142 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



farm, and immediately galloped to Philadelphia, whence a party of 

 dragoons was sent out I'or the cattle. 



Intelligence was received that General Lacey, with a large force of 

 Pennsylvania militia, was to bo at the Crooked Billet, twenty-five miles 

 from I'hiladelphiii, on the 1st May. Simcoe proposed that he should 

 march against him with the Queen's Kangers, and it was arranged that 

 he should be accompanied by a detachment of light infantry and cavalry 

 under Lieut.-Col. Aborcrombie. The march, wiiich was a long and severe 

 one, was made at night, and it was planned that the Rangers should 

 make a circuit and get in the rear of Lacey's quarters. Simcoe had 

 arrived at a point where he quitted the road, in order to make the last 

 circuit and get behind the enemy's quarters, and was explaining to his 

 officers the plan of attack — which was that ei\eh was to be guided by 

 circumstances, except Capt. Kerr's division, which was to force Lacey's 

 quarters and barricade them for a point to rally at in case of misad- 

 venture — when an alarm shot was heard. Abercrombie's cavalry had 

 been discovered by the enemy, who at once decamped. The Rangers cut» 

 off some smaller parties, but the main body of Lacey's troops ran so fast 

 that by no efforts could the infantry of the Rangers reach them. Sixty 

 of the Americans were killed or taken, with all their baggage. This flight 

 of Lacey's is what an American historian of the war, Lossing, calls, 

 " cutting his way through." The guides of the Rangers computed their 

 march on this expedition at fifty-eight miles. They lost none in killed 

 and only a few of the men were wounded. Captain McGill's shoe buckle 

 stopped a bullet which might have cost that valuable officer his foot. 

 " This excursion," says Simcoe, " though it failed in the greater part, had 

 its full effect, of intimidating the militia, as they never afterwards ap- 

 peared but in small parties and like robbers." 



On the 11th May, 1778, Sir Harry Clinton succeeded Lord Howe 

 as Commander-in-Chief and received instructions from the Government 

 to evacuate Philadelphia. Simcoe was at this time raised to the rank 

 of Lieut.-Colonel. On the 17th June, Col. Simcoe in public orders 

 complimented the Rangers on their bravery and good conduct. The 

 British army evacuated Philadelphia on the 18th June, and the Queen's 

 Rangers marched to Haddenfield as part of General Leslie's division, 

 forming the advance of the left column of the army. They experienced 

 no interruption until the 23rd when at Crosswick's they had a skirmish 

 with the enemy, who attempted to dispute the passage of a bridge, the 

 planks of which they had taken up. The Rangers crossed on the stringers 

 of the bridge, Capt. Armstrong gallantly leading the way with his Gre- 

 nadiers. On the 24th, the army marched to A Hon town, tlie Rangers still 

 leading the column. There the order of march was changed, and, as 



