By W. W. Ravenhill, Esq. 197 
English and Germans surrendered to General Gates and about 
thirteen thousand New Englanders.' 
The English had lost heavily in the skirmishes which immediately 
preceded ; and they had suffered from exposure and starvation, amidst 
the woods and swamps. The havoc was fearful, a fight for life, and 
ever in the thick with their “light springing footstep” were the Sixty- 
Second. “ Here they come, ‘The Springers!’ Nothing stops them.” 
And so they won their name—“ Tue Sprinerrs.” The regiment had 
left Canada five hundred strong, there remained but sixty men and. 
five officers at the close of this bloody campaign. ‘Tell my uncle 
I died like a soldier,” were the last and happy words of young 
Lieutenant Harvey, one of those who fell near Saratoga, at the age 
of sixteen. 
_ These sixty-five heroes rested as prisoners of war three years and 
then returned to England. In 1780 the regiment was quartered at 
Lincoln, in 1782 at Newark, and the flank companies were (perhaps 
in honour of Saratoga) detached to Windsor “ to do duty over His 
Majesty.” 
From the latter year (1782) the regiment bears the name 
“ Wirtsnire.”* County titles were then by order of the Commander 
in Chief allotted to several regiments, thus establishing a local 
connection with the various counties, after which they were desig- 
nated ; this was done to improve recruiting. The Sixty-Second was 
ealled “the Wiltshire,” and was in the following year ordered to 
Trowbridge. To-day once more this notion of localisation is revived, 
let us hope, for our permanent welfare. 
_ The Wiltshire Regiment did not remain long at Trowbridge at 
that time however, and then it was moved to Scotland and Ireland. 
Ten years, 1780—1790, of home service were followed by eight 
years, 1790—1798, abroad. Between 1793 and 1796 the regiment 
was increased from five hundred and seventy to eight hundred and 
fifty, and afterwards to one thousand men. 
12 Massey Hist. Eng. 341. 
2 See Bancroft’s Hist. of America, youl. 3. 
3 W. O. Papers, 
