History of the Loyalists: After the Battle of Brandywine - a Slack Pursuit

HISTORY OF THE LOYALISTS AFTER THE BATTLE OF BRANDY-WINE- A SLACK PURSUIT. The Gallant Conduct of the Loyalist Queen's Rangers and Their Heavy Losses—Officers Who Settled in This Province. BY JAMES HANNAY. CHAPTER XXII. AFTER THE BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE. Chester, to which the army of Washington fled on the night alter the battle of Brandywine, is nearly 20 miles from the scene of that conflict, so that from this fact, the extent of the demoralization of the American forces may be judged. The victory at Brandywine was indeed as complete as it was possible to be, the American army being broken to pieces, and almost wholly disorganized. In addition to the 400 prisoners, which were captured on the field, all the cannon of the rebel army, consisting of 11 guns were taken. Howe’s pursuit of the Americans should have been much more vigorous than it was, although the fact that he had only about 200 cavalry altogether, seriously crippled him in any rapid movement against a retreating enemy. General Howe’s army, especially that part of it which had to march 17 miles before engaging the enemy, was also much exhausted, and not in a condition to make a rapid pursuit. The lack of cavalry, however, was the fault of the general himself, because he had plenty of time during the spring of 1777 to organize bodies of cavalry or mounted infantry, so that an enemy when defeated could be annihilated. The most interesting feature of the battle of Brandywine to the people of New Brunswick is the part taken in it by the Queen’s Rangers, who indeed COVERED THEMSELVES WITH GLORY. Only one body of troops in the field that day suffered as heavy a loss as the Queen’s Rangers, this was the 2nd battalion of the Grenadiers which lost 83 men, against 72 lost by the Queen’s Rangers. But the Grenadiers probably numbered at least 750 men against 500 of the Queen’s Rangers, so that the proportionate loss of the Queen’s Rangers was the greater. General Knyphausen’s column numbered about 6,000 men and its losses at the battle of Brandywine in killed, wounded and missing were 179, of which almost half fell upon the Queen’s Rangers, who did not form more than eight per cent. of Knyphausen’s force. All the Hessians and Anspachers on the field that day, of which there were six battalions, numbering several thousand men, only lost 40 men altogether, or about half as many as the Queen’s Rangers, so that this Loyalist corps was in the very thick of the conflict and distinguished itself more than any other on the field that day. The return of officers of the Queen’s Rangers killed and wounded at Brandywine is as follows: Captain James Murden, killed; Captains Smith, Saunders McKay, McCrea, Lieutenants Kerr, Agnew, Smith, Toel, Close and Ensign McKay, wounded; Captain Williams, who is mentioned as wounded, died a few days after the battle, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Kerr, who survived his wounds, and fought to the end of the war. Captain Kerr was a grantee of St. John, settled in Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, and has numerous descendants in the maritime provinces. He was the father of the late David S. Kerr of this city. Captain Saunders BECAME ONE OF OUR JUDGES of the Supreme court in 1790, and chief justice in 1822, and sat upon the bench of New Brunswick for the long period of 44 years. The widow and children of the late Prof. Campbell are the only descendants of Chief Justice Saunders now living in this province. Captain McKay settled in York county, where he died in 1822. His wife was a sister of Chief Justice Saunders. No doubt there are some of the descendants of Captain McKay in New Brunswick, and I should be glad to hear from them. Captain McCrea fought throughout the war and probably settled in this province or in Nova Scotia. His Christian name was Robert, and a Robert McCrea was a grantee of St. John. I should be glad to hear from any of the descendants of this officer. Lieut. Agnew, who afterwards became a captain, became RESIDENT OF YORK COUNTY in this province at the close of the war, and for 30 years was a member of the New Brunswick house of assembly. He was also a judge of the Inferior court of common pleas for York. Some of his descendants are still living in this province. Lieutenant Samuel Smith became a captain and fought throughout the war. A Samuel Smith was a grantee of two city lots in St. John. Whether this was the same person who was captain of the Queen’s Rangers I have been unable to ascertain. Lieutenant Toel, of the Queen's Rangers, was found guilty by a court martial held in 1778, of defaming the character of Captain Collet, of the Prince of Wales American volunteers, and adjudged to be suspended from duty and pay for four months, and to ask Captain Collet’s pardon at the head of Brigadier General Browne’s corps. Lieutenant Close resigned his commission one week after the battle of Brandywine; I have been unable to ascertain the Christian name of this officer. A Benjamin Close, of Salem, New York, in 1776, abandoned his family and property and joined the royal army, a David Close, in May 1776, was a prisoner at Fort Montgomery, then in the hands of the rebels; whether either of these was the lieutenant mentioned, I do not know. One of the grantees of St. John or Parr Town, was a David Close, and there are numerous persons of that name in New Brunswick, mostly in the county of York. Ensign Hugh McKay became a lieutenant in 1779, and served until the end of the war. He settled in this province in the county of Charlotte, and was a member of the assembly for more than 30 years. He was a colonel of militia for 50 years, and senior justice of the court of common pleas for Charlotte; he died in St. George, in 1818, at the great age of 97 years. As a matter of record, which will be of interest to the descendants of the men of the Queen’s Rangers, I give the following list of promotions which took place in that corps immediately after the battle of Brandywine. The list is taken from the order book of Gen. Sir Wm. Howe:— LIST OF PROMOTIONS. Queen's American Rangers: Lieut. James Murray, to be captain vice Murden killed 12th Sept., 1777. Ensign Alexander Wickham to be lieutenant vice Murray promoted 12th Sept., 1777. John Wilson, volunteer, to be ensign vice Wickham promoted 12th Sept., 1777. Lieut. James Kerr to be captain vice Williams, died of his wounds 20th Sept., 1777. Ensign William Atkinson to be lieutenant vice Kerr promoted 20th Sept., 1777. George Pendril, volunteer, to be ensign vice Atkinson promoted 20th Sept., 1777. Lieut. Stair Agnew to be captain vice Buchanan deceased 27th Sept., 1777. Ensign John Wheeler Collington to be lieutenant vice Agnew promoted 27th Sept., 1777. Charles Dunlop, volunteer, to be ensign vice Collington promoted 27th Sept., 1777. Ensign Allan McNab to be ensign vice Close, who resigns 17th Sept., 1777. George Proctor, volunteer, to be ensign, vice McNab promoted 17th Sept. 1777. Lieut. John McGill to be captain, vice McAlpine who resigns 19th Sept, 1777. Ensign Nathaniel Fitzpatrick to be lieutenant, vice McGill promoted 19th Sept , 1777. Charles Fraser, volunteer, to be ensign vice Fitzpatrick promoted 19th Sept., 1777. Captain John Smith to be additional captain 26th Sept., 1777. Alexander Mathewson, gentleman, to be ensign, vice Barry who never joined, 25th April, 1777. Ensign Rector McKay to be lieutenant, vice Collington removed 25th Oct.,1777. Simon Bradstreet, volunteer, to be ensign, vice McKay promoted 5th Nov., 1777. Ensign Aeneas Shaw to be lieutenant vice Stenson, who resigns 1st Nov., 1777. Samuel Bradstreet, volunteer, to be ensign, vice Shaw promoted 6th Nov., 1777. [To be continued.]