This is the third profile in a series highlighting one of the characters from book four of the Yankee Doodle Spies series, The North Spy, set to release next year. Since my previous profile featured a Scotsman who fought for America, it only makes sense to follow up with a Scotsman who fought for England. Not just any Scotsman, but a member of the renowned Fraser clan of Highland warriors.
Proud Lineage
Simon Fraser was born into a proud Scottish Highland lineage in Balnain, Scotland, on May 26, 1729. His family and clan were warriors of the highest order, and many of them fell at the fateful Battle of Culloden in 1745. Those who survived saw their lands and heritage taken away and were forced into exile.
Dutch Service
The Scots, like their cousins across the Irish Sea, often fight for the English even when they are not actually fighting against them. This is what young Fraser did, starting with a stint in one of the Scottish Brigades hired by the Netherlands—the 4th Brigade, to be specific. In the final years of the War of Austrian Succession, young Simon fought in the 1747 siege of Bergen-op-Zoom. The attacking French forces overwhelmed the defensive works and flooded into the town, where intense fighting took place. During the attack and counterattack, Fraser was wounded.
Royal American
With the end of the war, the Dutch Brigade was reduced to one battalion, prompting Fraser to seek his fortunes elsewhere. The outbreak of the Seven Years' War offered a golden opportunity for an eager and now experienced young Highlander. In 1756, Fraser joined the British Army’s 62nd Royal American Regiment of Foot. Renumbered as the 60th the following year, it later gained fame as The King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
Back to the Clan
Fraser did not stay with the 60th for long. In January 1757, he accepted a commission in a newly formed regiment of highlanders, the 63rd Highlander Regiment of Foot. The regiment was led by Simon’s cousin, Lord Lovat, who was also named Simon Fraser. The unit was called Fraser’s Regiment, and its ranks mostly consisted of Frasers. This was probably the main reason for joining—the chance to fight alongside and for kin.
Fighting French & Indians
Fraser traveled to America to fight the French, participating in the siege of Louisbourg, which, when captured, granted Britain control of the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River. He served under British General James Wolfe during the 1759 attack on Quebec, the decisive battle of the war in America. The 78th regiment climbed the Heights of Abraham with Wolfe, and Lieutenant Fraser was wounded in the intense fighting, while Wolfe was mortally wounded in this great victory.
Fraser’s time with the 60th and his service in America with the 78th opened his eyes to the different style of fighting in the wooded wilderness—the need for disciplined troops who could fight outside of massed formations and rely on the terrain and marksmanship to take down an enemy like the Indian allies of the French could. After Quebec, Fraser’s unit had garrison duty in the city and spent some time in New York, but the French and Indian part of the war was nearing its end.
Seven Year Itch
By 1760, Fraser was back in Europe—the seven years of the Seven Years' War had not ended. This involved another transfer—this time to the 24th Regiment of Foot, which was sent to Germany to serve in Lord Granby’s Corps. In two years, the 24th fought in more than half a dozen sieges and major battles against the French. He was recognized for heroism at the Battle of Wezen in November 1761. Fraser led a hand-picked company of fifty men in an attack that drove off about 400 French troops. He was promoted to major during this time, learning a lesson about what specially trained men could achieve against greater odds.
Post-Treaty of Paris
After the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, Fraser continued his military service in Germany, Ireland, and Gibraltar. From 1763 to 1769, Simon Fraser and the 24th Regiment were stationed in Gibraltar. He performed well and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the 24th in 1768. Fraser trained the regiment in specialized light infantry tactics, making it one of the first British regiments to focus on this approach.
It was also in Gibraltar that he met Margarita Hendrika Beck Grant, the widow of Major Alexander Grant, a fellow Scot. After exchanging letters for some time, they got married. Soon afterward, they moved to Ireland when the 24th was transferred there. The couple had no children.
Brigadier General Simon Fraser
War Clouds in America
Fraser had watched as the North American colonies fell into rebellion and war. The rebels expelled a British Army from Boston in 1775 and invaded Canada. More troops were needed to suppress the rebellion. More importantly, Britain required experienced officers. Therefore, as commander of a brigade of five battalions, Fraser set sail from Ireland and returned to North America in April 1776. He was sent to support the beleaguered Governor-General Guy Carleton, who was surrounded in Quebec by American rebels. Carleton had held off the invading army against all odds during a brutal winter campaign. Fraser’s arrival allowed him to go on the offensive.
In the Vanguard
Fraser wasted no time; he defeated American General William Thompson’s division at Trois Rivieres in June. Named brevet Brigadier General by Carleton, Fraser took command of the Advance Guard of the British counterattack into New York’s Champlain Valley. Although Carleton’s campaign was successful, the stubborn American defense, led by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, disrupted his schedule by engaging him at Valcour Island. The battle was won, but winter was nearing.
An Unsavory Pause
Rather than risk a final descent into Albany as winter neared, Carleton retreated to the northernmost part of Lake Champlain, planning to move again the following year. Fraser, like many other officers, was unhappy with this cautious strategy, but they had to wait for a new season—and a new commander. During the winter quarters, Fraser trained his troops in light infantry tactics and prepared them for operations in the rugged American wilderness.
New Boss, New Plan
In the spring of 1777, Major General John Burgoyne returned from London with 8,000 British and German troops and a new invasion strategy. This strategy involved three separate pushes from the west, north, and south, all aimed to meet at Albany. It also outlined that Burgoyne, not Carleton, would command the main attack from Canada.
Advance Guard Again
Brigadier General Fraser took command of Burgoyne’s advance guard, made up of about 1,200 troops now trained as light infantry. The army set out from the mouth of the Richelieu River into Lake Champlain in an array of bateaux and canoes. Moving quickly, Fraser’s forces guarded the advance toward the stronghold of Fort Ticonderoga and captured it during a surprise attack as the American defenders retreated into the night. Fraser himself led the troops and raised a British flag.
A Hot Pursuit
Fraser then sent his advance guard in hot pursuit as the Americans chose to retreat through the dense forests to the south and east instead of taking the waterways that led south. The British vanguard continued on their trail and ultimately cornered the American rear guard under Colonel Seth Warner, also an experienced fighter in the woods, near Hubbardton. In a back-and-forth struggle, the larger American force actually started to gain the upper hand, but a column of Germans under General von Riedesel helped turn the tide of battle.
Supply Chain Blues
The rest of Burgoyne’s army was now moving south again, with Fraser’s brigade leading the way. Albany would fall with just one final push. However, Burgoyne was now facing a supply chain problem since he was far from his base, and shortages started to develop. Additionally, Fraser’s scouts, including some Canadians and Iroquois, reported a large concentration of Americans just north of Albany, under the command of a former British officer, General Horatio Gates.
Burgoyne started to lose his nerve. The other two thrusts had failed, and he was on his own. Instead of risking a full-scale attack, he ordered a reconnaissance in force with Fraser leading the right wing through dense woods and rugged terrain.
Clash of Titans
There, Fraser’s elite force clashed head-on with their American counterparts, the Virginia and Pennsylvania riflemen led by Colonel Daniel Morgan. Morgan’s riflemen wielded long rifles with grooved barrels that allowed for accurate fire over distances of more than one hundred yards. Fraser's brigade consisted of the best marksmen in the British Army. The lead flew as the top soldiers from both armies exchanged fire, and ultimately, Morgan’s force was pushed back, creating an opportunity to exploit the situation and maneuver around the American flank.
A Pause and a Probe
But Burgoyne did not approve and instead withdrew his army back to camp to assess the supply situation. That situation only worsened, and as autumn advanced, Burgoyne found himself in a desperate predicament. This time, he launched a probing attack. The idea was to gauge the enemy and exploit any weaknesses. He initiated his probe on October 7 in what would become the Battle of Bemis Heights.
Frenzied Fighting
Once again, Fraser found himself in the thick of things with his brigade. However, the Americans showed no signs of backing down and began launching fierce counterattacks all along the front, led by General Benedict Arnold. The British forces held their ground and then, under the pressure of American volleys and bayonet charges, withdrew. Time and again, Fraser rallied units and formed the line. Mounted, and despite the sheets of lead humming all around, he waved his saber.
In the Crosshairs
From somewhere far off, an American rifleman cocked his hammer and gazed down the long barrel of his rifle, leveling it on a red-coated figure on horseback. Legend has it that the sniper was Private Tim Murphy, who allegedly said, “That is a gallant officer, but he must die.” He squeezed the trigger; the hammer cracked down, igniting the firing pan and launching a ball that just missed Fraser. A second shot struck his saddle, but Fraser ignored the fire. Ignoring pleas from his aides, he continued until a third shot hit home with a ball into his belly – a mortal wound.
A Blow to an Army
The fall of Fraser shocked the entire British Army—especially Burgoyne, who quickly ordered his battered forces back to their camp to the north near a place called Saratoga.
Desperate hands pulled the dying general to the rear, where he was cared for by von Riedesel's wife, Baroness Fredericka, who had accompanied her husband on the wilderness campaign.
The brave highlander died the next day and was buried at the Great Redoubt in a somber ceremony held under the guns and muskets of the surrounding rebel army. A stray round from the American artillery nearly disrupted the event. Upon learning of it, Horatio Gates ordered a gun salute instead. Burgoyne would soon surrender his army, ending the campaign and helping to sway the indecisive King of France toward the Americans.
Death's Legacy
Fraser’s life of action and service ended in a way any warrior would have chosen. But Britain lost more than a warrior; it lost one of its best generals, a man who truly understood the kind of fighting and the kind of fighting man required to win the war. Had he not fallen on that October day, he might have risen as the leader capable of subduing the colonies for the Crown that once subdued his own Highland clans. Yet, ironically, the gallant Scot who fought for England, Holland, and German allies never fought for Scotland and is most remembered in America.
