against an American force of at least 6,354 troops. Appling and his riflemen were stationed in Chazy. While the larger numerically superior British army was marching, Appling and his riflemen fell back conducting delaying actions. The riflemen harassed the British, destroyed bridges, and felled trees to place abatis on the road. The American riflemen, regulars, and militia regrouped after crossing the bridge at Saranac river and destroying the bridge. The riflemen, militia, and regulars held out until the British lost the will to fight any longer and withdrew in defeat. Final Engagement at Fort Peter The regiment's last wartime action occurred after Britain and the United States agreed to end the war in the Treaty of Ghent. On January 13, 1815, Royal Marines and troops of the 2nd West India Regiment landed near Fort Peter, Saint Marys, Georgia. Captain Abraham A. Massais, who was commanding a force consisting of a company of the Regiment of Riflemen and a company of the 42nd Infantry Regiment, decided his command was outnumbered and executed a fighting retreat. The British demolished Fort Peter and re-embarked. Post-war Following resumption of peace with Great Britain, the consolidated regiment was assigned to St. Louis, Missouri Territory. By 1817 the riflemen had contributed to the construction of Fort Armstrong, Rock Island, Illinois; Fort Crawford, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin; Fort Howard, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Fort Smith, Arkansas. The last was named after Thomas Adams Smith. In 1819, Secretary of War John C. Calhoun ordered the Yellowstone Expedition, commanded by Colonel Henry Atkinson, to act as a warning against British incursions. Companies of the Regiment of Riflemen and elements of the 6th Infantry Regiment worked together to build Fort Atkinson, Nebraska (then an unorganized area of the Louisiana Purchase). In 1820, Congress later declined to fund further advances. Inactivation On March 2, 1821, Congress passed an act establishing an Army with no provision for a rifle regiment. The regiment was inactivated on June 1, 1821. Under an act of Congress dated August 23, 1842 the 2nd Cavalry Regiment was re-designated as the Regiment of Riflemen effective March 4, 1843. This act was repealed on April 4, 1844 and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment reverted to its previous designation. There is no clear connection between the earlier and later regiments. References External Insignia (Smithsonian Institution) War of 1812 Discharge Certificates First Battalion of the US Regiment of Riflemen Orderly Book at