Show English Regiments Regiment's Colors in a U. U S. S Army Post Chapel Recalls Day When Ihen Briton and American Fought ought Side by Side to Win Historic Victory I By ELMO ELl SCOTT V WATSON Released by Western Newspaper Union DECENT press dispatches from the Italian front recorded recorded recorded re re- re- re corded the fact that the Kings King's Royal Rifle corps was one of the units of the Seventh Armored Division which had served so brilliantly under General Montgomery Montgomery Montgomery Mont Mont- gomery in his victory over Rommel Rommel Rommel Rom Rom- mel in the North African campaign campaign campaign cam cam- and which was now a part of General Alexanders Alexander's British Eighth arm army T. T To most American Ameri Amen can readers this reference to the Royal Rifles had no special significance significance significance sig sig- although they might have been as interested in its progress in the campaign against Kesselring's Germans as in the fortunes of any regiment regiment regiment regi regi- ment in Gen Mark Clarks Clark's American Fifth army For the fact is that the Royal Rifle corps is intimately associated with the history of this country It is the lineal descendant of a regiment which helped gain one of the most brilliant victories ever won on the North American continent thereby giving to American colonial history one of its greatest military heroes Known originally as the Loyal American Provincials the regiment was later christened the Royal Americans and this was the name it bore when its leader Col Henry Bouquet snatched victory from what seemed certain defeat at the Battle of Bushy Run marched on onto onto onto to raise the siege of Fort Pitt and gave the deathblow to Pontiacs Pontiac's I Conspiracy A New Era in Military 1 Science One thing which distinguishes the Battle of Bushy Run from all other engagements in our history is that here Colonel Bouquet established an American tradition of tactical re resiliency re- re and readiness to adapt methods methods methods meth meth- to new requirements which has culminated in the military innovations innovations innovations of World War II such as the new techniques of jungle fighting against the Japs and of air combat against the German In Ina a day when battles were fought strictly according to rule Bouquet a superb tactician dared to disregard disregard disregard gard the rules and to improvise on the battlefield thereby marking the beginning of a new era in military military military mili mili- tary science Bouquet was a soldier of fortune born Dorn in Switzerland in 1719 In 1754 at the outbreak of the war between between be- be tween France and Great Britain in America he became lieutenant colonel colonel colo coin nd nel of the newly organized Loyal Loy Loy- al American Provincials which was to x become the Royal Americans three years later and eventually the Kings King's Royal Rifle corps He came cameto to America in 1756 and served under General Forbes in the capture of Fort Duquesne the French post at atthe atthe atthe the Forks of the Ohio which was rebuilt rebuilt re- re built and named Fort Pitt Five years later in May 1763 the conspiracy conspiracy conspiracy con con- of Pontiac the great Ottawa Otta Otta- wa chieftain broke like a storm along the frontier One after an- an ik i k J- J COL HENRY BOUQUET other the chain of British posts fell CeU either from treacherous attack or from assault by overwhelming forces of Indians Only Detroit and Fort Pitt held out and if the latter post fell feH Pontiac might well wen make good his threat to drive the English in into into in in- to the sea In this crisis the Swiss adventurer was called caned upon to save the day day day- by marching to the relief of Fort Pitt It is no overstatement to call his expedition a forlorn hope for when he arrived at Carlisle late in June he found there neither adequate adequate adequate ade ade- quate stores nor transport which he had ordered J- J Jonly only stricken panic-stricken refugees from the west He had a aI force of little more than men I composed of a detachment of his 14 tt 3 3 I i 4 Colors of the GOth Royal Americans Americans Ameri Amen cans in the Chapel of Saint Cornelius the Centurion Governors Island New York own regiment the GOth Royal Americans Americans Amer Amer- jeans and portions of two regiments the Highlanders the famous Black Watch and the Montgomery's Montgomery's Montgomery's Mont Mont- gomery's Highlanders which had recently been invalided home from the West Vest Indies With this army Bouquet reached Fort Bedford the first leg of his mile journey on July 25 There a force of experienced rangers joined him and they proved invaluable ble as an advance guard against am am- bush By August 5 he was nearing his goal About noon of that day after a forced march of 17 miles through the hot forests he reached a place called Edge Hill 25 miles from Fort Pitt Suddenly there were rifle shots ahead and screaming war- war whoops The Indians had attacked his advance guard The two light infantry companies of the Black Watch Vatch went to their support and scattered the Indians But they came swarming back immediately immediately immediately im im- im- im mediately and within a short time his little army was surrounded and fighting for their lives behind a hastily hastily hastily has has- tily constructed defense on top of the hill By nightfall Bouquets Bouquet's losses in killed and wounded were more than 60 0 officers and men A Desperate Situation It was probably as desperate a situation as any military commander command command- er had ever faced In the dark forest forest forest for for- est around him swarmed a force of savages three or four times the size of his Flushed with their recent successes in capturing the British posts and remembering how they had overwhelmed Braddock who had more than three times as many soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers as did Bouquet the Indians were confident of another great vic vie tory Outside the little circle of up piled-up supplies which formed the walls of his fort lay the bodies of 25 soldiers killed in the fighting th that t afternoon Inside there was suffering suffering suffering suffer suffer- ing from undressed wounds and heat and thirst For there was little water water water wa wa- wa- wa ter to be had had except except for a few precious precious precious pre pre- cious mouthfuls brought in the hats of some of the rangers who risked their lives to creep down to a spring nearby to get it The hot dawn of August 6 1763 brought a renewal of the Indian at at- tack Slowly but surely their plunging plunging plunging ing fire cut down the number of defenders on the hill At last Bouquet Bouquet Bouquet Bou Bou- seeing that destruction of his command was inevitable if this unequal unequal unequal un un- un- un equal kind of fighting continued resolved resolved resolved re re- re- re solved to attempt one risky maneuver maneuver maneuver maneu maneu- ver and wager everything on one desperate chance If he could get the enemy out into the open long enough to give his Highlanders an opportunity for Cor a bayonet charge one such decisive stroke might end the affair explaining clearly to his men what he wanted them to do so there would be no mistake and no confusion confusion confusion sion when came Bouquet ordered the two companies of Highlanders Highlanders Highlanders High High- landers to withdraw suddenly from the line retreat rapidly across the hill until they reached a little ravine ravine ravine ra ra- ra- ra vine which ran along one side of the eminence They were then to advance advance advance ad ad- vance down this ravine and be ready to attack from it when necessary Meanwhile the Royal Americans were to extend their line across the hill hilI to replace the Highlanders As the kilted Scotsmen withdrew the Indians seeing this maneuver and believing it to be the beginning of oC a retreat came screeching out from their hiding places like a pack of famished wolves Charging out into the open they struck the thin and weakened line of the Royal Americans which began to waver under the force of the savage onset For a moment the issue hung in inthe inthe inthe the balance with disaster just a hairsbreadth away Then Then the the Royal Roy Roy- al Americans stiffened their resistance resist resist- ance just ance-just just long enough Out of the ravine came charging the Highlanders Highland Highland- ers who poured a volley at pointblank pointblank pointblank point- point blank range into the flank of the red mob The Finishing Touch Although greatly surprised the Indians Indians Indians In In- faced about and returned the fire But before they could reload the Highlanders were bearing down upon them with their guns and the red men realized that they were trapped Then Bouquet put the finishing touch upon his daring daring daring dar dar- ing maneuver S Once more taking a desperate chance he again broke his line and threw two companies out of the circle circle cir cir- cir cir- cle dc on the other flank of the en enemy my The flying Indians retreating before before before be be- fore the grim-faced grim Highlanders ran squarely into the Royal Americans and withered away before the volley volley vol vol- ley Icy which swept their line A few moments later the savages had fled leaving Bouquet and his men in full possession of the field It had been a dearly bought vic vie vic tory Fifty of his men had been killed 60 wounded and five were missing a total casualty list of nearly a fourth of his entire force But Bouquet had saved his army Fort Pitt and Pennsylvania It took him four long days to march the remaining 25 miles to Fort Pitt But the Indians had had enough They had suffered a loss of moreth more th than n 60 killed and many more wound wound- ed There was little opposition to his advance and when he reached that outpost and raised The siege it sounded the death knell to the high hopes of the great Pontiac Within a year the Ottawa's confederation of tribes had collapsed collapse and the last threat to English occupation of North America was ended The next year Bouquet scored an equally br brilliant success in an expedition expedition expedition ex ex- ex- ex into the heart of the Indian country beyond the Ohio With two I Pennsylvania battalions he cut a I road into the wilderness of the Musk Mus- Mus I l k ngum valley There he summoned the Indians to a council to demand not merely ask that they cease their raids upon the English settlements Moreover he demanded and secured the release of more than white captives who were restored to their families Bouquets Bouquet's s brilliant campaigning I brought him the thanks of the King I and the colonial assemblies of Virginia Virginia Virginia Vir Vir- ginia and Pennsylvania He was promoted to general brigadier-general but buthe buthe buthe he did not live long to enjoy his honors He died of the yellow fever at Fort St. St George Pensacola Fla in 1766 The great commander of the Royal Americans might die but the regiment lived on After Bouquets Bouquet's death British troops in the South were commanded by Augustine Prevost Pre Pre- yost another Swiss adventurer who had become lieutenant colonel in command of the in 1761 During During Dur Dur- ing the Revolution the regiment was in the expedition led by Prevost which marched north to the conquest conquest con con- quest of Georgia and the first battalion bat took part in the successful defense of Savannah in 1779 against a combined French and American force In the Revolution Parts of the regiment fought with Lord Rawdon at Hobkirk's Hill and were with Lord Cornwallis at the Battle of Guildford Court House It was also with that luckless commander com corn mander when he laid down his arms and surrendered to Washington at Yorktown in 1781 But whatever enmities enmities en en- growing out of the Revolution tion there may have been between Briton and American they have long since been forgotten Today there hangs in the Chapel of Saint Cornelius the Centurion on Governors island New York the colors of the Royal Americans pictured above They were presented presented pre pre- to the chapel in 1921 by Field Marshal Lord Grenfell on behalf of the officers and men of the Kings King's Royal Rifle corps lineal descendant of the Royal Americans At that time they were the symbol of a tradition shared by the British army and the American army the army the tradition tradition tradition tion of Britons and Americans fighting fighting fighting fight fight- ing and dying side by side while fighting a savage foe in the forests of western Pennsylvania one hot August August August Au Au- gust day back in 1763 Today those colors are a symbol of the same tradition tra tra- the the tradition of Britons and Americans fighting and dying side sideby sideby sideby by side in Tunisia in Italy and in France |