During the American Revolution, British light infantry and grenadier
battalions figured prominently in almost every battle and campaign. They
are routinely mentioned in campaign studies, usually with no context to
explain what these battalions were. In an army that employed regiments
as the primary deployable assets, the most active battlefield elements
were temporary battalions created after the war began and disbanded when
it ended. This work is the first operational study of these battalions
during the entire war, looking at their creation, evolution and
employment from the first day of hostilities through their disbandment
at the end of the conflict. It examines how and why these battalions
were created, how they were maintained at optimal strength over eight
years of war, how they were deployed tactically and managed
administratively. Most importantly, it looks at the individual officers
and soldiers who served in them. Using first-hand accounts and other
primary sources, These Distinguished Corps describes life in the
grenadiers and light infantry on a personal level, from Canada to the
Caribbean and from barracks to battlefield.