The relationship between Great Britain and the American province of Massachusetts Bay deteriorated rapidly during the late winter and spring of 1775. On April 14 Lt. Gen. Thomas Gage, the commander of British forces in North America, received orders from London to disarm colonial militias and arrest rebel leaders. British intelligence had learned the Massachusetts militia was stockpiling weapons and supplies in Concord, 16 miles west of Boston. On April 18 Gage ordered a task force to march on Concord “with the utmost expedition and secrecy” to capture and destroy the military stores.
Gage entrusted the Concord mission to Lt. Col. Francis Smith, commander of the 10th Regiment of Foot. Instead of assigning the mission to complete regiments, Gage created a task force, selecting light infantry and grenadier companies from the regiments under his command and the 1st Battalion of Royal Marines. The 21 companies totaled more than 700 men. Major John Pitcairn of the Royal Marines was Smith’s second-in-command. There was no intermediate level of command between them and the 21 companies. Gage’s use of only elite troops in the unorthodox task force was an indication of the mission’s importance.
In 1775 a British infantry regiment comprised one company of grenadiers, one company of light infantry and eight battalion companies. The grenadiers and light infantry were the elite troops. The period London Encyclopedia called the grenadiers “the tallest and stoutest men, consequently the first upon all attacks.” These shock troops were used for breaching obstacles and other heavy work. In combat grenadiers operated on the regiment’s right. Light infantrymen acted as flankers and protected the left of the formation.
British troops in colonial North America carried the Model
