80th Regiment of Light - Armed Foot The 80th Regiment of Light - Armed Foot was the first light infantry regiment in the British Army . History . The regiment was created in 1758 by Colonel Thomas Gage , and was known as Gage ' s Light Infantry or " leathercaps " . The purpose of this unit was to provide a formal regiment that could combat France and its Native American allies during the French and Indian War , while adopting such tactics and equipment that had been proven by Roger ' s Rangers . Viewing the rangers as often unreliable and ill - disciplined , Lord Loudoun , commander - in - chief in North America following the advice of the Duke of Cumberland ; " till Regular Officers with men that they can trust , learn to beat the woods , & act as Irregulars , you will never gain any certain Intelligence of the Enemy . . . " Lord Loudoun sought to fill the void by creating two light infantry companies in every British regiment . The men Loudoun would have had lead those companies were sent to Robert Rogers . He formed them into the Cadet Company in the fall of 1757 , in which he was charged by Lord Loudoun the task of teaching them the methods of the rangers . Lord Loudoun scrapped his plan when Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gage proposed raising and clothing a regiment of 500 " rangers " at his own expense , though to be reimbursed if his proposal received royal approval . Some of the newly commissioned ensigns of the 80th in 1758 , were veterans of Rogers ' Cadet Company . Many contemporaries and historians believe that Gage ' s real intent in the creation of the 80th was to advance him to the rank of colonel , not to mention his dislike of the colonial rangers and want to replace them with less expensive and more disciplined troops . The men of Gage ' s were recruited from throughout the colonies . Some were drafted into the regiment from other corps . Many who enlisted into the regiment were dismayed when they learned that they were not signing on for the higher pay rangers , and were to be paid the same as a British redcoat . The officers who led the regiment were like Gage seeking advancement ; men such as Hugh Arnot and Quintin Kennedy were promoted from lieutenant to captain upon joining the 80th . The uniform of the 80th consisted of a short , brown regimental coat , brown waistcoat , brown breeches , and black or brown full length gaiters , though there are deserter descriptions with men of Gage ' s described as wearing blue woolen leggings . The facings on the coat were the same as the main color . The coat buttons may have been plain pewter painted black or japanned , but might also have been made of black horn . The hat was made from jacked leather and an ostrich plume , giving rise to the nickname of " leathercaps " . It resembled a jockey ' s cap . In 1758 , " Gage ' s " saw action in the opening skirmish of the attack on Fort Ticonderoga . Though it routed the French in the skirmish , Lord Howe ( the army ' s energetic and charismatic second - in - command ) was killed , effectively crushing the spirit of the army , for he was the heart of soul of it . Later that summer , the 80th was involved in the battle of old Fort Anne . The following year , the 80th again was part of the army , now under the command of General Jeffrey Amherst , assigned to attack Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point . Later in the year several men of " Gage ' s " were sent on reconnaissance missions , as well as a mission to travel via the Ausable Chasm to La Gallette ( present day Ogdensburg ) to pass communications to General Gage from General Amherst . In the fall , a number of the light infantrymen accompanied Robert Rogers on his raid of the Abenaki village of St . Francis , a daunting task with disastrous results for many in the detachment ; however the raid effectively ended Abenaki attacks on New England . In 1760 , the 80th Regiment was again part of General Amherst ' s army , this time with Montreal as its objective . The army first defeated the French at La Gallette , and then Fort Levis . Montreal surrendered in September after being surrounded by three British armies . After the surrender of Canada , " Gage ' s " was ordered to garrison the French Fort Levis which was renamed Fort William Augustus , as well as several other western forts . In 1761 Captain Henry Balfour led an expedition of men from the 80th and 60th Royal American Regiment , to garrison the posts of Fort Michilimackinac ( Mackinaw City , MI ) , Fort Edward Augustus ( Green Bay , WI ) and Fort St . Joseph ( Niles , MI ) . During Pontiac ' s Rebellion the men of the 80th were involved in the Battle of Bloody Run and the Devil ' s Hole Massacre , in which two companies of men were ambushed by the Seneca on the Niagara Portage . Though the regiment was supposed to replace the American rangers , it never did and British commanders continued to rely on Rogers as well as other Colonials to lead the many ranger companies . As far as being more disciplined than the rangers , the men of Gage ' s Light Infantry are frequently mentioned in court martial proceedings and desertion advertisements . Some of the officers of Gage ' s Light Infantry : Major Henry Gladwin - During Pontiac ' s Rebellion was responsible for the successful defence of Fort Detroit . Captain Hugh Arnot - Commanded a company in Gage ' s Light Infantry from 1758 - 1760 when he transferred to a more senior regiment , the 46th . His journal from 1758 is reprinted in The Bulletin of the Fort Ticonderoga Museum . Captain Henry Balfour - Led an expedition to garrison the posts of Fort Michilimackinac , Fort Edward Augustus , and Fort St . Joseph ' s . Captain James Dalyell - Was involved in the Battle of Old Fort Anne , but is most famous for his defeat and death at the Battle of Bloody Bridge in 1763 . Captain Quintin Kennedy - Veteran of Braddock ' s defeat as an ensign in the 44th Regiment , as early as 1756 he was leading long range raids into French territory . In 1759 , he was captured by the Abenaki trying to deliver intelligence to General Wolfe at Quebec . His capture led to Robert Rogers ' famous Raid on St . Francis . Afterwards he commanded a force of Mohawks and Mohicans against the Cherokees , then went on to fight in the Caribbean . Lieut . Hugh Meredith - Was sent by General Amherst to explore parts of the New York frontier .