160 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



On the llth March a detachment of the Rangers, under Lieutenant 

 St. John Dunlop, surprised a party of Weeks' men and killed or captured 

 ten of them, and received the thanks of Simcoe for their exploit in 

 public orders. Soon after this, Captain McCrea, of the Queen's Rangers, 

 having command of the post at Great Bridge, sallied out against a party 

 of the enemy that had frequently fired upon his sentinels, surprised them, 

 put them to rout and pinned a label upon one of the men who had been 

 killed, threatening to lay in ashes any house near his front that they 

 should harbour in. 



On the 18th March, Lafayette, with an American army, appeared 

 before Arnold's works at Portsmouth, Simcoe and his Rangers being at 

 that time detached on a foraging expedition. The post at Great Bridge 

 was threatened by General Gregory with 1,200 men, but the Americans 

 were never too eager to attack a work which was held by any part of the 

 Queen's Rangers, so that the demonstration ended in nothing. On the 

 27th March, General Phillips arrived at Portsmouth and took command 

 of the British forces there, which were now largely augmented. The 

 light infantry- went into cantonments at Kemp's and the Queen's Rangers 

 at Newtown, with instructions to hold themselves ready to move at the 

 shortest notice. The Rangers had now added to them Captain Diemar's 

 troop of Hussars, then at New York, and which were placed under the 

 command of Captain Cooke. 



An active campaign was now in contemplation and General Phillips 

 gave his final orders preparatory to taking the field. On the 18th April 

 the troops embarked at Portsmouth and fell down to Hampton Roads. 

 The object of the expedition was the surprise of a body of the enemy at 

 Williamsburgh and in this movement the Rangers were attached to 

 Arnold's division which was to land below Williamsbmrg. The troops 

 arrived off Burrell's ferry on the 19th. There the enemy had thrown up 

 entrenchments, which appeared to be fully manned. As soon as Simcoe 

 landed the enemy fled and with 40 cavali-y he immediately proceeded to 

 Yorktown, while the infantry of tlie Rangei^s marched with the army to 

 Williamsburg, Next morning Simcoe galloped into Yorktown with his 

 Hussars, surprised and secured a few of the artillerymen, drove the 

 others off, and burnt the barracks. At Williamsburg the army had met 

 with no resistance, the only skirmish being one that Quartermaster Mc- 

 Gill, of the Queen's Rangers, and his Hussars had with a Rebel patrol, 

 which he defeated and dispersed. 



The army proceeded up the James River for the purpose of destroy- 

 ing the enemy's stores at Petersburg, the advance guard being formed of 

 the Queen's Rangers, Yagers and Althouse's rifle company. On the 24th 

 April the troops landed and passed the night at City Point and next day 



