This is the third installment profiling one of the characters in book four of the Yankee Doodle Spies series, The North Spy, due for release next year. As my last profile was a Scotsman who fought for America, it was only fitting that I follow with a Scotsman who fought for England. Not just any Scotsman, but a son of the famed 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 as such, many fell at the fateful Battle of Culloden in 1745. Those who survived saw their lands and heritage stripped away and were driven into exile.
Dutch Service
The Scots, like their cousins across the Irish Sea, often fight for the English when they are not actually fighting against them. This is what the young Fraser did, beginning with a stint in one of the Scottish Brigades hired by the Netherlands—the 4th Brigade to be precise. In the waning years of the War of Austrian Succession, young Simon fought in the 1747 siege of Bergen-op-Zoom. The attacking French swarmed over the defensive works and flooded into the town, where fierce 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 laurels elsewhere. The outbreak of the Seven Years' War presented a golden opportunity for an eager and now seasoned 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 very long. In January 1757, he accepted a commission in a newly formed regiment of highlanders, the 63rd Highlander Regiment of Foot. The regiment was commanded by Simon’s cousin, Lord Lovat, who was also named Simon Fraser. The unit was called Fraser’s Regiment, and its ranks were filled with Frasers. This was likely the attraction to the unit – fighting alongside kin and for kin.
Fighting French & Indians
Fraser sailed to America to fight the French, serving at the siege of Louisbourg, which, when taken, gave 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 climbed the Heights of Abraham with Wolfe, and Lieutenant Fraser was wounded in the fierce 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 were not over. 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 pitched battles against the French. He was cited 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 approximately 400 French troops. He was promoted to major during this time, learning a lesson about what specially trained men could accomplish against greater odds.
Post-Treaty of Paris
After the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763, Fraser continued with the army, serving in Germany, Ireland, and Gibraltar. From 1763 to 1769, Simon Fraser and the 24th were stationed in Gibraltar. He performed well and was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 24th in 1768. Fraser put the regiment through specialized training, making it one of the first British regiments to focus on light infantry tactics.
It was also in Gibraltar that he met Margarita Hendrika Beck Grant, the widow of Major Alexander Grant, a fellow Scot. After a period of exchanging letters, they got married. Shortly after, 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 plunged into rebellion and war. The rebels expelled a British Army from Boston in 1775 and invaded Canada. More troops were necessary to suppress the rebellion. More importantly, Britain needed experienced officers. Thus, as commander of a brigade of five battalions, Fraser set sail from Ireland and returned to North America in April 1776. He was dispatched 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 smashed 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 counteroffensive into New York’s Champlain Valley. Although Carleton’s campaign proved successful, the stubborn American defense, led by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, disrupted his timetable by engaging him at Valcour Island. The battle was won, but winter was approaching.
An Unsavory Pause
Rather than risk the final plunge to Albany with winter approaching, Carleton withdrew to the northern extreme of Lake Champlain, planning to strike out again the following year. Fraser, like many other officers, was not happy with this cautious approach, but things would have 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 rough American wilderness.
New Boss, New Plan
In the spring of 1777, Major General John Burgoyne returned from London with 8,000 British and German reinforcements and a new invasion plan. This plan involved three separate advances from the west, north, and south that were to converge on Albany. It also specified that Burgoyne, not Carleton, would lead the main thrust from Canada.
Advance Guard Again
Brigadier General Fraser took command of Burgoyne’s advance guard, comprising approximately 1,200 troops now trained as light infantry. The army launched from the mouth of the Richelieu River into Lake Champlain in an armada of bateaux and canoes. Moving swiftly, Fraser’s forces screened the advance on the impregnable Fort Ticonderoga and captured it in a surprise attack as the American defenders retreated in the darkness of night. Fraser himself led the troops and raised a British flag.
A Hot Pursuit
Fraser then launched his advance guard in hot pursuit as the Americans opted to retreat through the dense forests to the south and east instead of taking the waterways that led south. The British vanguard stayed on their trail and ultimately pinned down 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 began to have 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 in the lead. Albany would fall with just one final push. However, Burgoyne now faced a supply chain issue as he was far from his base and shortages began to arise. Additionally, Fraser’s scouts, including some Canadians and Iroquois, were reporting a large concentration of Americans just north of Albany, under the command of a former British officer, General Horatio Gates.
Burgoyne began to lose his nerve. The other two thrusts had failed, and he was on his own. Rather than risk an all-out attack, he launched a reconnaissance in force with Fraser commanding the right wing through heavily wooded and rugged terrain.
Clash of Titans
There, Fraser’s elite force clashed head-on with their American counterpart, the corps of 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 with autumn advancing, Burgoyne found himself in a desperate predicament. This time, he launched a probing attack. The idea was to sense 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 yielding 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 struck home with a ball into his belly – a mortal wound.
A Blow to an Army
The fall of Fraser sent a wave of shock through the whole British Army – especially Burgoyne, who soon ordered his battered forces back to their encampment to the north near a place called Saratoga.
Desperate hands wrangled the dying general to the rear, where he was nursed by the wife of von Riedesel, Baroness Fredericka, who had accompanied her husband on the wilderness campaign.
The brave highlander died the following day and was buried at the Great Redoubt in a somber ceremony held under the guns and muskets of the encircling 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, bringing an end to 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 emerged as the leader who could have subdued 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.
