Thanks to the diligent research of Dr. Steven Baule, we know
more about Samuel Lee than most British common soldiers. Born in
London in 1745, Lee was already in the 18th Regiment when they
arrived in America in 1767. We do not know when he enlisted, but
the fact that he was in the Grenadier company in 1767 indicates
that he probably had at least a year's service in the regiment
by that time. He had also had time to learn the tailoring trade
before joining the army, for he worked in that role for the
regiment. With the 18th he traveled to Philadelphia, then spent
a few years on the frontier in Illinois before marching back to
Philadelphia, then to New Jersey and New York. By this time,
early 1774, Lee was the Master Tailor of the regiment. This was
not a rank, per se; Lee was still a private soldier. It was
nonetheless a position of some responsibility and one that could
earn him a significant amount of money over his base pay. In
Amboy, New Jersey, one of the regiment's tailors was tried by a
general court ma