142 Life of Count Riimford. 



John Graves Simcoe had been, in October, 1777, com- 

 missioned to the command of the Rangers by Sir 

 William Howe, with the provincial rank of Major. 

 He rose in that command to the rank of Lieutenant- 

 Colonel, attaining by real service the military grade 

 which, as he knew, Thompson had got by favoritism. 

 The corps had been diminished by dissension and de- 

 sertion, while it had been from time to time replenished 

 by heavy bounties and by disaffected and mercenary 

 men who proved disheartened or faithless in the patriot 

 cause. A portion of the corps was at Yorktown to 

 share in the mortification of the surrender there. When 

 it became known that Cornwallis had proposed a cessa- 

 tion of hostilities, in order to arrange terms for giving 

 up the posts of York and Gloucester, with his whole 

 army, Simcoe, knowing well what treatment would 

 await the deserters and the miscreants in his own corps 

 from the rank and file of the patriot forces, and from 

 the rage of the populace, sought permission from the 

 British commander, if the treaty were not finally signed, 

 to allow his Rangers to try to escape in some of the 

 boats which the traitor Arnold had built. Simcoe 

 hoped that a great part of the remnant of his corps 

 might thus cross the Chesapeake, land in Maryland, 

 and make their way to New York. Earl Cornwallis 

 approved the scheme as ingenious and desirable, but 

 could not himself sanction its being carried into effect, 

 as the whole army must share one fate. The meas- 

 ure, however, was effected under a deception. The 

 Earl in his capitulation had reserved a vessel, the 

 Bonetta, for taking his sick to New York. Simcoe 

 proving to be "in a dangerous state of health," making 

 "a sea voyage the only chance by which he could save 



