[hannay] history of THE QUEEN'S RANGERS 163 



handsome acknowledgments on their victory. On the 4th July the army 

 marched to Jamestown for the purpose of proceeding to Portsmouth. 

 What the Americans term the battle of Jamestown was fought on the 

 6th July: the Rangers were with the army but were not engaged. All 

 the American fine writing about this alleged battle is simply bunkum. 

 The truth of the matter is summed up by Simcoe in a couple of preg- 

 nant sentences. " M. de Lafayette," says he, " attacked Cornwallis's 

 army, mistaking it for the rear guard only. The affair was almost con- 

 fined to the 80th and 76th Regiments, under the command of Lieut.-Col. 

 Dundas, whose good conduct and gallantry were conspicuously displayed 

 on that occasion. M. de Lafayette was convinced of his error by being 

 constantly repulsed and losing what cannon he had brought wdth him.'' 



It would take too much space to narrate in detail the numerous 

 services of the Queen's Rangers during the eventful three months which 

 followed. Although not in any considerable battle, they were every day 

 engaged in some important duty and their losses were heavy both from 

 battle and from sickness. Simcoe himself fell ill, and Captain Shank 

 was left in command of the cavalry, and Major Armstrong of the in- 

 fantry. 



Lord Comwallis, either from his own bad generalship, or the want 

 of support from Sir Harry Clinton, suffered himself to be cooped up at 

 Yorktown with a French fleet in front of him and a combined French, 

 and American army of nearly thrice his strength behind him. There 

 was no alternative for him but to surrender, the British fleet being unable 

 to relieve him. Simcoe offered to take his Rangers, cross the Chesapeake, 

 and make his escape into Maryland, where he felt no doubt of being able 

 to save the greater part of his corps and cany them to New York, but 

 Comwallis would not permit the attempt to be made, saying that the 

 whole army must share the same fate. The Rangers, therefore, were 

 included in the surrender of Comwallis. which took place on 10th Oc- 

 tober. 1781. The number of Rangers who surrendered is put down by 

 American authorities at 320, which is probably nearly correct. A num- 

 ber of them who had deserted from the Americans, were sent to New 

 York in the British sloop of war Bonetta, which was allowed to depart 

 unexamined under the terms of capitulation. By the muster rolls of the 

 24th December, 1781, it appears that 282 of the rank and file of the 

 Rangers were prisoners with the enemy, and that 224 of them were 

 either not prisoners at all or were prisoners on parole. These figures do 

 not include Captain Saunders's troop, which was in the south with Gen- 

 eral Leslie. Simcoe, who was very ill, went to New York in the Bonetta 

 and thence to England. Captain Saunders, arriving from Charlestown, 

 took command of that part of the corps which had come to New York 



