,
Boston Birch initially served in the
11th Dragoons during the
Seven Years' War. Under the command of
John Hale, Birch served as Captain in the newly formed 17th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons in 1759. The regiment was stationed in Scotland for three years. In 1771, as Major Birch, he fell under the command of
George Preston. On 24 April 1773 he became commissioned as a Lieut. Colonel. After the war, the regiment was stationed in Ireland for 11 years. The regiment was sent to
North America in 1775, arriving in
Boston, then besieged by American rebels in the
American Revolutionary War. Birch fought in the
Battle of Bunker Hill, a costly British victory, in June 1775. On 27 October 1775, Birch and his regiment famously rode their horses to disrupt the gatherings of patriots in Boston’s
Old South Meeting House. The regiment was part of the
evacuation of Boston in 1776 and was withdrawn to
Halifax for two months. In June 1776, Birch was given command of the regiment and arrived at Staten Island, attached to the Highland Brigade under Brigadier-General Sir
William Erskine. He fought at the
Battle of Long Island in August 1776 at the
Battle of White Plains in October 1776 and at the
Battle of Fort Washington in November 1776. It was in action again at the
Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery in October 1777, the
Battle of Crooked Billet in May 1778 and the
Battle of Barren Hill later that month. He then led the 2nd Division in the
Battle of Monmouth. In 1780, serving under the command of Colonel
George Preston, Birch became commandant of New York City. On August 21, 1783, Birch left New York. (General
Thomas Musgrave would sign his name to more than 340 additional emancipation certificates before the last Black Loyalist had set sail for Nova Scotia on November 30, 1783.) After the war, the regiment returned to Ireland (1784). They were under the command of
Thomas Gage (1783–1784). He remained in the 17th Regiment as a Lieutenant Col. in 1785 – 1793 under
Col. Thomas, Earl of Lincoln. The Regiment was posted to Jamaica and he became a Major General (1790). == Family ==