Glengarry Light Infantry The Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles were a light infantry unit , raised chiefly in the Glengarry District of Upper Canada shortly before the outbreak of the Anglo - American War of 1812 . The unit fought throughout the war , and was disbanded shortly afterwards . Formation . It was proposed to form a unit of fencible s in the Glengarry district in Upper Canada as early as 1807 . Many of the inhabitants of the district were emigrants from Glengarry in Scotland , where they had served in a unit , the Glengarry Fencibles , which had been disbanded when the Treaty of Amiens had been signed , ending the war between Britain and Republican France . The fencible units raised in Canada would serve under the same terms of enlistment as regular soldiers but would be obliged to serve in North America only . The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies rejected the scheme but in 1808 , Governor General Sir James Craig issued a letter of service authorising the raising of the unit on his own authority . He was forced to withdraw it a month later as the unit ' s officers could not raise the promised number of men in time . In 1812 however , as war with the United States appeared to be inevitable , Craig ' s replacement as Governor General , Sir George Prévost , again decided to raise the unit on his own responsibility . He appointed Captain George MacDonnell of the 8th ( King ' s ) Regiment to raise the " Glengarry levy " , which initially was to have a strength of 376 other ranks . Recruits came from districts as far away as Nova Scotia , New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island . Most were of Scottish origins or extraction . French - speakers or recent immigrants from the United States were not allowed to join the unit . ( Many of the French - speakers served instead in the Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry . ) Recruits were granted a bounty of four guineas on enlistment , and were promised 100 acres of land after the war . Partly through the efforts of the unit ' s chaplain , Alexander Macdonell , the unit grew during formation to a strength of 600 . Prévost raised the corps ' status to that of a regiment and renamed it the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles . He appointed his adjutant - general , Edward Baynes , as the regiment ' s Colonel . Major Francis Battersby , who like Captain George MacDonnell was from the 8th ( King ' s ) Regiment , was promoted to be the unit ' s lieutenant colonel . MacDonnell was promoted to be the unit ' s major . Service during the War of 1812 . The unit first gathered for training at Trois - Rivières during the first half of 1812 . During the later months of the year , the unit ' s companies were deployed to various locations in Upper Canada , to act as a nucleus around which the local militia could form in a crisis . On 3 October , two companies were stationed at Prescott on the Saint Lawrence River and were involved in a failed attack on Ogdensburg on the American side of the river . The attack was called off when American artillery ranged in on the boats carrying the attackers . On 22 February 1813 , George MacDonnell ( who had been promoted to lieutenant colonel and appointed to command the garrison at Prescott ) mounted another , successful , attack across the frozen river . In the Battle of Ogdensburg , a company of the Glengarry Light Infantry and some militia made a frontal attack , while the main body of Macdonell ' s force turned the American right flank . The Reverend Alexander Macdonell was conspicuous in urging on the Glengarry soldiers and militia in their advance . A company was present at the Battle of York but was able to play little part , as they were misdirected by the commander of the Upper Canadian militia . Another company suffered severe losses at the Battle of Fort George , trying to prevent American troops landing on the lake shore to outflank the fort . Yet another company was present at the Battle of Sackett ' s Harbor , where troops under Prevost and Baynes withdrew after failing to drive American troops from buildings and hastily - constructed defences . During the later part of 1813 , the entire regiment was concentrated around Fort George , and was engaged for several weeks in harassing the American outposts around the captured fort . The regiment was built back up to strength during the following winter . A company took part in the Raid on Fort Oswego in the spring of 1814 . During the following summer the full regiment , together with the light infantry companies of four regular line regiments , formed a covering force on the Niagara Peninsula , commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Pearson . Later , on 25 July , the regiment formed part of a light infantry brigade under Pearson and played a major part in the Battle of Lundy ' s Lane . They harassed the left flank of the American army but suffered casualties when mistaken for Americans by other inexperienced British troops . During the remainder of 1814 , the regiment performed outpost duty during the unsuccessful Siege of Fort Erie , and a detachment was present at the Battle of Malcolm ' s Mills , the last action of the war on the Niagara Peninsula . The regiment was disbanded shortly after the war . Today , the regiment ' s history and service is commemorated by the Canadian Army ' s Stormont , Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders Regiment , a regiment which also carries the NIAGARA Battle Honour earned by the Glengarry Light Infantry during the War of 1812 . Uniform and equipment . When Craig first tried to form the unit he proposed that it wear the dress of Scottish highland regiments , with a Glengarry tartan plaid . Prevost intended the unit to be used as skirmishing light infantry and it adopted a dark green uniform with black facings as worn by the 95th Rifles . However , they were armed with the smoothbore Brown Bess musket ( possibly the New Land Service version , with rudimentary backsight ) rather than the Baker rifle . Also , unlike the 95th Rifles , the Glengarry Light Infantry were granted colours . The regimental badge , worn on the front of the shako , was a strung bugle on which the letters " G L I " were superimposed , in white metal . The crossbelt plate featured a thistle surrounded by the words " Glengarry Light Infantry . " Officers ' uniforms consisted of a dark green dolman and pantaloons , with a crimson sash . They also wore a black shoulder belt , with a silver whistle and chain . Their shako badge was of the same design as that for other ranks , but was of silver . They may also have had a dark green pelisse , with black cords and black fur trim .