Grenadier Company, 47th Regiment of Foot 1775-1783

250 years ago TODAY- The British March 18 miles from Sorel in pursuit of the Continentals.

By General Carelton’s orders, Brigadier-General Nesbitt was to take the Light Infantry Battalion, Grenadier Battalion, and Canadians from his First Brigade and pursue the Continental force as far as St. Denis. Upon arriving there they were to take post and await further orders.

Nesbitt did so, marching his men hard that day in unusually high heat. This is where their discipline, and endurance paid off. They covered eighteen miles that day before reaching their objective and stopping for the night. They would spend the next day (June 16th) resting before continuing their chase.

250 years ago TODAY- The British reach Sorel

Following their victory at Trois-Rivéires, Carelton loaded his forces back up in ships and they continued down the St. Lawrence in pursuit of the fleeing Continentals.

On June 14th those forces reached the town of Sorel. The Flank battalions, along with the rest of the Advance Corps were landed around 9pm. They were able to get some rest, as their pursuit would continue the next day.

An amazing post by Fort Ticonderoga! Their content is always top-notch, and what's better?
Seeing a 47th Grenadier represented!!!!!

We can't wait to go back to Fort Ti soon!

250 years ago TODAY- Carelton organized his army into brigades
Following the victory at Trois-Riviéres, General, Sir Guy Carelton (also the 47th’s Colonel) took direct command of the forces driving the Continentals out of Canada. On June 9th he organized them into brigades.

First Brigade was given to Lieutenant-Colonel William Nesbitt of HM 47th Regiment of Foot. First Brigade consisted of the 9th, 31st, and 47th Regiments with the 21st Royal North British Fusiliers being added later. With this appointment he was made a Brigadier-General. Nesbitt entered the military as an Ensign in the 36th Regiment of Foot in 1751. He was a career soldier who had already seen combat, and commanded troops during the retreat from Concord, and the battle of Bunker Hill. General Gage mentioned Nesbitt by name in his report commending him for his bravery in leading the 47th Regiment during the capture of the hill.

At the same time, the Grenadiers of every regiment were organized into a formal Grenadier Battalion under Major John D**e Acland of the 20th Regiment of Foot. Acland was not only a professional officer but a member of Parliament and had a deep dislike of the rebellious Americans. He is quoted as saying “It would be better that the American Colonies never exist than that they should exist outside of Crown Rule.”

The Grenadier Battalion, the Light Infantry Battalion, and the 24th Regiment of Foot were organized into the Advanced Corps under Brigadier-General Simon Fraser. This is where the 47th Grenadiers would serve for the remainder of their active service in the American Revolution.

Portrait of John D**e Acland by Joshua Reynolds.

250 Years ago TODAY: The Empire Strikes Back!
June 8th, 1776 the retreating Americans tried one more attempt to hold onto their foothold in Canada. The Continental forces had been withdrawing from Quebec since early May, and had paused just south of Three Rivers to consider their next course of action. General Sullivan had recently arrived to take over command of the situation from General Wooster on May 31st and found the army in a difficult condition to say the least. Reinforcements had arrived, but small pox had taken a toll on the overall force, including General Thomas who died on June 2nd.

The Americans had received word that there was a small British force at Three-Rivers (Trois-Rivieres), and an opportunity seemed to arise. General Thompson (brigade commander) felt that he could attack from Sorel and overwhelm the British garrisoning the town. General Sullivan concurred and they made their plan.

On the night of June 7-8th, 1776 a force of 2,000 Continental troops moved towards Three Rivers. The plan was to attack in five columns with a Canadian local to guide them. Things went wrong from the beginning. Their guide, Antoine Gauthier was either a loyalist or incompetent but instead of leading the Americans to land four miles from the British position, they landed nine. Even under the cover of darkness, it was enough distance that word got to the regulars before the attack began.

Corporal Fox of the 47th Regiment left an account of the Battle of Three Rivers. In it he states that the alarm was sounded at 4am. The troops that were not already on land were quickly ordered off their ships. British troops rushed to block every avenue leading from the town to the woods in the best manner possible. Around 5am strong parties were sent into the woods and spotted the Americans advancing in three columns. The first volleys of the battle were fired.

The Americans had been led into a thick swamp. Lieutenant Eynes of HM 29th Regiment also left an account of the action. He mentions that the Americans were trapped in the swamp. A group of them (under Colonel Irvine) attempted to reach the River Road but were fired on by HMS Martin’s guns and were forced back into the swamp.

Several other attempts were made to escape the swamp but they were met with either fire from Martin or volleys from British regulars. Despite these factors, and the morning light growing by the minute, the element of surprise was gone. There was no way for the Americans to attack Three Rivers but Thompson pressed the attack anyway.

Some American troops under Colonel Maxwell pushed forward into a clearing only to be met by Simon Fraser’s advanced corps in entrenchments. They were pushed back by heavy fire. Thompson soon realized that the attack was in vain and ordered a retreat. It was only through the bravery and courage of Colonel Anthony Wayne and Colonel Hartley that the Americans were not completely routed. They formed an effective rear guard which kept the British from overwhelming the exhausted Continentals as they withdrew to their batteau to retreat across the river.

Overall the Battle of Three Rivers was not a large or major engagement, but it was significant. The Americans lost 51 killed or wounded, an unknown amount lost in the swamps and 256 (though an anonymous 47th Officer records 280) were taken prisoner including General Thompson, and Colonel Irvine. The British lost just eight killed and nine wounded in the battle. The victory was complete. With such a complete defeat, Sullivan and the Americans could no longer maintain a foothold in Canada. They continued their retreat. The survivors met with the rest of the American force at Sorel after a retreat of 20 miles.

Eight of the 256-280 prisoners taken by the British were taken by Mrs. Middleton, the wife of a soldier in Captain Gamble’s Company of the 47th Reg’t. She had been off looking for milk when she came across a house that had six rebels in it. She shamed them, and demanded their arms, and then captured two more outside before calling Royal Navy sailors over to take charge of them. This was recorded by Captain Sir Francis Carr-Clerke, the ADC to Burgoyne. A full transcription can be found in Paul Knight’s history of the 47th Regiment in the American Revolution “A Very Fine Regiment.”

For the British, particularly the 47th, the Battle of Three Rivers was revenge. After two years of abuse while garrisoning Boston, the retreat from Concord, and the losses on Bunker Hill (including Lieut. Christopher Hilliard of the Grenadiers), Three Rivers gave them a chance to beat the Americans as completely as they knew they could. It truly was the Empire striking back.


47th Regiment of Foot
The Boston Garrison

Our friends over in the UK had an awesome time last weekend!

We wish there were castles here to do events like this.
We are really excited to see the 47th Regiment of Foot in October at White Plains!

250 years ago TODAY-
The 47th and 29th Regiments of Foot arrive at Three Rivers (Trois-Riviéres). The town (which still exists today) sits on an important junction where the Saint-Maurice River joins the St. Lawrence River. The city got its name from the Saint-Maurice River mouth which is divided into three parts by two islands.

The two regiments sat on their ships for another two weeks while they waited for reinforcements to catch up to them. Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne had recently arrived to Quebec with the 9th, 20th, 53d and 62d Regiments and General Carelton felt it was best to wait for those reinforcements before continuing the pursuit of the Rebels. Little did they know the Rebels would soon come to them.
#1776

250 years ago today!

250 years ago today the 47th Regiment of Foot arrived in Quebec. The 29th Regiment had arrived a few days prior. The reinforcement of the city by two regiments was enough to cause the remaining Continental besiegers to retreat.

Within a day or two the flank companies of the 29th and the entirety of the 47th Regiment (being the regiment with the most combat experience) boarded their ships and continued sailing down the St. Lawrence in pursuit of the rebels. For the 47th this was almost personal. After suffering losses on April 19th, and Bunker Hill (including Lieutenant Hilliard of the Grenadiers), the 47th were ready to punish the enemy.

More regiments would arrive in Canada over the next few weeks as this next phase of the 47th’s story began to play out.

Do you want to be part of recreating this incredible history? Join the Grenadier company of HM 47th Regiment. We are a New England (and NY) based progressive reenactment unit dedicated to accurately portraying Grenadiers in the American Revolution. We attend small display events to educate the public on the time period, as well as larger tactical events and 250th anniversary events. Reach out to us today!

“View of Quebec” by Sherwood, Neely, and Jones. Library of Congress

250 years ago today!

250 Years ago today the 47th Regiment of Foot left the army that they had called comrades for over a year to relieve the embattled city of Quebec.

General Sir William Howe was not actually authorized to do this and the war office originally ordered him to recall the 47th Regiment to Nova Scotia as other forces had been dispatched to support General Sir Guy Carelton in Canada, however they almost immediately followed up with orders for the 47th to continue to the northern province with the mission to drive the rebels out.

No one knows the exact reason General Howe made this choice, and no one knows why the war office allowed them to continue on their journey. There is some evidence that General, Earl Cornwallis’ 33d Regiment of Foot was bound for Quebec, but once the 47th was dispatched, they were rerouted to join the Parker Expedition to Sullivan’s Island in the Carolinas. This evidence is extremely circumstantial but worth mentioning since a draft of 33d recruits would arrive in Canada before the Burgoyne campaign.

April 20th, 1776 the 47th’s journey changed from that of the rest of the Boston garrison with whom they had fought and bled twice in this war. They would be the most combat experienced regiment in the northern army (Carelton’s and then Burgoyne’s) and they would continue to earn their battle scars over the next two years, but little did they know their time in this war… was running out.

A new cocked hat for one of our members!!! 🥳🥳🥳

And a great explanation why cocked hats were preferred over caps.