The Philadelphia Campaign Part 1

British Grenadiers

John Dirlam served in Blakeney company of the 23rd Foot Regiment. Companys were named after their commanders, in this case Major William Blakeney (later Colonel), injured twice during the Seven Years War, and again at Bunker Hill.

Blakeney's was a grenadier company. Grenadiers were a 17th century invention, originally trained to use grenades, hence the name. They were specialized assault troops, useful in siege warfare, and common to European armies. Technological improvements to guns, cannons, and gunpowder made those weapons vastly more lethal than bombs and grenades. But the value of specially trained assault troops continued to be popular into the 19th century, and they were widely deployed by the British against fortifications during the Revolutionary War.

Ideally, Grenadiers were picked from the most experienced and toughest soldiers, but were sometimes just the tallest and strongest. They wore tall bearskin caps to add to their towering appearance. Think of the Grenadier Guards at Buckingham Palace. The soldiers were proud of the bearskins -- regular infantry wore tri-cornered 'cocked hats' and were called 'hatmen'.

I suspect John Dirlam was selected for his height, since he was assigned to Blakeney Company on his arrival in New York City, before his skills could have been known; and also since there's some height among his descendants today. To quote from the orderly book for the 4th Grenadier Battalion, “…the Grenadier Company is to be constantly kept compleat, from the best and tallest Men in the Regiment…, and have such Men only in it, as are perfect masters of their business… as experience proves that Grenadier Company which covers most ground when under Arms, to be much superior in point of Marching, and every sort of fatigue…”

This from http://www.revwar75.com/library/pace/4th-Brit-Gren-Bn-OB-1776.pdf

A typical British infantry regiment consisted of ten companies; eight center companies, and two flank companies: a grenadier company on the right flank, and a light infantry company on the left. But these are parade ground positions. Because of their toughness, grenadier companies from different regiments were often combined into battalions, larger assault teams. In early 1776, after the British realized they needed to prepare for war, their grenadier companies were detached from the parent regiments and grouped into composite grenadier battalions. This included Blakeney company, which was assigned to a 1st Battalion of Grenadiers, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel [William] Meadows [55th Regt.].

This summary is taken from "British Grenadier Companies at Monmouth" on Yahoo Group: Revlist (sorry for the amount of detail).

Head Quarters Halifax 14th May 1776... The Commander in Chief is pleased to form the Grenadier and Light Infantry Companies into four Battalions.

1st Battalion of Grenadiers, composed of the following Companies, To be Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel [William] Meadows [55th Regt.] and Major [Edward] Mitchell [5th Regt.], Viz.: 4th, 5th, 10th, 17th, 22d, 23d, 27th, 35th, 38th, 40th.

2d Battalion of Grenadiers composed of the following Companies, To be Commanded by Lieut.-Col. [Hon. Henry] Monckton [45th Regt.] and Major [Hon. Charles] Stuart [43rd Regt.], viz.: 43d., 44th, 45th, 46th, 49th, 52d, 55th, 63d, 64th, 1st. and 2d. Marines.

Source: Gen. Sir William Howe's Orders, 1776, in "The Kemble Papers, Vol. I, 1773-1789" in Collections of the New-York Historical Society for the Year 1883, Publication Fund Series, Printed for the Society, New York, 1884, Google Books, pp. 352-353.

General Order to Disband the 3rd British Grenadier Bn. and Assign the 42nd Grenadier Co. to the 2nd British Grenadier Bn., Mar. 23, 1777

Source: "Orderly Book of General Sir William Howe, Kept By Major Stephen Kemble, Deputy Adjutant General, 29 January 1777 - 20 June 1777" in New York State Library Manuscripts and History Library, Accession Number 6744.

General Order to Disband the British Flank Battalion and Return the Grenadier and Light Infantry Companies to Their Regiments, July 5, 1778

Source: "The Kemble Papers, Vol. I, 1773-1789" in Collections of the New-York Historical Society for the Year 1883, Publication Fund Series, Printed for the Society, New York, 1884, Google Books. This order was issued following the departure from Philadelphia and the battle of Monmouth Courthouse, New Jersey on June 28, 1778. The officers of the grenadiers and light infantry, took this order to disband as an insult to the elite status of their battalions and it was soon reversed.

General Order to Reestablish the British Flank Battalions, July 31, 1778

Source: "Captured British Army Orderly Book, January 29-August 9, 1778" in the George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799: Series 6. Military Papers. 1755-1798

Saturday 11th Septr 1779 ...found the Battalion divided as follows 1st [Lt. Col. Henry] Hopes consisting of 7th, 17th, 23d, 33d, 37th, 38th, 42d, & 43d. 2nd [Lt Col. John] York's, the 22d, 54th, 57th, 63d, 64th, 70th, & 74th...

The 1st Battalion, and thus Blakney company, saw action repeatedly near Philadelphia in late 1777, so it's likely this is where John Dirlam was injured. Gen. Howe was replaced in May 1778, and the British army was marched back to New York City, but without Dirlam, who less than two years later was buying land in western Massachusetts.