Portrait of an American Rifleman: Robert Rogers and his Rangers

[caseyblane]

PDF of flyer attached. Ready to have your event flyer copied to the back of it.

Portrait of an American Rifleman:
Robert Rogers and his Rangers
In the early days of America's history, before independence, wily frontiersmen formed community militias to provide protection from the native Indians and French-Canadian settlers. By the 1760s, peace resulted in militia training reaching a low point. For example, during militia training, a common salute to an officer consisted of a militiaman's firing a blank shot at an officer's feet. A general sense of humor and neglect existed among the colonists toward formal military discipline. However, marksmanship and weapon handling remained important as a part of daily life and thus was regularly practiced. Many of the other practices of the colonial militia can be traced back to Robert Rogers and the early American frontiersmen that were his "Rangers."

Robert Rogers was born in Massachusetts, pioneering to New Hampshire as a boy. There he served with both scouting parties and the New Hampshire militia. While still a young man, Rogers became involved with a counterfeiting scheme for which he was indicted the year before the beginning of the French and Indian War. Character not withstanding, the British Army recognized the need for experienced frontiersmen in a wilderness war, so the counterfeiting charges were dropped and Rogers was appointed to recruit men for a company of his own. This company came to be popularly known as Rogers' Rangers. Though possibly disliking the whole idea, the stiff British command was practical enough to give the able, but unorthodox Rogers the independent command and training of his Rangers. The Rangers were guerilla fighters who consisted of frontier settlers, Indians and freed slaves. Rogers selected his men based on merit and drilled rigidly, though in an unconventional manner for the times. Training consisted of mock skirmishes, target practice (the British regular command considered target practice a waste of ammunition), and strict adherence to Rogers' Rules for Ranging. The Rules for Ranging, extracted from the journals that Rogers kept of his exploits (published in 1765), are still a part of training for United States Army Rangers.

Rogers' Rangers were sent on long-distance missions to places regular regiments could not go. They were active from Nova Scotia through New England, to modern-day Ohio and Michigan. Rangers wore green in contrast to their red-coated allies and were required to be "equipped each with a firelock, sixty rounds of powder and ball, and a hatchet" and to be ready ". . .to march at a minute's warning." Many of these practices were carried on by the militia and minutemen of the American Revolution. During the fighting at Lexington and Concord, a false rumor spread among the British soldiers that the colonial men, known for their tomahawks, were scalping the British wounded. Because many British soldiers considered the colonists brutes on a similar level as the Indians, the rumor spread quickly, instigating actual British atrocities. The Rules for Ranging also said to "fall or squat down" when engaging an enemy. Rangers often shot and reloaded from this prone position, "while lying on their bellies" which is a firing position known to marksmen for its accuracy. The British soldiers referred to this peculiar technique as "Indian style."

It has been reported that no less a military man than Britain's General Gage found Rogers lacking the qualities of an officer and a gentleman. Gage also distrusted Rogers for his dealings with the Indians, the fact that he was a colonist, and his close friendship with one of Gage's primary rivals, General Jeffrey Amherst. As another testament to Rogers' tarnished reputation, 20 years later at the outset of the American Revolution, George Washington had Rogers arrested as a spy when Rogers, apparently in good will, wrote to Washington for an appointment in the Continental Army. Rogers had previously turned down an appointment in the Continental Army from the Continental Congress on the grounds that he was a British officer. Rogers later served with the British and participated in the capture of American patriot Nathan Hale. Not only did Rogers end up on the wrong side of the fight for American liberty, he suffered from alcoholism, was divorced by his wife, and ended his life as a broken man, having spent a considerable portion of his own wealth equipping his Rangers.

While Rogers may not have possessed all the virtuous characteristics we expect from an American Rifleman, his life, like many others in the American story, was a paradox, an uneasy truth of virtue mixed with vice. A man with both his talents and vices exposed to history, Robert Rogers' legacy can still be found in the unorthodox tactics of the fight for American liberty. Both Continental Army General Israel Putnam and Colonel John Stark, a hero of Bunker Hill, had been captains in the Rangers. Certainly, Rogers cannot be given credit for all of the tactical ingenuity of the revolutionary generation, but many of the Massachusetts militia who routed the British on the day of "the shot heard round the world" are reported to once have been Rogers' Rangers. Regarding the devastating British retreat from Lexington and Concord, Lord Percy of the British officer corps remarked about the colonial militia, held in low regard by the British troops, that "there were men amongst them who knew very well what they were about." Lord Percy further attributes the skill of the militia men to their "having been employed as Rangers."

at my blog: http://blogofcorrespondence.blogspot.com/ there is a link to the entire "Rules for Ranging."

[voortrekker]

These are good books for those that are interested in the history of Roger's Rangers.

All of them can be found on amazon.com.

The green books are authored by Loescher.

These books were last copyrighted 2002, they are a bit pricey, but IMO, have the best info on Roger's Rangers.

If you like to read, and like to read books on fact, these books are outstanding.

I am absolutley amazed to the degree these guys would forward themselves, especially on the St. Francis raid.

One of many interesting facts, Roger's Rangers, deliberately shortened the barrels of their Brown Bess's to make them more efficient while moving in the forest.

In addition, they were the first, to my knowledge, to change their battle dress to blend in with natural suroundings.

Robert Rogers, took what he knew from the tactics presently and added what he learned from the Indians of the day, Indians employed by both the English and French, to wage war.  Rogers learned alot and put his knowledge to great effect,  he made a serious recon force for the time he was empoyed during the French and Indian War here in what we know as Colonial America, around present the present state of New York.

From the history books I have read, outside of waging war, he was a very troubled man.

Financially broken, moved to England, destitute, an alcoholic.

He died in England, a nobody.......buried.....done.

IMHO, he had a difficult time finding a normal life due to the experiences he saw in the field.

This was the life he lived, this is what he knew.....only war........... war during the 1750's, meaning, for the most part hand to hand,  do or die by the knife or a hatchet.

Read some of those books, history.  You'll get a feeling of the life he led during the French and Indian Wars.

It wasn't pretty.  I've read books on the Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWI and WWII, but the blinding brutality that human beings did to each other during the French and Indian War is a chapter unto itself.

Today, thinking about his history during the Amercian Revolution, I think he was a absolute mercenary, driven by who could give the highest pay.

Or which side would accept his employment.

Both sides, American and British distrusted him.


BUT, Robert Rogers and his Rangers set the stage for modern battle field tactics that are still used today.

And that, I am thankful for.



Hey, why are some guys in the Army called "Rangers"?   



Here's a pic of some good books I have collected through the years.

The green ones by Garfield Loescher are the best, hands down.







Take care all.

Focus on the front sight.



Brett

[caseyblane]

Thanks for the additional information. I'll have to check in to some of the books.

[lysander6]

Just got "War on the Run"...what an outstanding read.  Thanks for the book recommendations, VT!

See:  http://www.amazon.com/War-Run-Conquest-Americas-Frontier/dp/0553804960/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257278388&sr=1-1

Modern practitioners of military special operations know of Robert Rogers' principles of their craft, but history readers are apt to ask, Rogers who? American Heritage editor Ross answers that query absorbingly, creating a colorful portrait of a remarkable American colonial officer of the French and Indian War. Of Scots-Irish immigrant heritage, Rogers (1731-95) experienced frontier raids in what is now New Hampshire in his boyhood. As a young man, Rogers acquitted himself with shrewd scouting as well as in brutal battles with woodland parties of the French and their Indian allies and was awarded an officer's commission in the British army (an honor George Washington coveted in vain). Rogers' hard-won eminence in colonial society came apart after the peace of 1763. He was court-martialed, went to debtors' prison, sided with Tories in 1776, ensnared Nathan Hale, then receded from history. Ross' recovery of Rogers from the footnotes closes a gap in colonial historiography with a sanguinary war biography that is practically a movie script unto itself. Buffs of the period will love it. --Gilbert Taylor

For a truly realistic account of just how brutal the American frontier was, read:  The Wild Frontier.  

See:  http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Frontier-Atrocities-American-Indian-Jamestown/dp/0375758569/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257278541&sr=1-11

I also recommend Allan Eckert's epic narrative series, start with The Frontiersman>

See:  http://www.amazon.com/Frontiersmen-Narrative-Allan-W-Eckert/dp/0945084919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257278794&sr=1-1

He bases the narratives on authentic primary and secondary source documentation.

[voortrekker]

I also recommend Allan Eckert's epic narrative series, start with The Frontiersman>

See:  http://www.amazon.com/Frontiersmen-Narrative-Allan-W-Eckert/dp/0945084919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257278794&sr=1-1

He bases the narratives on authentic primary and secondary source documentation.

I've read the "The Frontiersman".  It is an excellent read.


These books, knowledge, how are we to know who we are as U.S. citizens, if we do not know our history?

Not just Robert Rogers and his rangers during the French and Indian Wars, but U.S. history since then unto the present day?

The stories told of April 19th, 1775 is an electrifying jump start for many that have had their minds numbed by the projection of the television, etc. = conditions of present day society.


Understanding history is the key.


Understanding and preserving history in the minds of Americans is what will save this Republic.


An underappreciation of history is what "they want".


"They" are ardent to this goal, no doubt about it.


We have a moral duty, to ourselves, to our children, to the citizens of the United States of America, whether the citizens understand or not, to preserve our history.

We have a moral duty, to ourselves, to our children, to the citizens of the United States of America, whether the citizens understand or not, to preserve the Principles on which our Republic was founded.


"I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided, and that is the lamp of experience.  I know of no way of judging the future but by the past."    -  Patrick Henry  


True words.


Take care All.



Brett

[Greg in MO]

To tie this to the history of April 19th, Capt. Parker had been a member of Rogers Rangers, and we all know how he handled himself that day.

Greg

[Colorado Pete]

Don't forget Kenneth Roberts' magnificent "Northwest Passage"....
Rogers was a diamond in the rough. As Roberts' character Langdon Towne says of him, "Given the proper guidance, he could have been a greater prince than Jhengis Khan."

[SamD]

Too bad he picked the wrong side.

Not to be too critical but until I run out of good colonials who were on our side, I'll not spend much time on Rogers.

Perhaps we could find equal skill and expertise in the exploits of Samuel Brady or Lewis Wetzel two Pennsylvania Riflemen who went to war on OUR side with Daniel Morgan.   Or possibly Morgan himself is worthy of study, along with the principle participants in history as we in Appleseed tell.

Not to belittle Rogers or curb your studies, but we have plenty of people loyal to our side who are to be publicly praised, honored and remembered.

Sam

[caseyblane]

Sam: Thanks for your comments. I hear you. Having never heard of Rogers, I found him such an interesting character I wanted to learn more about him right away. He was a sad case. For me, writing these articles is an education for myself and a way to share America's rifleman heritage with others. Look soon for a rifleman story about President TR and then Timothy Murphy.

[Nut Farmer]

This is great!  I really enjoyed this piece of history I didn't know about before.  I wish there were more of these posts - maybe a weekly history lesson?

I have recently been very interested in the guns of this era since becoming an RWVA member and so far have purchased a Brown Bess, Ship's Carbine (a short Brown Bess for Navy service) and a couple of Dragoons.  They are really fun to shoot and collect as the prices are reasonable if you know the right place.  I have been looking at the Roger's Rangers Carbine as it looks like a nice gun, now I know the background too.  Check out the company I have been dealing with, Middlesex Village Trading Company, as they sell historically correct guns.  The owner Pete has a wealth of knowledge of the old guns and loves to talk to you on the phone about it - just call and ask him a question - you'll be amazed what he knows.  Pete works with the manufacturer to make the guns historically correct right down to all the cartouches and metal markings.  Pete also works up new projects for them and continues over time to expand the line as he completes each model from design through final manufacture.  He travels extensively to the museums and collections that have particular guns of interest and gets permission to photograph and measure them down to the minute detail.

When the new guns come in he goes over each one and measures tolerances and barrel diameters for those picky people that want an exact size bore. The old smoothbores vary slightly due to final reaming requirements varying very slightly on each barrel as they did originally, as the guns are made the same way today right down to the finishes.  Cathy runs the ordering and is extremely knowledgeable of the entire product line and is also a wealth of knowledge, and if she doesn't know - you'll get Pete.    Please take a moment to look their company over:

www.middlesexvillagetrading.com

If you want to go right to the Roger's Ranger Musket:

www.middlesexvillagetrading.com/MRBB.shtml

I have no affiliation with this company, I just want to share a great resource for owning the real things for a decent price with assurance of a gunsmith looking over them and available should you have any problems, though I have had none to date - the guns are perfect or Pete doesn't ship them.

Doug