"British Light Infantry Commander at Guilford Courthouse" Topic

Can anyone tell me who commanded the converged battalion of British light infantry at Guilford Courthouse? The Osprey book mentions the battalion as being a part of Webster's Brigade but doesn't list it's commander. Other online sources list five British, one loyalist and two Hessian companies as making up the battalion, but don't tell who was the commander. My guess is that, this being an ad hoc organization, it would simply have been commanded by the senior company commander. Does anyone have a source that tells who that was?

The only light infantry battalion at Guilford Courthouse I am aware of was the Guards Light Infantry under Lt. Col. Dundas.

Ditto, though I doubt at Lt. Col would have commanded a company. I believe the overall Guards officer was O'Hara.

Webster was commanding the 33rd and 23rd, IIRC.

You may want to look closer at that book again, as what you posted makes no sense in relationship to the battle of GCH.

The Osprey book says the 120 man Light Company (Guards) was held in reserve under Cornwallis' command. I'm not sure I ever read that book till now, but in skimming it I found some rather questionable statements in it.

The Osprey Guilford Courthouse book includes a host of inaccuracies…because of that the battlefield bookstore will not sell it.

Ok, that begs the question on the light battalions mix. I know light battalions were made up of companies from different regiments. But I'd not ready anything on light companies from British, Loyalist and German units being mixed together into one battalion.

Is that one of the errors in this book or was that something that was done and I've just never read it before??

According to Babits, "Long, Obstinate and Bloody", the advance guard of jaegers and the Guard's brigade light infantry were led by Tarleton. Most of the rest of Cornwalis' light infantry had been lost in the defeat at Cowpens in January, or in the race to the Dan. Babits states that only the Guards had flank companies present at Guilford courthouse, all the other units were centre companies only.

Incidentally, Babits' book is probably the best source for the battle, as is his book on Cowpens for that battle. Certainly better than the Osprey volume, and not really much more expensive. Just lacking the pretty pics.

Further to previous responses, there were no British light units, other than the Guards' company, at GCH. It is possible that the author got confused by the idea that the 23rd and 33rd were such well-trained units that they operated as quasi-lights (IIRC, Ward makes a similar mistake confusing the Foot Guards with baggage guards).

As far as I am aware, only one converged light unit ever had a "mix" of British Regular and "other" units; this was a small "battalion" of four companies – two from the 71st Foot, one from the 16th Foot, and one from the Prince of Wales' American Volunteers (Loyalists) – which joined Cornwallis when he was reinforced by Leslie. This unit was lost at Cowpens and never reformed.

Two British Regular Light Battalions joined Cornwallis post-GCH, and served throughout the Virginia campaign until being captured at Yorktown. These were made up as follows:-

1st Bn – 4th, 7th, 15th, 17th, 23rd, 27th, 33rd, & 38th Foot
2nd Bn – 37th, 40th, 43rd, 45th, 49th, 55th, 63rd, & 71st Foot

I would second the comment about Babits' book being way, way (WAY!) better.

Hope that helps.

I just skimmed the Osprey book on GCH, but I didn't see any reference to converged Lights, thus why I asked the original poster to go back and look again and/or clarify what he was getting his info from.

Doesn't make sense for GCH as the others have said. One or two other random thoughts…
- the guards officer seniority was two ranks higher than reg army, which may have led someone referring to the guards company commander as lieutenant colonel
- earlier on the guards did have their own light battalion, formed from two double strength light companies totalling something like 200-250 men but these guys had been consolidated into a single company quite a while before GCH
- you do get some odd combinations of British flank companies in the southern campaigns into add hoc battalions, such as putting light and grenadier companies into the same battalion. you see this at times with the 71st and with Marjoribanks' flank battalion at Eutaw.
Overall though the commanders were reluctant to cross the line of British army distinctions between guards and foot, or between regular and provincial, on anything more than a fleeting, tactical, basis.
EC

Yes, "captain & lieutenant colonel" was a Guards rank.

In 1779, during the period of "between the lines" raids, the Guards restructured their brigade to have a grenadier and a light company for each of the two battalions. This lasted until they went South on one of the "tobacco raids" where they reverted to the previous structure of one set of flank coys for the brigade.

The Guards Light Company was commanded by a Captain Maynard, apparently.

I think the term "Light Infantry" might even be a tad superfluous for Guilford, given that pretty much all of the British formations present were capable of fighting in open order as the lights were wont to do.

Re: flank battalions, Sir Henry Clinton made one out of the 26th Foot's Grenadier and Light company during the storming of the Hudson forts in 1777.

I have the GCH Osprey. It's pretty bad, unfortunately.

I have seen a source indicating Maynard of the Coldstream Guards commanded the Guard Light company at Guilford. I have also read that Maynard was wounded in the conflict on the far left of the American lines fighting Lee and Campbell. Since that action involved the 1st Bn. of Guards and since the Guard Lights were on the other end of the British line, I think Maynard was with the 1st Bn. and Dundas commanded the Lights. IIRC this was also what Babits said.

Straying off topic I have not seen anything indicating the 71st's grenadiers were in the Carolinas. Anyone have a source for this? Also a couple of OOBs indicate Campbell had combined British-Tory "light" command in Georgia composed of the light companies of the 71st plus Tory companies (perhaps not lights) from the NY Volunteers and Delany. The last reference I've seen of this unit was Briar Creek, and it appears by the Siege of Savannah the 71st's lights were serving with the companies of the 16th and 60th.

71st Grenadiers were at Stony Point on the Hudson--so they were left behind when the rest of the battalion went south.

They were captured when Wayne stormed the place in July 1779.

In the Order of Battle for Long, Obstinate, and Bloody: The Battle of Guilford Courthouse by Lawrence Babits and Josh Howard the Guards Light Infantry Company was commanded by Captain John Goodricke.

The Hessian Jager Company was commanded by Captain Wilhelm Friedrich von Roeder.

The Guards Grenadier Company was commanded by Captain William Home.

The three British line regiments present, the 23d, 33d, and 71st Foot, were all commanded by captains. The two Guards battalions were commanded by LtCols, and the three infantry brigades were commanded by one BrigGen, one MajGen, and one LtCol.

Since the rank of Brigadier General was a field command, not a commission, keep in mind they (Webster) would have not likely had a special uniform. O'Hara likely wore the uniform of a Major General, not that of the Guards. I'm not sure if the Guards bump rank applied to upping a Guards Lt. Col or Col into the ranks of General, though it might have. Then it becomes fuzzy which uniform they would have worn.

Kevin-I believe Goodricke was mortally wounded at New Garden Meeting House and the command passed to Dundas who lead them at GCH.

Also since my initial post I am now wondering whether the Lt. Col. rank attributed to Dundas was because my initial source was confusing Francis Dundas of the Guards Light Infantry with Lt. Col. Thomas Dundas of the 80th foot who commanded a brigade under Cornwallis in Virginia.

I believe Goodricke was mortally wounded at New Garden Meeting House and the command passed to Dundas who lead them at GCH.

Absolutely correct. I just looked it up and Goodricke was killed the morning of the battle in the fighting between the British advance guard and Lee's Legion.

Dundas then assumed command and commanded them in the battle that afternoon.

Well done.