Simon Fraser
BIRTH
1729
Inverness, Scotland
DEATH
October 7, 1777
Saratoga, New York
FAMILY
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Fraser, Simon
(1729-1777)
Simon Fraser was a British general during the American War of Independence. He was killed in the Battle of Bemis Heights during the Saratoga Campaign.
5
Places | Image | Address | GPS | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Saratoga National Historical Park | 648 NY-32, Stillwater, NY 12170 | MUSEUM | ||
Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site | 5696 Monument Hill Rd, Castleton, VT 05735 | PARK | ||
Battle of Hubbardton Marker | 5696 Monument Hill Rd, Castleton, VT 05735 | MARKER | ||
Second Battle Begins Marker | Saratoga National Battlefield Road, Town of Stillwater, New York, 12170, USA | MARKER | ||
Mount Defiance Marker | 4 Defiance St, Ticonderoga, NY 12883 | MARKER |
DIED:
Saratoga, New York
Oct 7, 1777
Fraser went to Canada with the British forces in the French and Indian War and took part in the Siege of Louisbourg. He was promoted to captain before taking part in the Battle of Quebec in 1759. At that battle, he was in James Wolfe's boat crossing St Lawrence.
In 1776, the 24th was transferred to Quebec in response to the American invasion, and Governor Guy Carleton promoted him to Brigadier General. When John Burgoyne organized his Saratoga campaign in 1777, Fraser was chosen to command the advance unit. At the start of the campaign, the advance corps had about 1,000 men. Besides his own 24th Regiment of Foot, he had the grenadier battalion, the light infantry battalion, and a company of marksmen, along with some Canadian militia and First Nations auxiliaries. Fraser's command was in the vanguard during the taking of Fort Ticonderoga, and Fraser helped dislodge the retreating Americans.
On 7 July 1777, Fraser's corps caught up with the American rear guard at the town of Hubbardton in the newly formed Republic of Vermont. At the Battle of Hubbardton in a sharp skirmish he drove off the enemy but with the loss of many men.
Early in the Battle of Bemis Heights on 7 October 1777, Fraser fell to rifle fire from Daniel Morgan's rifle brigade. Legend has it that a rifleman named Timothy Murphy was specifically ordered by Benedict Arnold to target Fraser, as he was vigorously directing and supporting his troops. He was carried to a nearby house and placed in the care of Baroness Riedesel, where he died that evening.