I’ll Try, Sir

I’ll Try, Sir. . On the evening of July 25, 1814, Col. James Miller, commander of the 21st US Infantry Regiment, was asked if his regiment could silence the seven British guns that had been holding the attacking American Army at bay for several hours. Miller replied “I’ll try, sir.” Then under the cover of darkness, the 21st Infantry quietly ascended the southern slope of this hill. When they advanced within 15 yards of the left flank of the gun line, the Americans fired a volley from their muskets and then assaulted the artillerymen with bayonets and captured the battery. A subsequent British counterattack was unsuccessful. The assault was not a strategic victory for the American forces. Lacking sufficient ammunition and water, they were forced to withdraw to the south. However, news of the successful attack raised the morale of the American people. The following year, the veterans of the 21st Infantry were absorbed into the 5th U.S. Infantry Regiment, Colonel Miller took command of the 5th and his famous “I’ll try, sir” became the regimental motto., (Placed here on July 25, 2014, the bicentennial of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, by the 5th Infantry Regiment Association).