Forming the Brigade for Service in America 1776

On 13 February 1776, the Earl of Loudoun, commanding His Majesty's Foot Guards, issued orders forming a detachment to serve in the North American campaign and was to consist of men and officers from all three existing regiments. The initial organization of the Service Brigade's companies in 1776 included a Grenadier Company, a Light Infantry Company, and eight infantry companies numbered the 1st through the 8th and was to consist of 30 officers, 82 NCOs, 14 drummers, 6 fifers, and 960 privates. Captain and Lieutenant Colonel Edward Mathew, Coldstream Guards, was chosen for the command.

In early March 1776, a draft of 840 men was conducted out of the 56 regular infantry companies. Of these drafts ninety‑six of them were diverted to form a composite Light Infantry Company, since there was no extant light infantry in the Guards. The remaining 744 men were divided into 8 regular infantry companies of 93 men each. A further 120 drafts from the eight existing grenadier companies of the three regiments formed a composite Grenadier Company.

The Grenadier and Light Infantry Companies were made up of officers, NCOs and men from all three Regiments of Guards. The 4th or Brigade Company was originally staffed by First Guards officers, but consisted of NCOs and rank and file from elements of each of the three Guards regiments at home. 1st through 3rd Companies consisted of First Guards personnel; 5th and 6th Companies were Scots Guards; 7th and 8th Companies were Coldstream Guards. These ten companies were at first styled a detachment, but on arrival in America they were, by Howe's orders, reorganized into a Brigade of two battalions. First Battalion consisted of the Grenadiers and the 1st through 4th Companies; Second Battalion was constituted by the 5th through 8th Companies and the Light Infantry.