Early summer saw a victorious British Army moving briskly up the St. Lawrence. It was composed of Great Britain's best regiments for war in America - Carleton's 9th foot, with years of experience in the Western posts; the 20th foot, often known as "Wolfe's Own" for their role at Quebec in 1759; the 21st "Royal North British Fusiliers," one of Britain's premier regiments; and Simon Fraser's 24th Foot, a regiment of such quality that it was reckoned good enough to join a brigade of Light Infantry and Grenadiers. As well, there were the 29th, long veterans of America, and the 34th, who had also served in the western posts along the Ohio and Mississippi in the 1760s. Only the 53rd and 62nd were relative newcomers to America and to the "skulking way of war."

Guy Carleton formed an elite brigade of Light Infantry and Grenadiers to be the vanguard of his army, but to fight the dreaded Rebel Riflemen he needed something special. Carleton (and later Burgoyne) marched with regiments of Loyalists, Americans committed to the cause of King and Country, like Sir John Johnson's King's Royal Regiment of New York, the Queen's Loyal Rangers, Monin's French Canadian Volunteers and Native allies from the Abenaki, Huron, and Canadian Iroquois Nations. Later, brothers from as far West as the Sioux and Ojibwa would serve the "White Father" in distant London. In the vanguard of this diverse army marched a newly formed company of specialized "British Marksmen."

In May, Governor Guy Carleton had appointed an unknown officer, Captain Alexander Fraser, from the Light Infantry brigade to select the best marksmen from each company, and to train them as an elite corps to fight alongside their Native American allies. They were to be called The Company of Select Marksmen.

Captain Fraser was the right man for the job. Not only was he a veteran officer in the British Army, he was also a well-qualified Deputy Superintendent of the Canada Indians under Colonel John Campbell's Indian Department administration. As a skilled diplomat among his Native brothers, he had even once befriended the great Ottawa chief Pontiac in the 1760's during a time when the Western tribes held no love for the British.

Against this force, the Rebel Congress also mustered some of its finest troops such as Daniel Morgan's Riflemen, many of whom by now carried muskets and bayonets, but nonetheless deadly in skilled hands. These were the hardiest, best veterans in the Northern Army. Several Regiments of the New York line had wintered over with the army, stuck to their cause and learned to be real soldiers. Although their numbers were thinned since the enthusiasm of the fall of 1775, their professionalism was sufficient to keep the defeats of May and June from becoming routs. Groups of Rangers, like those belonging to the "notorious" rebel Whitcomb, roved the Adirondacks and environs, watching Carleton's movements.

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