186 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Buck's County Volunteers. Captain Evan Thomas, it may be stated here, 

 went to New Brunswick alter the war and died at Pennfield, Charlotte 

 County, in 1835, at the age of 00, leaving many descendants. Captain 

 Althouse also went to that province, was a grantee of St. Jolm, and died 

 in New Brunswick, where no doubt some of his descendants still reside. 

 The commander-in-chief had directed Simcoe to raise another troop of 

 dragoons, the conmiand of which was given to Lieut. Cooke of the 17th 

 Dragoons, who remained in New York to recruit. Before Arnold era- 

 barked he issued an order against depredations in the country to which" 

 they were bound. The expedition arrived in the Chesapeake on the 30th 

 December, but several ships were missing. Arnold did not wait for 

 ihem, but pushed up the James River, capturing a number of small 

 American vessels on tlie way. The enemy had a battery at Hood's Point 

 and seemed disposed to bar the passage of the river. Simcoe landed with 

 130 of the Rangers and the Light Infantry and Grenadiers of the 80th 

 Regiment to attack this battery, but the enemy fled and abandoned it. 

 The guns were then dismounted and the troops re-embarked and were 

 taken up the river as far as Westover, where they were again landed. 

 From Westover, to Riclimond, the capital, was a distance of thirty miles, 

 and as Arnold's force did not number 800 men, he was in doubt as to 

 the propriety of advancing as far as Richmond. Simcoe, however, per- 

 suaded him to undertake the enterprise, and the troops marched towards 

 the capital of Virginia, that goal which the Nortliern troops were four 

 years trying to reach during the late Civil War. On the second day's 

 march a number of prisoners were taken, and when within seven miles 

 of Richmond a patrol of the enemy appeared and immediately fled at 

 full speed. Jefferson was at Richmond and had called out the militia of 

 the State to defend the capital. The American militia were drawn up 

 on Richmond Hili, on the south side of Shakoe Creek. Simcoe, with his 

 Rangers, advanced to dislodge them. He marched his infantry up the 

 hill to the right in small detachments, and brought his cavalry up in 

 front, although the ground was so steep that the men had to dismount 

 and lead their horses. The militia fled to the woods in great confusion, 

 and the American militia in the town of Richmond also made their 

 escape. The enemy were pursued by Simcoe's cavalry-, with Captain 

 Shank and I^ieutenant Spencer, for four or five miles, and they captured 

 a number of them, with their horses. On his return to Richmond, Simcoe 

 received orders to set out immediately for Westham, six miles from 

 Richmond, where the Americans had a magazine and cannon foundry. 

 The Rangers immediately started on this new enterprise, destroyed all 

 the cannon they found there, burnt down the foundry and threw the 



