Dead right guys. By the 1770’s the British had light companies attatched to their regular battalions. Along with the grenadiers they were known as flank companies as the grenadiers stood on the right and the light bobs stood on the left. Great strides had been made during the French and Indian War but tactical doctrine had become stale between then and the start of the revolution. General Howe reinvigorated the system and it was the experience of officers fighting the rebels that helped the British beat Napoleon.
Of especial note is the fact that the retreat from Lexington and Concord was gallantly covered by light infantry who went at the Militia with their own tactics. General Howe’s light infantry became experts in their business to rival the best Yankee militia. Not to mention the Hessian Jägers, Allied tribesmen, and their own loyalist militia and legions,
Josh