[hannay] history of THE QUEEN'S RA.NGERS 147 



cans. They were instructed not to fire but to cliarge bayonets with their 

 muskets loaded. The light infantry and Hussars were put under the 

 direction of Capt. Saunders, who taught them to gallop through woods, 

 and, acting together, the light infantry learned to run by holding the 

 horses' manes. The cavalry were also instructed, as the infantry lay flat 

 on the ground, to gallop through their files. The captains of companies 

 were forbidden to teach their men to march in slow time, and the orders 

 were, " to pay great attention to the instruction of their men in charging 

 with the bayonet, in which case the charge was never to be less than three 

 hundred yards, gradually increasing in celerity from its first onset, 

 taking great care that the grand division has its ranks perfectly close and 

 the pace adapted to the shortest men." 



On the 2nd May, 1779, the Queen's Eangers was by general orders 

 styled and numbered '' The First American Regiment," and its officers 

 declared to be entitled to have their rank permanent in America and to 

 receive half-pay in case the regiment was disbanded. " The Queen's 

 Eangers," says Simcoe, " consisting of 360 rank and file, in great health 

 and activity, left their cantonments on the 18th May, and by a given 

 route arrived at King's Bridge, and encamped there on the 27th, and 

 formed the advance of the right column of the army which marched from 

 thence on the 29th to a position extending from Phillip's house to East 

 Chester heights. The Rangers marched on June 3rd to Croton Bridge, 

 where the enemy had been collecting the cattle of the country, seized 

 them, took some prisoners, and returned to their quarters. On the 24th 

 they again advanced to Croton Bridge and took a considerable number 

 of prisoners. They were actively engaged in various serxdces in the ad- 

 vance of the army until late in July, when they again occupied their 

 old post of the previous year at King's Bridge. On the 5th August, at 

 midnight, word was brought to Simcoe that a party of American 

 dragoons had surprised and captured a large number of Loyalists at 

 West Chester. He at once started in pursuit with the Rangers, leaving 

 orders for the Legion and Emmerick's corps to follow. The cavalry pur- 

 sued the enemy so expeditiously that most of the Loyalists whom they 

 bad taken escaped, and at New Rochelle the Americans were overtaken. 

 Colonel White, who commanded them, abandoned his infantry and fled 

 with his cavalry, the infantry throwing themselves behind a stone wall, 

 from which they fired a volley at Simcoe's Hussars as they attempted to 

 rush past, killing or wounding four of them and then taking ^to their 

 heels. Col. Diemar, who commanded an independent troop of hussars 

 which followed the Rangers, pursued them across the creek, the losses of 

 the enemy's infantry amounting to twelve, of whom several were drowned 

 in the creek. The enemy's cavalry were pursued to Byram's Bridge, 



