Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-09-15
English Regiments Co|oy in u. s. Army Post
Chapel Recalls Day When Briton and American
Fought Side by Side TO Win Historic Victory

americans winch began 10 WaVer
under the force of the savage onset.
For a moment the issue hung in
the balance with disaster just a
hairsbreadth away. Then-the Roy
al Americans stiffened their resist
ance-just long enough. Out of the
ravine came charging the Highland
ers who poured a volley at point
blank range into the flank of the red
mob.
The Finishing Touch.
Although greatly surprised, the In
dams faced about and returned the
fire. But before they could reload,
the Highlanders were bearing down
upon them with their bayonetted
guns and the red men realized that
they were trapped. Then Bouquet
put the finishing touch upon his dar-
ing maneuver.
Once more taking a desperate
chance, he again broke his line and
threw two companies out Of the cir
Gle on the other flank of the enemy.
The flying Indians, retreating be-
fore the grim-faced Highlanders, ran
squarely into the Royal Americans
and withered away before the vol
ley which swept their line. A few
moments later the savages had fed,
leaving Bouquet and his men in full
possession of the field.
1t had been a dearly bought VIC
tory. Fifty of his men had been
killed, 60 wounded and five were
missing, total casualty list of lis,
nearly fourth of his entire force.
But Bouquet had saved his army,
Fort Pitt and Pennsylvania. 1t took
him four long days to march the
remaining Is miles to Fort Pitt.
But the Indians had had enough.
They had suffered a loss of more
than 60 killed and many more 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
year the Ottawa's confederation of
tribes had collapsed and the last
threat to English occupation of North
America was ended.
The next year Bouquet scored an
equally brilliant success in an ex-
petition into the heart of the Indian
country beyond the Ohio. With two
Pennsylvania battalions he cut a
road into the wilderness of the Mus
kingum valley. There he summoned
the Indians to 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 300 white
captives who were restored to their
families.
Bouquets brilliant campaigning
brought him the thanks of the King
and the colonial assemblies of Vir-
ginia and Pennsylvania. He was
promoted to brigadier-general but
he did not live long to enjoy his
honors. He died of the yellow fever
at Fort St. George Pensacola, Fla.)
in 1865.
The great commander of the Goth
Royal Americans might die, but the
regiment lived on. After Bouquets
death, British troops in the South
were commanded by Augustine Pre-
vost, another Swiss adventurer who
had become lieutenant colonel in
command of the Goth in 1851. Dur
ing the Revolution the regiment was
in the expedition led by Provost
which marched north to the con-
quest of Georgia and the first bat
talon 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 CORVALLIS at the
Battle of Guildford Court House. 1t
was also with that luckless COM
mander when he laid down his arms
and surrendered to Washington at
Yorktown in 1881. But whatever en-
mites, growing out of the Revolu-
ton, 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 Goth Royal Americans
pictured above). They were pre-
scented to the chapel in 1921 by Field
Marshal Lord Grenfen on behalf of
the officers and men of the Kings
Royal Rifle corps, ineal descendant
of the Goth Royal Americans. At
that time they were the symbol of
tradition shared by the British army
and the American army-the tradi-
ton of Britons and Americans fight
ing and dying side by side while
fighting a savage foe in the forests
of western Pennsylvania one hot Au-
gust day back in 1868. Today those
colors are symbol of the same ira
dition-the tradition of Britons and
Americans fighting and dying side
by side in Tunisia, in Italy and in
France.