very valuable look at
some of the umform and equ1pment mod1f1cat1ons made by
Light Infantry soldiers in North America. (Private collection)
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4
CHRONOLOGY 7
RECRUITMENT AND ENLISTMENT 9
DRESS, EQUIPMENT AND APPEARANCE 11
TRAINING AND TACTICS 17
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE 23
Lodgings Everyday Tasks Food Cannibalism Diet and Disease
Drink and Discipline Flogging and Hanging Women Songs and Music
ON CAMPAIGN 43
Weather Wildlife Terrain Scalping and Torture Looting Medical Services
MOTIVATION 50
ESPRIT DE CORPS 51
FACE OF WAR 53
CONCLUSION 58
MUSEUMS, COLLECTIONS 58
AND RE- ENACTMENTS
BIBLIOGRAPHY 60
COLOR PLATE COMMENTARY 61
INDEX 64
BRITISH LIGHT INFANTRYMAN
OF THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR,
1757-63
INTRODUCTION
' A S e rvice Truly Cri t ical'
he Se\t'll \\'at (l755-171i3) \\<l!-1 the \\odd's first global W<ll, a
conllict the continenb of l'\onh America, Europe and
Asia. Fought principallv between Britain, France and their
allies. it known sintplv <L'\ 1 he French and Indian wa1 in 111o;,t
Anwlican hi:-otot) hooks and is generally acknowledged to have started at
a n:n1ote on the Pc11m)lvanian frontier in 1754. i\nglo-Frtnch
ri,alries in the tce1nin).{ f(>rcMs and 1 ich river plains of the disputed Ohio
River vall <'\' led to an cxchan).{t' of shots between Virginian Provincial" kcl
bv a \Ot111g ollitT1 nanH'd ( .eorgc Washington and a force of French
anclthcit Indian .tlli<'s. fhe result was a diplomatic incident that
in10 a <Ti,is between Bt;tain and France. Both coutllrit-.
dispatched c'\pedillonan lorn-. of Rtgular troops to :-..onh AnH'1i< ,, 1n
anticipation of hostilities.
Before the wat '''" nen offirialh declared in April 17:):1,
Ce1H: t .tl d Bt .tel dO< k had ad,<mced ,,;th 2,200 R<'gular-.
and . \nwt;can Prm in< t.tl-. .tgainst F01 t Duquc::.ne,
a woockn I' rcnch I ott on 1 he of the
Ohio Riwt and '>itt of the pno;cnt-d<l\ citY of
in \\t'\LCIII Penm\h.llli.t. One of three
Briti'>h <'XJWditiom agaim.t French frontier posts,
Bntclclork'.-, lot ct \\'<t'> '>twprbcd miles short of
it!> b} a V<t'>t lv inlet ior ron e and
French colonial soldin!'>. ,\ s Braddock\ men tried
to stand and light against an elusiYe
foe using Indian tactics or enwlopment and
concealment, the)' were slaughtered and their
general kilkd. l'ltio.; defeat sent a clear
message LO the D11kc of Cumberland. the Captain-
of army. as wdl as other senior
ofliccr., oltht clav. Tltc North Attll't;can theater of
war dclllandcd a sp<cial pc of soldier.
On European battll'fielch, the ta<;ks of
!'>Couting. !>U cening .tnd skinnbhing for an army
on campaign \\Tre ll'>llalh a!'!signed to the cavalry.
In the \\ildcttH''>'\ howl'\ cr. troops were re<>tricted
to u-.ing l.tkc' .tnd .l.'> no highways
exi'>ted and the tt'tt<tin, much of it mountainous,
""" roH'red with .t 11111-grm,th psime\al forest.
\\'ith the lattcl'>cape totalh lot cavaln.
4 the British heaw infantn ('>nled on the Prussian
Mastering the terrain. Light
Infantry training in the rugged
Adirondack Mountains under
the tutelage of Lord Howe (left
foreground). Note the cropped
hair, trimmed hats, Indian-style
backpacks, leggings and
moccasins. Ltght Infantrymen (LI)
had to be able to travel light in
all seasons and weather, over
all types of terrain, skills
unfamiliar to most European
style heavy Infantry of the day.
(Courtesy of Gary Zaboly)
r
morlcl of the eighteenth centur:) would have to quid.lv adapt and
deve lop its own 'foot <'avalry' capable of traversing all kiuds of terrain as
\HII scouting and with an opponent alreadv well-versed in
the of forest ti ng.
\journal of the d.t\ neatlY summccl up the problem ana..,:
In an Ametican campaign e\en thing Let rible; the f.t( e of the
country, the climatt , tlw enem> There no for the
healthy, nor relief' fw the sick. A inhmpitable unsafe
and them, where at c not
ded!>ive. but are ruinou': and death i.., the least
mi .. .fortune. \\hirh tan happen to them. I hi-. form'> .t \CtYin trui:
ctttical, in '' hich all the firm IlL''>' of the bodv and mmd I' put to
the severest u ml; and all the cxertiom of courage and are
called out.
'\ot th Americ.t rame as a shock to most British veteram a<.Cll!>ttomed
to ..,oldicring in Flandet,' open counlt\..,idt with level road' ,IJld small
10\\ m and \illagco; itllt't"-tper'ied thl wa\ to prm tdt H'ad' billets.
Ont old Flanderl .. i n ' \dlO suniwd Braddot J.,.'l! ill-fated npedition to
tal..c Fon Duquesne in 17:>:> di..,m.ned ll\ the 'Tree:-, anrl
Thickets' and observed that 'the \'l't) htn of the Count!\' l'nough to
st rike a in the tnmt Mind.' 11<: despondentlv concluded,
' I ran not conceivt: how \\'at can be tll <tck in such a coutHn. '
Of lourse New \\'oriel warfare .md ih .ntendant probltm.., had been
with tht: Bt-itish from tlw o\11\l'l of theit an i\,tl and the
(';tabli-.hmem of 11 , tht: fit..,t Btlli'h sculement, 111 )()07. \\'ar'
with the coastal lndiano., forth<' first \l'ats of the precarium
existence were Jollowcd b} a protracted 70 year strugglt: lot 1'\orth
Amnica th New Fratl('l'. located to t itt' north and W('St. Stalling in 1 o89.
That )attn petiod comistt'(l. in fact. of fout wars. 1 he fit st three:
thl' \\'at of the Leagut of I lapsburg (li!H9-97). the \\'ar of the Spanish
Succt''>'>ion (I :3) and the \\'at of tlw Sucre'>'> ion ( 1/..J...J-..IR).
wne fought b) the roloni<,ts of both mother counu lolonial
methods and militat) tnources to hand. rhe French utili;cd their Indian
all ies from the outset and armed tlttm with muskets. I ht American
frontier mi litias Wl'l't' thus forced to assimilate the be!>t r('attlll'S of Indian
Cockpi t of war. The southern
end of Lake George In upstat e
New York as it would have
looked to Robert Kirkwood
and other Light Infantrymen In
Amherst's 1759 expedition to
take Forts Ticonderoga and
Crown Point. Batteaux and
float i ng batteries can be seen
marshalled at the water's edge.
(Courtesy of the David M.
Stewart Museum, Montreal)
5
6
in 01 dcr lO dkctiH:h rolullet their enemy: )>mall-
unit opcratiom. looM infonnal <ircss, swift
mmemetll, li rc inc. ambw .. h and surprise auack.
Aided b, ,1 gt e<llt't population ba)>e and t.heir mm fndian
mam .\nwrican became adept at
a \dtH h <l.' more acnarate
\\t:apon\ \\l't c dl'\<'l<>pt'd .
. \r the Ollt\t' t of tht Snt'll Year-i \\'ar howe,er. the
frontier had mat< hcd \H ..... t\\arch from t.he
< omnHtll ol the L'hirtten and thei t
lud lo\t tlw and ranical <>kill1'>
dt\e)opcd thmugh ll ial and cnot to counter the
ot thc.:it I udian and Facnc It adwr..,arie' in t.he prc,;ous
three war .... In I 7.i.i. Ccorge himself
pointed out the poo1 <)ttalit v and limited capabilit.ie!.. of
111ost colonial militias (with the l'Xcqnion of selecred
Ranger units guarding the Iron tiers). I le wrote:
t-.lilitia. you will lind 11 <.'\'t' t answer your cxpect.ations,
no dependence is to be placed on them; rhev are
obstinate .tud pel\t'l:...e, tltn are egged on lhe
ollic crs. who lead thttn to of disobedience, and
when thn arc ordet nl to certain for t.he secuaity
ol es, 01 the pt otettion ol t.he on a sudden,
1 to lean them. and the unitC'rl ,;gilance of their officers ran
not pte\ cnt it.
\long campaign to field., that also iiWOI\'td defending
Indian tactic' ol and ambmcade wa.!> one for ''hich colonial
\H'Il' cmitH.' Illh un-,uitcd and. moreover, one in \\hich the\ were
utl\\illing to )><II ticip.tH'. l .ieutenant Cmemor Robert Dim,;ddic ol
\ ' irginia. hmH'H't, J...1ww \\ hne to lind men to meet t.he challcngc. I k
\\role to hi!..ltiend James .\ht'tetombv in England in 1755: ' I am still ol
Opinion willt<Hll lmcc from I lome. we shall hardly be able to driw the
French I rom the ( >hio; \H' wantl\lil itat) and part.icularl) Inginceas.'
Were t.ht ' I\ I ili tat v 1\kn' , tht' British regulars, equal to the task? Were
t.hey capahk of waging protracted campaigns in a virtual
again!it cxpnts in all of irregular
Some perhaps were not prepared fur the rut.hless savagery of scalping and
cannibalism cnrmtntned, but many soldiers and their officers were well-
inured to it regttlat warl a tl' and skirmi!i..hing eit.her from expct ienCC!.. iu
Scotland or on the of Europe.
War in '\onh .\nwrica lot armies was essent.ially a pmblem of
ma not' II\ 1 c, rommun ira tiom and rcsupph. And while the principal
of generalship wa' sian ph mm ing a force of moderate site into contact
''ith the enetm, the fare ol battle was, for the British Reguhu who had to
pcneuaH of int.o trackless and unsett.lcd <ountn. a
daunting one.
\_,pit ing rommandct thu' nC'edect a mall, highlv-t.rained arnw ol
e'pett\: ltght Rangn' and iiendJr Indian!> for <lltd
baueau' lllt'll to mon the armies along the
which 'len eel a' the onh highwav<., ; and artillenn1en and engineer.., lO lm
The enemy. Eestern woodland
Indians such as these lroquoian
warriors pictured here were the
cunning opponents of the Light
Infantry soldier. Many Items of
Indian dress were adopted by
the latter such as moccasins,
leggings, powderhoms and
tomahawks. Indians friendly to
the British cause Instructed Light
Infantrymen In bush tactics as
well as the use of snowshoes
and canoes, while others taught
the skills to captives like Robert
Kirkwood. (Source: Directorate of
History & Heritage, Department
of National Defense, Canada)
II
siege to t he French forts once the
a rmy had closed with its objectives.
I ong lines of communication also
necessitated the building of well-
garrisoned. defen:.ible fo1 t11 and
rlq>ots along the WU)'
T he V('ar 17:'J7 saw British
commande s introduce lor the first
timt, an expeimental. temporary
t:OJ p:. that -;tenmed from the nature
of the terrain as well as the tactic:, of
a n e lusive and savage foe. T hese
warrior's were (ailed 'light troops' or
' Light lnfallln lU distinguish them
lrom their comrades 'ening as
lwa\'} infan t r \ in the marching
regiments. Si111i lar to the
practice ol I Hth ccntu n armies
g en.1clicr com panic\ I rom thci1 re\pecthe battalion:, to fo1111
'>pecial ll oop battalion:,. Ml the l>hmtt. agile men and mark-.-men
ol the other flank compnny of a reginH.'Ill became pat ol an elite act hoc
corp:, special it.i ng i 11 S(Olll i ng, patroll ing, snTcn ing a nd ishing I or
the am1). B\' the end of' the Seven Years' \.Var in America, thc:.e
'Choc;cn l\kn' had become the most '\t'a:.oned and utilita11.m ntt-an<> of
Britain's 'Ame1 kan Anm -the Light InfantrY.
During tht. period ] 7:>7-176-l. tlw '.\mc:rican t\rnl\' underwent a
dynamic period of transrormation. a process in wh irh the l.ight
with his special "kill sets lwcame an integral part ol am
cxpeditionan force. New ell new Wl'<tpons. new tactic\, and most of
,til a new etho' aroc;e to lllO\(' the along to ill> log1( al condu,ton:
adapt or die. The emlution ol the Light Infantry soldie1 in tandem ,,ith
the physical as we ll psychological chal ltllgts confronting him, would
sec: the<>e warrior<> gain pride. prominciHT. and resptct throughotll
B1 itain\ .\lllt::l iran .\rnw' a11cl a:. c;uch, \Ill pa.,., the grenadit:r as the elitl'
'olditT of cl10in.
CHRONOLOGY
Spearhead. Light Infantry and
Rangers lead the way on Lake
George, 1758. All soldiers had to
be proficient In the use
of boats, such as the whale boat
pictured here, and the larger
batteaux, as they were the
principal means of transport
through the North American
wilderness. (Courtesy of
Gary Zaboly)
8 July 1755 Defeat of Braddock s Column on exped1t1on to
Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) by Western Indians.
authorised. Loudoun recalled and replaced by Major
General Abercromby as Commander-in-Chief.
December 1756 Creation of the Royal American
Regiment authorised.
January 1757 77th Montgomery's Highlanders ra1sed.
Robert Kirkwood enlists.
July 1757 Kirkwood and 77th Foot sail for Charleston. SC.
August 1757 Loudoun's exped1hon from Halifax to
Louisbourg cancell ed.
1 September 1757 Kirkwood and 77th Foot land in
Charleston, SC and go into garrison.
5 September 1757 Robert Rogers commences
seven-week Ranging school for volunteer gentlemen
destined for Light Infantry or Ranger commiSSIOns.
December 1757 Creation of Gage's Light Infantry
April 1758 Kirkwood's regiment sent to Pennsylvania for
Fort Duquesne expedition.
1 June 1758 Ten Light Infantrymen per regiment
designated marksmen and 1ssued niles for
Abercromby' s T1conderoga expedtton.
8 June 1758 L1ght Infantry land and lead the way at the
Louisbourg land1ngs.
6 July 1758 Light Infantry land and lead the way at north
shore of Lake George near Ticonderoga. Lord Howe
killed at the head of Gage's Light Infantry.
8 July 1758 Light Infantry fight at Battle of Ticonderoga.
Lead assault and cover withdrawal.
9 July 1758 Abercromby retreats.
7
Robert Kirkwood could rightly
claim on his return from ten
years service In the French &
Indian War that " few Men have
traveled more than ho has, In the
back parts of North America".
Kirkwood soldiered from the heat
of the Carolinas to the storm-
blown crags of St. John's,
Newfoundland, westwards t o
l ook upon Niagara Falls and
navigate the Great Lakes as far
as Detroit, and, In 1765 6,
travelled down the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers to the Gulf of
Mexico, stopping brl ety In Florida
before returning to Philadelphia.
26 July 1758 LoUtsbourg capitulates.
August 1758 K1rkwood and the 77th Foot reach Fort
Bedford in western Pennsylvania Kirkwood s
f1rst scout.
September 1758 Ktrkwood captured by Shawnee Indians
during Major Grant ' s fatled attack on Duquesne.
29 May 1759 Kirkwood escapes from a Shawnee war party.
20 June 1759 Kirkwood arnves at Fort Cumberland.
Returns to 77th Foot.
July 1759 77th Foot part1c1pate in Amherst ' s capture of
Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Po.nt.
13 September 1759 Ktrkwood departs Crown Point as a
volunteer on Rogers' Infamous St Francis Raid. Wolfe's
Light Infantry land and lead way onto Plains of
Abraham the same day.
7 November 1759 Kirkwood arnves at Fort No. 4. with
other ra1d surv1vors.
28 April1760 Light Infantry dec1mated with Murray's army
at Battle of Stllery (Ste Foy), Quebec.
17 May 1760 S1ege of Quebec by Lev1s' Franco-Canadian
army raised.
June 1760 Kirkwood's regtment marches to Oswego for
Amherst's 1nvas1on of Canada by way of Lake Ontario
and down the St Lawrence R1ver.
6 September 1760 Amherst s. Murray s and Haviland's
arm1es converge at Montreal.
8 September 1760 Montreal capitulates
13 September 1760 K1rkwood detached for duty with
Robert Rogers to take possesston of the French
western forts.
8 November 1760 Rogers takes possess1on of Detro1t.
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I'll.! VA I I ROIIIRI KIKKV.UOD
(77"' rcxn 42'" 1 oo 1 1
I' A \11 RICA
1757. 1767
May 1761 77th Foot dtspatched to Carolinas to fight
Cherokees Without Kirkwood
1 July 1761 Kirkwood amves at Albany and g1ven R & R.
August 1761 K1rkwood deserts.
November 1761 Kirkwood apprehended and 1mpnsoned
at Fort Ontano.
1 December 1761 77th Foot dispatched for serv1ce .n the
Canbbean Without K.rkwood.
24 January 1762 Light Infantry storm Mt Tarnenson
in Martinique.
27 January 1762 Light Infantry capture Morna
Grenier, Martinique.
4 February 1762 Martinique surrenders.
7 June 1762 British land for siege of Havana.
24 June 1762 French capture St. John' s Newfoundland.
11 August 1762 Havana surrenders.
13 August 1762 Kirkwood pardoned by General Amherst
for desertion. Sent on Wil ham Amherst ' s expedition to
retake St. John's, Newfoundland.
15 September 1762 Kirkwood participates in the
successful climb and capture of Stgnal Hill, St. John' s.
10 February 1763 Treaty of Paris ends Seven Years' War.
May 1763 Western lndans under Pontiac attack Bntish forts.
19 July 1763 Kirkwood' s light company of 77th jons
Bouquet 's relief exped1t1on to Fort Pitt.
31 July 1763 Captatn Dalyell s force of 80th Light Infantry,
60th Foot and Rangers ambushed at Bloody Run
outstde Fort Detrott
5-6 August 1763 Kirkwood and 77th hght company ftght
as part of Bouquet s force at the Battle of
Bushy Run.
9 August 1763 Fort Pitt relieved.
14 September 1763 309 Seneca warriors ambush and
massacre two companies of 80th Light Infantry on
Niagara portage tra1l.
25 October 1763 Kirkwood transferred to 42nd Royal
Highlanders (Black Watch).
1 July 1764 Colonel Bouquet's Muskingkum expedition
against the Cherokee departs Fort Pitt. Kirkwood and
42nd Foot participate.
15 November 1764 Bouquet's force including Kirkwood's
company returns to Fort P1tt.
24 August 1765 K1rkwood departs Fort Pitt down the Ohio
as part of Captain Thomas Stirling's company to take
possession of the Ill inois French forts.
9 Oct ober 1765 Kirkwood's company arrives at Fort
Chartres and takes possession next day.
1 December 1765 Kirkwood's company relieved by the
34th Foot from New Orleans.
13 December 1765 Kirkwood's company departs for
New Orleans
5 January 1766 Kirkwood's company amves 1n New Or1eans.
27 February 1766 Kirkwood's company departs by sh1p
for Pensacola, Florida.
13 March 1766 Kirkwood's company arnves in
Pensacola, Florida.
15 June 1766 Kirkwood's company arnves 1n New York
and marches to barracks 1n Philadelphia. In gamson for
next twelve months.
June 1767 Kirkwood and 42nd Highlanders relieved by
18th Foot. Sail home from New York.
28 July 1767 Kirkwood and remnants of Black Watch
arnve Cork, Ireland.
RECRUITMENT AND ENLISTMENT
1
Going for a Soldier '
( )ne of our hc't accounL' of life as a B1 iti'h Light lnf.mtn llll'll in N01th
Ame1ica d11ring the Seven War b found in "flu Almuw.1 and
oj Rolmt Kil/(, ! .aft of the published in
Limerick, Ireland. 1775, the Anwrica11 Revolution. I lis
mstitutc' a wn rare ,oirc I rom the ran b. a rc:markahl<' < hronide ll\ ,1
plivate 1>oldie1 of !-tome of the most \iciou' wood!> tighung and cruek't
C\Ct' cncoumered b)' tJ1e Btiti'h at mv up untilthi!> tinw. With
an eye to book howcvn, Kirkwood wa.'l not to embellishing
of in America wi1h a few h1rid campfire talc'
or. in <;om< caw.;, plagiati1ing from otJ1e1 account!\, nolahly
,1 17111 centun French ofli< er. the Baron de l.ahoman. Kirkwood ,tbo
neglected LO tell that he confined for cle,cnion in li61.
pardonccl by Major General Amherst in and on the: expedition
to recaplltre Ncwloundland from the French. Rv the time Robe1t
Kirkwood nlluned from 'a 'tnice truh n itical' in :--.Jonh .\mtJica in 1767,
our rogui'h hero \\'<IS an accomplished mat k.man. htlllll't. ,md trad .. ct.
pru!icien1 in the use of canoe-;, and tumplinc:-.. the ultimate
Light Infanuyman of the sell-strled 'Amc ican Al111)''
'I was born in the town of Air, in 1he West o! the Nonh of
B1 itain of hone-;t, old, rr<'ditahle parenh.' Kirkwood \\'IOl<' on his rt'llllll
in hi\ book. 'and gmc me what Ill<\\ be lalled a common crlucauon.
because tlwi1 circumstance.-, could not <t!lord beucr; but tht'\ \H'Il'
ra1 dulto b1 ing me up in the knowlcdg<' ami fear of Cod. And it was to
Corl that Kirkwood swore an oath: that lw was a Pm1estant willing to
honorabh 'c1 H' King But onh aftcr the 1eu uiting sergeant
had dctennined his prmpeC!i,e renuit wa' 'able Rodicd. Sound in
l.imhs, free from Ruptun..-,, Scald hcMb, ulcerom .-,orcs 01 any
remarkable ddormity.' A barrel-maker by trade, Kirkwood also quitklv
the sergeant's reuui1ing orders that warned him against taking
Vagabonds. Tinkt' J s. Chimne\ 'weepers. ( :ollit'l'> or SayJm '
Finalh, he made -;urc that Kirk,,ood \\as one 'hotn in the
Neigh bow hood of'the plan they are inli.,tcrl in and a man of whom he
could get a good Account.'
9
10
Recruiting. A detail of See John
the Soldier, Jack the Tar by
William Hogarth, depleting a
recruiting sergeant measuring a
prospective candidate. All
recruits had to be 'able-bodied,
sound of limb, free of ruptures,
scald head, ulcerous sores or
any remarkable deformity'.
(Courtesy of the William L.
Clements Library)
'I enlisted in his 77th Rtgt. Of Foot, com1nanded by
Colonel Archibald in the la1lt:1 end of the )Car 1756,'
noted Kirk11ood, 'from which tinw I """' emplovcd in recruiting
<llld Disciplining 1he rcgimtnl, 1d11ch 11a., mmth compmed or
impre!>!>'d men JJ Olll the r .. I hi, interC'sting
a-. the British redcoat or the Sc\(n \'c:u ., \\'at technicallY a
\'olunteer. as wa.<> Kirkwood, h111 m.u11 lllt' ll had no thoiu:.
Kirkwood's regiment ( initiall1 <.tiled the Fir'>l
B.utalion. later numbered fi2nd . then !<'-numbered the 77th Foot)
was not a typical marching regiment , !wing one of two Highland
battalions spccialh raised lo1 't'l 1 i: in l':o1th Anwrica . . h such,
K.itl..wood's officer., were the cream of Campbell and (;rant gentry
and not afraid to use <;ome gcmle < otrcion and political influence
in 'beaLing up' a :.uitabk lllllllbcr of Lud01ic Cram, the
cousin or .James Cran 1 under whom Kirkwood would
and be taken prisoner, wa'> a pr01nincn1 Whig landowner. He told
his tenantry that it wa1. a maHer of dan honour that his kinsman's
company be 1he flrq to he compkted. lie
instructed them to 'manage malLei-; so as that all llw young fellows
upon !<:steaL who incline the ann; got inlo his Companie
preferable to an) other.' While the I ale of thmc who did not
comph when the recruiting came not clearly
hi!> remarks," hilst polite, clict no1 ka\'c much to the
imagination. Ile told them bluntly: 'If IOU hme the le<hl 1eguard
all of you upon this ... I hopt. b1 \OUI ron dun at this Lime
1 ou ' II gin: me reason to <.onti n uc 'ow afTenionatC' t.iend and
humble scn1:.
B\ the Spring of 1757, Kirl...\\ood\ 1 the 77th Foot. and
l-1 Highlander!>, the 7Rth Foot. h.td '>llllJU">'>ed tlwir recruiting
quota' o f 1000 men. each banal ion hoa.,ting 500 '>til ph1.., or
..,upernumcran men' of whom 200 1\otlld .tuo111pam them to . onh
Amt..-ica. Compared to other battalion.'> of IIH' da\, i.., impres<;iYc for
a Ji,e month drin. e-.twcialh when nne 1akn into account
that Kirkwood's regiment turned 472 1 en uit.' away. Famine and chronic
unempltnment in the recruiling 1cgions WCH' th<' principal reasons for
successful recruitmC'nl in 1757. As tlw war progn.,scd. another se1en
regiments wen: raised in the llighlamb with and
d i min i!>lting results.
As r<'cruiting of a t)1)ical redcoat i1. already
discu-;scd in \Varrior 19: Hnlmal 17-10- CJJ. which complete
details on 18th century terms of enlislmcnl anct the pay wstcm, we
1110\'(' on to how Light were and recruited
internallv from within thei1 0\\ll Fi1 and intelligent
oflitels and officer-. were selected bv
their lieutenant-colonel who, in turn, kept a 'ha1 p el't out J01 potential
talent within th<: <:igh t otlH.'I I u,i I it'l 01 hat' com pan of the
b.tttalion. The tYpe of man requi1ed f01 'The I ight had
to be a cut abow the ordinan ,oJdicr and no1 tonttnt 1dth ju:.t firing
elbow-to-elbow platoon \'olle\!> with hi-. lOillladt:' inMt-piece battles.
A direUi\'e issued in :-\onh . \nwrica prim to the ">icge of Louisbourg
175R gin<; us a good idea of the kind of 1 <'< 111it 1 tquil ed. 'I h<: battalions
just arri,ed from Europe we1 e 'to prmicl<: a<.ti\e marchers and men that
.uc expert at firing hall.' Those that hac! hc<.n in Nonh \nwrica fm a
couple of years Wt:'re to provide 'thmc men most an ustomed to
the 'vVoods' and 'good marksmen'. In t'l>Sence, they had to be
lit, expert and willing to be detached on independent
General jelr<: 1 ,. Amher!>l put it: 'alert, Spirited -;old able to
endure fatigue'. I nvadabh, the men recruited for the light <.ompanies
looktd upon them.,thcs in the same light a'> one officer nrordcd in hi.,
journal, a1. 'Chosen .
DRESS, EQUIPMENT AND APPEARANCE
'See the droll figure we a ll Ma ke'
In February 1758, \hum George Stott. 40th Foot. comm.tnder of tlw
Light l nlamry and Rangers for the I.ouishourg expedition, \Hote to
Lord Loudoun. the Commandn-in-Chief in North America.
rc<ommending and kit for 'the bushfight', with a functional
explanation lor each article of kit and its practicalir,. information
wa., undoubtedh passed to Colonel rluuna-. (;age, then ac tiYdY raising
.mel equipping the li1st ollicialh recognised regiment of Light lnfantn
1egular-. in the B1itish \mw. The HOth Font were quickh nicknamed
'The bl'cau.,e of their adopted headgear.
Although Rob('rt Kirkwood negil'< ted to tell us nwth about his
clothi ng or kit, Major (;eorge letter contains a good of
the geneiic kit requi1cd. 'The Ltathel Cap,' he argued, 'if propcrh
jack't and ma(lc of good Leather int<"nded to fend off th<. blm\ of
a 01 !on dock. h i'i also better adapted to the l lood
of a Cloke than ,\ ll,ttt ,md "ill ketp form.' The coat lw
proposed wa:- the <;anw as the reguhu issue, but with
skirts and imide breast pocket:-., the laprb
t'XI<'nding to tht waist to pro\'ide <xtra warmth in
winter. A Light lnlanrqman \\Ould abo han: wom
t1 ou!>crs !01 e.t.,<' of mmeme111, and
kteping his unifo1111 light and p1.1< ti< .tl and
1 <during the amount he would be <'xpccted to
Uti I y,
Kirkwood spent M>l llt' time as a p1 i:-oner of
the Shawnee. and it is therefore birl\' safe
to that he w.ts one of manv Light
InfantrYmen to adopt Indian Knox
in '>Oill<' detail:
These a1 <' gtncrally mack of the skin
of a beavcr, e lk, calf, sheep, or oth<'r pliant
leather. each is of one
intire piece ... ; thn ha\e no additional sole or
heel-piece and mmt he used with three or tour
II iLe :-ocki.. 01 of thick flannl'l \\Tapt round
tlte foot; they an exn'l'dingly \\aim. and much litte1
lor the winter<; of this country than our European
shoe, as a pcrso11 walk ove1 sheets of icc without the
ka<;t danger ol falling.
Major George Scott, 40th Foot,
by Copley, c. 1758-59. Scott
was the commanding offi cer
of the Provisional Light Inf antry
Battalion who dist inguished
himself at the 1758 Loulsbourg
landi ngs. He proposed many
ref orms to British uni f orms,
kit and weapons for the Light
Inf ant ry service. Here he wears
a cut -down uni form of his
own design and holds a leather
cap In his right hand. Ot her
Items, shown f ar left, Include
a musket wi th a short kni fe
bayonet Instead of the common
t riangular style.
(Private Collection)
11
Standard wcaponrv for a
Light lnlanll\111an abo ,aried
from regula , \ carbine
rather than a fir<lock wa'
gencr-alh p dt tcl bec;ntM' the
(thu-. lighwt) bat rei ,,a.,
con<;ickrcd ca.'>icr to .tim and.
blac l..twcl. imp owd a
marksman\ .H'Citt.l<'\. In the
Yotl.. theater of war,
Light lnf,uun \H'Il' i'>'>llcd with firelod.s that 'were cut shonet and the
stock!. lO mal..e them lighter' well as ten 'tiffiecl carbines' for
by their marl'itllt'll on the 17:JH Ticonderoga campaign. The Light
lnbnuyman wa:. a(.,o t:quipped with a tomahawk that could be from
a m in close cng-.tgcmcnt!> with the enemy, and a short knife med
for dressing game or eating- nteals. Kirkwood's regiment, the 77th Fool,
requested as early a:; J 757 to lighten their !>oldiers' load by leaving their
hroaclsworcls in Philaddphia bd(Jrc campaigning in the wilderness. I lis
commanding ollicer argued: 'Our rncn arc young a nd the less they arc
loaded the better, il you Gill give u1> a little help ... in this ma1te1, they'!
March like so many Cnv-ll01tnds.'
A Fool Light lnlantnman's experience scning in \Noll(:\ at Ill\'
at Quebec in 17.'19 illusu ates how the tomahawk was an important
backup to the mmkct in dme-quaner fighting. hut only if one was well
skilled in it:. use. recorded that in:
an Engagement h<'tW<'<'n our ()couring Parries and the Indians,
[Ill\ f1 iendJ .,,1\\ ,\11 Indian who lir'd at him, but missed him; ... he
le\ellcd Piece and fit'd at the Indian and mi1>1>'d him likcwi-.c:
upon "hich the Indian immediatelv threw his Tommahawk ,u
him and mi-..,'d him: whtreupon the catching up the
Tommahawl.., till ew it at the Indian and levell'd him, and then
W<'lll to scalp him; other Indians came behind him, and one
stuck a ' lomnwhawk in his Back; but did not wound him so much
as 10 pn,cnt hi:- from them.
Buskin!> wen: more popularly known as ' Indian lcggingll' or
'mitasscs', whi ch .J ohn Knox of the 13rd Foot described as:
Leggcrs. leggins or Indian spallerdashes are usually made of I rite
or o ther coarse woolen doth ... at least three quarters of a yard in
length; each leggin about three: quarters wide ... thcn double it
and M.'\\ it tog-ethet lmm end to end ... fitting this long nm nm
bag to the shapl' of the kg ... lied round under the knee and
abO\c the ankle with garters of tlw same colour; bv which the legs
are preM'l H'cl ft om manv Ia tal accidents, that may happen b\
briars. swmps of 11 ee'>. 01 underwood, etc. in marching through
a close, woodv co 1m 1 n .
The catuidge bo' propmed b' Scott was to be covered \\ith tin which
would guard the ammunition from the least weu or damp'. 1\luch
12 lighter than a kathet Gil touche bo>... it would also carry 'elc,en mutHI'>
This rare example of a
powderhorn used by
a Regular British soldier is
Inscribed "William Davison in
lnnlskllllng 1758 or XXVII Regt."
George Scott argued that all
Light Infantryman should carry
a powderhorn containing "Pistol
powder" with a finer, more
combustible grain. The horn
was usually slung off the left
shoulder under the right armpit,
a quicker and more convenient
way of priming one's musket in
the midst of a flreflght. (Courtesy
of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum)
more. The powder horn that he n.<.omrmnded was lm <. ;u n Pistol
powdn' with its finer and more Ea!>.il) ready to hand
and ofT the left shouldc.>r under the right armpit, the horn was a
quicker and more comenient wa\ of priming one\ nut.,ket, Scott
argut>d, and "'"' not ,ubjtct to bum or mi'' firl''. It also
ptl'n:nted the mo't t ommon fault whit h len are -,ubjen to Ill time of
.\ttion ... \ 'it .. that of one hall of their Caru idgt of powder and
'ometimes more in and shutting their Pans'. The 1 t-.ult of such
tH'rvou!>ncs!> or sloppinc:!>s on the part ol a soldi er in a firdight meant
that the musket ball would not be 'sent with half the f'orcc it intended
or arwthing near the di,tance it to go'.
Ceorge Scou\ \en,ible recomnwndation<; were on watching
liw '\ova Scotia Ranger'- assigned to hi-. command 1\,lgmg conMant
irr warfare againM t\ licmac and their FrcrH:h aJlies. He
<oncluded that if hi:. proposab wert' .lCtcpted, they would reduce the
Mandard weight of a British regular b) pounds, 'a difknnce which I
conceive wi ll be a great advantage'.
()f course, winter, a Light lnfantn111a11, like hi\ hat companY
<<>lleague<>, had to wear adrlilional clothing and use addition.li tquipment
in order to !>unin: the hrtter weather. cro" icc and te11.1in. then
elm< with and his enem). 1 ht dr t'!l'> for all troop-. n the :'-Jonh
American \\>inter wa11unonhodox, adapted fmm Indian warriors' clothing
and usually a que:-. ti on of' survival vtTS\11'1 neatness and uniformity. Robert
Kirkwood made sewral trips wirll<'t, but with his Indian
and pri\-ate's outlook neglected to give much deLail. I !owner, John
h.no\. of the d Font. described in detailed journ.ll the \\inter
apparel or General June\ <11111\ gaiTisoning the raptured citY of
Quebec in 1760. 'tating: 'our ... mak[c) a grote'>CJlll' <lppearance
in their dillcrcnt
'Our imcntions to guard us aga inst the extreme 1 igour of this
tlirnatl'.' he contilllttd, 'arc beyond imagination: the unifonnitY. a-; well
ABOVE MAIN A wllderness
modification. A cut-down musket
slmllar to those used by some
Light Infantry soldiers ln North
America during the Seven Years'
War. The shortened barrel
rendered them less cumbersome
for the close-in bushfightlng
characteristic of the wlldemess.
Although some features suggest
that this particular musket may
have been shortened slightly
after the war, It almost certainly
saw service in North America.
(Campus Martlus Museum,
Ohio Historical Society)
ABOVE INSET Highland dirk,
c.1758. Used by Volunteer
Peter Grant at the Battle of
Ticonderoga, 1758, the dirk
was the preferred hand-to-hand
combat weapon of the Highland
Light Infantry soldier because of
Its familiarity. The 78th Fraser
Light Infantry used them with
deadly effect against French
grenadiers using hand-held
bayonets In the bloody battle
for Dumont's Mill at the Battle
of Slllery (Ste Foy) near Quebec,
Aprll 1760. (Courtesy of the
National Army Museum, Chelsea)
13
A Nova Scotia Ranger, c. 1755.
These frontier soldiers were the
model for Major George Scott's
proposed dress reforms for
British Light Infantry. Familiar
with Gorham's Rangers, Scott had
seen the utility of their
dress and equipment first hand
after several years In garrison
in Nova Scotia. It appears most
recommendations were adopted
by Colonel Thomas Gage when
raising the first regular Light
Infantry unit of the war, the
80th 'Regiment of Lightly Arm'd
Foot' . Recreation by artist Gerry
Embleton. (Courtesy of the
Directorate of History & Heritage,
Department of National Defense,
Canada)
nicet). ol the c lean m<thodical is buried
in the rough lur-\\'lought garb of the frozen
Laplande1: and we 1 aLIH'I a masquerade
than a bodr of regular 11 oop-..' Kno' added 1 hat
notwitlhtanding all ou1 p1 t't.nltiom . M:'\ lT,tl men
and ollicet'> han: '>ttflcHcl h' the intemene.,., of the
cold, lwing m then l,tcc ... hand'>, feet
and othe1 /Nil/\ le,\'>t to he ,u-..pcucd!'
'\\'atchn>ab' 01 gn'<llr<>.tt-.. \H'IT common item<;
is..o;ued to one in e\crY dght men and '>hared b\ tho!>e
going out on opc1 ational mi-.sion:-. 01 :-.tanding '>elll!].
Knox memion' a pa1 t\ ol the Foot on it:-. wm
from Fort Edward in l\m;\ to llalif<LX in l\larch
I 7f>H with oflitel., in bmwn cloaks and the
men in bnm11 'watrhcoat., . R, lkcemher of the same
year, the men had their clothing augmeutcd
with llannel undtHvai.,tcoaL'> and kggers, or ' i ndian
stockiugs', \\hilt Ccnerai.Jdkry Amher:-t had
issued similar instmcliom regarding flannd lor warm
socks well as lcggi and The Bli tish
of in 171i0 were CJIIick to adopt
the eire" ol thci1 f01n1et Joes- the 'capote' or
blanket coat ol the Ft t'IH h Canadians, white
with blue bar-. at the hood. culls and 'ihi1 t.
In ordc1 lm ,, I ight lnfantnman to patrol.
forage ,md ,J..imi"h '"< < e.,,(ulh in the winter he
needed the .,,uue mobilit\ on 'now that hi!
enemies po"c">ccl. \II le;Uil<:d tht' <Ill of w;ing
snm,'>hm" a <;kill taught to the:>m IJ, thei1 Rangt'l 01 Indian auxiliaries.
kno' ho'' Light l nlantnnwn at Quebec became \en
pmlicient on snow'\hoes, tlwi1 F1 <'II< hand lndi,m 011
\t'\t'l <1l orcao;ion,. The the\ we1c:
hoop' of hickory, or other tough \mod, belldcd to ,, particular
lorm, round l>efo1T; and the otht.r two ol the hoop
te:>rminate in a point behind. :-.ec11rcd tog<'ther with strong twine;
the inward space is worked like clmc netting. with catgut ot the
dricd entraib of other anintal-. . .. l'hey must be used under
a:. well for the sake of the wearer., l'ect, to keep then
\\arm and preserve them from the
Jlard-sole shoes. Knox added, could be liS<d at a pinch but 'the, will
nol bind on well' and would wear out the SOOIH:'I.
In .Januarv 1760, the ''eathe1 at Que be< was so 'cold and win<h, \\ith
thift:-. to which were added 'lrcqll<'l1! \how('!'- ol hail, liquid and
fHTiing rain,' \\Tote Knox, 'that th<' tO\\ II .. . ont' intiH of ice'.
In orde1 to get up and down the '>lt't'Jl hilt... of tht' \\.llled rin. the '>oldiers
h,td to tie metaJ ice-creeper" ro thei1 foot\H'<ll, though "no' record'
getung down ao; an easier propmit!Oit. to mount guard in the
lm\t't town.' he \\rote, 1 found it impo.,...ihle to g<t dm\ll \\ith mien and
\\t' \\ete therefore obliged to '>it down on tht' .'>ummil and slide to the
bottom, one- after another to p1 t'H'Ill ,tu idt'lll:-.. the arms being
load eel.' ln<Tl'l'J>C'I''\ were also used on
patrol b' Light lnfantn and Rangers to
eros<; fro;en or climb ic\', rod.v
tenain.
Tht' di'>pt>ro,cd e of the Yarious
annie' in North . \mer ica meam that
Light lnfarrtnmcn Ill each theater took
on difkrerrt IJ>)>l'<ll<llltt''> depending
on their prefer encc'>. B\
comparing the clirccti\'e\ of the \<triom
hmH'\l'l, a fairly accurate
picturT of what tlw generic Li giH
lniantrYman lpokecl like and how his
appeara11cc cvul\'cd can he drawn.
The of British
Light Infantry cll tss appeared in arr
anonpnou'> soldier's account of' the 1758
Louishourg calllpaign which stated: 'The
Light lnbnuy ... arc a hoclv of men
draughtt'd Olll or tlrc ami
doarhcd M>lllething like the fndiam. LO
)>COlli the \\'(' an also informed
that Light lr rfanu 'lilt' II \\l'rt' clre'>'>Cd
'some in blue. \onw in green Jacket.<. ami
Dr<l\\t'l\, lor the t'a\iel hlu,hing through
the \\'nod\: with Rufl, of black Rear\ 'kin
round their '-ccb. the heard of their upper Lips. sonw gro,,n into
\\ hi,ker .... other' not ... o. hut all \\ell <;muttcd on that pan. ''ith little
round Hat.<. likt> \l'H'I <II of ou1 .
temporarY moH' awa\ from wearing scarlet jad.cb wa' <Ill
allt'lllpt at < ,1mouflage; a pr M tical to the necrl for not being
seen in the wood:- hy one\ p-sightcd enemies. Fm \Ottng Rolwrt
Kirkwood on fiN campaign in the Penmyl\'anian \\OOds in I i!JH. this
requirement was co1nmon for 'the trees and the \\TIT of
the colour. and cirnrmMancc, trifling as it may appeal, aught
always to lw cou!>.icl cr'd bv who mean to operate with a:.
against them. at that they han a \'iew of you, but von can't
have the kast idea of them'.
A Li ght lnhtntnrn<tn was also encouraged to break up thc whitent''>S of
hi.'> bcc befurt' going on ope1atiom bv growing a beard or 'snmtting' it
wi th charcoal. Ccorgc Scott\ practical recommendations included the
that Light I nfantn1l1<'11 's o;hortjacket<; should he 'the colour of
tht' b;u k or a<hin: adopted b\ Gage's Light InfantrY of l75H. who
wore brm' n jacket.' with black and no facings. brown 'hor t
troU\t'l\ ami brown lcggiug .... In 176:\. thi'> regiment of light-arm'd foot'
w a .,hm t tuuic, !.teed orange. \\ith black button\.
During thl' 17:1H campaign againM Fort Ticonderoga, .1 Lrght
I nfanu> nMn '<'n ing in .Janw' \hercromh' \ ann\' undement 'ignificant
drt>Si> changt''> that pr omptcd mam ob.,en,t tions from diflerent '>pcctatm-..;
on his appear-ance. The occurred under tllt' w.nchful t'\l' of
Aberuom b\ \ dmamic ond-irHommand. Brigadier George . \ugmtus
H oM', Coloncl of' tht' 5:ilh loot. L01 d I lowe had alreadv t'xpt'rinwnterl hv
Enemy ' Light Infantry'.
Indigenous warriors such as
the Indian hunter pictured
here were adept In the use
of snowshoes and were expert
marksmen. This warrior Is
dressed In French woollen
tucque, capote' or blanket coat
and moccasins. His mittens lie
on the ground as he reloads.
(National Archives of Canada,
NAC C 122387)
15
16
Detail of ' Leathercap' of Gage's
Light Infantry at Lake George, by
Thomas Davies, c.175g, One of
only two known contemporary
depletions of a British regular
Light Infantry soldier In America
during the Seven Years War.
This Leathercap climbs the
military road from Fort George
and fortified encampments
clustered at the southern end
of Lake George In upstate
New York. (Courtesy of the
Fort Ticonderoga Museum)
hming entire ballalion aclopt Light Infantry
dress and institutt>d throughout
Abercrombv\ atmy. Regular:. and Prm;ncials
alike. 'You would laugh to the droll figure we
all 11l<tkc,' \\101(.' ,1 o{Iicer tO a
Boston papc1. Rq.,ruhu a.-. ''ell prmincials
have cut then coah -.o a., '>u-cth to reach their
waist!> ... No ollict.t 01 pth<ltt.' i!> all<)\\ed to can;
more than one blanket ot ... 0;o women
follm, 0111 r.unp to w;Lsh the linen. Lord I lowe
ha!-. alt each !-.hown the ex.unple bv going to the
brool-. and wa ... hing hi1> 0\\11.'
The bcar'ikin \\'ils lllltlti-pmpost'. !>ening a!> a
tnallrcs!>, blanket ot <L'> a backpac:l-. in which to
roll one's hawt 'iark ron tai n i ng rations and
personal itt'lllS of kit; eating and cooking
and spare clothing. !lowe had more
order:, dravm up instructing 'the v\ 1wle Army
to have their rut ctown that thev mav know
one anothet front Enemy, causing Dr
Richard Tluck, an army surgcon, to comment
\\TVI\' that 'we ar<:' now litcrall't an Arm\ of
Round he.tcb' wtth the 1)1 ims of the hats wom
'slouched about two and a half" broact.
F111-the1 orders that 'the ollifn., do not t<ll n theit sashes, but wear
the it on dut\ . !I owe \\antt>d none ol his men !{t-'lling entangled
111 the \\Oo<b. or <L'> Dr Ti uck put it, 'Ftl'nch sticl-.1111-{ in our Skins'.
Commanding officer<; " ere kit 10 dwo-,t '' h.ll colm legging!> their
Light ln1.mu-.. soldier<, \\!Jttld \\t'<ll .111d \\l'll' diHned to ensure that
'The harrells of the Firelocks olthe Light lnfantn mmt all he made blue
or brown. to take off the glillct in!-{; and the nMt-. of the Light lnhmu:
mm be quite plain, or with the la<.ings ol the Regt. ;L, the Commanding
Officer\ like best. rhe less thev arc <,('('II in the the better.'
I' he (j nal de\'C topmen 1 and standa 1 ol Light I nf alltf) dress
.md .tppearance took place in the i!pring of 175!) when General Amherst,
the Commander-in-Chief in Amet ira, i.\SII<'cl a dnw; poliq. We: !cam from
a directive issued in \Volfe's at Ill\' that all thl Light lnlantrymeu of the
arm\ scning in North America were, hcncd(>rth, to be uniform in
appearance. The following instt uctio11s arc worth CJllOting in full :
!'he following order for the dress of tlw Light I 11 r;Ultry, as approved
of by hi-; excellency General i\tnh('rst: Wolfe desires
1 he same ma\' be exactlv con formed to h\ 1 ht> light troops under
comm;md: the sleC\ es o1 the [ t cell coat are put on the waistcoat
and, instead of he rwo wings like the grenadiers,
but fuller: and a round :.lope teaching .tbout haliwm clown his arm;
which makes hi!> coat of no encumbrance to him, but can be slipt
off "ith pleasure; he h<L<; no lace, but the lap(b n.main: the
u'ual pockets, he ha<> two, not guitt -.o high as hi'> b1 ea.,t, made of
leather. for balb and flitw.; .mel a flap of rt'ct doth on the inside,
which secure<> the ball from rolling 011t, if he !-thoulcl fall. II i'
1-.napsack is carried ,en high betwten hi-. shoulders. and b f'a!>tened
with a strap of web o\'er his shoulclet, as Lhe ('<U n lhei r
pack. I lis cartout h-1)()' hangs undct ann on the left 'irlc. slung
\\ ith Ieathem su .tp; ,md his horn undtt the other <II m on tlw tight;
hanging b, a nan ow<.' t weh than that med for his kn.tp\,ICI...:
canteen clmm hi.'> back, under his kn:lp'>ack anrl covered with clolh;
he has a rough c:<IS<.' lor his tomah()( k, with a buuon; and it hangs
in a leathern sling cl own his side like a hangn, between his coat and
wai:-.t-coat. I'\o ba\Ottel; his leggins have leathern under his
like hb hat i!. m.1de into a cap, with ,\flap and
a button. anrl \\ith "'much blackcoth added as "ill come: un<ll'l his
chin and keep him \\,tnn when he lie' dmm: it hook., in the front,
and is made like the old \'elvet cap., in l:. ngland.
Looking likt: a Li ght lnl'anuy man. or course, was no t ctwugh in the
woods to guaranHT \liCCt'SS. Onlv good trai ning and arlual combat
cxpctience in the wilcl tt could pwduce a good Light lnfanlnman.
<t\ George To'' mhc.nd . 1 subordin.uc of \\'olfc's. \\Tote to Cenenll
,\ mhnst some 'eat' latn: ' It not a Shott Coat ... that makt'' a Light
lnfantrv Man, but as you know. Sir, a Confidence in Aim & that
Stralag<' m in a perwnal conilict whi ch derived from Expt'rientc.'
TRAINING AND TACTICS
' Fi t for t ha t Service'
h oni call v, Robert Kirkwood receiYcd his Light Infantry 'training' from
America's his SltawtH't' lndian captors. nlktn prisonet
o n Maj or J ames Gra nt 's botched ra id or Fort Duquesne in September
Death of Lord Howe, 6 July 1758
at the head of Gage's Light
Infantry. Lord George Augustus
Howe was one of the British
Army's leading advocates of light
dress and tactics. His death was
not only a blow to reformists but
also contributed significantly to
the serious defeat suffered by
his army two days later on the
Heights of Carillon near Fort
Ticonderoga. Recreation by
Patrice Courcelle. (From
Campaign 76: T1conderoga
1758 by Rene Chartrand.)
17
1758, from the ping knife and adopted as a 'brother' into the
tribe, Kirk11ood trained in the wav of the woods. lle learned w track,
hunt and wdl becoming proficient in the of canoes
and tutelage culminated in him being
deemecll1\' hi., Shawtw< 'hroth<'r, ready 'm take up the hatchet' .t
fellow 11'<t 11 i01.
Ki1 k1wod I<'WI(kd in hi.,joumalthat in the spring of 1759, hi., tribe
'began w form t1 larg< scout against the Cherokees . . . thi, pat t'l
compmed of thl' ll be.,t 1\cliTior'> and was in numbe1 about fmt1 '.
Kirkwood wa ... clns.,<d in btet'ch clout .md Indian leggings: 11ith hi., hai1
dre'>secl in '>calplock he took up hi'> rif1e, powderhorn, tomah.m k and
ping knift. and the Ohio Ri\er heading '\\'e had a 11a1
dance, hal'ing ou1 black'd in to!...en of the dc-;uuction and
immediate cl<'ath IH' nwant to gil'c our <'ncmics.'
Al'te1 ,.,el'eral skit tnishes with the Cherokees', Kirkwood and anothtt
white capti\'l' tlllned Indian warrior ">lipped away and mack their e1>cape
back to cil'ili '\at ion. rhe first white man they encountered 'ran 11i th all
speed. being Mlrt' Wt' Wt'rt' Indians. v\'c: hallut'd to him, but to no
purpose, he adckd to his flight in such a manner, that had not my
comrade who was very ni1nblc, run him cl<m11, we could nel'er ha\'(' [had]
the comcrsation with him.' The white hunter 'expected on being-
mcrtakcn to hal'(' the to111ahawk uck in his scull, but was agrccahl}
dereil'ed, when he founci by our that we were J.,.nglishnwn'.
On Kid,1,ood\ lt'tllln w 1eg-iment se\'era.l 1\eeb latel, 'gteat w;"
thcirjo\' and su1 "h<'n the\ me as one risen from the dead. fm
thev suppm.ed I hac! been killed amon).\'"t the Indians'. Kirk11ood ptoudh
renHded he 11,1., 'p.tttirul.u II t.1!...en not.ice of by 111\' officen,', .111d 11ith his
new -,kills and ('\.JWiti\<' becanw .1 1-:.tluabk instructor for other nwmhcr-.
of hi' 1 egimtnt- the onh one who had been u-ained b\ the l'IH'I11\.
j a .... ell dtf ftt eel It 0111 theater Lo UH:'ater. did the '>t.utdard,
qualit\ and amount of training. No two l.iglu Infantrv corp'> were trained
the same "'" hcHl'>C no "1 iuen doctrine exiMed. Evervthing wa-. ne11.
F01 cxa111pl<:. the men at ll alifa, lom1ed into light companie!> fo1 the
1757 Loui<;bourg <'ll.pcdition under Lord Loudo1tn, found .t \'en
training- rcg-imc awaiting them. Muck fonificatiom and work....
were buil t. and a Li g- ht Infantry soldier would ha1c: spent each dav
ahcrna tel y attacking ancl defending them. This practice ma) haw sccnHcl
a li g-h t-lwartcd to most British Regulars but as Ca ptain
Lieutl'llalll l lc nry Pringle, Foot, explains: 'altho' ol'ten several
would happen which made us laugh (as there were no balls
flying about) 8.: thcH' were many jukes concerning this mock Fort, yet it
ccttainl) wa:o. info1ming to those who were absolute strangers in
lT'>J){'Ct, of whom the I portion of the army was compmecl'.
But Loudoun had to abort the 1757 Loui!.bourg expedition due to
F1 ench na,al '>liPl'l iu1 it\ ,md tet dble weather and tlm:o. ntutned
his rq.,rimcnh to win tel quarter., in Halifax, '\ew York and Pcnnwl\'ania.
The -,,une H',ll, l .onl I oudoun had not been keen to additional
Range1 com panic:'> to au light tmops because of their in01 dinatt'
cxpcn'i<'. their poor di,ripline. and, as theY expanclcd,
qual it' "' <'li.J)('I ic1H td "oocb.men were killed off and replat eel "ith 1 ""
prminri.tl'> .lnd ell unk<n I ilf-1 alT. But he reluctant!) did M) to bm time
18 'till I can make 'onw of our own people fit for that Senice'.
Marksman. Ten men in every
Light Infantry company were
Issued rifles such as this
marl<sman from the 55th Foot
(Howe's). They were probably
all of European manufacture
In the German Jager style.
This soldier has a backpack
fastened with an Indian tumpline
which could also be slung across
the forehead for especially heavy
loads. (Courtesy of Gary Zaboly)
OPPOSITE Training. Cherokee
warriors led by war chieftain
'Little Carpenter' trained Light
Infantry such as Robert Kirkwood
of the 77th Foot (Montgomery's
Highlanders) during General
Forbes' 1758 expedition against
Fort Duquesne. Kirkwood praised
' the firm and Intrepid conduct
of the Little Carpenter and his
Indians'. In this detail from the
painting Warriors by Robert
Griffing, a Highlander of the
77th Foot teams the finer points
of tracking, a skill not uncommon
In many men of the Highlands
who came to America with
deerstalklng and shepherding
skills. (Courtesy of Robert
Griffing and Paramount Press)
In an exchange of' letters
bctween Loudoun and th<
Duke ol Cumb<.t land on
'the in ''hi< h
the [French] haw 110 great
an ad,antage '" theit
Canadiam and Indiam', the
latter hi-. friend 'to
teach \out to go out
on Scouting Partie": f(>J 'till
regular Officer.. with men
they can !eat n to
beat the and an as
Irregular!>, rou wi II never
gain an> certain h nelligtnce
of the Enemy, nor screen
and protect a tnarrhing
column '.
The di"tinction of being
the first Li ght lnf;ulln in
the Britil>h Arnn went to
the previous!\ IIH'lltioncd
!:lOth Foot, or Cage\ I ight
InfantrY. rai-.ecl in Dt.c-
L_
I ' I
I '
L
ember l i5i. It ron'>i'>ted of experienced officers and nwn fmm the
regimental light companic,, of whom had u-ained or '>el\('d ,,,
voluntee1::. "ith Rogtt ,' R.tngn'>. reuuiting wa.<, done in the
colonie' a-. well, tlw pnfened recruiL-. being wood:>men. hut mu-.t men
inclined to join hac! ah each done -.o and prefened the t-anger com paniC'>
that ullered moll' IM' and cli-.ripline. Gage's Light Infantnnwn
thus underwent cxtcmi\'{' under expetienced oflicers .md
onc of them recmding- in .June 175H that their soldiers were cmplo) cd
'in Exercising a tH.:'W t\kthocl of fighting, forming and marchtng in
the Woods'.
Lig-ht Infantrymen wi th good shooting skills prior to
the Ti< onderoga expedition or 1758 lintncl ( hcmscl\'l'S
issued with a new weapon before the campaign. Eighty
'ril1led barrel pieces' of btropcan origin were gi\'en to
the ten in each regiment of General
.James Alwrrrombv'!> large ann). Before the expedition
wa-. launched, eadt t illeman was 'ordered to fire three
rounds each' bdott em bat J..ing on the boat:>. Eight\' men
firing three rounds apiece docs not sound like a vel') long
or com pre hemin Largt't pt an ice. nor was it imended to
be. It "'" in fact. the men ;eming in their ne" a.<>
each piece handcrafted anci each weapon had to be
to it-. tt'>l't. B, aclju..,ttng rear sights at given
t-ange-.. the rinen1.1n < ould dett't mine his line of sight and
whether hi-. pcr-.onal tin'lork aimed high or low .
.\lusketrv and t.ttgtt ptacti-.e, commonly referred to a<>
'firing at i\l a1 (h<mc marbnwn) became a top
training pt-iorit\ lot all l .ight InfantrY soldiers as well as
ABOVE A 1757 diagram for a
proposed five-company Light
Infantry regiment that became
the finst of Its kind In the Britlsh
Army - Gage's L.lght Infantry.
Dotted lines show the evolutions
required to shake out companies
from column Into tine and facing
the enemy after passing through
a defile. (Courtesy of the William
L. Clements Library)
19
20
Scouting ahead. A soldier of the
80th Foot or Gage's Light Infantry
scouts forward of the army with
friendly Indians on campaign.
(Courtesy of Gary Zaboly)
Robert Rogers at Detroit, 1760.
While Rogers did not Invent the
Ranger concept, he was
lnstl'\lmental in writing the first
woodsflghtlng manual and acting
as chief lnstl'\lctor for many
British Light Infantry officers. In
the fall of 1760, Rogers and a
combined force were di spatched
to accept the of Detroit
and the other French posts after
the fall of Montreal. (Courtesy of
Gary Zaboty)
their companions in tlw hat companies. By
the spring of 1761, when the battali ons of the
'Amnic.ut Attm' wet c preparing for !>enice
in the Cat ibbean, Amht'l st could obser\'e with
<>onw tion that 'alii he mtn arc good
mall..'>men, that it 1 cquirt:. o nly a little
to l..ccp the it handl> in.
\\'ith the rerogmuon that his Light
lnlant1 \lilt' II 1 eq uit ed pl\\:.icall\' fit and
,,ood'' i'>c oflin.r.,, in September 1757 Lord
Loudoun mclct ed Captain Robert Rogers, the
Rangct, to imtrun :)5 handpicked
gemlcmcn \ Oittlll<'t-rs' in the rank:. ' in
the ntnJ.,ri llg disc iplim. methods or marching,
ambu-;hing. fighli lt).{, t' t( . that they might be
beuer ((Ualilied iix any future services again:-. t th(' enemy'. lf' judgcd by
Roger<; as cadets af't et the int c nsi\'C course, these
)'Oung sold iers were to be C<>llltllissioned as in llwir own regimental
light companies, or l11c Ra ngers. as ocnu-rect .
Se\el<ll other ofiicers in difk tTttt theatcrl> of' war were si mul taneously
pulling pen to paper and articulati ng what wa.\ needed in training British
1 egulars to cope \\ill t 'the bmhfight . Brigadicr-Ccneral J oh n Forbes,
entrusted with the 175H expedi tion to tal..c Fot t Duque;.nc, wrote to his
'L'coud-in-<ommand, Bouquet, that it wa.'> pat <tmount to 'compl" anct team
the .\n of \\'an from Ennf'm\ l nrliam or pcopk ... who haw the
Countn and the \\'an carried on it' . Bouquet, ,, ollicn who had
expeticnced inegulm '"u L11 eon Eut op('<lll ;.en it e. quitkh concuned and
\lancd to mm m1d accomrc hi\ Roval \ nwricam lil..c the lndiml-;. fie. too.
obtained rifles for hi<> marksmen - I(} in numbet - ''' well as in\'cnting his
O\\ n u-.tining cxcrci;.e lO pt epa1 e hi' men lot \\Oo<b lighting. sending them
into the thick forc<;t in small \\ith nm men 'whi ch
dcplo\'ect into line in two minutt;, wi th the lig-ht troops en l'duufli [literall y
"scarfed", meaning in a '>etn n w the front!'.
An r\ melican Pnwincinl ob-;cn ing BOll((llt't's training
regimen wrotf': 'E\'f' rv afte tnoon ht t'Xt'rciscs hi;, men in the
woods and bushes in the manntr of' hb own inw nti on, whi ch
be of great in an engagement with lnctians.'
Bouquet wo11ld later identify gt' nt' ralmaxims that applied in
al l Indian warfare stating that there wasn' t ' anything new or
extraordinarv in this wav ol' lighting- whi ch 'lt'<' ms to have been
common to most Barba1ian;,'. Fi rM, they always 'surro und their
enemy'. he wrote. 'The second, that th('y fi ght scaucrcd.
and never in a compact hodv. The thi rd that thev never stand
their ground when auackcd, but immcdiateh give way to the
charge.' For a Light it f(>llowed then:
bt That the troop-. cle,tincd to t: ngage lncl iam mu:.l be
ligh tly cloathed. armed and <l<TOllll ed.
2nd That hming no n.,islance to encounter in the attack
and the defense. the\ .uc noL to be dr;l\\n up in close order.
which onl\' ,,;11 expose thcm without w a greater
loss.
-
And lasth, that all their eYolutions must be pertmmcd \\ith
great rapidity; and the men enabled by exercist' to pm!-!ue the
enemy closely, when put to flight, and not gi,ing lhcm time to rally.
Bouquet's mtining program gave '>pedfic attention to items such as
clothing. arms, training techniques, comtruction of tamp!> and
:.l'llkmems. logiMit'> and tactical mano<unes to meet most contmgencie ....
Under his supervision, the compam replaced the battalion as the unit of
mano<' U\TC, ancl were taught to sm1p::.hoot, whet'l on the run ovet
broken ten-ain, swi m rivers and march on snowshoes. Robert Kirkwood
and fellow Hi ghlanders. no doubt, partook of lhis training. as Ensign
Cist of tlw Virginia PrO\incials recorded that james Crant.
of the 77th FoQt, tried to imtil 'lhe an of bmhfighting' in hi" men before
lt'ading them on his ill-hued assault on Duquesne.
Kirkwood musr ha\ <' excelled for he \\,L'i one of twelll\ h.111dpicked
ntt'll ordered to conduct a reconnctissann-in-force against Fot t Duquesne
in August 1758. Accompanied by Cherokee waniors led by the wdl-knmm
war chieftain, Little Carpenter. they destrovcd a French and Shawnee war
patt\' but failed to reach their ohjecti\'e. On their return to Fort Bedford.
tiW\' were pursued 1)\ 'French and Shannie Indians dra\\ n to).{tthcr for
that and the\ wen often ne;u u" that we could pl.tinh cfi.,tinguish
thcit haJloo'. l wo '>tat 1- realities clrivetl home to Kirkwood on first
Bti lish Army scout wen: if one wa'> too wounded to walk, <lllt' left
lwhind to the mercies of the enemy: and, one had to be phvsiralh a.s well
as nwntallv fit for Thb being the scout ltver went
upon,' he \\TOte, \ou r.m imagine how fatigued 1 was, hut ,umcht the'>c
hilld,hips. I had the comfort of a relief from the finn .111<1 inuepid
n)llcluct of Little Cat pt'tllel and hi-. lncltam.
The 550 light preparing lot the 1758 Loui:.bomg- campaign
under the watchful eye ol Scott wnt' told that onn the} 'had
practise & experience, a('quircd much Caution & as
they ha\'e spirit & .\cti\'itv. the howling Barbariam' would 'flee bdote
them'. \ccordingl\', a Light Infant I\ man was taught 'to attack
& defend ... judi(.iou.,h alwavs cndea\ outtng 10 get upon the 1.- nenn \
Flank and equally watchful to prevent llncirclementl' 1-utth<-'1 more,
he wal> to 'be instructed to chusc good
and lay .. . in ambuscade to
ad\'antage. to be akn, vigilant
and obedient, read\' at all ro 111rn
out '' ithout the le<t!>t noi-;e or Je,,.,t
confu.,ion .
Light Infantn troop' were al'>o to
'alway., march in Single & gentt alh
fight in a single rank; pushing at tlt c
Entmv when they 'i<'<' him in confusion,
and that lhe Ground r;I\'OLII'S tlleit Eflot ts:
11('\er pursue \\ith too much ....
not to give ''"d\, cxc ept in a n'l"\' great
inequalil) of number..,. \\'itlt t11e empha-.i'>
on spreading out and cover tltcy
wen instructed to 'avoid huddling
together, & running into a Lump; in sta h
A view of Fort Duquesne. A detail
from the Robert Griffing painting
Triumphant Return to Fort
Duquesne, showing the French
fortress captured by British
troops under General John Forbes
In 1758, and the scene of Robert
Ki rkwood's capture by Shawnee
Indians. (Courtesy of Robert
Griffing and Paramount Press)
2 1
22
ABOVE LEFT Two Light
Infantrymen, c.1759. A detail of
two Light Infantry soldiers, one
of the 46th Foot (lett) and one of
the Royal Americans (60th Foot),
from Benjamin West's Genera/
Johnson Saving a Wounded
French Officer from the
Tomahawk of a North American
Indian, painted c.1764. This
is one of only two known
contemporary paintings of
British regular Light Infantry
In North America. (Courtesy
of the Derby Museum)
ABOVE RIGHT Lead and land
fi rst. A painting by Peter
Rfndfsbacher depleting Wolfe's
Light Infantry landing at the cove
below tho Heights of Abraham,
Quebec In September 1759. They
silently scaled the heights and
took possession of them so the
rest of the army could march up.
(Courtesy of Peter Rlndllsbacher)
a -.ituation the, arc a fair object for their achn-,aric-.. & not able to emplm
then A.1 to purpose'. itTcgulat t.Kti<" 01 -.u at.tgem:.' highlight the
additional that the common Briti'>h redcoat had to fulh m<L'>ter before
bnoming a Light Infantt""\111an.
C\o amount of training hO\\t'H't could teplacc cxpnience. Only
repeated to wilderne1>s lighting could build up the confidence
ami expertise of a Light lnfantnman expcCI('d LO counter the 'paim and
howl' ol his advcrsarie11. \htim Pau id .\latkellat, Wolle':. chid engineer
at Quebec in 1759, and a sun ivor of defeat on the
Monongahela, gaw credence to 1lw old tnaxitn 'fami li arit:v breeds
contempt', when he obset \'ed that the cuntinuou:. had ' the
good effect of using our men to 1hc and them with
the Canadians and Indians, whom they soon began to despise'.
Ott the whole, by 1761, Briti1>h Light lnfant t\' aml tlwir regimemal
brethren were sutllcicntly trained to ignore th<' Indian hall oo' or 'howl'
ancl act with 'Spirit and Coolness' in mo),t :-.ituatiom. In fact, manv of
them adopted the Indian hmd tiH'il ohn,.Janas Grant noting how hi:.
Highland Light Infantl)1nen on Martinique in 1762 hacl bolstered the
rcsoln of another regiment as the) moved up to -.uppotl 1 hem during
battle. Gram remembered 'a huge boch of h t'n< h opposite
m [\\ere] d1iving in the 60th [ Roval . \m<J-icam] who were slowly
before them to ou1 right down th<' hill. \\e in,tanth gave the
Indian Halloo, pan of our Backwood" .H quit enwnll>; the bra\e of
the 60th instantly stood, a-. if ti,cted to the -.pot and a<hanccd \\ith us.'
But c\en the moM expericmT<I Light I nfantn man on campaign
:.uflcrcd bloody defeat or mauling at the h.utd\ of the encnl\ from time
-
to time, the of which wa:, usuall} attributable to a J,H k of alenness
or failure to follm' the basic dictates of his training.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
' Put nothing t o cha nce'
Lodgings
A Li ght Infantryman being 'the most active and rcsolutt 11oldicr' of hi!>
regiment thought nothing of sleeping out 11nder the stnrs while on long
scouting or raiding missions. He and comrades would cut branches
and boughs of pine: f01ming a mattress to keep thcmscl\(s oflthe damp
or hard ground. If the \\eather was cold, thev constructed rude lean-to
-.IH'hcrs from the same materials in the Jndian !>t)IC. !.mel Loudoun
ibcd them a-. 'bush tents of pine boughs; two opposite each other
... a !-.pace between thelll in which they make great lire!'!, ancl the men in
each of the tenLs lie with their feet to tlw !ires in which situation they arc
tolerably comfUJtahk'.
On his return to h<L'>l' camp fo1 prm isions, rest and resupplY, Kirkwood
.111d his colleague<; ''ould draw thei1 tenLs from regimental storage. The
tCIIL'> \\el c usualh mack of light '"Her-proofed sailcloth and -.kpt tour to
eight men. In more t''>tablbhed camp'>, mde huts would h<' ronstructed,
while in captured t0\\11S or cities such as Qu<'hcc, were billeted in
tuined houses and bui ldings.
Many sptnt weeks or month., aboard transpcHt either
on thc:i way to Amt'l ica, or taking p:ut a'> the landing lloop:, on Llw
numewus amphibJUu-. operation., concllH ted in the \meri< a' dtuing Lilt.'
ScH'n Years' '\'a1. Operations again'>l Luui,bourg. tiJllque, Dominica.
Cuba and the Grenada'\ meant that 1 were pa< ktd into
under condition!> that rivalled those ol the slave track. Pri\'ate Jame!>
Miller. on first comi ng to America in 1757, rememlwred that 'the
accommodatiom of soldiers on board ship arc not \'ery <.OIHiuci'e to case
o1 lwaiLI1. all between ded .. '> being scpmated b\ boards. into births fsic],
and the, creep into thc'e holes, in the
hc:-.t manne1 the\ c;tn. one third of
which. are generallv on deck whilt'
nl anchor'. Miller confc:-.secl that he
\l'ldom went below, for there proceed\
\llch a disagreeabk -.tench. of putrid
breath\, when \'CHI arc going down the
hatrhwa\, that no being to
fH1>h ;ur can bt'<ll. but mote
particularly, when clwcsc, or grog,
w<..re serving, there i1> !'! ltrh a compound
of' Villainous Smelb, enough to
\llffi>eate a llottcntot'.
Everyday Task s
Roht11 Kirkwood gi'e' u-; a good idea of
the more romine tasls and outpost
duties he and hi!-. fellow Light
Infantrymen wen railed upon to
How the barracks of Fort
Ligonier would have looked to
Kll'kwood and his comrades
st ationed there in 1758, and
1763-1765. The Light Infantry
became familiar wi th the roads
between Forts Pitt, Ligonier
and Bedford as one of t heir
most Important and dangerous
tasks was convoy escort duty.
(Photo by Tim Todish)
23
24
First glimpse of America. The
harbour of Charles Town, South
Carolina as It would have looked
to Private Robert Kirkwood
and his fellow Highlanders of
Montgomery's 77th Foot on
arrlvalln September 1757. They
garrisoned the colony's capi tal
from September 1757 to April
1758. (Courtesy of the William L.
Clements Library)
)Jerform. Aflcr fighting their way through to thc besieged f(>rt in the early
wimcr of 1763/ 64 duri ng Pont iac's I nclia n uprising, Ki rkwood and his
com racks,
staid there but a short time, ha\ing LO escort the inhabitanL\ dmm
the country and to come hack ''ith more pto\'isions. \\'e
continued ed in thi-. manrHr 'till tlw first of Januan
( 176-l], the SilO\\ falling \0 deep, W(' were obliged to <ihO\ el it away
e,en night LO make our beds .mel fires; eHn man being prO\ided
"llh a hatchet to cut wood. and a 'hoHI for the :.no\\, we were
obliged also to go in panic'>, all(( rrample 11 hdore the in
orrler to pre,ent their being mired 111 it.
h.irkwood c:.timated that in corwm protenion dutic'> 'we marched
1500 mile!>' before 'the Forr' I ,,enl \lOt ed wtth prmi:.ions'. Later that
spt in g. Pr0\i:.io11:. at laM bctomi ng we made :.e\'era1 incursions
inlO the fields around Fon Pi t [sic] ' 'here we found Indian corn in great
plent\- ol which we brought considerahl< (jllanli tiel> to the garTison and
pounded it ior broth.' Such exrur sio ns were not wi thout uagedy for
Kirkwood wrote: ' we were ficCJII Cn tl y in grea t da nger lor lire Indians gave
u:-. many a chace. On o ne of these exped iti ons I 111)' comrade who was
taken, Kalped and died the !>arne day.' J'hc fo llowing winter at Fort Pill,
Kirkwood found himself 'emplo)ccl in bringi ng coals int o the garrison
on:r the icc, in bags made ol ' J ht pit from which they are
l':li.U<tCtcd is on the other !>ide of the l'i\et :-..1anning-hall y (:-..1onongahela) .'
The need for fuel in \\inteJ woodcutting expeclitions on an
<tlmost dail\' basis at e' en foiL or outpmt. I hm protection parties were
uccdccl to guard them and \\ crt drmm fi om the Light
Inhmuy or Rangers who were proficient in the ll\C or . \lso
was the La.Sk of clearing heaw \110\\\ ,m,n from the fortification:.
to pre\'ent enem) " -ailing mer dit<.he, and ramparts in :.now:.hoc:..
Henn Pringle, writing from Fort Ectward, ">cw \'otl in 1757 rtcorded: '\\'e
h<ne had prodigious Snow<, \\hich il<L' tmplmtd .til the GatTi:.on in
dearing the work!. & when the firM r clllO\'td, a '>econd. two feet comes in
-
the night. Our intercourse with the
French is stop'd by it, as we have not
had a deserte r since, nor have we sent
another Scout there yet.' Knox, servi ng
at Quebec three vcar1> later, desc1ibed
the type of fat igue in which 'the
biucmess of tl1e M.'<L,oll [ not to be
concei\'ed; se\'eral of the men who were
dca1 ing th e snow that was loclgccl
uucl er the sc<up of' the LOWtHvall wen:
frm1hinen, and some swooned away
with the excessive cold' .
Other ot.Upost duties included
deliH'l;ng ,;tal di!>patches through
hostile counu;. a task that Kirkwood
performed once at great peril. ' J being alw-ays forward ,' he \Hotc,
' unde rtook to carry a packet to Fort Ligoni e r' as ' the lndia1111 ... had cui
oil" all communications between the Forts, so th at it was to send
an\' Intelligence from one place to anothct. ofT ,,;th anotlwr Light
lnhmtryrnan and th< ir clog. Kirkwood 1 eco1 dcd tl1at the\' t t,tdll'd
'\,ithout an> interccptiou' but on the retumjoume\ ' the Iucl1am had got
seem of us a nd lay in ''",lit'. Ki rkwood and hi11 companion rc-.olwd 10 tranl
in darkness o nly and laid up the foll owing day, botl1 fall ing
'By th is imprudt' IKl'.' Ki rkwood noted . 'we th rew Olll');clws into the
grcat('1>t danger. and would ha,e certai n tv been murdered, but fill [ ourJ
dog ... which was alarmed b\' the and the howling tht' lndi<m!> made;
thn tracked u' to the ,en <>pot, .111d had waited until tht'\
had gathcr'd their ink1nal crew. to make a !'laetifice of m.' kn kwood and
his romrade took to their heels, avoidi ng the road and t.ak1ng .tliicuitou<;
bypath 'under teni bk apprehe nsions, f(>r all 1hc way we ht'ard the Jndian
hall oo'. T hey and tht' ir uusl)' dog reached ' the Fort i11 saletY but our
t'X[>t'dilion WL'\ lllllliCkY ror tWO Of the SOldierS belonging 10 the gatTiSoll
\\ ho had been out to look for hor;e'
kll in with our pttt).Ut.'l'\ who scalpt
them both and left them dPad on the
!>pOl'.
Evc1;day t<L<; ks Mlll H' ti mes includ-
ed a soldi e r's formcr trad e and
<)(cupation. In Ki t k\\ood's
'bring a coopc1 '" trade, 1 wa.,
emplmecl to mend out water e<L<;k.<; ' .
Fo1 any sizeabk campaign in tl1e
wi lderucss, any anll}' had to be
in ski li e d la bou rc rs,
whether regular sold iers. provi ncial.,
or hired ci,iliam. Bouquet was
emphatic that troop' 'hould be
' taught to tl1ro'' up entrenchment,,
mak(' f<L-;cines and gabions. as well a!>
to It'll uees, saw planks, consmtct
canoes, cans, pl uugh!-1, barrows, roofs,
C<L'\ks. batteaux and bridges. and to
' I lost my comrade'. A soldier Is
scalped by a French Amerindian
warrior. Light Infantry soldiers
and Rangers took to scalping
enemy Indians in retaliation,
as well as for the five-pound
bounties that were offered for
such grisly war trophies.
(Library of Congress)
Building a Cabin. In fortified
camps of a more pennanent
nature, Provincial and Regular
soldiers were called upon to
construct their own cabins or
storage sheds. Many soldiers
with a trade could earn extra
pay for such work. (Dover
Pictorial Archives)
25
26
build ovens and The\' would abo nc:ed lo 'become tolerablv
good carpenters, ma.-.on)>, t.ailors, etc.
Food
The ,,eekh ration Robert Kirkwood and hi., comrades could expect while
b<t'>ed in a semi-pennanent camp or a fort was pound<; of
bed, or, in lieu thereol, lour pound'> ol pork, which thought to be
equivalent; seven pounds of bi!>cuit bread I hat dtack] 01 the same weight of
flour: -.ix ounces of butter, three pint., ot pca..,c, half a pound of rice; and
thi.., is called se,en ration1>'. \\'ith l(>tll to 'i" nH:n pet tent 01 hut, these
t<ttions would have been pooled \dth and eithet a designated
cook or the company women would prepare the daih meak
An orderly book tells us how the ptm i-.io1111 \\et e prepared on arrival
in camp for distribution, the regimental quanennaMers rcl:>ponsible 'to
attend in person to sec the flower [sic] weighed deducting the weight of
the cask; the pork unpack'd the :-.alt btat off of it and weighed. The bmter
uupack'd and weigh d. Pease to be rereivecl by mesurc, rice b)' weight.'
In order to balance the men's dier, garrison anrl ramp were
established so that men and olliccrs could grow l'resh vegetables such
as cabbage, peas, carrots, asparagw, squash, corn and melons. Some
rcgimenL'i kept milking cows, while kept live sheep, pigs ami cattle
which would be slaughtered l'rom tillH' to time to prO\ide the men with
fre1-.h meat. Sutlers and camp follo\\crs al'o attended each army and
prmidcd baking and cooking ser\'iccs, the law: r usuallv for oflicer ...
also provided luxurY items '>llch a!> egg1>, salt, pipe tobacco, sugar,
mola.o,se1-. and a \\ide range of liquor:-..
Being an accomplished huntet, Robct t Kirkwood would undoubtedh
haYc been sent out on hunting JMI tie'> to 'upplement the salted meat
ration. btinging back such fresh gam<. a' <ker, moo1-.e, ell.., bear. wild
turkevo;, bulfalo and a various <l\\01 tnHnt ol cluck.' and partridge. E'e!J
trip "''a' from the safet) of camp wa!> 1 ill' '''ith danget Indian scalping
parties lurked in the woods waiting for ju..,t thi' t\'J)<' of excursion. One
part\ \entllling out of Crmm Point in .\l,trrh 17()0 to hunt deer as 'they
thought the Ice of the Lake l>O bad the Indians could not approach,'
recorded Hen I')' Ptinglc, were 'all made Pt isonns before our eyes &
cannon-shot of the Fort'. Pringk, who had been captured after
Rogers' battle on snowshoes in l\larclt 17!">8 thought the alfait l'rivulous:
'To be made prisoner where the Service doc:. not call is inexcusable ...
They risk their life, their liberty & int<'lligenn to the Enemy against a
Pertridge or a Deer.' He conchtdcd, '\Ve should al present be olrl
Soldiers in the American War & pu1 nothing 10 a chance li1r such a trifle.'
The game that Kirkwood and his lellow marksmen brought in for
their compan) wall a1> varied as tiH' tt'tt a in tlte had to pa1>s
through. While on the Ohio River. Kirkwood observed. 'Here the
Buffalo arc as plenty as our black cattle in Emope, the Deer as
nunH:.rou)> as our Sheep, and wild Tut in much abundance as our
poulti).' \\l1en tasked \\ith his rom pam ol Black \\'atch (ha,ing been
tran!>ferrcd on disbandment ol the 77th at the Pea< e) to take po!>scssion
o{ Ft cnch forL<; in Tllinois countn in 1765, Kit kwood "rotc: '"e had a
good pastime in killing the Bullaloe'>, ''hie h ,nn th<.>n in their ptime
... Ther ha\'e a large hump on theit hack'>, wlten laid open, appears to be
:-.olid fat. much like that of the bt east ol a CO\\. and it is really most
delirious eating-. In sh01t, the whole carcase for tlw purpose of
soup-making, is in my opinion, preferable LO any of our bed.'
Other exotic fare tried by British soldiers included rattlestt<.tl .. e.
porcupine and racoon. Captain James of the Bla< k \\'atch wTote
that make the 1 ichest and be-.tsoup that can be, which I cat
of and like much. The meat i.s but insipid.' Knox on gatt ison in . ova
Scotia to having tried racoon: 'the nesh of it white and tender,
not unlike kid meat; but it was strong and or a disagreeable fi!>h\' flanl\tr'.
Fishing wa., another meam of supplementing the '>tand,ud anm l,u t.'
and Kirkwood\ favourite catch of the da} was catfish. \\'hilst in Ohio
country he wrote: 'You may catch large fish which thev call Catts, some
weighing 100 pounds, itmnkes excell em sauce, and cats wry
broiled on the coals.' Man\ soldiers canied lines, and hooks in
tht'ir pacb - for the 175H Louisbourg expedition. item-. wnc
!>pt'cially i!-.!-.ucd and the men encouraged to fish. Knox noted that tht'\
'took great C]Uantities ofthh over the l.hips' sides ... chieOy mackerel and
pollock'. Whiil' ill garrison at ll alifax, the soldiers able to buy 'most
kinds or fi),h and panicularlv lobsters in great plcnrv'.
In 1762. a Light Tnfantn oflicer at the '>iege of Ilav<lll.t recorded that
men caught 'a <>on of which carrie-. iL'> about (a.,
do which lool..ed 'like a Crawfio;h or pr,\\\11. They run \l'l'Y
ni mbly along. but when touched, halt and retire as guickly into their
mmable hou<>c1>- the Soldiers boiled and ate them'; the hl'ttnit were
\er; plent\ in some pl.tcc,, that we wen obliged to cleat them aw;l\ in
order to -.it dmm'. His men abo took the it hatchets to tlw 'Cabbage Tne
without compassion [andllaid their beaut' in the dust ... f01 LO get [fruit I
which is at the verv LOp, the tree must be cut dm\>11 & obliged us to make
this Paradi<;c a desert'.
\\'hen hunting and fi<>hing could not tal..t. place becam< he wa.<> on the
move. the Light lnfantn 111,111 ,,,\., expect<'d to ca-r; hi., own prmisiom lot
the duration of the mi<>siott. fhe usual fate taken .,onw salt beef ot
pork, parched Indian corn, peas. rice, hardtack 'johnn( (o1
journey cake) and perhap:-. some sugar or dtocolare to provide imwnt
<net-g-., or to .,weeten hot chink.'>.
Cannibalism
i\ stark exam pic of how despnall:
men could become when deprind of
rations on campaign 1 <:hlll'd b'
Robert Kirl..wood in hi-. ,\ftmmn in
:.ume gruc\Ollll' detail. A., one of the
many Light Infantry 'voluttt<:ers' who
took part in raid on St
Francis in September 1759,
hirkwood and the other'> \\l'te torced
to retum home by a different route,
living off th<' land after their
Collccalccl containing all their
prmisiom for the return joumey had
been t't cd b' the encmv.
Eleven d<W:. aftet the raid and off
into groups of about 20 men, they
A pause on the march. Three
Light Infantrymen fill canteens
and dri nk from a pond In the
wilderness on campaign. Men
were routinely warned not t o
take muddy or brackish water
from ponds or swamps.
(Courtesy of Gary Zaboly)
28
solllhwards through a rugged dt,oid of any
wildlile. Kirkwood recalled 'being so alllincd '' ith th<' cold and hunger
which ''e now began to feel in an in10kr<1hk dq.,rrec. fhe 'deepness of the
-.now and the swamp ness of the counu-., mack it impo,,ibk for us to for
-.e,nal del\'!>. During thi!> mi.,erable ptriod \H' wen obliged to !>Crape under
the "now for acon1s. and even eat our and helL'>, and broil our
powder homs and thought it deliciou" eaung.
Knkwood acknowledged that ,1 c.tpti\(.' Indian woman in their parry
W<L'> extremeh helpful in gathering cdihlc mohand barks. but when the
'-Pl'ctn of death hv '>tarvation loomtcl, who led
Ki1 part). saw the woman as theit on chance of 'She
was plump and fat. recalled Kirkwoncl, 'h;l\ing nwre flc'>h upon her
than fiye of us. and Roger-. Sl'\'tral time!> to make away
with her. but we would never COIIM'llt 10 it.
v\'hen Kirkwood's party was 'reduced to ten in tllullbcr. weak and ...
in the greatest extremity'. he wrott about \1<001 Rogers 'who J observed
was stronger than any of w . l'oll owecl the squaw who W<Ls gone out to
roots, and there he kill'd all(\ cut her 11p, and brought her to our
fire, where he divided and ca!-.l lots for the share:-, which were
distributed to each an equal pan. Wl 1 hen broikd and ate most of her;
and then received great strength tlwrelw.'
Umull)Jisingl), Rogers' own published jmunals makt-' no metllion of
thi::. alleged incidem. but thl:'re is conclusin evidence that other panics
of Rogers' fragmented command 1 ted to thi' last 'extreme !'>Uni,al'
expedient. The ston ol Lieutenant (.cOt gt Campbell's detachment,
1eCo1ded b) a contemporan hiMorian, Thomas .\fante, in his Hi\IOrJ of
fllf / .alP \\{n in Xm1h , \mpnra, recnllllt'- lum th.n pan' ate the of
thei1 own men who had bten killed .llld ldt 011 the uail b\ a\enging
Indians some da\!> earlier.
Diet and Disease
The 'Amelican Army' was cognitant of the important link between a
'oldier'o;; diet and his abilit\ to withMand di..,ca'l'. the
common and persiswnt <lllliction !>CUI vy. popular!)' believed to be
the cmsc and scourge of the Royal Nm') in the I Rth century I TowcYer,
in North American winter CJIItlrttrs that were located far from
citie:- or towns were the most sul>ceptible, ha\'ing no recourse to fresh
vegetables or meat. A diet solei> of sail pork, hard biscuit and rum was
almost guaranreed to cause an outbreak of' scurvy and Private .J ames
Miller in garrison at Quebec in 1760 nott'd that 'it .mack a dreadful
havock amongst us'. Another soldier of the garrison wrote 'the
soldiers disorders arc chien\ wit It f't'vet and dysenteries'. a
tan 'far from being 1>urprising when we conside1 the !>e\'CtT fatigues and
they have ... which, with indifferent cloathing, uncomfortable
barracks, worse bedding and their being in tit el\' confined to a salt
pnwi!>ion diet. are !>ullicient to reduce 01 emaciate the moM robust
constitutions in this extremeh frigid dimatl' .
. \ pre,entathe measure fo1 ;;cun'\ mL'> the i-.-.ue of \pruce beer' ,,hich
anmding to john Knox was an e'cellent antbc01 butic ... made from the
top'> and brcmches of the Spruce-tret, hoikd for three hours. then
straintd into casks, ,.,;Lh a certain quantitY of molas'>e'>: and as :-oon as it is
cold. it is fit for use. V\1len we were incampcd at I Ialifax. the allowance was
two quarts a da, to each man,
or thrtc and a half gallons per
week.'
As Amherst's army mo\'ed
north on its 1759 Ticonderoga
campaign, 01 de., <,latcd:
f.igh t barrels of sptute beer to
he allowed to each and
one barrel to each company of
Grenadiers & Li ght lnfanU')'.'
Pr<vtn tative mcas1 ltTs were
taken to the men
had frc!>h suppli<"' of water
and man\' routine orders of
the da} testilr that the men
wnc oflcn warned not to take
muddy or brackish wa ter from
ponds or swamp!>. l.onl Howe,
an ad\'ocatc of Light
ditcctcd that all hi' <;oldicr.., on
the march '!>hould not be permitted to \toop to chink, a' ther are
generally inclined to clo. but obliged to lilt \\<Her in theit canteens, and
mix ginger wit h it'.
During the 1762 lla\'ana siege, poor water coupled wi t II the cx trcme
()('at brought on sickn(ss at an alarming rate. Private .Jam e.., Miller of the
I 3th Foot recorded: I he on shc>n: were exce'>siH. tht' bad
\\<ttcJ brought on di ... ot den . which \\t'l <'mortal. \OU would M'<' the men\
hanging out parch'd like a mad dog's, a dollar wa' freCJ.uenth
given for a CJ.Uart of' water.' Some men, not trusting the wal<t, 1 e:-.o ted to
alcohol. the result being, as Mi ll et ncalled, meeting 'officers and
Soldiers. drunk e\erv hour of the dav'. Such hard drinking under a
tropical no doubt, contributed to the 'American ,\ till\ 's' spiralling
monalit\ rates. Some 5,366 soldier!> wet c lost at I Ia, ann lwtw<Tll June
.tnd Onobcr 1762, nprc,enting about 40 per cent of thl ,o)dier'>
p <'M'nt. Of the'<' \oldilrs, just :Jfi() wnc killed in aCLion 01 died of
\\Ol tnd11. The remaindc1. succumbccl to disease.
Drink and Disci pline
\\lwn Robert Ki rkwood ofT dut\, he was not a\'Crsc to 'tYing one on
to nlicH' stress. \ftcr hb return from the 176 I 1\urreude ol French fort<;
on the Great Lake,, he relates that he and his comrad<'' arl'iH:cl in
New York 'a honevmoon, for we had all our back
pay given to us, which. tho earned hardh, we metrih ... \'CriP,;ng
the old pro\'erb "got like horses and sp<' nt like asses'". The site of his
and his friends' hangovers b not t ('Corded but we do know that an
inebriated Kirkwood was charged \\ith desertion shorth afterwards. No
doubt he \\'as in no hut n to rejoin his regimcm for an expedition to the
apth-named ' Fe\el blan<b' of the Caribbean. Kirkwoorl wa.., <aught and
confined at Fort Ontario on 2 December 1761, but \\-<Ill gi,cn a eprien.
six later when all ablc-bodicrl nwn who could he :-.pared from
the North American garrisons Wt'r(' rormcd into a fighting force (0
retake Newfoundland from the F1ench.
Fort garden. In order to balance
the men's diet, garrison camp
gardens were established so
that men and officers could
grow fresh vegetables such
as cabbage, peas, carrots,
asparagus, squash, com and
melons. Some regiments kept
milk cows while others kept
live sheep, pigs or catttes which
would be slaughtered from ttme
to time to provide the men with
fresh meat. This detail Is from an
1762 engraving of Fort Royal tn
Guadaloupe, by l ieutenant
Archi bald Campbell, Royal
Engineers. (Courtesy of the
William l . Clements Library)
29
30
Landing at Havana, 1762. A
detail from a Dominic Serres
view of troops landing stores In
the tropical heat of Cuba. Many
of the newly arrived battalions
from Europe were still dressed
for fighting a conventional war.
Despite adapting uniforms,
heat exhaustion, sunstroke
and dehydration weakened the
men to such an extent that
yellow fever, malaria and
dysentry became rampant and
mortality rates by disease
surpassed those of men killed In
action by six to one. (Courtesy of
the William L. Clements Library)
Kirkwood also rccalkd the dangers of rlrunkenw.,., on the frontier.
<:<,pecialh among!>tlhe .\uHrinclian ... who firmh bl'lie1ed tlw to be
tht \\OJk of-;piits so 1h.tttlwi1 beha\'iour \\all cxcu..,ed whiJ...t under the
innuence. lie was JJC:<Il h tomah.nd,ed to death b\ ,\ drunken Sha,,nee
chuing hil> dms of r.tpti\il\ btu san:d b, acloptiw 'bmther. On
anothe1 occasion in Ohio rounlll', he 'an afha\' . . . betwixt our
part) and the French Indians 1d10 qua.-reled with one another in their
drunken !iL<> and wi 1h their scalping knives killed one of our Indians anrl
lost two of their own p<ll't\ Ml that we had to make peace between them
tlw next morning'.
F01 l>oldiers cooped up in the isolated ga ri!IOII forts in the
wilderness there was liult to do in the oH:.Citu.v hour'> but cat,
gamhle and drink. At F01t Stam, i>.. in 1759. a commande1 "1 ote that
had beronw a problem .t.., tht men began ' to
debauch themseh es 1)\ D inking a Great Deal too much P<"rnicious &
hm1ful ... :-\cw l<. ngl.tnd Rum'. The latter, popula1 II known as
'h.illdnil', was issued daill 10 the men, a gill or quarter pint their
authorised ration. Men could ca111 an extra gi ll in lieu ol money for
extra dulies such as road bui lding or fon ronslruction, and in some
casts were given extra gills n11 their relurn from sln'llUOII'i patrols or
successful cxpeditiom. A Light would dl illlc rum with
water and take it out when or on parmi, w warm his
bone:-. on particular!\' cold nights. \\'hen nu11 was not available.
captured stocks of Frendt b1 .tnch such tho11e taken a Loui'ibourg
and Quebec were ul>ed a-. a '"bstitute.
D1 ink was understandabh seen as an um,ekomc intOIIH' nience by
most as dJullken troops were the antithe'iis of
well-disciplined and aleJt M>ldiers. Strict regular ions were put in place on
sutlers during military opcrmio11s so that unnecessary temptation was
kept from the men and they could stay focussed anrl ttlert 10 1 he tash at
hand. l\'eeclless to say soldiers could alwm:-. find drink
M>lllCI\here and Pri\'atc .James who sen eel with th< 15th Foot at
Quebec in 1759-60 rccalltd were extrcmch ' canT, and when
the men could procure them, they generally drank
to it wa' 110 uncommon thing in the
morning. to find -;e,<.ral men froLen to death, from
the abo\'e cau.,e.
Strictme.., agaimt tht' of alcohol were
mualh relaxed after a '>UCCcssful campaign or when
regiment<., \\ellt into "1nt('r quarters. \\'hilc heavy
dtinking could be ,t killct in hot 01 cold climates, it
was also one of the root causes of army ctime.
British hi-;todan Stephen Bnunwell remarked in
his excellent sltld\' of the in North
Ametica, Rf'droat.\: 'it lind a court case
in which alcohol [did] not play some part'.
lnsolcnn:, \'iolence against superiors, theft and
murd<'r wert common outcomes of too much
drink and were ckalt wi th t1ccordingly b} General
Courts Martial. Light Infantrymen being
the most act ive a nd spirited soldiers of their
battali ons, they we tc abo human. Thus many were
brought to account at one time or another for
breaking MHll(' regulation or committing some
peuv crime. Robert Kit kwood was no exception
and in 1762 we find him mentioned in orders
publi'>hed in New York on l August 1762:
'General ha" been pleased to pardon,
joseph Craddo<k of tlw 22d Regimt, ptboner on board the J.une:-.. &
Robert Kirkwood of the 77th Regimt, on board the Fanm. & as
tht'\ are going upon Service, the General hopes the\ will <>he\\
b\' tlwit hch<l\ iout desening of this ;\let-c).' 1 he tugcnt
operational nen.,.,it\ and the fan that Kirkwood was an experienced
Light lnfantnman probabh had a lot to do ,,;th him earning <1 reprien
from the usual punishment meted out for desertion- death b\' hanging
or the lash.
Flogging a nd Hangi ng
Punil-hnwnt in the Hritish Army was quick and severe, the lash or
cat-o'-nine-wib bt'ing the most common chastisement of the private
soldier and the 0 1 igin of the standard provincial epithet normall y
Lhrownt heirway- One pr0\1ncial Light fnfantt;man
horrified the firM timt lw the !logging of a British regular.
Massarhuo;ettl- Sergeant Dadd Pen; recorded in his
Thet e i" one thing I \\ould hen:' notice, which shows a of
Btitish cntclt\ "ithout a parallel, I could hope. in the history of that
nation. Thrc<' men, fill 'onH' trining offence which I do not
recollect , \H'tl' tied up to be '"hipped. One of them was to re<t'i\e
eight hundred l<t,Jws. the fi\'e hundred apiece. B\' the time
the\' had recei,ed three hundred the fle-;h appeared to be
entiteh whipped It om thcit ,boulder'!.. and the' hung as mute and
motionlec;s a" though thev had been long since depri,ed of lile. But
not enough. I he doctor by with a \ial of sharp "ufl.
\\hich he would e\er and anon applv to their noses, and finding. bv
Drink. Off-duty soldiers
carousing outside a pub. A detail
from See John the Soldier, J&ek
the Tar, by William Hogarth.
Drink was seen as an evil
necessity by most commanders.
Drunken troops were the
antithesis of well-disciplined
and alert soldiers so strict
regulations were put In place
during military operations to
ensure the men stayed focused
and alert to the tasks In hand.
Needless to say, enterprising
soldiers could always find drink
somewhere. (Courtesy of the
William L. Clements Library)
31
32
OPPOSITE Gambling. A detail from a 1762
engraving of Fort Royal Guadeloupe by Lt.
Archibald Campbell, Royal Engineers. Playing
cards was one of the favorite off-duty pastimes
In frontier garrisons to while away the hours.
(Courtesy of the William L. Clements Library).
OPPOSITE BELOW Drinking in the tent lines.
Private James Miller recalled meeting ' officers
and soldiers, drunk every hour of the day.' Such
hard dri nking under a tropical sun no doubt
contributed to the 'American Army's' spiraling
mortality rates. Some 5,366 soldiers were lost
at Havana between June and October 1762,
representing about 40% of the soldiers present.
Of these soldiers just 560 were killed in action
or died of wounds. The remainder, 4,708,
succumbed to disease. A view of Fort Royal ,
Guadeloupe by Lieutenant Archibald Campbell,
Royal Engineers. (Courtesy of the William L.
Clements Library)
I he it gmc them, that some signs
of Iii<: H'lnainecl, he would tell them,
'Dam11 vm1. you can bear it yel'- and
then r!l(' \\hipping would commence
,,g,,i 11. It was the most cruel
I t'\l'l' :.aw inflicted. or
hacl C\'Cr co1Kei' eel of before - by far
wor-.e than death. I ll'lt at tht lime ,c, though 1 could han
taken <>ummarv wngeance on "ho "ere the authors
of it. on the <>pol, had it been 111 Ill\ power to do it.
;\len of Gage., Ligh1 who one Highlander
described a.., 'the .Jailbirds ol \nwrica', to ha\'c a
\CI) high incideiHT ol !logging and dcaLh bv execution,
while Hi ghland unit., lil..e Kirkwood\ by had
relati\ely lillie. r-. tiliwrv record., of August J7.:>R from the
Lake George n1mp, "hett' a1my rested and
licked its wounds after the drubbing they hac\ received at
Ticonclcrogn, nH'nl thtlt desertion wa$ a serious problem
LhaL had to be dealt wit h quirk!)' and They stated on
25 August 175R that :John Andrew, John Harrison, Thos
Vincent & v\'m Moor, ol I lis Rcg1 of Light lnfanu:
arc to suiTer Death tomon ow mo1ning at nine o'clock, for
Desertion, in the frmll o!' 1heir own Regt. A picquet of thar
regiment to guard the abme P1 !'rom the ProvosLs &
and Lhc whole Regiment to be under a1ms, to aLtend the
Executions.' Hanging muallv the punishmenL resenect
for traitors, lotlllcl 111 the uniform of the French or
for \dlO mtll den:d thei1 0\\ n romradelt.
Women
Robert Kirkwood and hi., lcllo" Lightlniantrnnen were no
strangers to \\Omen as th< ',\mel ican Anm had its share of
1111 palfl' -II I
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80TH (GAGE' S LIGHT INFANTRY): LATE WAR
9

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alii I\' wi' es and camp followers, simph referred to in
1he records of the day the 'women'. Kirkwood's
rq.\"iment and others usually had an establishment of
-;ix women per company, who performed a myriad of
chon, from cooking and sewing to nursing and
laundering.
Ki1 !..wood's Alemo/1\, intended for a male
audi<'nce and specificall) wriuen fo1 going
on duty 10 North 1\nH'rica, mentions Indian women
sewral times. During his captivity and when adopted
in10 the tribe to replan a fallen warrior, he wa!> not
onlv outfitted and arnwci as an Indian, hut inherited
,\ ,,ife. 'ion and. cornfield. ! Iii> new wif<.' ,ctm'd Yen
glad at my appea-,ulet'.' recalled Ki1 !..wood, 'but
begg-ed she might he excul>ed my bed, a11 'lhe thought
thi!> sacrifice due I<> [her I memory'.
Kirkwood confessed to h(' 'not Lhe least clisplcascd
with nw spouse's bchm iour' and 'coulcl have forever
with he1 company'.
Other o;oldiers, including officers g;ulisoned at
remot<: and took unofficial Indian \\i,es
011 a rq,rular basi!>. to keep them company. Captain
Quinton Kennedy of Cngc's I.ight was one of
the b('M known, his making the pages of Thf' J'vlawaine:
'Kennedy rnanicd an Indian squaw, whoM: uibe has made him a king
... I !(' leameci the language, paint<; and dresses like an lndi;m m1d ...
IIi' wilt- goes ,,;th him and canies her prmisions on her ba< !...
record!> of the 1758 and I 759 Ticonderoga e'pcdiuon1> tell us
1hn1 women were not pcnniued to follow the army on campaign.
they were instructed to report for senicc as nurses al lh(' General
in Albany. Orders on 15 May 175H :-tatecl that all 1
commanding officer<> wtrt 'to give in 1hc women's tlwv intend
'houldeceYe the allowance for ptmi,ion this campaign anci nre to
ncommcnd -The firM that came with the Regt from Emop if they arc
willing to be nur-;e., to tlw Gen. Hosptl when required. Tlw' art: not to
exceed 4 per com pan\.'
Many a young Light Infantryman wounded on the Plains of Abraham
at Quebec in 1759 found themselves 1cndcd by French Augtt'ltine num.
who according to John Knox were 'voung-, handsome and fair . . . \\11en
our poor fellows were ill and ordered to be removed hom thei own
odiou., regimental hmpitals to [the Tlmpital-General] the\ indtcd were
1 en de eel inexpresllibh happy.'
1\n entry from Crown Point in .June 1761 indicate-; that
women over and above those carried on regimental
establishments were to accompanv their husbands, ln11 on the
under'>tanding thcv did not draw rations; l.his implie!> that too mail\
umuh women and their families were at Crm,n Point and 1hing-. were out
of hand. They were ordered 'to go down the. countn' and 'to be ready to
depart on Sarurdav morning their children and baggage. thev
will have Batoes [halleaux] to carry Lhem to Ticantcroga and must
clllbrace the first opportunity or going across Lake George. If an)' of them
presume to remain af'ler this order, or to return to Crown Point. [they)
Hanging. Hanging was usually
t he punishment reserved for
t rait ors, deserters, soldiers who
had murdered their own
comrades or had st olen f rom
civilians. The offender's entire
regi ment was usually paraded
t o witness the execution and
thus be reminded that moat
t ransgressions of t he Articles
of War were punishable by death.
(Dover Pict orial Archives)
41
42
TOP Camp laundress. Woman doing laundry In camp. A
detail of the painting Passing the T7me of Day. (Courtesy
of John Buxton and Paramount Preas)
BOTIOM Indian family. On his capture by the Shawnee
in 1758, Robert Kirkwood was adopted into the tribe to
replace a fallen warrior and, In the process, inherited
the dead man's wife, Infant son and cornfield. A detail
of the painting Leaving. (Courtesy of Robert Griffing
and Paramount Press)
may depend on being dnunmcd out of the regiment.'
These order). olwiouslv did not ha\'e the desired effect,
<Ls manvwonwn and children took to the woods rather
than lea\e their mtn.
Order:. a da' latt't tool-.. on a nwre strident tone
and placed the onus on their 'The women
who ha\e alhtonclcd thi' morning and ha\'e not
obeyed the order of muM depart tomotTow
morning at "iun d-..ing with their baggage, their
hw.band-.. to bt <Hquainted tlltlt if the\' disobn. that
their names will lw put in or diM harhring them
forc\'cr from the 1 eginwn t.' There was no further
mention of the imident in following entries.
indicating that complianct wail &wilt from the more
rcbelliou.'> women.
Other car np follower.'> intluded and
smlcrs, both pcclclling wares but of differing sorts.
Thc fonncr were l'ouncl in tlw many towns and cities
of North Arnerictt, whe rever armies and f1eets
gathered; ... omt l'ollowcd the regimerlls as they
moved from to garrison. One prmincial
soldier at the Lake Cemgt camp in October 1758
recorded with some in hi.., 'this
alternoon their was a Lolhter Corporal married to a
Road Island whore'.
\\'omen '>tlller<>, on the other hand, were
enterpri-..ing <>olditr-..' WIH''> who aned a<;
mone\-changn.., or \old '>m.tll luxur' item!) not
pro,ided b\' the anm :.uch a'> 'rolkd tobacco, tobacco
leaf. :.null, hard !'>oap, lump
!'>nwking Outt h pipes. Llu eads. needles, pim,
tapes, flannel!'>, coar!-.e woolen cloths. nail!'>.
locks, ha'lp!., garden and stalionm-v supplies.'
Fiercely independent and aggressi\'e, they sometimes
incurred the wrath of' commanders by selling too
much liquor or llouting camp discipline. The 42nd
Highlanders' order!. for 17 May 1759 in Albany stated
that 'all the petit Sutlers lent..s in the rear or any other
whereabout the Regt' were lO be 'struck immediately
and if any woman what.'>ocwr pntcnds to pitch tent
about after this, near the regt, the Qr. Mr. is to order
it lobe stnrck and burnt direnlv'.
Songs a nd Musi c
For some ofl-dut\ Light lnfanu;mcn, singing and
music offered a pleasurable wa' LO pas.'> the time in an
isolated outpost or whii<' carousing in a ta\'CI11. Songs
that ha\'e sur.i,cd to this dm are a mixture of ribald
ddnking songs \\ith chormes, patriotic marching tunes
like 'The British Grenadier<.' and The Grenadiers'
March', or melancholy ballads such as 'The Highland
Man Kist his or 'For the Sake of Gold she left
me. A Light lnfanuvman in I lowe's 55th Foot,John
Bremner, preserved his favmuite fiddle tunes in his
joumal, a sampling of which include: 'The Lady's
Rreastknot'; 'Lochiel's Reel', n1e Malunan Comes
on ;>.1onday'; 'The Flowerl> of Edinbmgh'; and
'\\'ekome, \\'elcomc, Brother Debtor'. ' Hot Stuff,
written b\ a of the 47th at the 'iiegc of
Quchcr to the tunc of 'Lilies of France', wa'> a
campfire aflcr 1759. The third verse boasts
that tlw 'Chosen Men' of the Seven Years' W<1r were
a force not to be trifkcl with:
\\'ith powdo- in hi.., petiwig, and in his
llO'>C
will run down our descent
to oppose
And the Indians wi ll come but tht Light
Infa11try
Will compel them to betake to .t tilT.
The lruh. and particular\\ the
ll ighlandcr brought \\ilh them a rich oral tradition
of music, songs, r<'ritations, proverbs, tiddles and
itllHHTtlt games. William McMurdo was an
accomplished pipet and poet who snvc:d in
Kitl..wood's the l\lontgomerie
\ l lighlanders hn<t'ltld a
Corporal lain Camplwll "ho i:, atuibuttd with the
wmpm.ition 'At the Siege of Quebec', a popular
Gaelic 1>ong which lwrame a favouri te in the
llighlnnds after the war.
instn1mcnts available to the soldiers
\H'I t' iiies, flutes, tin '' hiMies and while
llighland regiments had bagpipes to mal..t> their
m'n mmic, the pipers of the Black
\\'atch being the 1 cnow1ted l\klntyrcs, htt cditary
to Clan Menzks. The last Robert
Kirkwood heard before being captured by Indians
was the skirl of the pipes and the beating of dmms
trving to rally the 77th lighting for
tlwi1 outside lon Duquesne.
ON CAMPAIGN
'Scourg'd and tortur'd the entire day'
bt.n Light Infantrnnan had w conrcnd \\ith the
weathet. ,,;ldlife and terrain of 1 orth .\metica
while on campaign before he could even think of
dolling with the enemy, t>ach prmiding their own
particular dangers for the unprepared or unwary
soldier.
BELOW TOP Sutlers. A detail from Richard Short's 1759
engraving 'A General View of Quebec' depicting a female
sutl er In a tricorn hat talking to soldiers on guard duty. Sutlers
were Independent merchants or pedlars who followed the
army whilst on campaign. Many enterprising soldiers' wives
acted as money-changers or sold small luxury items not
issued by the army. (National Archives of Canada, NAC C-335)
BELOW BOTTOM Highland fiddler. A detail of the painting
Long Way from Home. The Irish, Welsh and particularly the
Scottish Highlander, brought with them a rich oral tradition
of mustc, songs, recitations, proverbs, riddles and Innocent
games. (Courtesy of Robert Griffing and Paramount Press)
43
44
Weathe r
lt1 winter. Light serving on stntry duty, wooci-<"uUing
or comov duty guicklv discmereci that th('ir i-;Mte clothing was ill
to withstand the tigout the '\mth ,\m('t ican < limate.
<mny in 1759 found in din Mrait.., when the\
occupied a citY in mim with 'e'' little metlwad cme to protect them
the clement<>. Almo't all \llc<umlwd to lro\thlle whik others
died of 'ague and pneumonia.
On Ch1io;tmas Day 17!19, Ceneral \lurrav remrciect the return of a
Light lnfamry detachment It om IMtml. whi< h 'to a man, had been
fmst-bit'. The next year at Cnmn Point on LaJ..e Champlain, the
commander of the 27th lnni!-.I..illing Regiment ncorclt-d it 'was
moHMrousl) cold', while Amhetstnoted that a 166-mau detachment on
the march from that ganison to Fmt Ticonckrog-a had ..,uffer'ct in an
extraordinary manner from the intcnscncs1-o of the cold' and how the
regimental surgeon, George Eagle, 'oblig'd to cut oil above 100

The other extreme was the d('bi litating heat ol tltc tropics, and many
a Light serving in .\1artiniquc and Cuba in 1762 preferred
nig-ht operations to avoid the !-.Wdtcring IH'at of tlw cane fields and
jungles . .\1cn in the 'American Arnw' seemed to haw fared slightlv beuer
than the newly arrived battalions lrom Europe \vho were dressed for
fighting a conventional war. Commanding olliccrs of these European
units had to be imtructcd 'to otCkt tlw Lining ... 1 iped out oJ the
I\ len\ Cloaths, the Lapeb to be ta!..en oil and cut Short'. Heat
exhaustion, sunstroke and delwdration \H'a!..ened the men to such a state
that yello\\ fenr. malat;a and d\ '-l'tllen became 1 am pant and mortalitY
rate!) from of men !..tiled in .tction b' to one.
Wildlife
It wa' not only the climate that ''a' demanding-. 'unwrous in'>ects and
,,;Jdlife had to be contended ,,;rh, ""one light Infanrrv officer scning
at the siege of 1762 in a kllt'l' home: '\\'e grew
fiuniliar with the Scorpion!>, Toad-,, Santipcdc..,, & Tar;mtulas or rather
Spiders as large as my Tiand.' In the :\lorth Amniran woods, black tlies,
deer leeches and other parasite!> made lilc miserable for the
:-oldicr, mosquitoes being the most despised . .Johtt Knox wrote:
The tormenting musketa ... carries its sting in head and not in
its tail as bees, wasps and other insects do; thev arc
inexpressibly teasing that I known many people thrown into
fevers by their virulence, and a head, face and neck so
swelled and inflamed as not to haYc a feature dbtinguishable; for
this cause we always wore long limn with crept or green
gatlle nets sewed to our hats, which hung down before and
behind. with a ntnning string at the bottom to gather it round the
neck occasionally.
Knox added 'no-see-urns' to the list of tormcntor'>, 'a diminutive kind
of black fly which also most imolcrabl" ... scarce perceptible to
the naked and one would thin!.. it wa-. a pupil to the mus!..eta. gi\ing
us little quarter whene\'er he comes.'
men <'nrountered snakes with Robert Kirkwood even
1 ecoJ<Iing an alleged 'bit ( probablv an cmbelli'lhmcnt) to Snake Island
on l.akt Superior: so full of Snakes of all that \UU mav
hear the hiss a quartet of a mile from the i-.Jand'. On landing ' one of
tltc lndiam came to till' with a large rattle .-.nake on the point of a spear,
he cut otlthc head. and hming ript it open, presented nw with the
h<'art and made me )>wa ll ow it yet alive, l<'lling me that it was a charm
against all snakes, and that none uf them would ever attempt to do me
the injurv'. Kirk\wod noted '>Cepticalh that 'whether thi' wru. a
1 eal <It at m or nut, I uutnot tell', but the backwood-; soldier ,\\'ered that
' I IH'\t'l bit by am )>nake after'. H igltlancler .John Camplwll wasn't
awed by snakes and wrote ro his brother: 'I have killed t.tttle snakes
about lour feet long and as thick as the small of one's leg ... '.Vhcn
toudwd they make a great noise with tlt<.'ir rattles. Their bite not so
bad as called, for it can be easily cured with oil or saiL'
Camps were also prone to vermin 'lurh as rats ancl mice it garbage
and refuse was not pt operl) buried and 1 ecords uf the timt <II t full of
clinnive-. reminding commanders to enforce camp cleanlitH'S)o strictly.
When on garrison in Annapolis Royal in Nova
Scotia. Knox reported: 'it is inconnivablc
what quantities of mire we have on this
g-round. insomuch that one can scarn walk a
few paces without seeing ur treading on
them. Orders from Quebec 1759 explicith
warned all wldien. issmd with snm,-.IH><''> to
hang rhem up after use or they would be
eaten by ' Rott,.<; and IIH' acc'.
Te rrai n
k ttain could also he unforgiving.
itating a Light lnf,utll\ soldier to Wt'ar
leggings to protect his legs from i\y,
poison sumac and brambles when moving
througb the woods. N11rnerous men drowned
traversing thin ice in spring 01 met an
LEFT Winter wood-gathering
party, Quebec, 1760. Collecting
fuel on sleighs was a mundane
but dangerous task for troops
of any fort or camp In the North
American winter and Light
Infantry was frequently tasked to
provide daily protection parties.
The woodcutters and their
guardians were paid five shillings
per cord and usually returned
frostbitten for their troubles.
(Private Collection)
BELOW British encampment at
Crown Point. This view shows tent
lines and more permanent huts
erected to house Major General
Jeffery Amherst's victorious army
at Crown Point for the winter
of 1759-60. A contemporary
watercolour by Ueutenant
Thomas Davies, Royal Artillery.
(National Archives of Canada, NAC
C-13314)
45
4 6
'We lost a hundred men on
our passage'. A contemporary
watercolour by Lieutenant
Thomas Davies, Royal Artillery,
c.1760, depleting Amherst'a
army shooting the Long Sault
rapids on the way to Montreal.
(National Archlvea of Canada,
NAC C-577)
accidental death doi ng duty on the hoat service required to
ferry up and down the lakes and
Robert Kirkwood in his A1mw111 noll')> several of the perils
faced on North Amer;can waterwa,s. Sudden thundenaonns on any of
the C.reat Lakes meant certain death f(u men in or
batteau\.. Kirkwood "arned that on Lak1. b ie , ou meet with a long
range of highlands, which Yt'I"\ in fm if a storm
o;houlrl a lise, your boats \\ill ine' itahh he to pi ,md l'\'CIY soul
lost'. '[,,o years after Kirkwood\ sunt's!>ful of thb a
-.udden ' 0\ember storm deYa.'>t<Hcd a British fleet of baueaux can-ying
600 troops and much-needed supphcs from Niagara to Detroit. of
thc were shattered liJ..e matchwood, 70 men dnl\\ ned and \ "dSt
of ammunition and prmillion., wtn Equally dangerous
was the practice of shooting rapid.'> in:-.tead of portaging, the latter a long
,md laborious process of unloading bmw, and carrying them and their
cargoes manually overland until a quiet('!' !'!!retch of water could be
reached.
On its atJproach to Momreal in 17()() Amherst's arm> :o.hot the rapids
ncar Montreal, the result being 'we losr a hunnr('d men on our passage'.
Kirkwood added that their deaths 'were by their not being
careful to keep their boats in the right channel, which can only be
distinguished by the smoothness of the surface and it always fatal to
anvone who deviates from this rule'. A f(.llow llighlander who braved the
rapids with Kirkwood that nuctul cia> sadl) recalled, 'fellow creatures
floating on the \vTecks and you p<Lssing them not !wing able to assist'.
Scalping a nd Torture
The few journals and memoirs of pdnue that today are
replete with tales of cal ping and torture, <l hmr or that weighed hca,ily on
all minds. Roben Kirkwood saw friend-. and tortured
before hi<> eves, an experience that no doubt brutalised the voung Scot
and steded him for f1.rture combat in the Amer ira.-.. After being taken
prisoner b) the Shawnee at Fon Duquc.,m in 1758. he \\WI 'scourg'd, and
tortur'd the entire dar' ,,rith nine othe
flten Kirkwood sadly 1 ecalled, 'to my unspeakable
gri ef and terror I saw five oflhe nine bu111ed in the
most cruel manner'. The prisoners were tied to
post., in the centre of heaped pine then
their raptors stuck '>h<u pened pine root'> 'into the
fle'lh\ paw; of the unhappY \ictims, [which] thC}
M:'t ... on fire \\hich comumc[d] t.hem in a slow
ancilingering manner'.
Many soldiers prekrrcd killing themselves
before to such a death. Private Allan
Macphcrson of the 77th Foot, also at the same
baule as Kirkw9od, tried to kill him'lelf before
captut e but W<l!> and taken prboner.
:\1acphcrson, like Kirkwood, witnessed ft iends in
excruciating agony anci decided to take action.
I le nt ade signs to the Indians that he wished to
communicate and an interpreter was found. The
ll ighlander told them that before he ciicd, he
wi-,hcd to show them .t \CrY powerful medicine
that. if applied to the 'kin, would cause it to
the blow of a tomahawk. lie persuaded
them w let him go into the woods undtt guard
where he coll ected the requisite herbs and plants to make the potion for
a dcmonstrat.ion.
On his return, boiled herbs, mack a past<. , then
rubhed it all onr hi.., neck. Laving hi-; neck acrm<., a log. the
ll ighlander dared tlwit watTiot to take up hi' hatchet.
boa'-oling that the potion would pre\entthe least hun. Da,id Stewart of
Carth, who heard this anecdote from o ne of his old who had
snvcd with Montgomery\ llighlanders recorded that '/\n Indian,
levelling a blow with all his might, cut with such force that the head
flew off to the di<;tance of vard .... T he Indians \H't c fixed in
amMement at their mm credulit\, and the \\ith which the
p1 had escap<d the lingering death prepared lot him, but
imteacl ot being enragcci at the escape of their ,;ctitn thn wt:'re so
pleased with his inglnuity that t hey tt'frained from inflicting further
cruel ties on the rcmu in i ug prisoners.'
i\ Light Infantryman, in addition to adoptin).{ tlw 'Indian howl' <l'i his
0\\ II, took up the ptactice or scalping an\ Indians he l..illcd. \\'olfe
<;anct.ioned tile scalping of Indians or canadiam as Indians' at
Quebec in 1759 a<; irregular warfare flared on the pet;phetics of his
encampments on a dail) b<L\is, and a bounty of 5 was ollercd lor C\'et)'
Indian seal p brought in. J n one skir111ish on August 1759, a 1111111 bcr of
Cauadians painted and dressed as Indians were t.1.ken pri'ioncr and
acc01 ding to a Highland ollicer were 'butchered in a most inhuman and
Cnt<'l manner'. To ont Light lnfanu1 man present, hm\t'\ et, ll sweet
justiC<' after seeing -;o mam ft;end'> cut down in tl1e nasn lillie wm 'of
sl..itmishing, cruclt) and devastat.ion' around Quebec. Private Richard
llumphrcys noted laconically in his journal how he and his Light Infantry
'kill'd and Sculp'd the whole party, Returning about three
O'clock in the aftet noon to Camp v.1th their Sculps'.
'Scourg'd and tortur'd the entire
day'. Light Infantryman Robert
Kirkwood witnessed wi th horror
the torture of nine British
prisoners taken at Fort Duquesne
In 1758, ' then to my unspeakable
grief and terror I saw five of the
nine burned in the most cruet
manner'. This contemporary
painting graphically depicts a
captured soldier, his face painted
black and body showing poker
bums, being burned at the stake.
(Courtesy of the Seneca County
Museum, Tiffin, Ohio)
47
4 8
Quebec conquered - dally routine.
A contemporary print by Richard
Short of Brit ish Infantry paradi ng
on t he Place d'Armes In the
captured city of Quebec, c.1759.
Note the bombed-out houses
and buildings In which British
troops were quartered during
the harsh winter of and
subsequently were loot ed as a
result. (Nat ional Archives of
Canada, NAC c-361)
,-
Looting
Light had to tra\'el light, so weighing themselvt>s down with
loot was not sable if they were to :;urvive in tht f(>rests. On one
duriug the siege or Quebec in 17:J9, tlw men :-.erving iu Major Da\l ing's
I .ight lnfanll)' corps re1:.orted to looting Canf'tdian homes whilst in hot
pursuit or pJisoners. '1\one tak('ll,' one Light
recorded in his journal, but 'the partys brought in several sheep, hogs,
fowl'>, etc., \dlh a great quantitY of furniture and
apparel, at which conduCL Da\ling '><Tm'd gt eatly oflended!' The
animah \\ere considered \'alicl spoils of war but a\lloot of a personal nature
\\'aS ordered to be deposited inside the 'illagt cltmch.
One soldier after the battle of the Pl,1in:. of ,\braham unaba<>hedlv
,1dmiL'> he 'tt-a,ers'd the battldkkl' in ... carch of loot aml ((mnd more thaJt
he coumed The field wa:. .u-e\\11 \\ith blctding catT<L\.'iC,, and covered
with unemployed anns, a neat l:>ihct-mounttd han gat I small -;word)
lastened to the side of an apparcnrh headks.-, trunk ... attJ-acted 111\'
attention.' he \\TOle. '\'\'hen the bodv 1111 ned o\'l'r to unbuckle the belt,
Ill\ \\"c1S indeed g-reat; his head lay undenteath hill brea<;t, one
suoke upon tl1e back of his neck having n1t thro' the whole, except a small
part of the skin of the throat by which it rcmaimd connected to the body.'
Normally soldiers were quickly punishc:cl 1'01 looting or stealing from
the ri\'ilian populace as in the of Corporal Knipe of the
1Hth Foot who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes and reduced to private for
ripping a pair of silver earrings from a Spanish woman's on the 1762
Havana expedition. And while were prohibited during the
Cmibbean expeditions from plundet ing, the 'iame apparently did not
apply to camp followers and army wives. J ohn Grant remembered
dearing houses on Lhe out'ikirt<, of ll av;ma onlv to return time
lau.r and find the houses ransacked. Out.,icl<' he found 'Soldiers wi,es
and camp followers' capering about itt theit plundered finery, being
'eqwpped most amuzingly [sic] in their bonowed plumes'.
Medical Services
fhe Light tnrantl')' soldier, if wounded in sN-picce battles such as
Ticonderoga, 1758, the Loubbourg landings. 175H, or the Plains of
Abraham, 1759, at Quebec, could rcasonabh expect some form of
...
rudinwntan care hom the primlOv<' medical that the 18th
cetttury Ht itish Anm had in place. More often than not, hcmt'\'t'r, the
detached nature of senicc in which patrolling, skirmishing or
raiding meant travelling fast and light, any WO\ItHkd Light
Inhlllll'\'lllan had to bt left behind. first scouting patrol was
an eYe-opener for him in this regard ,\:-.a !tiend was badh wounded
'whom we were uncltr the necesc;itv of kming behind. w tth such
quantitv of prmbiom a' could be connnientlv .spated'. I k added
"ist fu ll y: 'We nc,er heard anything of him ailcr.'
Medical .service!\ were organisecl along regimental line!\, each
regiment having its own with a ho1>pital sergeant and orderlies
belonging to the regiment. Field hospitals of' a kind. with tal oflicers
atta< heel to then.l, \H'n' t''tabli..,hed in time of war to tal-c mn the sick
and wounded 0\ etllo\\ f tom the regimental ho.,pitals c;uch "' t ht ( ;cneral
llospital established at \lbanv earh on in the Seven Yean-: \\,u or dw
taking o\er of FrC"nch ho:-.pitals as wa.\ dotH' m Qucbcr in 17:1!1. Barracks
in . ew York. Eliz<tbethtown and Ambo\ were converted into hospital!> in
an att<mpt to treat the huge numbers of f('\l'r-ridden met I ('otlling back
It om the Caribbean opt't<ltions. A 'lick a ncl "ounded Light In fan tn man's
recuperation would haH' been left to the t.<ll e of the inhabnant.' of the
colom in which an anm wa-; campaig11ing. Nl kwood spent ttme "ith a
fanuh in Connecticut nntpet<Hing after the St Francis Raid ol 17!'>9.
\\'Ottnd' during the Se\'Cn Ytar\ War wet e Mulled with
ba1tdages moistened wi th wine or brandy. and if inkclion and
threate11ed. antiseptico; ... uch a.'> lincture of mvrrh, hot tuqxntirw. of
Peru 01 camphor \\('1 (' applied. r lephining a' .I muline
procedun in head injuric' maintaitwd <L' ntuteJi..,.uion of blood
\'C'>'>el'> aftet- amputation. though the ttTklt...., 'lopping oft arm'> and b\
the doten', as Frederick the Creal tet nted it. W<L'> acli,eh eli,< out aged. A
Btitio;ft t\rmy surgeon gives a st<lndard account of what kind ol wounds
could be expected in an IHth centurv hattlt' as well as their trcatmC'nt:
impossible to d<,nihe the \"aJiet\' of \\ounds from cannon
'>hot, antl'>, "'ot d., and ba\Ollt'h. \h first intcution in
cins-;ing wounds"'"' to '>top blet'ding. \\hit h I did b\ the
\t'\i>Cb, dry hanclage etc. II a\ ing no assistant, l ,t,oidecl
arnpulalions a:, IIIli< It as possible, th<' ucressiry obliged IIH' in
cases ... Tht 11 igh t passed am ido;t the groan!. ol tit l' dvi ng
anci thC' of those who S\11\i\'C'd them ... Slight wounds
\\t'll' dre:-sed \dth lttlsalm Traum.tllr ... Conttt\ion' from
cannon-balls '>eldom rerover. ..... oon .,pread up\\<11 <f, and
dm\llwards commonlv ,\lt('ncled ,,;th large emphvsema OH't the
whole body .. . Drought ( d<-"lndrat ion) i'> the untwrsal
complaint from all tiH vVounded and stu gcon.s would do bclll't in
filling their lll<'dicirw chests with propC'r li(]uors for this
thau stuffing them '' ith apothecarie..,
geant Jame<; Thotn(Nll1 of llighlanders had a clme call
with a cannonball bctwttn thighs at the 175H landings at
Caharu' Bay, and 'alrhough this shot did not touch me, thl' thighs and
calvt"s ol my legs wert' allected and bccamt' as black my hal, and for
SOlll(' wceks I su11'ered a gteat deal'. Af'tt.'l the Battle or tltt. or
49
Abraham in 1759, in carrying wounded oil the
baull'lield 'whtt e casual! its Ia\ ou the field as thick as a OocJ.. ol sheep
and just as thn bact fallen'. Ik noted that the French had the
mmt and coutmeuHd ''ith sonw pit\, 'it was horrible to see the effect ol
blood and on thcit \\hite coats'.
fhc -;kill and mnn shm, n h' the . \ugustine nursing "i"e.-., ol
Quebec .tltet the U.tttle of th<-' Plains or Abraham in 1759 ha'> all each
been remarked upou. Fout d;ns after the epic baule and \dth the
capitulation of the ell\, .111 Briti'>h wounrlerl from the outhing camp'> or
''ith their rcginwnt,tl ho,pital., \H'te centrali'>ed in the l lopitai-CetH'tal
under the rat t' of the AuguHine remarkable facilit\ and its
traiued '\tafl pmhahlv s;ncd mam wounded men's Jives ou both sides for
it appears to ha\ l' antiripatcd Flonnce :-\ightingale 's reforms during the
Crimcau War I 00 \ 't'<ll s latet. Knox ptabcd the nuns as 'cxcccdiugh
humane and tcndct and described their hospital in glowing term<;:
:-\oman ran lie down more clean and comfortable ... each patieut
has his own bed with cmtains allotted to him ... The arc
ranged in galkt ies on tarh side, with a sufficient space between
each for a to through: these gallericl> an scraped and
awm ('\'en tnorning and sprinkkd vinegar,
that a \tl'<lll!-{t't not of' any unsa\'OU!'\ scent whatewr.
If too di,.thlccl to \Ct \T, a Light lnlantf') man, like other Briti'\h
tegul.u.,, eli'>< hat gcd .tnd home, mam abandoned 10 lend lot
thern.,eh Some "ho "en lucJ..., could re-enlist in imalid
''hi< h 11 aditionalh gatt i'>oncd pon and harbour dtl'eme-; in Britain.
if fmtun.ttt l'tHmgh 10 h,ne had more than 20 H' at M'l'\ i< c
before being incaparit.ucd. could apph to the Roral Hu-,pital\ at
Chel,ea in l.ondon 01 1\.ilmainham 111 Dublin as potential
The majmit\, hm\t'\et. lwc.une on the of the
remindn!-. of Britain\ m er'it'as
MOTIVATION
From the out;o,ct or theit hatd serncc 111 North America, Robnt
Kirkwood and coll<'agucs saw themselves as avenging angel!.. Any
notions of honour and glory they may have had upon their recruitment
wert l'mnt their on their first march through western
Pennwlvania, ,;ewing 'the horrible or a once-beautiful
C<Htllll). Kit I.. wood rccordt:d their shock in his joumal as the\
I louses rlcscrtcd, the Corn fields. Orchards, and well filkrl
I laggards H'l \lllol..ing, nwl.tnchoh proofs oft he barbarous en min
of the metlile\s lndiam. Mene continued for the extent of
eighn mile'> ... hom Shippcmburg to Bedford ... and whocwr was
so unhapp' a' to fall into the hancb of these inhuman \\Tetdlt''>
eithtt alpcd .111d burnt or barbarously used.
A \t'<lt ,tltet kitl..wood\ ,md e!.cape from the Sha\\nee, he
50 '>l'l\'ing in tlw 77th Foot's light com pam at Crmm Point and did not
-
lw11itatc to Yohmteet f01 the St Raid which raLed a ddcn:,cleso.,
Abtttaki ,ill age lO the ground in Octo bet 1759. Kirkwood'.; decision was
not di rti cul t:
I went upon part\ being stimulaHd with the hope of nvenge
[.tgaimt] a den of the most mischic,iou'> and imeteratt t' nt' nHes
the English c' er had ... Number! <II c their scene:, of blood-.hed
and rapine, theM' '\aYages had committed on our people,
hut thank Cod a pniod was shottlv put to their cmcltr.
ESPRIT DE CORPS
'The Most Honourable Virtue'
I he :-.uong of <.ommunity and gmup lmalty was strongcM ,unong
th(' ll ighland uni ts in which Ki rkwood stncd, their dress and language
di!>ting-uishing them l'mm the rest of the red coaLs. Accorciing to that
great chronicler of the Highland soldier, Stewart of Ga rth, l lighlanders
were 'taught ro con-.ickr courage a-. the most honour .thlt- \'irtue.
<. 0\\,ll eli( e as the mmt di-.graceful faihnj.( . Kirkwood proudh
r<.corded the hra\'cn of the Black \\'at(h \\ho fought along-.idc the 77th
at nu-.h\ Run in the regimenr to \\hich he Wa!> the
foll owing year on disbandment of the llighlanders: 'The
ligh t company of the 12<1 Rcgt ... withstood the enemy with a 1 <'solution
that will he rcnwmhered to their honour. I Ie also noted with
'<mil' th,lt it his comp<lll\ entrusted to t,tkc pmsc-;<;ion of
the Frtnch forts in tlw 'lllenoi-. lOllllll' ' lot the King in I 71i:"' > , a result
of the failure of 'the 22d tTgiment 1d10 h.td heen upon the
the >car before, but wa.., defeated and d 101 c hack by the Indians after
they !tad reached t h<' of the bsi:-,si ppi .
I he expeditiom against t\ lartinir[IH', Dominica and I Iavana
enough brought the hard-bitten of the \mcrican
Gallantry at Bushy Run. Ktrilwood
proudly recorded the bravery of
the Black Watch who fought
alongside the 77th at Bushy run,
the regiment to which he was
transferred the following year on
disbandment of the Montgomery
Highlanders: 'The light company of
the 42d Regt', he wrote, attacked
'the enemy with a resolution that
will always be remembered to
their honour'. Print after an oil
painting by C.W. Jeffreys.
(National Archives of Canada, NAC
C-43726) 51
late lO r;l('(' \\ ith Sl:\t'lCII B itish
battalions from l ronicall\', it
\\'a.'> the lonnc1 co1 in their cut-elm,,,
unilorms and hat!>. and
tomaha\\'ks and 1iflcs who lool..ed dmm
their noM's at the <It: an, neath d1 essed
redcoat,, -.omt. of thci office'
earning spontoorh
1
[ icutcnant John
Grant of the tlOttd """ that these
Jt<.'I\Cnnwrs "\dw had latch ;urived It om
the tal..ing ol Bcllislt landed in ''hite
SpallcJ dashe:-.. Cm gt't!> & 'pontoons and
sashc.s, and llusted tlwi 1 prm isions to
their We older campaigners
to bacl..woocb expnlilion/1
took ran to equip with
haversllrks containing- <HII prm'i.sions and
IH'n ridicui<:d bv the gay gentJcmcn !or
doing so.'
OnC' soldier remarking on the C'sprit de corps of the 'American ,\rn1\''
at Ma1 tinique \l'd that neither disease nor the rug-ged terrain could
affect morale: l lw <iimatc was very fatal to the troops, and the whoit.'
arn11 " '"' \1,ited with .. .... hut neither these or anv other dang<rs
which could plt'll'llt itsdl 11,1s ,1bk lO all,n that a1dor 01 desire of 1iUon
which seemed to reign predominalllh throughout tlw ''hoi('.' That
conlideme .mel \\,Is nntt.d di ... apprminglv hv comnunder,,
e<,pecialh tht. Lui of . \lbem;uk. t.ommander of tJw land l01ces .11 tht.
of I Ia, ana in 17fi2. I k \\lOll' to hi' f1iend Jeff Amher-,t:
Your anm i!'. a fi ue out. hr .11 e to the Ia'> I degree. almo-.t 'pmlt 1)\
the e"Xpcdirion up the Rivet 'it Lawrence ... Tht'\ ha\'e ColHJlll' rt' d
in a lew dav., the countrY \'OU e\'er 'a". in the ,\nwrican
\\tl\, running- 01 11ith the Indian [w]hoop. That lll<llllll'l o(
\\ill not .,ucncrl. and I dread their meeting of
troops that ,,ill their
H111 the Light InEmt ryman of tJw ' American Am1)" would never lw
calit'd upon agai 11 to lace French hca\'y before the peace, the
only exceptio n being a Mil prise dawn attack <Uld rout of French grenadie1s
from the fortified hill-top or Signal Hill in StJohn's, in
Septembe1 171i2. A Lil-(hl lnfanll)m;m 's principal enemy from the
of 1762 would be the Jndians of me Great uncle their
accomplishect war chid Pontiac. Thev would have some spectacular
1ictories <LS Bu-.hv Run in but also c;uffer some discourag-ing-
defeaLs at :\iag;u a and Detmi t the s;une ll1e latter di1 ec th
awihuwble to mcrnmfidence and poor march discipline.
On tlw "hole. tht ptOft',sionalism and confidence ol the I
lnhmtn '"" so IH'll b\ 1762 that confident
prediction to lm light troop' the \ear-; earlier that once the\ 'had b'
practi!>e & C:'JX'ri<'ll<t' , arquired <1/1 much Caution & Circumspection a\
thev Spirit & \cti,itv. the hO\ding Barbarians' would 'llee before
52 them' was fulh IC<tii,cd.
ABOVE The Battle of Bloody Run,
1763. (Courtesy of Gary Zaboly)
-
FACE OF WAR
Robert Kirkwood's La st Ba ttle
\\'ithout a doubt o;ix war'> of campaigning in the t\orth Alllt'tic.lll
helped Pt ivatc Robert Kirkwood of the 77th Foot
( r-. l ontgom<t;t \ ll ighlander'>) lot hi\ final battle in 1763. ln the wot d'
of one of lkitatn \ mo'>t renowned hislOrians, the Battle of Bw .. Jn
Run 'till in the <lllll.lh of military history as one of the
fierce;t fought 1d th Indian!>'. Kit kwoocl \ commandet on
this the well-respected trainer and leader of
men, Colonel J lent i Bouquet of the Roval Americans
who, .J.\\'. Fortl'Kll<.' claims. 11as the right man in the
right plact: at \he right time. ' ll ad any man of less
experience in wa fatl' been in command, he
states. 'irs issue might well have been disastrous.'
Bouqttet. at the time, was modest and unassuming,
attributing tlw li on's of credit to the
presence of experienced nHn like Kirkwood and
their 'cool and behaviottr'.
Kit kwoocl\ lit st inuodu< tion to the bush fight
had been in 17.)H 11 hen he wa' to be in a
scotlling pat t\ tcmarcl<; the French-held Fort
Duquesne ( Piu,but gh). a ... mall fighting patrol
rt:inforccd with 60 Clwro\..ee warriors under the
chieftain Atta\..ulla\..ull.l or 'l.iulc Carpenter'. OnlY
The victor of Bushy Run, 1763.
A portrait of Colonel Henri
Bouquet. (Privat e Collection)
\ersed in tht: 1 udinwnt.tt \ of and
marching. Kirkwood h,\d trm elled light li\..e the rest of his
colleague'> .111<1 rm<'t c:cl mam mile' cadt da,. He remembered
mo:.tly the exucme fatigue, the of an in
which tiW\ ck,llmerl a and Sha\\nee Indian war pany. then tlwit
Lerrihing pur,uit b.u \.. to Fcut Ligoniet h\ a larger enen1\ wat part'
hell-helll on rcvtngt:. I k tecalkd that patrol wa.\ ,o much hara....,cd
in our retreat' and the ctH'Il1\ so close that '1\e could plainly
their halloos .
Several wecks lattt he was capLUred b) the Shawnet'\ at thl
failed surprise attack on Fort Duquesne, la id low by painrul buckshot in
his kg as he u icd to tsntpe th<' massacre. Spared imntedi;-tte death by an
Indian warrior, he was adopted int o the tribe and dressed in a
breechclout, and had his hair cut into a Kirkwood hidcd
his time 0\'l' t thc next ll'at, gaining his tribe's trust and as an
able hunter. Bu)ing hintself a 1 ifle from French with hca\l't
pelts, Kir\..wood wa' finallY included as a warrior in a raid against the
Cherokees. itonkalh tiH' Indian'> 1\110 had first trained him on his
an;,-;.tl in llt''>tt'l'll Penns\ lvania. But Kir\..wood ne,er had to fire a shot in
anger at hi' fotiiH'I ,\!lie' for he \lipped awav unnoticed witlt anothet
white captile and mack hi' 1\il\ ba< \.. to hie; unit in time fm <.encral
Aln herst \ 1759 rifondcJOga e\.pcdi tion.
\\'hilt' '>crYing at ( .rown Poilll. Kirkwood 'iingled out h\ the Iamott'
Robet t " a ..,\..ilkd hu..,hlighter and taken along on thl' 17.l\l
St Raid. Kit \..woocl', experiences on Lhat grueling expedition
taught him tht hcndit\ of '>tealrh, surprise and how to liYe and forage ofT
the land. ... uni\al and teliabilit\' him to he tcmpor,trih
53
The siege of Fort Detroit.
An Harpers Illustrated Weekly
engraving of Pontiac's Indians
besieging Fort Detroit from an oil
painting by Frederick Remington.
As the Indians had no artil lery
their only strategy was to bottle
up the defenders and prevent
any reinforcement or resupply.
On hearing that French aid would
not be coming many of Ponltac's
nati ve allies lost patience and
returned to their families for the
winter hunt in the fall . By mid
November, Pontiac was forced to
lift the six month siege. (Private
54 Collection)
attacll<'rl 10 Rogers Rangen who W<'H' 1 o lake of Fort
I ktt oi t and other western French pow .. 1 hat lwcanw 1 he of the
Crown \\ith the of Ne'' Fl .llltl'. Ki1 kwood ..,pent ''eek!:> in
canm.., and and ha;, kit u;, detailed account;, of his exploits on
the C eat Lakes and the'' ildlik lw tiH'J c.
On rt-turn in the auwmn of 171) I l-...11 !..wood I{Ot dunk in Alban)
and de..,erted. but ''-as <>ub..,NJUenth ,111 <'..,t<d ,111d confined at Fort
Ont<uio on 2 Decembe1 1761. In the -..umnH'J of 171)2, Kirk\,ood the
rogue rerei\'ed a ''ekome icH'. All .tbk-hodu:d men I 10m garrisom
in :-..onh .\merica were being a"tmhkd to fOJlll a fighting force to
retake Newfoundland from the I John'!-. h.1d tall en in a daring
raid b' a combined French foltt' ''hibt the nt<tjmit\ of Brit.hh forces
were 'ltill in Cuba be-;icging H;wana. h.i rkwoocl founcl himself mustered
with men who had been con\'alc;,dng in l"l'\\ YorJ... hmpital\ as part of a
pro\'isional force uncler Colonel William t\mht'l st. tht same oflicer who
had commanded Kirkwood's Li ght Infantry corps on the approach to
Mo11tteal two years previously. Again :-.peed and surprise
mc r a lmost. inaccessible terrain , Kirkwood and his comrades were
\'iCiorious at Sign al I I ill against a much !'lllJWrior force.
On his return Kirkwood :-.p<nt the wintn in Philadel phia with the
remnants of his disea:-.e-shatt.ered regimc..H: manv of hi s lmmer friends
died !rom yellow fc\'er contracted clttring the conf(uest of
llavan.t. In the ol J 76:\ the Penm\ han ian and t'\(;'w York ft on tiers
were ablate the Ottawa wa1 chieftain, Ponti,t<.. took up the hatchet
and mam trihcsjoinccl upming. Tht'\ laid to Fort
Dell oil. sacked fi\ e snullc1 loth .mel kilkcl mmt ol thei1
nee-.. ,\lingoes and Dehl\\ate'> be-.ic..g<.d l- ot t Piu (tlw 1 e-named Fort
Duque<>ne) and onr 2,000 men. wonwn .md children were killed .
.,c...tlped or taken in the \H'.,tt'lll wuknH:IH.,. 1-...it k\,oocl wrote:
In order to forcc.. relief to the inhabitants at Fort-Pitt. the remains
of the 1st and 2d of Rm .tl II igh 1.111dc.. s ,md t.he residue
of our regiment \\ere formed into OIH'. \\'e ntarchecl with the
--
greatest expedition 'till we reached Carlisle lOO mile.), above
Philadelphi a where we arrived the 19th of july and waited fot an
of 1500 laden with Hour, 500 bullocks and a
few sheep. This convoy was destined for Fort-Pitt ... which was
block'd up bv the Indians and 300 of the inhabitants, besidcs the
gatt ison in a !>taning condition.
Colonel llenri Bouquet's command consisted of about 160 men in
total- the light and grenadier companies of the 42nd & 77th, 18 Royal
Amcticans, a company of Virginia Rangers and 60 drivers.
Bouquet procccdecl to Fort Ligonier, the last British-held f(Ht closest to
Fott Pitt, manv of hi), men who wen still from the \\ht Indian
campaign falling out along the way. On 5 August 1763 Bouquet and
llmall relief column "'t off to force-march 18 miles to the ned. at Bll!>ln
Run, where he intended to pause briefly before auempting to nm the
dangerous Tunic Creek defile by night.
One mile short of' his objective, Kirkwood and other Light
performing their role as scouts 'came within sight of the
etwmv\ fires and could b) the tracks we fell into, be t<.'ttain o{ their
approach'. On the ,tlct t now 'our van de,crv'd the Indian., f who] \\hen
the\ were cominu:d that we saw them, immediately begun the
itt the front. which contrary to theit maxims in wat; thc} being
accustomed to begin an engagement in the rear'.
Kirkwood and the 77th li ght companv, in t.andem wi th the light
company, took careful aim with their and dropped of' the
tuttning warriot I hn then fixed bayonet'> and, instead of rcueating.
went forward <:-aming their 0\\11 W<u n to dri'e ofT tlw ,td\'ancing
Delawares, l\.lingoes and Shmmee)o. The Indians meltld ''"''" only to
reappear on the flanks of the strung-our column. Bouquet brought up the
main force to support the hard-pressed light companies and tilt action
wasjoined, but soon Indian war whoops could be heard in IIH' rcar of the
tolumn. Bouquet metered the entire force back into a dcfcnsiH' circle on
Edge Hill, drawing the packhorset-. and their sack.<. of flow into the centre.
'lla,ing made a of breastworJ... with the floutbag ... .' recalled
Kit J...wood, 'we waittd their approach [ andj when the\' came do.,c up, we
ga' e them our whole lite and rushed out upott them with fixt bayonets.'
Kirkwood recorded with some satisfaction that ' the were not
vct y well used to way of' fighting I andj therefore tooJ... immediately
10 their heels and ldt the field ofbattk'.
I his hard-won n.,pite ga,e them time to organise thl:it defenses in
thl gathering twilight. f<>r. KirJ...\\ood noted. the cncm' 'hmered in
the woods about m ... ''hidt made the rommanding oflint not to think
it expedient to lcaw that situation lm that night'. Surrounded by the
enemy, Bouquet ettl>Ltr<:d his pcrimctct wa11 in good order and put out
listening posts, before calmly sitting down to write a dctaikcl cli!->patch to
( :encral Amher<;t. l ie <;inglcd out t\lajor .\llt'n Campbell of' thc 42nd,
<ommanding Kit ,anguard, fot prai<>e and comnwndcd the
gallantry of the Light Infantrymen who had not pani< in the first
contact. I Ie had prai'\e for the pacJ...horse drivers, o( whom
'Stupefied by Fear, hid themselves in the bushes, or wnc incapable of
hearing or obeying any Orders'. Casualties already cxccnled ()() killed
and wounded and five drivers were missing.
55
56
Light Infantry bayonet charge.
'We gave our whole fire and
rushed out upon them with fixed
bayonets'. On the first encounter
with the attacking Indians at
Bushy Run on the afternoon of
5th August, Kirkwood and his
fellow Light Infantrymen gave
the enemy cold steel. A detail
from Robert Griffing's painting
One Mile to Bushy Run Stati on.
(Courtesy of Robert Griffing and
Paramount Press)
'\\'t' begun w look aftet <llll \\OIIIHit'd,' 1 t'membered Kirkwood,
'manv of whom we found faim f01 ''ant ol wat<' t that th(' \ muM han'
ine,itablv perished ifthev were not H'II('H'd'. Kit kwood and a !>mall panv
rout ageou!>h crept out of the llo111 bag fot tifi< .ttion in the darknes!>.
avoiding the Tndiam who had ;;utTntmcl<'d them. '\\e coulcllind [water]
btu \\a.<; 'en mudcl\.' he confe;;wd. 'but ltht' ''oundt'd] \\t'l't' glad to gt't
11 am ''a'.' None of the uoop.., got .Ill\ :-.lt'ep th,tt night .md "hen
moming dawned, the Indiam 'achanrcd and IH'gun to fire upon us'.
1\.irkwood and his comrade:-. made l'H'I\ ... hot coutll and preparations
wen. made behind the lluur bag batt itadl.'' to make Mretcher!> for
can>ing the wounded men.
' At noon tht' fiting wa:-. \ ' ('!'\' hot,' tet01dcd Kirkwood. 'and the
Indians became so insolent that thq told out Colonel who commanded
I hat they would have his scalp hy nigh1.' Colonel Bouquet knew he had
to lind some way w entice [the lndiaml lO con1e do:.e upon us, or to
Stand their gTound when allackecl'. I It- ordered Kirkwood's light
COillpany well as that of the I 2nd tO withdraw pncijJitously from the
ptTimcter as if retreating in feat, tiHn to txit qui< kh on the wuthern
of the defenses and regroup a:- a mobik counter-auack force. The
other companies were to clme the gap whibt exhibiting sign;; or panic
and despair.
The Indians thought we wer<' going to b1 eak .mel run away,'
recorded Kirkwood, and being :.\Ire of tlwit pre" came in upon m in
the greatest disorder. The two hght rom pan it'' mw,ide the petimeter
nm' some dead ground and came up umeen on the right flank of
the massed Indian attack. 'Thn '><><>II found their mi\take, crowed
Kit k\\ood. 'for we met them \\ith out lite fit'>t. and thcn made a terrible
havock amongst them with our fixt bmont'l'> ,\lld continuing to push
them everywhere, they ;;et to their hetl.., and tH'Wr after were able to
t<tlh again.' Fmn the Indians for two \\hile tlw
rco;t of the main boch mmed down to Run for much-nC'cdccl heo;h
water. The ca,ualti<''> fm two elm., fighting were 50 killed. 60 wounded
and j mi-,-.ing. one-thit cl of Bouquet's entire force. Run \\<l\ a
anion in of the -.mall numbers engaged, a<> it pronclto he
the tuming point in putting down Pontiac's Uprising.
Bouqut't\ tittd column reached Fort Pitt on 10 August bttt the
besieging u ihes had gone. '\\'t at la:-t arri,cd at the Fort,' Kirkwood
\\Tole. 'and rei incd the in hahi tan L\ "ith provisions and t'\ en othet
nert's;,an.' I k aclclecl, 'Our a11 i\al gave new life to the whole.'
to he Kirkwood\ last baule, though the skirmishing, patrolling and
como) would continue for at least another )'ear. ' We staid but a
short Lime at Fort !'itt, having to tscon the down thC' coutttry
and ron1e back with morc provisions. We continued employed in
manner till the first of.J;ulltary [ 17fi
1
l j.'
During this ti llll' Kit kwood's o ld regi ment, the 77th Foot
(Montgomcrie's llighla ndet!'.). wa!-. disbanded and he transferred lo
the senior and sok remaining Highland regiment, the 12nd Foot. l it:
subsequent!\ panicipatcd in Colonel Bouquet's expeditiom to the
i\ luskingum RiHt that 'ummct to intimidate the Shawnee and othct
Ohio t1 ibe-. and. the following \ear, wok pan in Captain Thoma'>
Stirling\ e>..peditiun down the Ohio and i\ lississippi to Illinoio; coutlln
to take pm-.co;sion of F01t ck Chat
Kirkwood could tight!\ claim in his i\ lcmoirs that 'fe'' Men h.lH'
tt<l\ eled mott than [ nw I in the back parL'> of ::--:orth Ametica . From
, iagara Fall\, 10 , e\\foundland and the Carolinas, to the great we'>tt'l n
plains fl,mking the thic; Light Infantr;1nan coveted
5.000 loot. t.tnm, \\haleboat and transport 'lhip in the course
of his ten campaigning.
Colonel Bouquet ordered
Kirkwood's Light Infantry
company as well as the Lights
of the 42nd to withdraw
preci pitously from the perimeter
as If retreati ng In fear (A) then to
exit at the southern end of the
defenses. The other companies
were to shrink the perimeter to
close the gap and also exhibit
signs of a defensive collapse
(also A). The Light Infantry,
unseen by the Indians, formed up
In dead ground at B. They then
counterattacked and rolled up
the Indians' right flank from east
to west, joined by two perimeter
companies at C when the Indians
were compl etely routed.
57
58
BELOW Lieutenant Colonel
William Howe, Wolfe's Light
Infantry commander. A portrait of
the youthful leader of the Light
Infantry that landed first and led
the British Army up the cliffs
leading to the Plains of Abraham.
Lieutenant Colonel ' Billy' Howe
was deemed to be the best
battalion commander In all
America by General James Wolfe,
and his Light Infantry were
eJrtremely successful In
skirmishing and patrolling against
the Indians and French Irregulars
that constantly harassed the
British siege camps. (National
Archives of Canada,
NAC C-96946)
CONCLUSION
'I conceive they know no difficulties'
.\ Infantry 'a chmen man', the most 'acti\'c marcher',
an ' ,tlerl. able to enchnt an 'at tificial sa\'age'
.llld ' cxpet tat firing ball'. Ile was proficient .It and <>kim1ishing
,lJld could -;crap \\ith the best the hench and theit Indian allies could
lllll'tt r. Like Kirkwood. he wa., at ea'c in r.moe.,, '' hakboaLs. and
b,me,tux. :,hooting rapids 01 on p01 tage. but wa'> cqualh adept at
the wav on arnphibiou., 111 with the
RO\ .tl r\m1. I le was extremeh fit and agik, rould U!>C :,nowshoe!-1, scale
u .tg'> while under fire ming the terrain. ot make hio; waY
swamps and jungle tetTain bv da, ot night In essence. the Light
l nf.mtryman was the rel>ilient and moti,ated 1 <:>dcoat of Britain's
' American A.rmy' dllling the SeYen Years' \\'at.
Robert Kirkwood's Alnnoin not onl} ,,n,T to highlight the
e\'olution of the British Light into a proCessional,
all -purpose soldi er, hut arc also vn)' much the story of the
'Arnetican Army', an army adapti ng itself into a tough,
flexible and innmative fon:e whoM ultimately
won the respect of Britons and Anwricam alike during
first global conllirt. The achievemenL'> of
men like Kirk\wod, anclmarn othen like him, caused
.\1ajor General .Jdkrv to 'av of his olrl
'Amet ican'' that it \\<I\ ,111 honour to command
such 1d10,e 'rmhtant 'tea<h conduct
anrl un"earied ex<rtinn ol their abilities in
carrYing on the c'tc.n,tH' .111d wm in this
counu'' entitled tlwm w '>in cere
acknowledgem<nt., and claimed that 'their
happinel>s and glon [" ould I be in:.eparable
from
IIi!-> \'ottnger hroth<' J, \\'illiam Amherst, 'aid it best
of all, when he W<l:o. pu1 in < hargt of 1'-.itl..wood and his
comrades fot the approach mar<.lt on Montrcnl in 1760.
The roung Amherst proud!; \\lOll' that on one forward
reconnaissance-in-force: 'wt lost our way [backl & did not
reach the Camp umil af'ter dark, through swamps & the
thickest wood we could meet wi th'. I k confessed to be glad of it
'as it shewed the temper or the Cur ps. expecting IO lay out all night,
without auy covering or anyt hing 10 cat or drink. The bon volontt; and
clwerfulness T had before met with amongl'.t them !'> till subsisted, & I
concei'e thev know no dillintl tic:>. It a pkastu e l>Cn ing \\'ith :,uch a
Co1ps.'
MUSEUMS, COLLECTIONS AND
RE-ENACTMENTS
which depict the role of the I .ight lnfantn n1.1n in :'\onh Ame!ica
elut-ing the Se"en Years' \\'ar can lw fouud 111 Canada, the
USA ami the t:K In all the mu ... aud their re!i>pecti\c
li-;tecl bl'iow have
exhibit-. anci collection'>
tJ1at highlight the.: equip-
men t\, Wl'apom. and
e\erHhn life of all 1 Hth
cc:ntun I' ,mel in
the \<L\C of the l':o1th
Amc:d\an hi-.tmical \itt'\,
the hi.,ton of F1 cnrh and
Indian ,L., \\tll.
Details and .,pccilk dates
for North ,\me ic.111
rc-enan nil' nt wtT ke nds
k11own as 'gT<IItcl encamp-
ments' can be found at the
museum wcb!>ite!-,, the
lwing those ron-
ducttd annuall}' at F011
Ticonderoga. Fot l ;\liagara
and F01t ck ( :hartrc..;
res pee ti \'t'l v.
CANADA
Loui-.btnu g. C.qw Breton. Park.\ Canada.
http: / I fortrcss.uccb.ns.ca/
llaJif.t:\ Cit.Hicl ' ova Stotia, Canada.
http: / / parkscanada.gc.ca/ lhn-nh'i/ ns/ halifax/ index_E.asp
Signal Hill. St.John\, \Jt" loundlancl, Park-. Canada
http: / j www.parkscanada.gc.ca/ lhn-nhs/ nJ/ signalhill/ index_e.asp
Qucbn F01tilicatiom & Haulefielcl , Quebec,
http: I / www.parkscanada.gc.ca/ lhn-nhs/ qc/ fortifications/ index E.asp
USA
Fort l'irondnoga l\hscum, !\:('" York State,
http: / / www.fort-ticondcroga.org/
Fort ' iagara 1\-1\JM'Uttl, ;\lew Yot k http: / j www.oldfortniagara.org/
Fort Ligonier M useu111, Pennsrl\'ania,
http: / / www.fortligonier.org/ tour.htm
Bushy Run Battldidd Pat k, Pcnnsvlvania,
http: / / www.bushyrunbattlefield.com/
Fot t de Chartlt:"'>,
http: / / WW\.slate.il.us/ hpa/ hs/ DeChartres.htm
UK
Light meum, \\'im IH.>'>tt'r.
http: / hvo.W.hants.gov.uk/ discover I places/ light-infmuseum.html
:--:ation.tl .\1111' Cht'l-.<'a. London,
http: / www.nationaJ-army-museum.ac.uk/
National \\ar of S(otland (former!\' tlu: Scotti'>h L mtt'cl
Sen ice:. http: / / www.nms.ac.uk/ war / main.htm
Impt'rial w .- l\htSt'lllll, London,
http: / / W\W.iwmcollections.org.uk/ overview.asp
A replica of a British landing
craft. From the collection at the
National Army Museum, which
features exhibits on the life and
times of the British soldier
during the Seven Years' War In
North America. This Is a scale
model of the boat used to
transport Wolfe's Light Infantry
down the St Lawrence River and
land below the Heights of
Abraham. (Courtesy of the
National Army Museum)
59
60
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Amhe1 .Jeflt \, Jouuwl of A.mhn-sl.
RerrmfiiiK lht ,\lilitary (ml'l'l of (;1'1/l'l"ril \mher51 in
. \mnttn ftollt /75H to I 7v3, J.C. (ed.).
To10nto. 19:H.
. \mher<;t, \\'illiam, .Jmtlllfil of \\'11/tam . lmhent in
.\mnun 175H- 1760. J.<. (cd.),
ToronLO.
Bouquet. ll enri, /Ju l'nfwt\ of lll'lln Bouquet, S.K.
Ste\tm. et a!. ( ed-.). (} 'ob. Harrisburg.
1951-51.
Callag-han. E.B. and Fen1m1, B. (eds), Donwtentl
RPlatitll' to tlu Colonial I ft\{0/ y of the .State of Sew
}I'JIII. 15 ,ol<;, ,\!ban,,
Dinwiddie, R .. 'f'h1' Ofjtl'irtl RPmrd1 of Robert
Dinwitld if. / ,ifutt'llftiii-GovtIIJOI of the Colony
of Firp;inia, 1751 1758, Vol. 1, Richmond,

Dought\', A.t:. and Pal mal t<. G.\\'. 'l'hPSiege
of Q11eher and Tht !Jalflt of thl' 1-'laim of Abraham,
() 'ol<;, Queb<<. I !10 I.
Fra1>e1. I he CaJ)llllt: of Quebec. A
Manmcripi.Jomnal Relating to the Operatiom
Befm e Que he< hom Xth \la1, 1739, to 17th
.\f,l\, 171i0. k.q>t b\ Colond .\lakolm Fra.o.er.
Then l i<'ulenanl in th<.. 7Hth Foot (Fraser's
llighland<-.)' . .Jownnl of tltl' \'ortel) for Arm_)'
HiMonwl RPitauh. '\ Il l. 1939. 135-68.
Hen<',, \\' illiam . .Jowna/\ of tlu /Jon \\ilbam 1/erfll").
111 ,\or/It \mnna and fmm 1755 to 18J.I;
with Ordtt Book\ at Mou/mtl, 1760-1763, Bury St
Edmund.-.. I !106.
Kirk ] wood]. Robel 1. So ,\Jrw) 71te
,\Jenwin awl t ltll'l'llllilt' \ of Robnt Kirh, / .all' of the
Royal llip;hlmlll Rtp;illlt'llt, fan McCulloch and
Tim (eel\), Fki< l11nanns, :\IY, 20114
(reprint of Linu:ritk c:dition. cl77:>) .
Knox, John, l'ht of Qudlt'r and thr
in .\mth \ mmm, I 75 7 I 7MJ, London. 1769 .
.\!ante. Ihoma,, lltr 1/t\lm) oj tltl' Lall' \\rtr 111 .\orth
.lmniw. London. 1 i7'2.
.\1cKellm, Pa1nck, \ "ihmt \noun/ of tlw
Qurbn 111 tlu }no I 759. Quebt>c 18i8.
Jtme.-.. ,\ltmou\ of rm lnmbd, l1J3!l0
1
Z9 &
Z9A, Maid\IOIW Ccnlll' for Kenti ... h n.d.
'The 01derlv Book', Uulletin oftlu' Fort
Tirondtmga ,\full'lllll {BF/,\1}, II . fi (J uh 1932).
pp. 2 19-:11; XII .:) ( December 1!)69). pp.
32H-!i7; G (Ouolx:1 1970), pp. 131-61: XIJf, 1
(December 1970). HH- 11 6; XIII, 2 (June
197 1). I !i 1-HtJ.
Mu rray, .Ja nws, jou mal of tlw Sit'Kfl of (ltll'VI'C from 1 Hth
Stptnnlwr 1759to 25th May 1760. Toronto, 1939.
{eel.), 1\ lilitrll"\' ,\ffmn 111 .Vorlh ,\mnira
1758- 176'3: Si'lntrd IJ(){IIIIll'lll\ fmm tlu Cumbniand
PrtjJrt"!. in H'ind.1or C:a\1/r. London & :\cw 1ork.
f'/11 1\ ntmg1 of Gn1rgl'
\\(tilting/on, John C. Fiupauid. (l'd.). \ 'ol. II .
\\'ashington, I 1- 11.
:'\'ichol.t, (<'cl.). "'I ike Rocuing Liom
B1 eaking Fmm lhtu CIMIIl'>": fhe Highland
Regiment .u Ticonclnoga'. Rullrtm of the lin1
l'imndnnKa .\lmtum/IWI:\1/. XYI. 2. 1999.
Niagara falls by Thomas Davies, c.1762. The f alls as Robert
Kirkwood would have seen It In his western travels. (' I saw
that amazing piece of creation' he told his readers, ' I mean
the great Falls of Nlagra, the largest cataract In the world' ).
(National Archives of Canada, NAC C-41051)
COLOR PLATE COMMENTARY
PLATE A: LIGHT INFANTRYMAN, 55TH
REGIMENT 1758
Under the leadership and example of Lord Howe, this
soldter's appearance has changed drastically from official
regulations, the main goal being functionality in the American
wi lderness. The coat has been shortened and the lace
removed. Although sttll shown here, In some cases even the
colored facings were removed While there is also evidence
that the watstcoats were often left behtnd, our ftgure still
wears hts, although he has discarded his neck cravat. His
tricorn has been cut down tnto a "round hat" wtth a brim
about 2
1
ktnches wide, and he wears Indian style leggings of
blue wool to protect his legs in the woods.
The soldier carnes a cut-down Brown Bess musket, and
wears a linen haversack conta1n1ng rations and personal
effects. To reduce glare, his issued t1n canteen IS covered
with wool, and the metal parts of hts musket are browned.
The standard Issue buff leather walstbelt holds his bayonet
scabbard, but a tomahawk replaces his traditional sword. A
black "belly box" usually replaced the over the shoulder
cartridge box, although our figure wears both. He also wears
a powder horn. and carnes extra musket balls in addthon to
hts paper cartndges.
We also see a variety of issued and personal items that
might have been earned during a warm weather campaign.
While 11 IS not likely than any one soldier would have all the
1tems shown here, they probably would have been found
among a group of such men.
1. Brass sund1al compass. sim1lar to an example found on
Rogers' Island
2 Lead penc1l and JOUrnal book wtth marbled paper cover
3 Sausage, hardtack, and cloth bags conta1nrng corn &
peas
4. Fishing k1t
5. Stoneware plate and si lverware based on examples
found at Fort Ticonderoga, along with a common horn
cup. Stoneware was 1nexpens1ve. surprisingly durable,
and was frequently used by sold1ers in the f1eld
6. Ivory dice
7 Leather bag w1th coins and currency
8. Brass button st1ck. to protect the soldier's clothtng
when polishtng his buttons
9. Horn comb
10. Clay pipe and tin tobacco box
11. Shaving brush, soapblock, and stra1ght razor
12. Small ~ r r o r
13. Toothbrush
14 Leather wallet
15. Tinder box w1th fire steel, flint, and tow for fire lighting
(some covers were plain, whil e others held candle
stubs)
16. Fold1ng knife
PLATE B: TRAINING FOR A WINTER SCOUT,
QUEBEC CITY, WINTER 1769-1760
North American winters were severe, and soldiers who
remained 1n service required spectalized clothing, tratnrng,
and equipment rn order to surv1ve. Snowshoes were
espectally 1mportant when traveling 1n deep snow Capta1n
John Knox recorded that Light Infantrymen were required to
"practtse walking on snow-shoes ... to this end five pair of
these rackets are delivered to each corps . . . some of
Capta1n Hazen's New-England Rangers are appornted to
instruct our sold1ers 1n the use of them."
Here, Light Infantrymen of the 15th Regtment are betng
tnstructed in the use of snowshoes by an N.C.O. of Rogers'
Rangers (far right), as a junior officer watches. The American
Army, and the Light Infantry and Rangers in particular,
adopted a combtnation of wh1te and Native Amencan dress
to enable them to survtve during the d1ff1cult w1nter months.
A view of Fort Ticonderoga from atop Mount Defiance, or
Rattlesnake Mountain. This is a view t hat Rangers and Light
Infantrymen scouting the French fort would have seen.
(Courtesy of Fort Ticonderoga Museum)
61
62
In addition to gear prevtously descnbed. they wear woolen
capotes, and carry bearskins and full fteld packs with the
equtpment necessary for survtval.
PLATE C: DAILY LIFE AT FORT CROWN
POINT, 1761
Thts scene shows typ1cal summer gamson life for soldters
and thetr famlites.
In the foreground. three members of the 27th (lnmskilling)
Regtment clean thetr nfles. whtle a corporal of the 42nd
(Royal Highland) Regtment mspects one of his men.
Although the smoothbore musket was the pnmary firearm.
there were also a very hmtted number of nfles, presumably
tssued to the best marksmen. Alexander Moneypenny notes
m hts orderly book for June 12. 1758 that ten nfled-barreled
guns were to be tssued to each regtment, but the exact
specificattons are unknown. It is known that on March 2,
1757, 100 niles were purchased in Germany by Jacques
Prevost of the 60th Regiment for use in North America. and
that they came equipped wtth bayonets and other special
tools, includtng their own bullet molds.
The soldters of the 27th wear two types of headgear, the
fatigue cap and flap hats (bastcally tricorns with most of the
brim removed and the front flap turned up}. For greater
versatility, the Light Infantry compames 1n extstlng regiments
removed the sleeves from thetr regimental coats and sewed
them to their waistcoats. This resulted in a sleeved waistcoat
and a sleeveless regimental coat, which could be worn 1n
vanous combtnatiOns depending on the weather. Both
standard military shoes and lndtan moccas1ns were worn,
dependtng on avatlabthty. the weather. and the terratn. The
dress of the Htghland soldters also shows adaptation to
North Amencan condtttons. such as the lace bemg removed
and leather pockets sewn on the coats.
In the mtddleground. we see a typtcally dressed camp
follower wtth her daughter. and two boys carrytng firewood
on a hand-barrow. The top secttons of the walls of Crown
Point are visible 1n the background.
PLATE D: A WILDERNESS AMBUSH
A mixed group of Light Infantrymen from the 80th (Gage's),
which was specifically ratsed as Light Infantry, a Regular
regiment, and 42nd (Royal Htghland) Regiment are preparing
to ambush a party of French-allied Indians that have just
landed their canoes on the shore of Lake George.
The 80th's coat were made especially for them, and not
converted from prevtously ISSued ones. Therefore. they are
one piece, without the shoulder wings of the two-piece coats
of the Ltght Infantry compantes of the Regular regiments.
The 80th men are also weanng mthtary 1ssue brown canvas
gaiters rather than woolen leggtngs. The Highlanders are
wearing thetr standard dress w1th Light Infantry
modiflcattons, and tn th1s case. blue lndtan style leggmgs
whtch gtve far more protection than their traditional
checkered stocktngs.
The corporal of the 80th, tdenhfted by the white cord on
his right shoulder. IS holdtng a wooden whtstle to hts hps,
about to gtve the stgnal to open f1re.
Smce these soldters are out 1n the field, they all have a day
or two's growth of stubble on their faces. Although most
British soldters of the penod were clean shaven. Light
Infantrymen were encouraged to develop a "smutted"
appearance for better concealment 1n the woods.
PLATE E: THE HAVANA CAMPAIGN, 1762
A Light Infantry soldier of the 27th (lnniskilling) Regiment
purchases drinking water from a Cuban woman, while
another member of his regiment stands by, awaiting his
turn. Troptcal heat and dtsease took a terrible toll of the
troops in the Caribbean Campaigns. The soldiers 1n this
scene are well tanned, but also fatigued and dehydrated.
Their untforms are all faded from the troptcal sun, and their
weapons and equipment have seen hard service but are
not neglected.
To their rear. a squad of Htghland soldters IS being drilled
by an N.C.O. They are regular battalion company soldiers,
not Ltght Infantry Htgh on the htll, a Spantsh fort stands
maJestically agatnst a troptcal background.
PLATE F: LOUISBOURG 1758- KENNINGTON
COVE
Just after daybreak on June 8. 1758, Ma1or George Scott's
Composite Light Infantry Battalion stormed ashore in a
crashtng surf, at what IS now called Kennmgton Cove on
Cape Breton Island.
In the foreground, several boatloads of Light Infantrymen
from the 60th (Royal American) Regiment in blue facings are
Fort Ni agara from the Niagara River. (Photo by Tim Todlsh)
r
...
just httllng the beach. The men are jumping out rnto the surf
and startrng up onto the rocky shoreline.
Beyond them, Ught Infantrymen of the 35th (Otway's)
Regrment rn buff facings have already landed and are
charging up a small brush-covered hill to engage French
irregular soldiers and their Indian allies.
The defending force of French irregulars and Micmac Indians
was quickly overcome, and the British soon had a firm hold on
the landrng site. This resolute amphibious assault by the British
Light Infantry paved the way for the eventual capture of the
important French seaport of Louisbourg
PLATE G: THE STORMING OF SIGNAL HILL
In the late summer of 1762. the Bntrsh mounted a
campaign to recover Newfoundland and rts valuable
fishing waters from the French. The expedition's
commander, Lt. Col. William Amherst. recorded the
capture of Signal Hill, one of St. John's most formidable
defenses, on September 15: "The enemy gave them a fire
and we never returned a shot, till we had gained the
summit and these two Companies drove three Companies
of the French Grenadiers and two p1ckets from the most
advantageous ground I ever saw, -really almost
inaccessrble."
Here we see a composite Highland company of
Montgomene's 77th (green facrngs) and Frazrer's 78th (buff
facrngs) Reg1ments, along wrth some 60th (Royal Amencans)
and Massachusetts Provincial Light Infantrymen (in blue
coats), storming Signal Hill, whrch is defended by Grenadiers
of the Regiment de Ia Marine. In the center. Hrghlander Robert
Kirkwood bayonets a French Grenadier as he and his fellow
Ltght Infantrymen penetrate the French lines. At the upper
right, Captain Charles MacDonnell slashes with hrs sword just
before be1ng fatally shot in the thigh.
PLATE H: 80TH (GAGE' S LIGHT INFANTRY):
LATE WAR
A corporal wrth a twrsted whrte cord on hts nght shoulder is
1nspectrng the nfle of one of his men. Hts 1761-1763 coat is
ltghter brown than earlier ones, the facings are off-white, and
the buttons are yellow instead of brown. The warstcoat is
shorter than earlier rssues, but both it and the breeches are
the traditronal dark brown color. He wears standard brown
canvas issue gaiters over his breeches and leather shoes.
The private standing at attention wears a dark brown coat
of the old pattern of 1759-1760. The facrngs, however, are
orange brown. dating rt to 1760-1761. Hrs warstcoat and
breeches are dark brown in color. He wears blue woolen
leggrngs over hts breeches, and lndran style moccasrns
Both soldters wear the black leather flap hat wrth feathered
plume that was standard throughout the regrment.
While the "exploded kit" 1n Plate A shows an early Light
Infantrymen, and focuses on the weapons and personal
equipment of soldiers armed with smoothbore Brown Bess
'Authors' Note After thos plate was completed. our froend and colleague
Rober1 Andrews discovered onformatlon 1n General Amherst's papers
ndocatlng t hat In 1762. the Massachusetts Provoncoals may have been
unformed on all brown. rather than the bluefaced red hown here. It os hoped
that funhet research w II be able to clartfy thos mattet
muskets, thrs plate features the niles and correspondrng
equipment issued to a limrted number of hand-ptcked troops
throughout the war. The nfle ts one of those procured by
Jacques Prevost in 1757, dtscussed prevrously tn Plate C.
The ttems tn the "exploded kit" show the unique aspects of
the rifle and the specralized equipment needed to operate and
malnta1n it.
1. The barrel of a smoothbore (left), as the name implies.
is completely smooth, while a rifled barrel (right), has a
senes of spiraling grooves cut into it, whrch gnp the ball
and cause tl to spin, givrng rt greater accuracy and range
2. Whtsk and ptck set, used to keep the pan and touch hole
clean
3. T1n oil bottle
4. Wooden loadrng block with holes that would gnp a
patched ball t1ghtly enough to hold t1 rn place, but strll
loosely enough so that it could be pushed on through and
into the barrel using the ramrod or short starter
5. Flints and lead wrappers, used to hold the fltnt securely in
the jaws of the lock
6. Small priming horn, which holds a finer grained powder to
prime the pan for better ignition
7. A paper cartndge. shown ready to roll and ftntshed
8. The steps rn loadrng a nfle:
a. Powder is poured down the barrel from a torn-open
cartndge
b. A cloth patch and lead ball are partrally rammed down the
barrel wrth a short starter, then fully seated wrth the
ramrod
c. A small amount of frne powder is placed rn the pan from
the pnmrng horn
9. Hand forged screwdriver
10. A "turn-key," a type of British military issue screw driver
Note: Little Is actually known about the military niles and
accoutrements of the French and Indian War era. It os possible
that the loadrng block and short starter may not have seen
military use, although they were used by other nflemen of the
period
Scalping- A barbarous practice. An 18th century painting
by Benjamin West depleting two Light Infantrymen In their
cropped caps and jackets, watching as a British officer
prevents an Amerindian ally from scalping a cowering
French officer. (Courtesy of the Derby Museum)
63
6: 6 4
INDEX
Referent<'' to rllu,tr.tuon' .Ill' ,Jw,,n in
bold. Pl.llt'' ,,,.. 'ho11n 1111h JM)(I' .lllcl
t.tplrcm lot ,uor' 111 hr.tcl.tt'
\llwm,uk, .. ul of ":?
\nur ic ,,, '\en rh c .UUJMIJ.tU tn 1-h. 8
. \nwnLill \1111\ i , 211, :_H), II. ">1-:>:!.
)h
\mh<'''' \1,,,,, (,,mt,tl Jdlen !1. II, II.
lh. 20, H. >2.
\mhn '' ( .olorwl \\ tlh,un :; I. .'\H, h:l
batt.tlton,, Klltl'h f (:\11, ti:!.j>.l). "2
Klo()(h Run, H.utlr ol 52
hoat' 5, 7, 22. :10. f (:IH. h'!. ti:IL 46. lh. 59
vt nl\0 ,hap-..
RouC]'IC'I, Colond I len11 20 2 I , 2:>-'!.li, 53,
'\:\, .-.: .-.{i, 57
lktcldork, I
Bremntr,John 1:\
Bu'h" Run, ll,ut lt of 51. 52, .''i:l. r;:-,.;,7, 56,
57
C.unphcll, Major ,\ll cn flfi
C:.uupbell, I it.trttu,u11 <:t'OII-(t' 2S
C.unpllt'll, ( '" IHlloll l.tin 1.1
C.unphtll, Johll L"
tannih.lh,ril '!.7 2H
Char It'' lrll,n, 'iouth C.noliu.t 24
''"!""''' C(:\.-,, h'!.). 0 (%, 62). H C 10, fi.l)
('"""' l'o1111 , l.tkt ( h.uupl.un CC:I.1. h2),
II 1'!., II, 15. ;,o, 'l:l
Cumbcrl.utd, Dul.t of I, l'l
fl.tllinl(. \1,,1ur IH
ditt 29 '" alw loud
llrmqdchc . lwuttn.lllt ( . oHIIHll Rohl'lt h
tli,upllltt 'lO, 'l I 1:!. II , II. IX
ch,r.l't'
tin" II. II. 12. I \.If. 15. J;, I h. li'
dnn\.. 29:11.31,32
dlltll'\ 2:1-:?ti
(,._org< II
('()11tpnunt 12, I:! 1:1. I I 1:>. I fi-17. 27.
Iii)
'"'""hot'' I I. 15, BC:I I, hi
fitldlt'r, I 43 \If olio nnl'it
food 2t>-27, 29 ,,., 11l'" di;t
For'"'' lit r)\Miut (,,.,,.,,,Jjohll '!.0. 21
Fort de Chat li t'\ [>7, .'>\)
Fm 1 Deuoit !'i2. 54, ,-,.1
Fort DII<J11t'"H' ( l,llt'l Foil Pill ) l. ,-,, 17-
IH. 20, 21. 2 1. 1:1. !>:1
Fon l.il-(onrcr 2!\, !'i:l. 55
Feu 1 1'-:ia)(;ll" 62
(follll!'dv Fort 11ur]III'"H') 24, !'>+
,);), >7
Fort Ro1al, (:n.Hil'lmrpe 29. 32
Fott Sta11wi' 30
Fot L Titoralt ro)\.1 I i, .i
1
1, 6 1
F11.rHh \nwtuHiian 25. :10. 0 (36. !i:!)
Ftl'rlCh 'oldtc" I, 21. C C:l9. 63)
Ind. coliC'< till): 45
( .. tge, I hom," II , 14 <rral1o
rt'J:IIlll'nt\, ( .ag<'\ ltght lnlanu'o
(.ht, I ho111.1' 21
(,r,mt, \1,1]111 J.IIIH'' lfl. li, 21,22-2.1
( llllt I tetltC'n,mt .Jnhn I H ..
(.rant l.uclmlt In
l-l.l\.111.1. of 2i . .!ll. 30. 32. E(,\7, 62)
II, IH. i I
1-hghl.tndct, 19, 22. 1'1, 'i I
Hmc. B11g.tdwt \u)(U\111\, tlw
l.ord 4 , 15-JG. 17, 29
llmH'. l it'lllt'rlalll Co loud \\'rlh.1rrr 'llllh'
58
flue I.. Dr Richard I h
Humphre'' Pn,ate Rt< hat d 1 i
lnd1ans I. 5. h. 15. 20. 211:!1. f C:Ih, h:!h:l) .
42, 15, 63 ua/111Ft('J)(h \mt'llllllo,uh
\h.-nal.i 51
( lwrnl.ee I I>, 19, 21. Y1
Delaware :; I.:;:;
(,real Ltl.e' 5:?. 54
I fOCJIIOi' 6
'\lingo :;:,
17- 18,21.21. :10. 17, :;:1 .. '>I,
5.'\
iufantnmeu. hean 1-!"i \If "''"li)(hl
inhuunruc..n
5
JohllMIII, S.-rgearli .John 12
Ktun<:d). Captain Quu11011 II
Kirl.wood. Rolwrr 9- 10, 1:1, 1.">. 21, 2 1. :?:>,
:.W-2H. 41 . 4fi, 49
, 6:1), .-.o .. -, 1. !>:1, .Y-'7
r:1p111red bv I I. 17 IH, :10. I I.
42, 43. .):\
cl.-,enion 29, 31, .14
rlrinl.ing
2.)
.ll Fon Piu 51-55
.111d '\ia)(<U a F.tll, 60
U,linin)( 17-IH. 21
u,l\clo; 8
Kmpe. CorporJ.I Thom.h IH
Kno,,John II. 12. 13, 11-1'\, :!:i, :!7,
.!'1. II, -1-1-4 '\, .iU. ti I
L.ll.t' (;<orge 5. 7. 16. 12. 12
l .ll.t 'iuperim. 'inal..- hl.uul
'l.ight lnfamn' (.otp<; inrrudund i
hght inlanrnmen 4. 7. 22. 27. C CI't. n:l).
44 1u also regimenL>
Lmle Carpentet (.-\u,,l.ull.l.ull.t ) 19. :?1
locll(tllg'> 23
Lo11g Sault rapd' 46, lti
l oudon,l.ord II , :!0, 2'1
I oui,hur)( t'Xgt'di rinn II, 1:>, IH-1
1
1, 21,
27, f (3H. 19
Captain Charl t, G (:l'l, h:l)
\larl.tllar, Pau ic I. 22
\lrMmdo, Wil liam 4:1
Pril'ate Allan 17
major, 40th Fom 11
madumen 6, 18, 19-20
\laniniqm 112, 511
l'rm1ncial Lt)(ht
1nfantn-man G (39. 63)
mt"dical 'enices I I. IH-:10
malnia<, colonaal (i
l'ri\'lHe James 2:t 2H. 2!1. :10-:1 I. $2
\lurra1. Captam.Ja.mes I :1. '17
General +t
mu'lc seP al1o fiddltJ. llighl.uul
;-;co, B(31. 61-62>. E<:n. 62)
""'' France '> .3-1
'\el,foundland 52. :;-1
Signal Ifill G (:l!l, h:l), :,:?,;, I
l\tagara Falls 3'1. 60
'lma Scotia, \nnapoli, Rm.tl n
'lm-a Scotia 13, 14
num. Augustine II. 5()
Penll\\lvania 4, 50
l'trr \, !-o.tr )(<',lilt D.n icl :H-:12
l'rtt,hurgh I <If' ai\IJ fort Fun
!'Itt
Ponti.tl. '>2. 54 . '\I. .'\i
1'1 ( .rpl.llll I ll'lltl'n,ult lkun I' 2+
:!h
Qnl'111.'- 1.!. 1.1-l.i. 2:l. 2H-:.!9. 8 (:\-1, til-621.
II. li, 48. IX. '\II
1\.tttk nl lht l'l.uu' ol \bt.lham 22. 41'1.
11 .u. 58
h. 7. \IP nlw olia
HoJ.tt't''
rc11 nrtmtnt !I II. 10
r l'J..:riiH'lll\
f.">tlr I ool 2!1, :ll, BC:l-1. fl l -ti2)
:!211cl 'i l
27th Clun"l.illrng-l CC:l.'i. 62). E(:rl.
'l.lth Foot (Ot\\a\'',) 12. F(38, 62.j):l)
lOth Foot II
12ntl l oot ( lll,u I. \\,tl{ h) C(:l!"i. 62),
O(:lt;, b2). 12, 51, 51. .)Il. 56. 57. !>7
1:1r d Foot 11
lli1 h Foot 22
r,;,.h loot (ll owt'') 18, A(:l:l. fi l )
liOth Foot (Rm,\1 ,\Jnt'ricam) 22.2:1.
FC:lx. ti2 ti:l). Cc:19, ti3). ;,5
77rh Foot (l\.loutgoHII'l ir\
10. 12. 19. 21. 24. G (:\9,
t.:11. J:l. :.o :. 1 . .- .-. ;,6, 57. ;,7
i'Hth ( b ,,,,.r , I 10,
13. C C I'I,IH), H
Hlhh (' llw l.;.uiHn.IJl'') II. lt.
1'1. 20. 0 (.\ti, ti2). H ( 10, h31 seen/so
II'J.:IIIII'llt,, ( J.:t''' I il(hl lnf,ulU"\
Jott,t I hghl.uul (l.lt<'l 62nd .uul 7/th
I not) Ill
( 11(1.'\ Ltl(htlnlantn II. 15. 16. 17, 19.
1
1
1 20. 1:! \II'"'"' rt'l(illll'llb.I\Otlt Foot
Rul(t'l' ( 'IH,till ( l.utr \1,'1"' l Rol11.rt 20.
211. :!H. ">:1
Rogn, 20. B(:lt. bl-621. 53-
'>1
'>t. lt.llllt' R.ud 2i. Ill. :,n.:; I. :1:1
'' ,IIJllll)( 25. Ill- I i. 63
'>wtt. \lajor <l'IHI(l' 11. 11. 13. 14. 15. 21,
F(:IH, t\2-ti:l)
'''r !(<'"" "'" ullrrtx I 0
'><cn \ ca"' \\'ar I, h
'hip' 5. 2:1-21. 24. 30 ste abo btloll>
""'1-:' 12-1:1
'irt'\\'<111 of (.arth. Daad 17. 51
Stirlinl-(. <.apt.t rn Thomas 37
''"](''' 21i. :10. 12. <13
t,H I il' _-,.{),
I hompson,
Titondcro)(a 1:!, 13. 29. 41.53
tor IIIII' 41;...]7, 47
'J<m mhtnd. ( tor J{t' 17
4. 17-20. 19. 21-22. BC3 I. 61-6:!)
\'iti(HII.tll l'r m 1111 i.rl' 4
\\,u of till' Le.t!-,'Ue ol H.tp>bllll( 5
\\,u, of tht c\tl'tl r.111 Sp.mi'h Sune,>ton
-,
I. h
1\(',IJ>Oil' 1:!, 13. II, 18. I!J. A(J3. b(),
ccn. ti21. II ( 111. ti.ll
1\l'olllll'r I-I
\\lldlrh- 11-1"
\\ollt'. \l,lJOI 16. 17. 58
\\'olll.'\ l.il-(ht lllf,uttn 22
\\IIIIH'll 12. C(3."i, 1}2). 11-12. 42. 43
lns1ghts 1nto the daily lives of history's fighting men and
women, past and present. detailing their motivation, training,
tactiCS, weaponry and expenences.
Maps
Full color artworl<
Illustrations Unnvaled detail
OSPREY
PUBLISH NG
www .ospreypubl ish i ng.com
British Light
In fan try man
of the Seven
Years' War
North America 1757- 63
The British Light Infantryman
of the Seven Years' War was
a "chosen man," proficient
at scouting and skirmishing,
and more than a match for the
French and their ruthless Indian
allies. Shooting rapids in canoes
and whaleboats, traversing
swamps or jungles and
snowshoeing through endless
tracts of forest, British redcoats
earned a reputation for resilience
and resourcefulness as they
adapted to the wilderness
conditions of North America.
Their development was
a watershed in the history of
irregular warfare, and this book
provides a full examination of
their fighting methods, covering
training, tactics and campaigning
from Canada to the Caribbean.
ISBN 1-84176-733-6
II IIIII
9 781841 767338