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A Ranger & Riflemen Sketch & Note Book
Adam Spencer's impression of a Ranger in Benjamin Church's Company 1675-1707
"Short Land" musket used by the British Army & Roger's Rangers in the French & Indian War. Used by both sides during the American Revolution.
The Ranger "was a man of vigorous constitution, inured to the hardships of forest life. He was capable of long marches, day after day, upon scant rations, refreshed by short intervals of sleep while rolled in his blanket upon a pile of boughs, with no other shelter but the sky. He knew the trails of the Indians, as well as their ordinary haunts and likeliest places of ambush. He knew, also, all the courses of the streams and the carrying places between them. He understood Indian wiles and warfare, and was prepared to meet them. Stand such a man in a pair of stout shoes or moccasins; cover his lower limbs with leggins and coarse small clothes; give him a close-fitting jacket and a warm cap; stick a small hatchet in his belt; hand a good-sized powder-horn by his side, and upon his back buckle a blanket and a knapsack stuffed with a moderate supply of bread and raw salt pork; to these furnishings add a good-sized hunting-knife, a trusty musket and a small flask of spirits, and you have an average New Hampshire Ranger of the Seven Year's war, ready for skirmish or pitched battle; on for the more common duty of reconnoitering the enemy's force and movements, of capturing his scouts and provision trains, and getting now and then a prisoner, from whom all information possible would be extorted; and, in short, for annoying the French and Indian foe in every possible way."
Robert Rogers, the Ranger
"In appearance the Rangers were attired more like woodsmen than soldiers. However, some attempt was made at uniformity of dress which could vary from company to company. Many wore a short, green frieze jacket or a brown hunting shirt with buckskin breeches, leggings of green or brown reteen and moccasins. The popular headgear was the Scottish bonnet. They carried smoothbore muskets
with bayonet, powder horn, shot bag, hatchet and hunting knife. In keeping with their style of warfare they travelled light, often carrying just one blanket and a pouch of cornmeal."- Curtis Sleight - TS Issue No.19: 29 July 1998
Ted Spring - artist
"Scottish bonnets were worn by trappers and traders for over 200 years." and Rangers!
HATS & SASHES OF THE FUR TRADE
By Annette Hepner "plain ones, in dark green and dark blue, were worn by the Rogers' Rangers troups."
Reenactors
Benjamin Church Company, Harmon's Company of Snowshoemen &Eames Rangers
"Benjamin Church's Company was formed by members of the Snowshoe Company to cover the period of King Philip’s War, King William’s War and Queen Anne’s War . This period provides many local sites of interest. The snowshoe companies were first established during Queen Anne’s War. The techniques and tactics used by the snowshoe men were honed in those earlier conflicts. In particular, Benjamin Church was the first Englishman to learn and adopt the native way of war. During King Philip’s War he used mixed companies of natives and whites, and told his white soldiers to observe the Indians. Church would continue to be the most effective New England officer in leading long range scouts and raids."
The following narrative was extracted from the now defunct site at www.digitalhistory.org - THE EARLY RANGERS: During the Middle Ages, Rangiatorem, or Rangers, served the English King in his forest districts. For example, In 1371, Henry Dolyng was a Ranger of the New Forest and Thomas of Croydon was a Ranger in Waltham. Those long ago Rangers apparently protected the deer from poachers, hunted wolves, and discouraged bandits from preying upon the forest hamlets. From the very beginning of the English settlements in North America, problems were encountered in defending against Indian attacks. Initially, the colonies tried stationing small, immobile garrisons in tiny forts located on the major avenues of approach into the settled areas. However, the Indians quietly by-passed the forts, raided the settlements, and withdrew before the militia could muster and counterattack. Each colony needed a running army continually on foot to discover the Indians approach and give the militia time to assemble and march. During that period the word range was used to describe the movement of soldiers when they patrolled an area. Thus, soldiers who ranged were called Rangers. In 1634 and 1635, Edward Backler was hired as a ranger for Kent Island, a Virginia plantation in the upper Chesapeake Bay (present Maryland). His apparent duty was to give warning of the approach of Indians who had been harassing the settlement. The private use of small parties of military Rangers by Virginia and Maryland plantation owners was probably common by the late 1630's. In 1648, the colony of Maryland was using Rangers to patrol its frontier. Rangers were commonly used for Maryland's frontier defense from 1665 to 1705. They gave early warning of the movement of war parties and attacked them whenever possible. The colony of Virginia began employing Rangers on a regular basis in 1676, and continued their almost uninterrupted use until 1717. The two colonies sometimes coordinated the operations of their units. Virginia continued to employ Rangers intermittently until the end of the eighteenth century. The other southern colonies soon adopted, and continued to use Rangers during those periods when Indian raids appeared likely. The northern colonies also began using Rangers for defense against Indians during the seventeenth century. In 1670, the colony of Plymouth (part of modern Massachusetts) maintained a unit under Thomas Willet. During King Phillips' War (1675-1676), also known as the Metacomet War, Plymouth and Massachusetts raised and maintained Rangers for both defensive and offensive purposes. Parties of men ranged near the settlements, on the lookout for Indian war parties. Other settlers and friendly Indians were organized into independent ranging companies, such as the one commanded by Benjamin Church. The independent companies became very efficient at raiding and ambushing the hostile Indians. Most of the other northern colonies followed the example of Plymouth and Massachusetts and used Rangers to protect their frontiers during much ofthe eighteenth century. Nova Scotia, New York and Georgia Rangers were active during the War of Jenkins Ear and King George's War (1739-1748), fighting the French and the Spanish and their Indian allies. Most of the colonies also employed Rangers to protect their frontiers from Indian raids. The Seven Years' War (1755-63), known as the French and Indian War on the American continent, was raging on the bloodied battlefields of Europe, pitting columns of drilled soldiers against one another. With soldiers standing, facing and firing volley after volley into each other's crowded ranks, 18th century European warfare was the antithesis of the new style of warfare developed in the North American colonies during the French and Indian War by the frontiersmen. Soon, a new type of soldier was put into service by the British military. These light infantry units were called Rangers. Lightly equipped and rapidly deployed, they could fight in the guerrilla style of the Indians. These Rangers, made up mostly of Border landers (Frontiersmen), would come to be some of the most valued soldiers of the war. (The website then continued with details on the exploits of the main British Provincial ranger units, Gorham's, Dank's, and Roger's, and their influence on the formation of British Light Infantry formations)...In the early years of the war, the British commanders, seeking a way to deal with the colonial rangers (especially Major Robert Rogers), decided to create regiments of lightly armed infantry in hopes of disbanding the ranger units. Although this never came to be, the light infantry units proved their worth in combat against the wilderness warfare waged by the French and Indians...After the devastating defeat of General Braddock at the Monongahela in 1755, the British government authorized the raising of a regiment of fourbattalions, recruited in Germany, and among the Swiss and German settlers of Pennsylvania and Maryland, for service in North America. This regiment was designated the 62nd Regiment of Foot. In 1757 it was redesignated the 60th (Royal American ) Regiment of Foot. Probably no stranger unit ever carried the “Royal”. During 1756 - 1763 it’s personnel were roughly one fourth assorted Americans, over one-half unwanted yard birds drafted out of Ireland, and the rest miscellaneous Germans , Poles, and Bohemians. The 60th still was recruiting in Germany in 1767. It included volunteers - allegedly "Germans" - from among French prisoners of War, and sergeants, corporals, invalids, and apprehended deserters from the 50th and 51st of foot. The battalions varied greatly. Skilled in European partisan warfare and quick to adapt it to American conditions, Bouquet made his 1st Battalion into light infantry specially trained for forest warfare. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions were little different from average British infantry. Prevost’s 4th Battalion was a military madhouse. Prevost himself was universally despised for his ignorance, insolence, and brutality, but could not be disciplined because he was Cumberland’s protege. The 60th served in all the important campaigns from 1757 on. It’s 2nd and 3rd Battalions were at the surrender of Louisbourg and Quebec, the first at the capture of Fort Duquesne and in the Carolinas. During 1763, scattered garrisons of the Royal Americans met the first shock of Pontiac’s Rebellion; in 1764 they had a share in it’s final quelling. Seven years of wilderness campaigning had left the whole regiment half - mutinous, with many desertions. The regiment remained in America until 1775, when it was transferred to the West Indies. Being a royal regiment, the 60th had blue facings. Unlike other British regiments, however, the enlisted men’s uniforms were without lace until sometime after 1763. There is no known contemporary picture of the Royal Americans for 1755 - 1760; and details of their uniform such as the grenadier caps, must be reconstructed from the Royal Warrant of 1751. Deserter descriptions in New York and Philadelphia newspapers frequently mention leather breeches and red waistcoats; this combination may have been a summer service uniform. Brown canvas “ marching gaiters ” were common wear, white qaiters being reserved for full dress. Officers wore silver lace. The uniform coat could be worn with its lapels buttoned back, or closed across the chest. Bouquet at least, adopted articals of frontier dress for his battalion. In 1758, it apparently wore hunting shirts and Indian leggings. The next year a letter from one of his subordinates states"...our people have leggings. I intended always they should have been blue, but we could not have blue at Albany, so that we have green tied with a red garter. Originally the 60th was issued"....3741 long land service Musquets of the King’s Pattern...deemed serviceable but not fit for regular regiments...After the peace of 1763 all light infantry units disappeared from the British army in favor of the tactics of Frederick the Great (Rogers, p 73). Later, after the 60th became the famous Royal Rifle Corps, many myths developed around its service in America, for example, that it wore green uniforms and was armed with rifles. In fact, it remained basically a red coated infantry until after 1813....The 80th Regiment of Light Infantry was formed in the winter of 1757 - 1758 as a result of the British commanders determination to develop a "Regular Army" type of a Ranger skilled force to emulate Rogers' Rangers' ability to compete equally with their savage foe in the French and Indian War. Rogers' Yankee command of Rangers was most debilitating to the English command and it was hoped that Gage's 80th could replace them (it never could or did) The nucleous for the Ranger skilled officers for the 80th were from Roger's Rangers' Cadet Company...."
Roger Rangers-- Forgotten Heroes? by Lewis Hill - a broad stroke portrait
Robert Rogers was born in Methuen, Mass. in 1731. He served as a scout in King George's War and, because of his daring exploits in the French and Indian Wars, was promoted to major in command of all the Rangers, an elite group of soldiers. Many of the tactics he developed during those four wars are still used by the military today. For instance, he dressed his men in green uniforms--the first use of camouflage--and some of his rules of combat are still practiced by today's equally elite Rangers. The St. Francis Indians who lived in Quebec, were part of the huge Algonquin Nation, and were making frequent savage raids into what is now the United States. Among the villages they burned and massacred the inhabitants, were Royalton, Vermont, and Deerfield, Massachusetts. To stop the assaults, Rogers and his men were chosen to attack their settlement in 1759. In an expedition that took a full month, about 200 soldiers including some Iroquois who served as pathfinders, traveled in boats up Lake Champlain into Canada in late summer and marched overland through difficult terrain to the village of St. Francis, north of Lake Memphemagog. Due to sickness and accidents, some of the group had to return, so only 142 remained for the raid which has often been described as the most incredible event that occurred during the 74 years of the four French and Indian wars. There are numerous versions of what happened, but the account that Rogers wrote upon his return is probably more accurate than those concocted much later. The village of St. Francis was not the usual small temporary Indian settlement of a few skin-covered wigwams, but a sizeable town constructed with the help of their French allies. It contained 60 well-built houses made of bark, lumber and stone, some of which had cellars. In the midst of the village was a Jesuit church and a council house.
.... the Indians were in the midst of a week-long harvest celebration, the Rangers were able to surprise the inhabitants before sunrise on the morning of October fourth. The soldiers were angered at the sight of over 600 scalps, mostly those of white men, hanging on nearby vines and trees. They brutally slaughtered all the men, and most of the women and children who didn't flee, and burned most of their homes. During the melee they rescued several Englishmen the Indians were holding prisoner. In the buildings they found many valuable objects including some objects of gold and silver, which the Indians had plundered from villages they had destroyed. Among the booty were a large chandelier, two golden candlesticks, and a solid silver statue of Our Lady of Chartres. The candlesticks and some other objects were discovered years later near Hatley, Quebec, but most of the treasures were never found, including the silver statue. (ed comment - the stuff of legends still reported today!)... the survivors split into small groups, partly so they could better find food... The natives killed many of the men, and some of the survivors started south through northern Vermont, while Rogers and another group moved down the Connecticut River through New Hampshire. Only the men who had chosen the New Hampshire route made it back to their southern headquarters at Fort No. 4. Upon his return, Rogers wrote a detailed account of the raid. Some of his men said he was too modest in his report, and that it was only through his own bravery and cunning that the mission was a success. Although the endeavor took a sizeable number of his men, the raid stopped further major Indian attacks in the area. Because of that accomplishment and his previous record, Rogers should have gone on to a brilliant military future, but he was later charged with treasonous dealings with the French and was court martialed, though subsequently acquitted. At the beginning of the American Revolution, George Washington had the bad judgment (ed comment - debatable) to refuse his offer of service and, Rogers understandably miffed joined the British. He was later arrested and imprisoned as a Loyalist spy, but escaped, and after the war moved to England where he died in obscurity.
Gary Zaboly's "A True Ranger: The Life and Many Wars of Major Robert Rogers"From Chapter Thirty-Three "West to Detorit":
"In making their 123-day round trip Rogers and his men had rowed, paddled, portaged, pulled, waded and walked over 1,600 wilderness miles, this number taking into account his side journeys to Fort Pitt in October and to Saginaw Bay in December. He had traveled over 900 more miles than George Rogers Clark would cover in his combined expeditions of 1778 and 1779, and 300 more miles than Lewis and Clark would during their entire first year out from St. Louis (1804). He had plunged into the very heart of hostile territory at the worst possible season, and had returned with the loss of but one man, a drowning victim. Robert Rogers' Detroit mission, in fact, was an expedition without parallel in early American history, yet it strangely remains the least remembered of any of them. It was also far from finished: he still had another 300 miles to march before reaching Philadelphia."
Despite the focus on Rogers, albeit deserved, the Ranger concept and legend was truly intra-colonial (a detachment of Roger's Rangers would serve in the Cherokee War of 1760-61). Instead of discussing further the widely known Northern Colonial ranger experience at the expense of the Middle and Southern Colonies as well as the "Back-country" Rangers, the following account of several Georgia Ranger units serves as a "catch-all" example for the dress and equippage of the times that preceded and undoubtedly influenced the future Frontier "Rifleman," "Backwoodsman," "Longhunter," "Long Knife," and "Over-Mountain Man", not to mention the Rangers of the American Revolution both Continental and Loyalist - e.g. Knowlton's Connecticut Rangers,Morgan's Rangers/Riflemen, King's, Queen's, Butler's etc.
GEORGIA PROVINCIAL COMPANIES
1734-1747 "...Mackay's Rangers wore broad-brimmed hats, civilian coats, buckskin breeches, leather Indian leggins and shoes. Cartridge boxes, powder flasks, and iron-handled cutlasses hung from belts with brass buckles. Muskets were long-barreled infantry types, but probably not the "Brown Bess" (largely unavailable in Georgia before 1740).1 Lower Creek warriors sometimes served Oglethorpe as rangers, wearing a mixture of traditional Native American dress and English clothing. Typical dress was an English shirt, blue or red cloth breechclout and belt, blue orred dyed leather leggins, and moccasins. Common hair styles were the shaven head with three long locks, or with a crest for feathers. Red and black war paint usually was worn. Warriors carried a common trade gun, shot-powderpouch, knife, and tomahawk.2 The troop of English Rangers, raised in 1739, was divided into several parties, scattered throughout the colony for patrolling duties on horseback. Rangers provided their own clothing, arms, horses, and saddles. They wore civilian clothing: cocked hats, checked shirts, waistcoats and jackets (popular colors were blue, green and brown), wool or deerskin breeches, Indian leggins, stockings and shoes. they carried "Brown Bess" muskets with the barrels cut short for easy use on horseback, pistols, and hatchets.3 The Troop of Highland Rangers, recruited in 1739, conducted mounted patrols from Darien, a settlement of Highland Scots on the Altamaha River, and from other coastal locations. They wore items of traditional Highland dress: blue bonnets, tartan jackets and waistcoats, maybe a tartan shoulder plaid in cold weather. On patrol they combined these items with clothing worn by the English Rangers, including buckskin breeches, lndian leggins, and shoes. They carried Highland claymores, dirks, pistols, and "Brown Bess" muskets with the barrels cut short.4"...Oglethorpe may have intended a common uniform for his Georgia rangers. In 1745, he raised a cornet and six ranger recruits in England, and they were reported to have worn cocked hats with green cockades and blue coats with red facings.7 It's doubtful that this uniform was worn in Georgia, however. The English and Highland Rangers, Highland Independent Company, 42nd Regiment of Foot (see MUIA Plate No. 410), and various Indian war parties participated in the ill-fated British invasion of Spanish Florida during the summer of 1740. Two years later those same units, plus the Marines, defended St Simons Island when the Spanish invaded Georgia. In the Battle of Bloody Marsh, the Highland Company, a mixed force of Rangers and Indians, and one company of the 42nd routed a column of Spanish grenadiers. The Spanish, as a result, did not return to Georgia.8"
(note some dress depicted is probably incorrect e.g. coonskin hat and fringed, wrap-around hunting shirt- of leather?)
As we move beyond the French & Indian war time frame we witness the culmination of a series of political and socio-economic transformations which led to the "American" identity....as would be expected, no people confronted this cultural change as much as those living on the frontier and nothing more symbolized this transformation as the adaptation of mixed European and Indian dress - at the forefront of which was the Ubiquitous"" hunting shirt. No-one can precisely state when the wrap-around frock or wrap-around hunting shirt, became in vogue. Mark Baker(more on him below)and Beth Gilgun of Muzzleloader examined the subject in some depth. Baker, citing primary sources of William Smith and Joseph Doddridge, states that "if you depict a hunter of the early 1760s, then the hunting shirt could very well be inappropriate." but argues you are on safe ground circa the Revolution.
Excerpts From Who Was I? Virginia, Pennsylvania, 1763-1783: The Rev. Joseph Doddridge on clothing: "The hunting shirt was universally worn. This was a kind of loose frock, reaching halfway down the thighs, with large sleeves, open before, and so wide as to lap over a foot or more when belted. The cap[e] was large, and sometimes handsomely fringed with a ravelled piece of cloth of a different color from that of the hunting shirt itself. The bosom . . . served as a wallet to hold a hunk of bread, cakes, jerk, tow for wiping the barrel of the rifle, or any other necessary . . . The belt, which was always tied behind, answered several purposes, besides that of holding the dress together. In cold weather the mittens, and sometimes the bullet-bag, occupied the front part of it. To the right side was suspended the tomahawk, and to the left the scalping knife in its leathern sheath. The hunting shirt was generally made of linsey, sometimes of coarse linen, and a few of dressed deer skins . . . The shirt and jacket were of the common fashion. A pair of drawers or breeches and leggins were the dress of the thigh and legs; a pair of moccasins answered for the feet much better than shoes. These were made of dressed deer skin. They were mostly made of a single piece with a gathering seam along the top of the foot, and another from the bottom of the heel, without gathers as high as the ankle joint or a little higher. Flaps were left on each side to reach some distance up the leg. They were nicely adapted to the ankles and lower part of the leg by thongs of deer skin so that no dust, gravel or snow could get within the moccasin....In the later years of the Indian war our young men became more enamored of the Indian dress throughout, with the exception of the matchcoat. The drawers were laid aside and leggins made longer, so as to reach the upper part of the thigh. The Indian breech clout was adopted. This was a piece of linen or cloth nearly a yard long, and eight or nine inches broad. This passed under the belt before and behind leaving the ends for flaps hanging before and behind over the belt ... strings which supported the long leggins were attached. When this belt, as was often the case, passed over the hunting shirt the upper part of the thighs and part of the hips were naked...The young warrior instead of being abashed by this nudity was proud of his Indian like dress. In some instances I have seen them go into places of public worship in this dress. Their appearance however, did not add much to the devotion of the young ladies" (Doddridge, Joseph; The Settlement and Indian Wars of the Western Parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania, 1763-1783; Heritage Books Inc., Bowie, Maryland, 1988; 91-93)....Louisiana Territory, 1797: Lest you imagine this is a strictly eastern phenomenon, rest assured that Nicolas de Finiels, the French engineer assigned to the Louisiana Territory from 1797 through 1803 mentions the same fashion. "They were compelled to adopt many Indian customs and clothing styles: the breechclout took the place of culottes; leggings replaced stockings; doeskin moccasins succeeded European shoes; a loose-fitting tunic covered the rest of the body; a blue kerchief wrapped about the head completed the costume. When cold weather renders this dress inadequate, a cloak of bergopzoom or rough blue fabric, fitted with a hood, protects the body. Some persons don fur hats that cover the necks and ears, and a pair of fur mittens attached by a long string that passes over the shoulders like a stole; the mittens hang down on either side in case your hands need protection, but when not required they are out of the way without any danger of being . . . lost. [Author's note: This is the same arrangement of mittens required of Rogers' Rangers (sic) as a lifesaving measure.] With this simple outfit you can move easily through the woods, tracking deer, wildcats, and wild turkeys . . ." (de Finiels, Nicolas; An Account of Upper Louisiana, eds. Carl J. Ekberg and William E. Foley, trans. Carl J. Ekberg; Columbia; University of Missouri Press, 1989; 112)."
The picturesqueness of the rifle dress* worn by the expert marksmen of the Carolinas, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania has made it well known, but the very general use of the hunting shirt by all the American troops is not generally recognized. Lieutenant Lefferts wrote: "The rifle dress or hunting frock was preferred by Washington, and was worn by most of the army throughout the war. It was the field dress of almost the entire army. The hunting shirt was made of deer leather, linen, or homespun, dyed in various colors, in the different regiments, such as tan, green, blue, yellow, purple, black or white. They were all of the same pattern, but some had capes and cuffs of different colors. With the hunting shirts were worn long leggings or overalls, also preferred by Washington in place of breeches and stockings. They were made of linen or duck undyed, or of deer leather, and later in the war were furnished in wool for the winter. They were shaped to the leg, and fastened at the ankle with four buttons and a strap under the shoe." ....Washington recommended hunting shirts as part of the clothing bounty to be provided by the Continental Congress, and as the most practicable garment for troops not supplied with uniform coats. He pointed out the several advantages of the rifle dress in his General Order of July 24, 1776: "No dress can be cheaper, nor more convenient, as the wearer may be cool in warm weather and warm in cool weather by putting on under-cloaths which will not change the outward dress, Winter or Summer -- Besides which it is a dress justly supposed to carry no small terror to the enemy, who think every such person a complete marksman." ...This was so, as the the British and Hessian forces thought that Rifleman, also called "widowmakers" wore this particular garb. Hunting shirts were dyed in various colors to identify regiments. It was also easily manufactured in a number of materials, and was easily repairable. The cape kept the rain and snow off the soldier, and thus was the far more common uniform of the period. The famous picture of Daniel Morgan at Saratoga, shows the particuarlity of this dress.
Variously known as the hunting shirt, hunting frock, rifle shirt, rifle frock, rifle coat, and possibly other names (but note that these names may also be used to refer to other styles of shirt, frock, or coat). See
The Ubiquitous Hunting Frock, American War of Independence Garb - By Terry Martin"The shortage of cloth leads the American troops to adopt the hunting frock as standard dress. The American Army found the hunting frock to be very versatile. It was easy to make, easy to remove, and allowed a freedom of movement not unlike farmer’s or workman’s clothing. It also could be made cheaply and allowed for a utilitarian manner to cloth troops. General George Washington considered it to be an “ideal military garment”. It was made famous as the garb of the rifle regiments and was worn as field dress by most of the American army throughout the war. The hunting frock was made of deer leather, linen, or homespun. It could also be dyed in a variety of colors. It is noted that regiments dyed the hunting frocks in the following colors: white, natural linen, purple, brown, black, green and blue."
The "most recognizable arms in American history...the ‘Pennsylvania’ ‘Kentucky’ or ‘Stump’ rifle muzzleloader originated around 1720. It was modified from the short German ‘Jaeger’ hunting rifle into a longer, slimmer, lightweight gun that used a reduced powder charge and a smaller caliber projectile. Extremely accurate, the ‘long rifle’ was deadly in the hands of the ‘Backwoodsmen.."
The American Longrifle"...Jaegers were surprisingly light and easy to handle...
That begs the question, why were changes made? Well, the standard answer has been something along the lines that the American longhunter needed an economical, accurate, and long range gun to put food on the table, take skins for cash, and protect their families from Indian raiders. The Jaeger rifle was accurate but it was not necessarily a long range gun or economical in terms of lead....Peter A. Alexander, in his new book The Gunsmith of Grenville County-Building the American Longrifle, proposes another theory based on some of George Shumway's research. According to Alexander, the real reason for the longer barreled American rifle, was that the Indians had become accustomed to the long barreled English trade guns and wanted rifles of similar form. The German gunsmiths here, and possibly in Germany, supplied what their customers wanted. There may have been more style than substance at work in the evolution of the American longrifle. Imagine that!"
Black Hart Longrifles Longrifle History Kentucky Long Rifle Ryan McNabb Longrifles - Ooltewah, Tennessee Pecatonica River Long Rifle Supply, Inc. Antique and Collectable Firearms and
Militaria Headquarters Track of the Wolf Inc. Minnesota - offer the finest quality muskets, rifles, and fowlers from today's best makers and one-of-a-kind acoutrements, powder horns Leiper's Fork Flintlocks
Mark Baker - artist
More from the Long Hunter Sketchbook - Dr. James Hanson:
"Linen leggings were worn by Southern backwoodsmen during this time.General William Lenoir, writing about the expedition of General Griffeth Rutherford against the Cherokee in 1776,"At that time,if a gentleman could procure a hunting shirt made of good tow linen and died black,with a motto across the breast in large white letters 'LIBERTY OR DEATH',and a pair of stout breeches and leggins of the same texture,and a buck's tail on his wool hat for a cockade,he was fine enough for anything,and in fact our good Gen'l's hunting shirt was inferior,it was a dingy colored,ordinary looking one".
The expedition originated in Western North Carolina near Fort Defiance on the Yadkin River.Lenoir further stated,"There were very few imported blankets in camp,and at that time there was not a store with 45 miles of Fort Defiance,and a very few sheep in this new country,and no attempt to raise cotton. Our sole means of procuring clothing were of hemp,flax,and tow. Our blankets generally made of the same materials.When striped,they were called Linsey blankets.
Written by Gen'l Wm. Lenoir for Dr. J.G.M. Ramsey of Knoxville,Tenn.in June,1835.
From the Lenoir Papers #426 in the Southern historical Collection,University of North Carolina Library,Chapel Hill."
from OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - "The Struggle with the Indians 1763-1783" - From "A History of Ohio" by Eugene H. Roseboom and Francis P. Weisenburger,1953
"Claiming the region around Fort Pitt, and controlling that frontier village despite Pennsylvania's claims, (Fort Pitt was no longer a British post, since the troops had been removed in 1772) the Old Dominion, under its aggessive Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, an active land speculator, set about to crush the Ohio tribes and establish its title to the great Northwest. On June 10, 1774, Lord Dunmore called out the militia of the western counties, and the war was on. The governor sent out Colonel Angus McDonald to raid the Shawnee towns, but the expedition did little but stir up the Indians to a greater fighting pitch. The more important work was left to Dunmore himself, who assembled a force of militia at Fort Pitt, and Colonel Andrew Lewis, who called out the frontiersmen of the southwestern counties. The original plan was for a junction of the two forces at the mouth of the Big Kanawha, but Dunmore, coming down the Ohio from Fort Pitt, preceeded only as far as the Hocking, and then marched up that valley toward the Shawnee villages on the Pickaway Plains, where he expected Lewis to join him. The latter, with some eleven hundred back-woodsmen, followed the Kanawha to the Ohio, and on October 6 encamped at Point Pleasant at the junction of the two rivers. Here, in the early morning of October 10, he was attacked by more than a thousand warriors, mostly Shawnees, under the leadership of the crafty and skillful Cornstalk. They had crossed the Ohio the night before, unobserved by Lewis's scouts, and were within two miles of the sleeping Virginia troops when they were discovered by hunters. A desperate battle ensued between Indians and Lewis's frontiersmen with the result in doubt until late in the day, when the braves began to retire.
That night they retreated across the Ohio and returned to the Shawnee towns. One-fifth of Lewis's forces were killed or wounded, while the number of Indian casualties was smaller; but the failure of the attack of the Indians and their withdrawal gave the Virginians a hard-earned victory.
The battle of Point Pleasant has sometimes been called the first engagement of the American Revolution, but this is hardly the case. Great Britain was in no way involved, as the Indians were fighting on their own initiative to defend their lands against the aggressions of the
frontiersmen. Nor were the latter conscious of upholding the American cause against the mother country, particularly since a royal governor had called them to arms. It was rather the beginning of another chapter in the long struggle of the Indians to protect their lands against the unceasing
pressure of the colonist. Not until Wayne's victory in 1794 was the contest for the Northwest terminated. However, Point Pleasant was long celebrated in frontier annals for the heroic deeds of the participants. Stories and ballads recited around the fireplaces of log cabins made the battle take on an epic character to the generation that listened to the firside chronicles...."
The history of the Rangers also continues in the American Revolution when the Continental Congress created a "Corps of Rangers," who were to be "sharpshooters." Variously known as the "Ranger Corps," "Partisan Corps," or "Rifle Corps," but more overtime commonly called Morgan's Riflemen, this unit compiled a spectacular record scarcely excelled by any regiment in the Continental Army. Morgan's rifleman/rangers were a group of hand-picked "sharpshooters." They were regarded by Washington as "chosen men, selected from the army at large, well acquainted with the use of rifles, and with that mode of fighting which is necessary to make them a good counterpoise to the Indian." (Quotation from Battles of the American Revolution by Curt Johnson)....In 1775, the Continental Congress called into service ten companies of riflemen to be raised in the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Continual reorganization reshuffled these units, but the Pennsylvania contingent effectively comprised the 1st Continental Regiment of the United States Army. Later, under the command of Daniel Morgan, riflemen volunteered for the epic march which failed in its attempt to capture Quebec, despite the courageous attempts by Morgan to take the city. Upon exchange Morgan was soon asked by General Washington to form a special Corps of select riflemen. Morgan scoured the army and selected 500 of the best marksmen for his corps. Later his leadership would place Morgan as one, if not the, most successful field leader of the American Revolution - but definately the least remembered. History has not been kind to the "Old Wagoner" or to the men that served under him in the siege of Boston, in the assault on Quebec, the destruction of Burgoyne's army at Saratoga, and his devastating defeat of Banester Tarleton at the Battle of Cowpen's."
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~morgansociety/david.htm
http://jrshelby.com/kimocowp/morgan.htm
http://www.nps.gov/cowp/dmorgan.htm
http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/pcoll/57morgan/
http://web.a-znet.com/aepalmer/morgan.htm
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~akagln/morgansregiment_samuel.html
Larry Gorecki in his article "The necessary considerations of emulating an American rifleman during the Revolutionary War" discusses riflemen in terms of distinct time periods:
a. 1775-76 Early War: Rifle Companies formed by the Colonies of Pennsylvania. Maryland and Virginia for duty in Massachusetts and the early northern battles.
b. 1777-1779 Transitional Period: Rifle Companies going from under their State control to the control of the Continental Congress.
c. 1780 through 1783 The Last Remaining Riflemen: These are the rifle units/ militia units carrying rifles who fought predominately in the Southern Campaign: Tennessee, Virginia and mostly in the Carolinas.
While not a Rifle Unit per se - the exploits of George Rogers Clark and his Virginia State Illinois Regiment must be mentioned if only for the extraordinary feat of arms they accomplished under his brilliant leadership and their undaunted courage and perseverance. Receiving two sets of orders from the Governor: one public, stating that Clark's regiment was for the defense of Kentucky, the other, private, directing the capture of Kaskaskia and its surrounding towns, along with all artillery and stores,Clark raised 175 men in four different companies. Originally titled the Corp of Volunteers the unit was raised for just one operation, to strike deep behind enemy line and secure the enemy lines of communication and supply, and kill as many of the enemy as possible in the process. After capturing British posts at Kaskaskia and Cahokia on the Mississippi River and Vincennes on the Wabash River, British Lieutenant Governor Hamilton responded by marching from Detroit and recapturing Vincennes. In turn, Clark then took fewer than 200 men on foot across 175 miles of flooded, frozen plains to recapture the British fort; a move so daring in concept and execution, it is considered one of the boldest in American military history. Only hardened American frontiersman,"Long Knives," boldy and ingeniously led, could have accomplished such a task in the dead of winter!
From Pat Alderman,The Overmountain Men: "The Long Hunters period of the 1760's was one of adventure and exploration, During this ten-year period the frontier farmers, who were hunters by necessity, used the meat for food and pelts for trade. They traveled far and deep into the mountain wilderness. land companies were soon employing these hunters as guides for their surveyprs, in plotting new country for settlement or speculation. Daniel Boone was employed by the Henderson Company on more than one occasion for such work. boone and other hunters, returning home from these early hunting trips into the Overmountain country, soon spread the news of the wonderful land across the hills. They told of the thundering herds of buffalo furred animals of all kinds, forests full of deer. Many adventuresome young hunters were soon packing their traps and provisions and heading for this uninahbited hunter's paradise. they would remain on these hunts for a year or more and, because of their long stay or absence, were called Long Hunters. Rifles, hunting knives, traps, blankets, dogs and a pack horse made up their equipment. These hunters lived and hunted much in the same manner as the Indians. Their customary dress was the long hunting shirt, leather breeches and leggins, mocassins and a cap made from a small animal's skin. The pelts brought back were used for barter and trade. A good hunter could make more a a year's hunt than he could farming."
From Longhunter's 18th Century Camp Site (original spelling):"The Longhunters were the first true Americian Frontersman to go beond the Blue Ridge Mountains! They broke treaties and laws so they could trespass and poach game on Indian land.Most Longhunters-although they adopeted Indian dress and skills-despised there native peers as competitors and foes and were prone to shoot them on sight....Most Longhunters were plain, poor men seeking relief from debt, land, and a way to feed hungry mouths. They did not care to "civilize" the west, just to make money in deer skins and fur! English explorer and Writer William Byrd remarked of the borderland North Carolinians,"The men impose all the work upon the poor women.....They lye and snore, till the sun has run one third its course.....Thus they loiter away there lives, like Soloman's Sluggard, with there arms across, and at the winding of the year scarcely have bread to eat". David Barrow a Methodist Preacher warned his flock that men ensnarled in the hunter's life were "always indigent, always ignorant, always idle.(My wife would agree!!)There poverty, there whole condition, is there vice. "Few got rich from hunting. James Wade said to Reverand John D. Shane,"I never knew anyone to make anything or to do well hunting. The love of the chase became a ruleing and absorbing passion. Wade swore he would never have amounted to anything if he had not sold his rifle and been forced to farm." Yet a Longhunter could, Barring calimity, earn more than $1000 a year-a big sum for the day!"
School of the Longhunter
Keep On Trekking with Granny Lin - Unparalleled Coverage/Photos of all aspects of Trekking
Field-Dressing Made Simple - Jim Zumbo
Wild Billy's Frontier Cabin
Josiah Parker's 18th c. Cyber-Cabin pages on various aspects: muzzleloading, making camp, toting gear, etc.
Walks in the Shadows Historical Interpreter scout and longhunter
from the Long Hunter Sketchbook - Dr. James Hanson:
Overmountain Men By Doris Gove
Adapted from Exploring the Appalachian Trail: Hikes in the Southern Appalachians
by Doris Gove
"The Overmountain Men were colonists who defied King George's 1763 proclamation that English settlers must stay east of the mountains. Sixteen families settled in Sycamore Shoals, Tennessee, negotiated the Transylvania Purchase—a 20-million-acre real estate deal with the Cherokee—and established the first democratic government on this continent in 1772. (Not all Cherokees agreed to the deal; Chief Dragging Canoe besieged Fort Watauga, the first of many conflicts that didn't end until the forced removal of the Cherokee in 1838. During the siege, John Sevier—-nicknamed Nolichucky Jack—saved a young woman named Bonny Kate by pulling her over the fort wall; they later married.) On September 7, 1780, during the Revolutionary War, a troop of Overmountain Men led by John Sevier passed through this gap on their way from Sycamore Shoals, Tennessee, to King's Mountain, South Carolina. They defeated the southern flank of the British Army under Colonel Ferguson, freeing the south from British domination and allowing General Washington to focus his attention on the North. More details on the Overmountain Men (and women) can be found at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area in Elizabethton (pronounced with the emphasis on"beth"), Tennessee." from "Turning Point in the Wilderness" MHQ: Quarterly Journal of Military History Article Archive - By Tom Wicker
"They were strong, mostly gaunt men in doeskins, perhaps a thousand of them, with knives at their belts and long huntsmen's rifles across their saddle horns. They rode from beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains--the western edge of civilization in eighteenth-century North America--from the valleys of such fabled rivers as the Watauga, the Holston, and the Nolichucky; from backwater farms and fields unknown to most Americans; from far beyond the authority of
King George III, whose subjects they were in name only. They valued home, family, and neighbor more than a newborn nation that existed scarcely more in fact than in their hearts. They were ready and some were eager to fight, less for the abstraction of national freedom than for their property and the physical safety of wives and children. Above all, because they had had to learn on a
savage frontier to stand up for themselves, they were bound in risk,hardship, and endurance by hatred of a tangible and mounting threat....The British victory at Charleston had emboldened many southern Loyalists to take up arms. Backwoods Patriots were aroused to fury by the British invaders and by the activities of their Tory allies. In defense of their homes, fields, and sometimes even in the cause of independence, small bands of them--under the skilled leadership of men like Lt. Col. Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox," and Brig. Gen. Thomas Sumter, the "Carolina Gamecock"--waged an effective guerrilla war....Tarleton and Ferguson were special objects of patriotic hatred....Ferguson was sent by the commanding general to the frontier outpost of Ninety-Six, so named because it was ninety-six miles from an important Indian town on the Keowee River, to rally local Tories to the cause. Ferguson was very successful at raising Tory volunteers because he was an effective leader with the knack of winning the affections of his forces. He soon had his new troops organized into thoroughly drilled and disciplined military units, especially effective with the bayonet. To his original force of about one hundred men--all Tories drawn from the King's American Rangers, the New Jersey Volunteers, and the Loyal American Regiment--Ferguson was able to add a thousand Loyalist backwoodsmen. He was the only British regular in his entire force of about eleven hundred...Eventually, Ferguson penetrated as far north as Gilbert Town (now Rutherfordton) in North Carolina, a hamlet known as a gathering place for Patriots. There he learned
from spies that what they wildly exaggerated as three thousand backwoodsmen were gathering to march against him from "over the mountain"--in what is now Tennessee. Ferguson had come to hate the guerrillas with whom he had been so fiercely and unconventionally fighting. He also believed he wasleading a historic campaign that ultimately would make his military reputation and perhaps his private fortune. He must have allowed such dreams and his vanity to get the better of him, because he arrogantly sent the reputed over the mountain gathering a fiery written warning that if they did not cease opposition to King George III, he would "hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword." Throwing down the gauntlet like that did not sit well with the
independent mountain men who were gathering to resist him. Among the leaders of the gathering Patriot army were such men as Issac Shelby(later the first governor of Kentucky) and John Sevier ("NolichuckyJack," later the first governor of Tennessee). By September 25,1780, about one thousand fighting men from Kentucky, North Carolina,Tennessee, and Virginia--all itching to give Patrick Ferguson a lesson in manners and warfare--had assembled at Sycamore Springs on the Watauga River. Most were mounted; all were armed, and not just with rifles, pistols, and knives...Armed with their weapons and faith, the over the mountain army--leaving a reluctant contingent to guard houses and farms--marched eastward by companies on September 26. In five days,sometimes through early snow, they covered ninety miles over the Blue Ridge Mountains to Quaker Meadows on the Catawba River in North Carolina. There, 350 additional fighting men joined them. Then the column pushed on toward Gilbert Town, eating mostly parched corn and raw turnips, encountering once a violent rainstorm....Ferguson--well informed of the column's approach but wrongly believing he was greatly outnumbered--had moved east toward Charlotte, North Carolina, and Cornwallis' main force. On October 5,he was only fifty miles from both, at Tate's plantation.....there,he appealed to Cornwallis for "three or four hundred good soldiers,part dragoons" to help finish off the "set of mongrels" moving to attack him. For some reason, Cornwallis did not receive this request in time, and from Tate's the Scotsman led his Tory army northeastward to what he apparently considered an impregnable position on top of King's Mountain.
The "mountain" really was not much more than a thickly forested hill...Confident that attackers would not be able to fight their way up the steep, wooded slopes of the mountain under fire, and perhaps too reliant on his bayonet-trained troops, Ferguson disdained to cut down trees for barricades....The attackers were loosely organized backwoodsmen not much given to discipline, tactics, or strategy--especially of the European variety. However, owing in part to Ferguson's overconfidence in his troops, as well as the rain that had prevented dust from betraying its approach, the over the mountain army had the advantage of surprise, and their leaders had formed a general plan of assault. Campbell's and Shelby's men (Virginians, Tennesseans, and North Carolinians) would attack first, on both sides of the southwestern end of the ridge, while the rest of the force encircled the northeastern slopes, taking position for later attack. According to legend, Old Round About signaled the advance with a stentorian roar, "Shout like hell and fight like devils!" That was easier said than done, as Campbell's backwoodsmen soon learned. They dodged up the slope from tree to rock to tree like the Indians from whom they had learned tactics, but Ferguson's well-trained force on the hilltop let loose a volley, remembered by one Patriot attacker as "one long sulfurous blaze." Other such volleys quickly followed. The timber and rocks gave the attackers cover, and much of the plunging fire passed harmlessly over their heads, but the Tories then launched a bayonet charge down the hillside. Cold steel is a feared weapon, especially for untrained men, and Campbell's attackers quickly fell back. But from the base of the hill they broke the Tory attack with precise individual fire from their long hunting rifles. At about this time, Isaac Shelby's and John Sevier's men, arranged opposite William Campbell's on the facing southern slope, started toward the crest. They met the same type of opposition--volleys and a bayonet charge--and also retreated. They, too, halted at the foot of the hill to break the Loyalist attack with their marksmanship. Then Campbell's men, egged on by their burly leader, attacked again,with the same result. Then it was Sevier's turn for a second,unsuccessful try, then Shelby's. Ferguson's whistle blasts were ringing over the hillsides. Meanwhile, however, Patriot forces sheltered behind trees and rocks were pouring in an "irregular and destructive fire" that took a deadly toll in the Scotsmen's ranks. At about this time, "the fight...seemed to become furious," .... Patriots in position at the northern end of King's Mountain were attacking upits steep slopes. When the attack on the northwestern slopes opened against Ferguson,however, he was forced to defend all sides of the crest at once. Hecould not do it, having neither the manpower nor clear fields of fire. Patriot fighters swarmed up the forested hillsides all around Ferguson's suddenly vulnerable position, yelling like Indians,ducking from massive trees to huge boulders, pausing only to fire with deadly hunters' marksmanship into the defenders' ranks. With support from the northern end, Sevier's, Campbell's, and Shelby's forces attacked the southwestern slopes again, finally gaining the summit. Cleveland and other attackers soon poured over the northeastern crest, too, taking the defenders in rear and flank.
Though Ferguson's position was now desperate and he was urged by subordinates to surrender and avoid further bloodshed, the undaunted Scotsman continued the battle--his vanity and his contempt for his backwoods opponents perhaps deluding him, even then, into believing that somehow he might still win the battle. As a result of his tenacity, some of the day's hardest-fought and bloodiest action took place on the crest of King's Mountain after it was overrun. Participants for years remembered pandemonium: the shrill blasts of Ferguson's whistle mingled with backwoodsmen's loud yells, the roar of hundreds of blazing guns, shouts of command, pain and fear, and a thick sulfuric fog from black powder that hung over the battle,blinding and smothering Patriot and Loyalist alike. Only the dead were oblivious. Apparently, even Patrick Ferguson finally realized that the battle was irretrievably lost. Two horses were shot from under him, but he mounted another and with two companions attempted to cut his way through the encircling Patriots. He wore a checkered hunting shirt,clasped his famed whistle in his teeth, and wielded his sword withhis left hand, a wound at the Battle of Brandywine having cost him the use of his right arm. It may have been spectacular, but like his futile stand on the crest, Ferguson's dash through the Patriot lines soon came to an ignominious end. Crack frontier riflemen quickly brought him and his two companions down--igniting a brisk debate in the over the mountain army and among later myth-makers as to which rifleman,from what unit, fired the shot that actually killed the Scotsman. That has never been settled, but as Ferguson fell from his horse, his foot caught in a stirrup, and he was dragged around a circle of victorious backwoodsmen. "It is very likely," wrote Pat Alderman in 1968 in a detailed account of the battle, "that many shots were fired into the body during this episode." Ferguson was a hated man, Tarleton's massacre at Waxhaw was well remembered, the backwoods war was at its savage height, the victorious Patriots' blood was up, and in the heat of a desperate battle that would not have been the only vengeful act committed by the King's aroused opponents. When, for instance, the defeated and demoralized Tory survivors finally were herded into an area only about sixty yards long, Ferguson's second-in-command, Captain Abraham DePeyster, waved a white flag of surrender, and many of the frightened Loyalists called out for mercy. But the Patriot fire continued, and numerous Tories died with their hands in the air. One Patriot reported to have shot men who had already surrendered was John Sevier, who believed at the time that Tory raiders had killed his father. Lack of adequate communication between units, and between officers and men, aggravated the Patriots' thirst for revenge. Finally, Colonels Shelby and Campbell managed to halt the shooting and restore a semblance of order. Later, as the Patriot army began to separate into its regional units, thirty-six Tory prisoners were court-martialed for various acts of alleged lawlessness and, after a day-long trial, sentenced to death. On October 14, at Bickerstaff's Farm in North Carolina(Captain Aaron Bickerstaff, a Tory, died at King's Mountain), nine of the condemned men were strung up from a limb of an oak known for years afterwards as the "Gallows Tree." However, after one of the condemned men made a daring escape, Shelby, Sevier, and some of the other officers put a stop to the executions. As is common in warfare, a night of horror followed the Patriot victory. There was no hospital, but makeshift litters were fashioned from tent cloth. Water from the spring and a captured keg of rum were available for the wounded, and one British surgeon had lived to treat survivors on both sides with the primitive medical skills of the time. The possibility of a counterattack by Tarleton's Dragoons added fear to the Patriots'--and hope to the prisoners'--sleepless night. Casualty figures are unreliable at best, since the over the mountain army kept no formal rolls and British figures are disputed. A monument erected by the American government on the crest of King's Mountain lists the names of 29 Patriots killed, four mortally wounded, 34 wounded, and 24 unknown. Ferguson appears from British Army returns to have commanded 1,187 men, of whom more than 150 were killed, about the same wounded, and 810 captured. Various accounts use slightly different figures. On the morning of October 8, still fearful of an attack by the dreaded Tarleton, the victorious army, leaving burial parties behind, was quickly on the march. Encumbered by a large body of walking prisoners, the army plodded westward for several days. Many of the wounded were left in Patriot houses along the way. Not until late on the night of October 15, on the west bank of the Catawba River, after a march of thirty-two miles, could the victors of King's Mountain relax and rest. A rain-swollen stream was between them and what they still feared was Tarleton's pursuit. The next day, their mission accomplished, the various units began to depart for home. A mix of detachments escorted the dwindling band of Loyalist prisoners to the Yadkin River valley and down it toward the headquarters of General Gates. At Bethabara, a Moravian town near Salem, North Carolina, Campbell and Shelby departed for home. They left the three hundred remaining prisoners in charge of Colonel Cleveland. Ultimately, about two hundred Tories taken prisoner at the battle were delivered to General Gates. The rest, perhaps six hundred--all Americans--had escaped, were dead of sundry natural causes, had disappeared, or in many cases had been murdered while in Patriot hands. In strangely similar fashion, the over the mountain army all but vanished into legend. But it was no myth. It was formed to meet a specific threat. A fighting force that belied its lack of training and discipline, it vanquished Ferguson's trained Loyalists as intended, then melted into the backwoods from which it had come....at King's Mountain one of history's most savage battles among neighbors came to a bloody and tragic resolution. Southern Tories never again rose in arms as significant supporters of King George's cause in America,while Patriots everywhere were emboldened to continue fighting. Here, too, at Patrick Ferguson's stone-strewn grave, began the long British descent toward final defeat in 1781. A thunderstruck and fever-ridden Cornwallis, his left wing and his high hopes destroyed by the over the mountain army, retreated into South Carolina as a result of what Sir Henry Clinton called "the first link of a chain of evils" that ended in "the total loss of America.""
The Battle of
King's Mountain, 7 Oct 1780The Patriot Army at King's MountainEarly Ranger History
Rangers in the War of 1812
Most "traditional" ranger histories pay lip service - one or two sentences - to the Rangers of the War of 1812 period and the US Mounterd Ranger Battalion of 1832 (that paved the way to a Dragoon/Cavalry arm)and sometimes not even that. It reads like this:
"During the War of 1812, Congress called for the Rangers to serve on the frontier. The December 28, 1813, Army Register lists officers for 12 companies of Rangers."
Or another source with a little more length, but erroneous information: "Several independent companies of United States Rangers were raised from among the frontier settlers as part of the regular army. Throughout the war, they patrolled the frontier from Ohio to Western Illinois on horseback and by boat. They participated in many skirmishes and battles with the British and their Indian allies. Several companies were also raised by frontier states (in the present Midwest)- sua aponte.com"
What can be found at the national archives: "..Congress authorized the President to increase the size of the Regular Military Establishment, to accept and organize volunteers, to raise units of Rangers (as US Volunteers) and Sea Fencibles, and to create a Flotilla Service. The Ranger units were raised for the protection of the frontier along the Mississippi River and adjacent States. The Sea Fencibles was the first organization of the U. S. Army charged exclusively with coastal defense. With the Flotilla Service, the Sea Fencibles protected ports, habors and the coast. Many of the War of 1812 volunteer units were mustered into service for short periods (30, 60, 90, and 120 days, and 6, 9 and 12 months.) Consequently, many people served more than one enlistment. There may be two or more records for the same soldier." - War of 1812 Military Records at the National Archives
A cursory look into uniform and weaponry yielded:
"There was a Mounted Ranger Battalion of ten companies. They were equipped with plain green hunting smocks and trousers, a Tarleton helmet with a black roach, green turbaning and a green plumette on the left, and black crossbelts and leather equipment. They were issued rifles, and officers and NCO's wore sabres as well." - (lost web site)
"There were also several battalions of Rangers serving on foot. The main difference between their
issue and that of the Mounted Rangers was that the dismounted Rangers wore wide brimmed hats and
were issued muskets and bayonets." http://www.cmhweb.org/news/2001/200103.pdf
"Typical Ranger accoutrements consisted of a rifle, knife and tomahawk and each man carried with him his own supply of provisions (Dillon)."
Having acknowledged the not unexpected basic "ranger" look, a harder search for organizational data is undertaken:
War of 1812 histories are woefully inadequate when it comes to a study of Army organization, so it is no wonder that Rangers are scarcely mentioned, let alone studied:
For example, Gilpin in "The War of 1812 in the Old Northwest" gives Rangers 2 brief comments - on page 34 he notes that 5 companies were raised of the 6 that were called for by Congress in January 1812. Elting in "Amateurs to Arms",sites the same 6 company call-up. Katcher in Osprey MAA The American War 1812-1814 fails to mention them..and Kochan in the follow up MAA 345 The United States Army 1812-1815 cites the 6 company formation (foot and mounted) and the 25 February 1813 call for 10 more Ranger companies. Neither mentions the 35th and it is absent from the table on page 16 in Kachan. Katcher's "Armies of the American Wars 1755-1815" mentions the President call-up of 17 ranger companies on p.115.
An official Army history pointedly assesses: "Early in 1814 four more infantry regiments and three more regiments of riflemen were constituted. Finally, therefore, forty-eight infantry regiments, numbered from the 1st to the 48th, came into being, plus four rifle regiments, the 1st through the 4th. This was the greatest number of infantry units included in the Regular Army until the world wars of the twentieth century. (my underline)" - Army Lineage Series Infantry Pt I
Note the distinction "Regular Army" and the absence of mention of Rangers.
The curious Listing:
Years ago, from Bryan Phillip's highly detailed SpecOps chronology now gone from the web (http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/1738/specops2_frame.html)
I obtained this curious listing:
3.2. Col. Russell’s 17th U.S. Regiment of Rangers.
I should have investigated into the 17th at that time.
After reserach, I annotated the following "By the end of War of 1812 period, the Regular army of the United States had a maximum strength of two regiments of dragoons, a regiment of mounted rangers, sixty battalions of line infantry, six battalions of light infantry, three battalions of Rangers, five battalions of rifles (formed into the 1st-34th, 36th -44th Infantry regiments, 35th Infantry {ranger} regiment, 45th - 48th Infantry {light} regiments, and 1st - 4th Rifle regiments), twelve battalions of the corps of artillery, each of four companies, and a ten-company regiment of light (horse) artillery.- Katcher and various" so I revised Phillip's table as shown:
United States Army Rangers - War of 1812
1812-1815 - Three battalions of Rangers (12 companies)
1812-1815 - Regiment of Mounted Rangers - 17th U.S. Regiment of Rangers
1812-1815 - 35th Infantry {Ranger} Regiment
A normal regiment of the day was 10 companies. So the above list tantalizingly breaks out to, more or less, 32* line companies of US Rangers or slightly more than THREE FULL REGIMENTS OF RANGERS (two purportedly organized as such by name) or TWO plus REGIMENTS of today's RANGERS. Given that units throughout the war were manned somewhere between 1/3rd and 2/3rds full** - that still probably leaves it as the most sizeable force of RANGERS ever planned for at one time!***
*WWII = 6 companies x 6 Battalion = 36 Companies - Today's Ranger Regiment = 4 Ranger Companies x 3 Battalions - 12 companies Regiment today)
**WWII Ranger companies averaged 65 men. As early as 1811 and at least by 1813 the "western" states and territories (Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri etc.) had each called into service companies of mounted rangers each consisting of about one hundred (100) men.
***the Ranger Force's 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions ceased to exist after Cisterna in January 1944, the 4th Battalion was subsequently deactivated and merged into the 1st Special Service Force. The 2nd, 5th, and 6th fought through to VE/VJ day.
In searching Congressional "Military" documents at the American State Papers 1789 to 1838 I found these three pieces of "ranger" information:
see full imaged documents for 1813 Regimental Recruting and 1814 strength and disposition of forces atWar of 1812 - US Army Infantry, Rangers & Riflemen
Yet, obviously, organizational schemes and numbers alone, however, do not tell us enough about this early Ranger "force" (all three Ranger organizations listed above).
In the case of the the 35th Infantry (Ranger) Regiment, although the table lists that it was superintended for recruiting by Colonel Goodwyn with a principle rendezvous at Petersburg Virginia, By July of 1814 it was vicinity of Norfolk, manned as shown, with an unstated effective strength since the aggregate given for it and the 20th Inf plus the 1st battalion of the 38th Inf = 873). By October its recruited strength was 565 all ranks. I have yet to find mention of its RANGER composition or capability. Location vicinity Norfolk does not suggest "Ranger-style" country, but recall also the 22 June 1813 Battle of Craney Island at nearby Portsmouth, a decisive victory. The battle saved the city of Norfolk, Virginia from British invasion. The British followed up with the sacking and raping (literal) of Hampton, June 25, 1813, and 18 months later the burning of Washington, August 25, 1814. The 35th's location was thus well-considered. NARA states that "the 12th, 20th, and 35th infantry regiments were recruited from Virginia," and its 98.3.2 Records of infantry units shows Company and order books available on the 35th.
A search at American State Papers yields numerous individual officer assignment and promotion mentions for the "35th Infantry" or "Thirty-Fifth Infantr" - see below - but no mention (not unexpected) of a "Ranger" officer distinction.
Indeed, the 35th "Ranger Regiment" and the "Corps of Rangers" may never have been completely formed, judging by the following CMH's ARMY LINEAGE SERIES, INFANTRY Part I - "..A mighty effort was made in 1814 to raise the Army to strength, and nearly 27,000 men came in, but in spite of this, four of the regiments had to be consolidated because they were too small. The 17th, 19th, 26th, and 27th were joined to form a new 17th and a new 19th, while the two highest numbered, the 47th and 48th, were redesignated the 27th and 26th, respectively."
As for the Mounted Ranger Regiment I had no firm leads until today (March 2006).
With some targeted cluster searching on Vivismo (something the so-called ranger historians have been unwilling to do - probably in their rush to get to Confederate Mosby)and some leads from unexpected sources, the following can be put forth on the Mounted Ranger Regiment(in the order in which I found it):
The Search:
I found a posting from Shawn Banks(a re-enactor in Co A, Ranger 17th Illinois Territory): "...(my unit)was created by an act of Congress in 1811 to deal with Indan attacks and English encroachment...Ten companies of mounted rangers were dispatched under the command of Col. William Russell. Six of the companies were garrisoned, the rest became roving bands, patrolling the territory. Our research concluded that the companies lasted about three years, disbanding because they had yet to be paid for their services rendered or the equpment & horses they provided....started as a "federal" regiment. By the time they got to the Illinois Territory, discipline had become somewhat lacks. Many had traded cloth pants for buckskin, because of brambles and underbrush. An observer wrote that they were ranther rag-tag but that they "all had cocked hats made of wolf hair." Banks(a social studies teacher) later elaborates "The rangers were an idea of President Madison. Ninian Edwards had sent several dispatches to Madison and the Sec. of War, Wm. Eustis about the numerous indian attacks happening throughout southern Illinois territory. Edwards stated in one dispatch "No troops of any kind have yet to arrive in this territory, and I think you may count on hearing of a bloody stroke on us soon. I have been extremely reluctant to send my family away but, unless I hear shortly of more assistance than a few rangers, I shall bury my papers in the ground, send my family off, and stand my ground..." Aug 4, 1812. Madison had created the earlier mentioned 10 companies of rangers, i.e. mounted riflemen. The rangers would be like special forces, operating and patroling independenly of other federal troops. "The men would furnish their own equipment, horses, food and clothing. They would not be dependent on military stores in any way. The pay would be one dollar a day and the men would scout the frontier in Illinois and Indiana until the indian trouble came to a close." (Bonham, 411) They were to be commanded by Col. Wm. Russell of the 7th Regiment out of Kentucky. Russell to a fairly long time to organize and move into the territory. In their first engagements, they took the Indians by suprise, as they were not dressed as regulars, and they acted without commands. Each ranger had specific duties that were coordinated in advance as to not take the time during the battle. Their attack was swift and seemingly, to the indians, disorganized. The tribes became confused and were repelled on several occasions. This type of troop movement was effective however, it was not very reasonable in an accounting sense. You have guys roaming about the frontier, getting paid a dollar a day. They didn't have time clocks or a place to go that was keeping track of all their pay. So, the rangers began to realize that this was not working in their favor and many of the units collapsed."
In response, board moderator Robert Braun provided the critical follow-up research:
"I also consulted some of my sources. Rene Chartrand only has a brief mention (one paragraph) in his Uniforms and Equipment of United States Forces in the War of 1812. In Frontier Illinois, author James E. Davis did a little better. He devoted a couple of paragraphs to the Ranger unit on pp. 135-6, and mentioned Samuel Whitesides-- future Black Haw War militia general-- and militia private! Regarding the question of "militia' vs. "Regular," I might venture an assessment:
1. Souces agree that the "Rangers" were raised as the "17th United States Regiment" by an act of Congress, circa 1811. (This unit should not be confused with the 17th Regiment of U. S. Infantry, which served differently than the "Ranger" regiment);
2. They are officered by William Russell, a Revolutionary War officer, war hero, and a Regular Army colonel from Kentucky;
3. Pay was to be drawn from the Federal government;
4. The authorization to recruit and train additional companies came from the Federal government, not the territory-- regardless of Gov. Ninian Edwards' desire for protection in the territory.
While the regiment raised and trained additional companies from the territory, it is clear to me that this authority came from the federal government, with the full cooperation of the Edwards' territorial government. In short-- the 17th Rgiment was and remained a Federal "Regular" regiment . It may have had territorial men in its ranks and had the full faith and confidence of Gov. Ninian Edwards, the regiment was beholded to the federal authorities as a Regular Regiment-- however tenuous that authoirity may have been in territorial Illinois... and however "irregularly" the companies of the regiment may have behaved and fought. This situation is VERY similar to the raising of the U. S. Ranger battalion under Colonel Henry Dodge in 1832. While this battalion raised and trained many territorial and state men in its companies (who were armed, equipped and horsed on their "own hook") the authority and pay came from the Federal Government.- Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, Volume XI Illinois Militia, Rangers & Riflemen 1810-1813 Pg. 8-26
"Although Governor EDWARDS had several times during the years of 1811 and 1812 recommended to the Secretary of War the enlistment of one or more companies of "Rangers," to protect the frontier, and Congress having, in 1811, passed an act authorizing the organization of ten companies of rangers, which were afterward organized as the 17th United States Regiment, under Colonel William RUSSELL, of Kentucky, an Indian fighter of bravery and experience, it does not appear that more than one Company was recruited in the Illinois Territory. DAVIDSON and STUVE say in their History, in reference to this force: "Four companies were allotted to the defense of Illinois, whose respective Captains were Samuel and William B. WHITESIDES, James B. MOORE and Jacob SHORT. Independent Cavalry Companies were also organized for the protection of the remote settlements in the lower Wabash country, of which Willis HARGRAVE, William MCHENRY, Nathaniel JOURNEY, Captain CRAIG, at Shawneetown, and William BOON, on Big Muddy, were respectively commanders, ready, on short notice of Indian outrages, to make pursuit of the deprecator. (D. and S. Hist. Ill., p. 249.) We are, however, of the opinion that there must have been some mistake about the fact alleged of four companies of the 17th Regiment being from Illinois, as, of the Captains mentioned, we have evidence that Samuel WHITESIDES, James B. MOORE and Jacob SHORT were commanding Companies of Militia at the time, in the service of the Governor of the Territory, all belonging to the Regiment which WILLIAM WHITESIDE, as Lieutenant Colonel, was then commanding (the 2nd Regiment Ter. Militia). The organization and size of this command appear from a regimental return, on file in this office, bearing date of September 16, 1812, which was no doubt made out at Camp Russell (note: a mile and a half northwest of the present town of Edwardsville, in Madison county, in honor of the Colonel, the commander of the Regiment of Rangers. (D. and S. Hist., pp. 249-250.)), signed by Lieutenant Colonel William WHITESIDE, Commanding, and Elihu MATHER, Adjutant,:
"
see also reference to Record of the service of the Illinois Militia, Rangers and Rifleman,in protection the Frontier from The Ravages of the Indians from 1810 to 1814 found at (JOHN WILKINSON HEWITT/HUITT, SR. FAMILY GENEALOGY and HISTORY DATABASE Donated by William D.Huitt)
Lost and Found!! -- THE FIRST* US RANGER REGIMENT -- formed in 1811!!!!!!
Nafziger Collection - American Army 1781-1811 claims even earlier!
790UXXA: Rangers Formed to Defend the Western US Frontier, 1790 - 1 pg
*791UXXA: Organization of US Ranger Regiment Raised in 1791 - 1 pg
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Letter from N. Edwards regarding Illinois Rangers Nathan Boone's Captain of Mounted Rangers Nathan Boone's Mounted Rangers - Muster Roll War of 1812 Captain Nathan Boone's Company of Missouri Ranger Capt. James Callaway & His Rangers Mungers Rangers - War of 1812>US Rifle Regiments
"(Also)...the United States Army realized the usefulness of troops that operate in unconventional tactics and using rifles which are more accurate and useful at greater distances. In 1799, Congress authorized the formation of a regiment of soldiers that were to be a specialized unit that would use the more accurate rifle and tactics that did not constrict them to the common linear battle line. However, it wasn't until 1808 that funds were granted to actually raise such a body of troops. With the funds allocated, The First Regiment of United States Riflemen was born. Originally known as simply "The Regiment of Riflemen", they were issued the model 1803 rifle and uniforms that were unique from all other U.S. military uniforms. The summer uniform was a style of hunting frock that was green with yellow fringe. For winter and dress, a yellow trimmed green wool coatee and trousers were issued similar in pattern to other troops. Most of the rest of their uniform was the same as other troops but using their own insignia where appropriate. In 1814, due to cost, difficulty of obtaining the green wool and the prospect of having to uniform three more regiments, the winter uniform was changed to gray. But they retained their summer uniform green and yellow frocks. Their accoutrements, differing from the Infantry, included a waist belt from which they mounted a linen cartridge in the front, an axe or tomahawk, and scalping knife which were "not necessarily issue items". After several months, the linen cartridge pouches were literally falling apart and would not hold up under use. Shortly thereafter, a leather belly box was adopted. In addition to these items, the Riflemen carried the common issue haversack, canteen and knapsack of other troops. But this isn't the only items they were issued. In addition to the belly box for the carrying of cartridges, the Riflemen also carried a bullet pouch (a similar hunting bag) and a powder horn. Tactics and missions for Riflemen were varied. Although they were required to know and could be called to fall in to the battle line with the Infantry, they were contemporary guerilla fighters borrowing tactics from the Light Infantry and even Indians. They were consistently sent ahead as an advance guard, then stayed behind to cover the rear flank. The first in the field and last out. In battle, they were advanced to mask their own troops by spreading across the battle field and flanks, and to harass and disrupt enemy movements and positioning. Their mission was generally to snipe and kill the officers, NCOs and musicians. When their own troops were in position and ready, the signal would be given to unmask and they would retire to either the reserve or form flank on the battle line and attack with the Infantry or continue to harass the enemy. They were cunning soldiers to frequently face an enemy many times their number. Their success depended on speed and daring. Riflemen were dispatched as scouts. Running advanced patrols to guide a troop movement. They were also used as flank guards, spread out around the main body of troops marching in column to protect from surprise attack and again guiding the main body through the easiest area to traverse. While operating independently, typical movement would be in "Indian File" and moving at "Indian Pace". Basically, their movements were by file of one or two stepping at a trot."
"With the outbreak of war in 1812, it was believed that the Riflemen would be very valuable in most theaters of operation. So much so that in 1813, three more regiments were authorized and in early 1814 were recruited and raised. Normally being detached to other regiments by companies or platoons, they performed well in their unusual missions. Although the Second and Third Regiments did not see much in the way of action, the (now numbered) First and Fourth Regiments were very active, especially in the Niagara Campaigns of 1814."
Fort Atkinson - 1st Rifles
"The Regiment of Riflemen was unquestionably the most effective infantry formation fielded by the United States in the War of 1812...Accurate weapons, a soaring esprit de corps and inspired leadership.... all resulted in consistently superior performance." "At Conjocta Creek, the skill in planning and the firmness in the execution by the riflemen defeated the designs of the British and saved the entire American army." "Where can you find troops more efficient than Morgan's riflemen of the Revolution or Forsyth's riflemen of the last war with Great Britain? - army officer before Congressional investigation to disband the US Rifle Regiment."- excerpts form Green Coats and Glory by John C. Fredriksen, Ph.D.
"In 1831 uprisings by the Menominees at Prairie du Chien in the Northwest Territory and by Black Hawk's band at Rock Island, Illinois, provided tangible evidence of the need for an Army capable of tracking down and pursuing the Indians beyond their usual haunts. Finally, in June 1832, Congress authorized the organization of a Battalion of Mounted Rangers for defense of the frontier. Some 600 hardy frontiersmen were brought together. Experience with this battalion proved the value of a mounted force, but it also indicated the importance of having the force properly trained and disciplined. As a result, on 2 March 1833 Congress authorized a regiment of dragoons in lieu of the Battalion of Mounted Rangers." - from the ARMY LINEAGE SERIES ARMOR-CAVALRY and INFANTRY
"The formation of the Ranger Battalion served several purposes. They showed the government the wisdom of a mounted unit. The also, however, showed the need for a regular unit of horse. Henry L. Ellsworth (a commissioner dispatched from Washington to negotiate a treaty with the warlike tribes), wrote,
"The Rangers generally, are smart active men at home, good farmers & respectable citizens. They enlisted only for one year, to explore the country and expect to return to their families again when their term is out- in the meantime, they seemed determined to keep up republican equality, by acknowledging no superior" and let me here say,...I consider the Rangers...almost a failure - their dress in the first place is practically the poorest clothes they have or can get- their equipments are only one rifle- this often gets out of order, and then the Ranger has no weapon Now, their appearance is that of so many poor hunters- they strike no awe." - Tom Aycock "Dragoons"
Meanwhile, down in Texas, rangers were establishing a world famous legacy.
"The Anglo colonist found himself at a definite disadvantage when it came to warfare in the immense, hostile land known as Texas. The vaquero and the Comanche knew the land and fought from horseback according to their own rules. When confronted by a mounted enemy, the American dismounted and took up a defensive position that favored his single-shot rifle. In the time it took him to reload, a Comanche could fire 6 or more arrows, from under, around and over a running horse, with deadly accuracy. The Comanche would charge to draw fire, and ill befell the Anglos that fired all their loads at once--they'd not have a chance to reload before Comanche rode in with arrows and deadly lances to finish the fight. For a generation, this disadvantage confined major American settlement to the eastern woodlands of Texas. But it was in the early settlement period that an evolution of character and nature began. Under empressario Stephen F. Austin's design, even as Texas remained a Mexican colony, the settlers began to form "ranging companies," volunteer mounted militia forces designed to combat Indian raiders and other lawless elements. They provided their own mounts, weapons and equipment, and often rode without receiving the promised support of the Mexican government. Men joined ranging companies for the time they could afford to be away from their farms and families, then others joined to replace them. Most of them, even their captains, were young men who could stand the rigors of the wild lands beyond the frontier."
After Texas gained its independence, Sam Houston authorized the formation of Texas Rangers and the establishment of blockhouses to protect settlers from Indian attacks.
"Under their captains, these rangers operated far beyond the boundaries of civilization, and so became almost self-contained in their traditions and methods of operation. Over time, they evolved into as deadly and efficient a mobile paramilitary force as has ever existed. They studied their opponents, the Mexicans to the south and the Indians to the West, learned from them and eventually surpassed them in technique and ferocity. By the time the Texans gained their independence in the revolution against Santa Anna, the fledgeling nation had already formally chartered and fielded the three original companies of the Texas Ranger force under the flag of the Lone Star Republic. The Ranger was the new Texan, a fighting horseman capable of dealing with the frontier on its own terms. Only one element remained to make him superior--a weapon fitted to his needs. It came to him about 1840 in the form of Samuel Colt's "Paterson" revolving pistol. Suddenly, the Ranger had an accurate repeating firearm that he could use from horseback to match the Comanche warrior's deadly arrows. The Ranger and the Colt revolver became almost synonymous, until no one could think of one without the other. When Texas joined the United States in 1845, the Mexican government declared war...Some historians have insisted that cavalry played no important role during the Mexican War of 1846-48--while it's true that few regular (U.S.) cavalry (dragoon) units were involved, the Texas Rangers were. Several companies of Rangers, the First and Second Texas Mounted rifles, acted as the (U.S. Army's) mounted scouts and shock troops against the Mexicans. Led by Hays, McCulloch, Walker, Ford and Gillespie, they time and again pulled the (U.S.) Army out of tight spots. - "The eyes and ears of the US Army"
"They could ride like vaqueros, track like Comanche hunters, shoot like Davy Crockett's Tennesseans and fight like the very Devil himself. Their uniform was whatever rough clothes they chose to wear in the field. Until late in the 19th century, they carried no badges of office except for the Colt's revolvers they wore. To Santa Anna's followers in the Mexican military and to the border guerillas, they were "El Rinche" or "Los Diablos Tejanos." To the fearless Comanche raiders, they were death on horseback. To the Union military officers they protected during the Mexican War and then fought to a standstill during the Civil War, they were "those damned frontier ruffians." To the outlaws and bandits who plagued the frontier, they were the most feared of all lawmen." - From http://members.aol.com/thomask2/wildwestshow/wws5a.html
http://www.theoutlaws.com/heroes3.htm
"The opening of the West in the decades following the War of 1812 brought an important change in the organization of the Army. Experience having shown that infantry were at a distinct disadvantage when pitted against the fleetly mounted Indians. By 1832 mounted rangers soon began to replace infantry. The mounted arm had come to stay in the Army....At the start of the War with Mexico Congress leaned heavily on volunteer units, with the hard core of the Regulars remaining unchanged." 1836-1861 - 2nd U.S. Dragoon Regiment (became 2nd US Cavalry)
As quickly as the war in Florida was over in 1842, although all were retained, regiments and companies were reduced to minimum size. However, by a fluke, the Regular infantry actually increased. This came about because in the spring of 1843, to save money, the 2d Dragoons were converted into a rifle regiment. They thus became the first rifle corps included in the establishment for two decades, that is, since the Rifle Regiment had been disbanded in 1821. The erstwhile horsemen, who felt degraded on foot, clung hard to their dragoon organization, but they received rifles and, as far as is known, trained as riflemen. Agitation to remount them was continuous, and within a year they became the 2d Dragoons again. When they were reconverted, rifle corps disappeared once more from the Army, except that the President received authority from Congress to convert two or more infantry regiments into rifles if he thought it expedient. He never exercised this authority. "We want men acquainted with pioneer life, who have been accustomed to the woods-men who can sit in the saddle, and who know how to manage a horse, and the use of the never-failing rifle-who can pursue an enemy, and whose habit of life are such, that they can wrap themselves in a blanket at night, and comfortably in the open air, contented to be in the service of their country." -- Congressman Haralson, Georgia, March 26, 1846
1846-1861 - U.S. Regiment of Mounted Riflemen - "Brave Rifles!"
The Regiment of Mounted Riflemen was authorized by an Act of Congress on May 19, 1846 as a new organization in the United States Army: a regiment of riflemen, mounted to provide greater mobility than the Infantry and equipped with percussion rifles to provide greater range and more accurate firepower than the Infantry's muskets or the Dragoon's carbines. The riflemen's bugle featured in the regiments insignia from inception. This regiment had initially been designated for use on the Oregon Trail but was diverted at its origin into Mexican War service. Its animals were lost on the way, so only two companies, mounted on Mexican horses, acted as cavalry. The rest, armed with Model 1941 rifles, bayonets, and flintlock pistols, fought on foot.
War with Mexico: The Mounted Riflemen, fighting dismounted at Chapultepec, earned from General Winfield Scott, Commanding General of the Army, the compliment that became their motto: "Brave Rifles! Veterans! You have been baptized in fire and blood and have come out steel." During the war the regiments were broken up and the companies scattered. As in the Seminole War they often fought as infantry, but their usual missions were reconnaissance and pursuit. "General Orders Number 2 of February 13, 1850 authorized a perpendicular trumpet* as the headgear insignia of mounted rifles. In 1861 the Regular Army Regiment of Mounted Riflemen was in the Department of New Mexico and on August 3rd was renamed the Third Cavalry Regiment. The mounted rifle headgear insignia and green branch color were replaced by cavalry insignia and colors - although the green color and bugle remain present in the unit's patch up to today.
*original footnote - "Foot rifle units did not have the trumpet (bugle) as an insignia"- this is incorrect,unless literally meaning trumpet, as may be judged by the shako crests and buttons of the Rifle Regiment in 1814 which had a bugle
U. S. Regiment of Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen
Voltigeur~a picked company of irregular riflemen in each regiment of the French infantry, lightly armed skirmisher
A U. S. Regiment of Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen was organized by Act of Congress, 11 February 1847 for and during the war with Mexico, and disbanded 25 August 1848. It was Commanded by Colonel Timothy Patrick Andrews, 16 February 1847 thru 20 July 1848; Lieutenant-Colonel J. E. Johnson, 16 February 1847 thru 19 July 1848; Major G. A. Caldwell, 3 March 1847 thru 25 August 1848; Major G. H. Talcott, 3 March 1847 thru 25 August 1848. Company K may have been Reno's Battery. Many of the Voltiguers were from Pennsylvania.
The Regiment of United States Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen (regulars),was (supposed to be) an elite regiment, inspired by units originally in the French army designed as special skirmishing companies attached to each infantry regiment; the American version was a dedicated regiment comprised of light infantry carrying rifled muskets (riflemen) with one company being a rocket & mountain howitzer battery. www.webbdeiss.org/webb/webb_boys_r.html
"The theory of the voltigeur regiment was that it should be composed of a battalion of infantry and a battalion of mounted men; and that both were to use the same horses. In other words a horse was to carry two mounted men and though this had been found practicable in Napoleon's wars, it did not work well in our army and the .. (illegible) was still called voltigeurs, as the picked riflemen in France are now called." Williamsport Daily Gazette and Bulletin, Williamsport, PA 21 March 1884.
From a contemporary account:
10 Mar 1847
Voltigeur Regiment.
It gives us pleasure to state that Mr. L. McIntosh has been appointed to the new Regiment of Voltigeurs. His rank is First. Lieutenant. John Forsyth, Esq., of Columbus, (Ga.)is Second Lieutenant in the same Company. The Regiment will be commanded by Colonel T. P. Andrews, well known as an efficient an experienced officer from the regular service.
The undress or service uniform of this regiment will be a dark grey frock-coat, single breasted, with nine regimental buttons down the front, conforming in other respects to the frock-coat of the Artillery.
Scales-or counter straps for the shoulder, in lieu of epaulettes, with the usual insignia, denoting the rank.
Buttons-Gilded as for the Mounted Riflemen, with the letter V.
Trowsers-Dark grey cloth, with stripe of the same colour, edged with yellow cord.
Sword-Same as for infantry.
Shoulder Belt-Black patent leather, as for the Infantry.-Sav. Republican.
According to another source, The Regiment of Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen, as with the regiments of infantry, under the Act of Congress approved February 11, 1847, were uniformed as follows: "the frock coat was of dark blue-gray cloth, single-breasted. Scales or counter straps for the shoulders were worn in lieu of the epaulettes, with the usual insignia designating the rank of the officer. Trousers were of dark-blue cloth with a stripe of the same color down the outer seam, edged with a yellow cord. As a badge of distinction, non-commissioned officers were permitted to wear upon the sleeves of their undress jackets chevrons of lace. (Albany GA news article says grey trpousers)
"The Voltigeurs, in the role of light infantry or foot riflemen used the Harpers Ferry Model 1841 Rifle, .54 caliber, the first general issue percussion long arm to be made at the government armory, referred to as the "Mississippi Rifle" because of its use by Jefferson Davis 1st Regiment Mississippi Infantry. The rest of the Army did not switch to rifles until 1855. The Mississippi Rifle was a shorter weapon than either the huge 1835 or 1842 musket, lighter and easier to wield. Although not issued in great numbers, some may have carried the 1847 Colt .44 "Walker" revolver; perhaps a few, full of bravado, packed bowie knives in their kits."
As for The Voltigeurs combat record - it was extensive for the time on campaign:
Combat Actions Timeline
National Bridge, Mexico, 11 - 12 June 1847, (Company B engaged);
Rinconada, Mexico, 24 June 1847, (Companies B & F engaged);
Pasa Ovejas, Mexico, 10 August 1847, (Companies D & K engaged);
National Bridge, Mexico, 12 August 1847, (Companies D & K engaged);
Cerro Gordo, Mexico, 15 August 1847, (Companies D & K engaged);
Las Animas, Mexico, 19 August 1847, (Companies D & K engaged) ;
San Antonio, Contreras, Padierna & Churubusco, Mexico, 19 - 20 August 1847, (Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, & K engaged);
El Molino del Rey, Mexico, 8 September 1847, (entire reg''t engaged);
Chapultepec & Mexico City, 12-14 September 1847, (entire regt engaged)
(Voltigeurs first up the western side)
Puebla, Mexico, 13 September thru 12 October 1847, (detachment engaged);
Huamantla, Mexico, 9 October 1847, (Company K engaged);
Atlixco, Mexico, 19 October 1847, (Company K engaged).
I stop here as it should be plainly evident the ranger-riflemen concept had merged both at the federal and state level; in the form of a mobile force, specially armed and at the vanguard of a nation on the move and it's army on campaign. The names Mounted Rangers, Partisan Rangers, Mounted Rifles, Riflemen, and Rifle Rangers etc. (e.g. Boston Rifle Rangers)- would proliferate in state militia units up and into the Civil War (e.g. "142 Partisan Ranger Corps and 92 Guerrilla Commands... (with)Many more units (possibly between 100 and 200) (that) need to be investigated.") The name Sharpshooters would also come to the fore; but recall, it was used early on to describe Morgan's Rangers/Riflemen during the Revolution
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PRINCIPAL SOURCES:
SKETCHBOOK 56 VOL. I: ROGERS RANGERS - Ted Spring
Notes, sketches, and dimensions depicting Ranger life and artifacts of 1756. Has some good written history of the unit & its more famous raids and battles. One in a series of sketchbooks which provides an important reference source for any one interested in the French & Indian War era. Each volume covers clothing, accoutrements, weapons and more in its topic area.
The woodsmen sketches came from A Pilgrim's Journey. Mark A. Baker, "Worthy of Washington?," M/A, pg 12. in the March/April 1991 issue of Muzzleloader Magazine
"A Pilgrim's Journey" is a compilation of the first ten years of Mark Baker's column from Muzzleloader Magazine......A Pilgrim's Journey contains over 300 pages of treks, scouts, hunts and how-to. Baker shares his knowledge and insights gained from wilderness experiences, extensive research, and from his partners and mentors along the way....From flintlocks and moccasins to shooting bags and knapsacks, Baker explores the way of life of the Colonial woodsman. Learn about the clothing, accoutrements, food and skills from an era that helped forge the American Spirit and a new nation. Softcover. 306 pages with over 250 quality illustrations and photos, including many new photos in and updated layout." from a review at Frontier Era Bookstore
From his liner notes:
"The solitary woodsman of the colonial frontier who traveled beyond maps and into the deepest of a dark and deceptive wilderness is an image firmly rooted in American culture. In a variety of story lines found in both print and film, this linen-and leather-clad individual passes freely between the European and Indian worlds, yet he stands squarely between the encroachment of the British powers and the untouched garden of the American Indian. He resists the coming of settlement and ignores the enticements of the most powerful, yet he rescues the very individuals who will one day destroy his personal Eden. He yearns for lasting peace in his wilderness home, yet he becomes the most brutal of warriors when such a peace is threatened. Such a complex and attractive natural man personifies the paradox of the westward movement in American History."
For more on this on this unique individual and his involvement in the motion picture Last of The Mohicans" see: ON THE TRAIL WITH ... MARK A. BAKER
"Mark is an author, living history re-enactor, a regular columnist for Muzzleloader magazine and can be seen in LOTM as Colonial Man - speaking "Hello Boys" as Hawkeye and the gang enter the fort and throughout the courier scene. We are pleased to be able to present his recollections here for you."
Minimalist Camping - From The Rubicon Main Message Board a technique for keeping warm while sleeping outdoors from a video by Mark Bakerbased on the writings of a man in the 1700's: "You set down with your back against a large tree, bring your feet up so the bottoms touch and your knees are bent outward to the sides, not up towards your chin. You then dig a hole about the size of your head in the ground in front of you, but behind your feet where they are touching each other. When you have the hole dug you build a small fire with sticks and then add hardwood bark, keep doing this until you get a good bed of hot coals. Then you take hardwood bark and lay it on edge the entire way across the bed of coals and then pack the dirt you dug out of the hole to cover the bark, at the front and back of the hole leave a small hole for air. Take your blanket and wrap it around you and bring together over your legs making a small enclosed tent, this will hold in the heat from your pit fire and there will be no smoke if it is done right." - "Garry"
THE LONGHUNTER'S SKETCHBOOK - Dr James A. Hanson
A sketchbook for those into the Eastern longhunter and the riflemen of the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars. Contains sketches of hunting shirts, breeches, leggings, pouches, hawks knives, personal equipment, camp gear. 48 pages. The longhunter had his origin in the 17th century Dutch "boschloper" and the French coureur de bios. His rifle and costume were efficient, beautiful, and completely American. He was self sufficient in the best frontier tradition. This sketchbook shows the arms, tools, horns, clothing patterns and more of the American longhunter.
THE OVERMOUNTAIN MEN - Pat Alderman
A compilation of a series of booklets planned by the author (Pat Alderman) to cover succeeding periods of early Tennessee history. Beginning with the long hunters in the 1760s and ending with Tennessee’s admittance to the Union in 1796, the thirty-six eventful years are divided into five sections: The Overmountain Men; One Heroic Hour at King’s Mountain; The Cumberland Decade; State of Franklin; and Southwest Territory.
Filled with photographs, maps, and illustrations, this compact, readable text includes “Sycamore Shoals Treaty, March 17, 1775,” “Washington County List of Taxables 1778,” “Signers of the Franklin Petition,” and many other important documents. The extensive index of approximately 5000 names includes more than 1700 of those who fought at King’s Mountain.
see JOHN BIGGS ALDERMAN PAPERS
"Beginning in the 1950s Alderman developed a keen interest in Appalachian, especially East Tennessee, history. (In subsequent years he became the historian of Unicoi County). As a result of this interest, he not only wrote and directed historical plays and pageants but also wrote books on Appalachian history. Among the plays he wrote and directed are Echoes of the Blue Ridge, Boone, North Carolina (1953), The Overmountain Men (1952) and The Hermit of the Big Bald (1955). Historical books written by Alderman include The Overmountain Men (1958), One Heroic Hour at King's Mountain (1968), Greasy Cove in Unicoi County (1975), and Nancy Ward/Dragging Canoe (1978). The Overmountain Men. Early Tennessee History, 1760-1780 (1970) incorporates as sections "The Overmountain Men," and "One Heroic Hour at King's Mountain."
THE FRONTIER RIFLEMAN, His Arms, Clothing, and Equipment During the Era of the American Revolution, 1760-1800 - Richard B. LaCrosse, Jr.
A well-illustrated book that gives detailed descriptions of the clothing, arms and equipment of the frontier rifleman during the period 1760 to 1800. Includes a chronology of the military actions where rifle troops played a role. Much of the same equipment was used by the pioneers as they moved westward later. The final 90 pgs are like a sketch book on clothing and accoutrements. Selected quotes on dress: A eyewitness described the southern riflemen as "....Not overburdened with fat, but tall, raw-boned and sinewy." (from Drury Mathis, Loyalist Captured at King's Mountain, 1780, LaCrosse, 71) "....ever man rich and poor with their hunting shirts, belts and tomahawks fixed....in the best manner." (Michael Wallace, Letter to Gustavius Wallace, 1775, from LaCrosse, 71) "....had not two pairs of breeches among them. The rest wear breechclouts, leggins and hunting shirts, which have never been washed, only by the rain since they were made." (Diary of Nicholas Cresswell, from LaCrosse, 74) see http://www.colonial-enthusiast.com/18thC/clothes-hair-colors-etc.txt
also
Revolutionary Rangers: Daniel Morgan’s Riflemen and Their Role on the Northern Frontier, 1778-1783 – Richard B. LaCrosse, Jr. "...book about the campaigns and exploits of the riflemen during these critical years of the Revolution, with special emphasis on the New York State frontier. Here is the complete account of the riflemen and their weapons; the formation and battle record of this elite regiment; activities in Schoharie, Onoquaga and Unadilla; and during Sullivan’s campaign against the Iroquois. Biographical sketches detail the careers of the officers and men. Of special interest is an analysis of the myths versus the facts regarding the life of the legendary Timothy Murphy. Appendices include a biographical sketch of Captain Jacob Hager; some new research on clothing; dress, equipage and firearms of American rifle officers; monuments, landmarks and historical sites associated with the riflemen; and a muster roll of the rifle corps in 1779. “Author-rifleman Richard LaCrosse, Jr. contributes in this essay a vital but forgotten chapter of our national Revolutionary War history. The role of the riflemen on the American northern frontier from 1777 to 1783, a vital segment in our war for political independence from Great Britain, has not been addressed by national historians. The significance of these farm-bred and trained soldiers, who employed American-made rifles in winning the war along this northern frontier, can now be assessed by students of our Revolution. In this splendid essay, author LaCrosse has contributed a readable and accurate portrait of a little-known and less appreciated segment of the American Revolution.” Illustrated with photos and drawings, contains a fullname index, appendices, endnotes and list of suggested reading. 2002, 221 pp., appends, illus., fullname index, paper,..."
GENERAL LINKS:
see Historical Trekking the "most comprehensive site on the internet dedicated to Living History, Historical (or Period) Trekking, Experimental Archeology, and Experiential Anthropology, of the 1600 to 1840 time period." Armory Hill Living History Association Longhunter Leather Co, Royal IN- Leather shooting bags, haversacks, canteens Quillwork by Christie Longhunter's - For Sale Items - F&I single pocket homespun style hunting pouches Clearwater Hats world's largest selection of high quality, award winning reproductions - The Longhunter - $ 90 Coffee color - Styled in the classic tradition of the early American woodsrunner, Clearwater Hats proudly offers The Longhunter. The crown of The Longhunter is extremely low (about 3 1/2 inches)--as these hats were in the hat fur trade hat longhunter hat imageeighteenth century--with a four-inch wide brim. This is the hat seen in many paintings of the period. The Longhunter offers a period-correct alternative to the tricorn. Responding to the needs of those who go the extra primitive mile, this style is a Clearwater Hat exclusive. The brim can be cocked to your specification, side or back, at no extra charge. Leather sweatband. Available in sizes up to 7 3/8 in black, coffee, and pecan. Jas Townshend ;
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for for 18th and 19th century reproductions for living history
REFERENCE, GENERAL
Seedtime on the Cumberland, by Harriette Simpson Arnow
Flowering of the Cumberland, by Harriette Simpson Arnow
The Voice of the Frontier: John Bradford's Notes on Kentucky, edited by Thomas D. Clark
Collector's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution, by G. C. Neumann & F. J. Kravic
The History Of Weapons Of The American Revolution, by George C. Neumann
The Age of Firearms, A Pictorial History, by Robert Held
The Frontier Rifleman, by Richard B. LaCrosse, Jr.
Tidings From the 18th Century, by Beth Gilgun
Lewis and Clark Among the Indians, by James P. Ronda
Undaunted Courage, by Stephen J. Ambrose
George Rogers Clark and the War in the West, by Lowell H. Harrison
The Long Hunt, by Ted Franklin Belue
Foxfire Series (especially No. 5), edited by Eloit Wigginton
Sketchbook '56 series, by Ted Spring
Sketch Book '76, by Robert L. Klinger
The Longhunter's Sketch Book, by Dr. James A. Hanson
The Mountain Man's Sketch Book, Vol. 1 & 2, by James A. Hanson & Kathyrin J. Wilson
The Frontier Scout and Buffalo Hunter's Sketch Book, by James A. Hanson
Books of Buckskinning, I-VII, by Muzzleloader Magazine
Flintlock and Tomahawk: New England in King Philip's War, by Douglas Edward Leach.
Travels, by William Bartram
Histories of the Dividing Line betwixt Virginia and North Carolina, by William Byrd
The Road to Guilford Courthouse, by John Buchanan
Arms and Armor in Colonial America- 1526-1783, by Harold L. Peterson, 1956
Firearms in Colonial America- The Impact on History and Technology, 1492-1792, by M. L. Brown
Sons of a Trackless Forest, by Mark A. Baker
Border Life: Experience and Memory in the Revolutionary Ohio Valley, by Elizabeth A. Perkins
The Spirit of Seventy-Six: The Story of the American Revolution as Told by Participants, by H. S. Commager & R. B. Morris
The Hunters of Kentucky: A Narrative History of America's First Far West, 1750-1792, by Ted Franklin Belue
Letters from an American Farmer and Sketches of Eighteenth-century America, by J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur
Crucible of War, The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766, by Fred Anderson
ACCOUTERMENTS
The Kentucky Rifle Hunting Pouch, by Madison Grant
The Knife in Homespun America, by Madison Grant
Powder Horns and Their Architecture, by Madison Grant
American Engraved Powder Horns, The J. H. Grenville Gilbert Collection, by Stephen V. Grancsay
A Brief History of Bullet Moulds, by Codman Parkerson
Tomahawks Illustrated, by Robert Kuck
How to Scrimshaw and Carve Ivory, by Blackie Collins
Dress & Accoutrements of the Overmountain Men, 1775–1783. Andy Thomas, 2000. Available from OVTA.
SHOOTING, HUNTING
Black Powder Handbook, by Lyman Products, C. Kenneth Rammage, editor
The Complete Black Powder Handbook, by Sam Fadala
The Black Powder Handgun, by Sam Fadala
Blackpowder Loading Manual, by Sam Fadala
Black Powder Hunting, by Sam Fadala
Sam Fadala's Muzzleloading Notebook, by Sam Fadala,1985
The Advanced Muzzleloader's Guide, by Toby Bridges
Muzzeloading For Whitetails, by Toby Bridges
Black Powder Guide, by George C. Nonte, Jr.
The Bullet's Flight, by F. W. Mann
Understanding Ballistics, by Robert A. Rinker
The Muzzleloading Rifle Handbook, Published by NRA/NMLRA
The Muzzleloading Shotgun Handbook, Published by NRA/NMLRA
The Muzzleloading Pistol Handbook, Published by NRA/NMLRA
The Improved American Rifle, by John Ratcliffe Chapman, 1848
BIOGRAPHY, JOURNALS, Etc.
Old Bill Williams, Mountain Man, by Alpheus H. Favour
Journal of a Trapper 1834-1843, by Osborne Russell
Wah-to-yah and the Taos Trail, by Lewis H. Garrard
The River of the West; The Adventures of Joe Meek, by Francis Fuller Victor
Bill Sublette, Mountain Man, by John E. Sunder
Jim Bridger, by J. Cecil Alter
Jedediah Smith and the Opening of the West, by Dale L. Morgan
Across the Shining Mountains, by Christian McCord
The Life of Daniel Boone, by Lyman C. Draper, LL.D, edited by Ted Franklin Belue
FICTION
The Kentuckians, by Janice Holt Giles
Oh, Kentucky, by Betty Layman Receveur
Carry the Wind, by Terry C. Johnston
Borderlords, by Terry C. Johnston
One-Eyed Dream, by Terry C. Johnston
Winter Rain, by Terry C. Johnston
Cry of the Hawk, by Terry C. Johnston
Dream Catcher, by Terry C. Johnston
Dance on the Wind, by Terry C. Johnston
Buffalo Palace, by Terry C. Johnston
The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper
The Big Sky, by A. B. Guthrie, Jr.
Drums Along the Mohawk, by Walter D. Edmonds
The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane
The Canebrake Men, by Cameron Judd
The Overmoutain Men, by Cameron Judd
Boone, by Cameron Judd
The Rifleman, by John Brick
HISTORICAL FICTION-BIOGRAPHY
Long Knife, by James Alexander Thom
From Sea to Shining Sea, by James Alexander Thom
Follow the River, by James Alexander Thom
The Red Heart, by James Alexander Thom
That Dark and Bloody River, by Allan W. Eckert
Blue Jacket: War Chief of the Shawnees, by Allan W. Eckert
The Court Martial of Daniel Boone, by Allan W. Eckert
Johnny Logan: Shawnee Spy, by Allan W. Eckert
A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh, by Allan W. Eckert
The Frontiersmen, by Allan W. Eckert
The Conquerors, by Allan W. Eckert
The Wilderness War, by Allan W. Eckert
Gateway to Empire, by Allan W. Eckert
Wilderness Empire, by Allan W. Eckert
Twilight of Empire, by Allan W. Eckert
Northwest Passage, by Kenneth Roberts
Arundel, by Kenneth Roberts
Rabble in Arms, by Kenneth Roberts
Oliver Wiswell, by Kenneth Roberts
The Battle of Cowpens, by Kenneth Roberts
March to Quebec, by Kenneth Roberts
Captain Caution, by Kenneth Roberts
VIDEOS
Hershel House Building the Kentucky Rifle (2 vols.), by American Pioneer Video
Hershel House Building the Hawken, by American Pioneer Video
Wallace Gusler (3) The Gunsmith of Williamsburg, Engraving and Carving
Mark Baker The Longhunter Series (4 vols.), by American Pioneer Video
Contemporary Kentucky Rifles vol. I & II, by American Pioneer Video
John's Muzzleloader Shooting, by John Marotzke
"Scottish bonnets were worn by trappers and traders for over 200 years." and Rangers!
HATS & SASHES OF THE FUR TRADE
By Annette Hepner 
Variously known as the hunting shirt, hunting frock, rifle shirt, rifle frock, rifle coat, and possibly other names (but note that these names may also be used to refer to other styles of shirt, frock, or coat). See
The Ubiquitous Hunting Frock, American War of Independence Garb - By Terry Martin"The shortage of cloth leads the American troops to adopt the hunting frock as standard dress. The American Army found the hunting frock to be very versatile. It was easy to make, easy to remove, and allowed a freedom of movement not unlike farmer’s or workman’s clothing. It also could be made cheaply and allowed for a utilitarian manner to cloth troops. General George Washington considered it to be an “ideal military garment”. It was made famous as the garb of the rifle regiments and was worn as field dress by most of the American army throughout the war. The hunting frock was made of deer leather, linen, or homespun. It could also be dyed in a variety of colors. It is noted that regiments dyed the hunting frocks in the following colors: white, natural linen, purple, brown, black, green and blue."
More from the Long Hunter Sketchbook - Dr. James Hanson:
"Linen leggings were worn by Southern backwoodsmen during this time.General William Lenoir, writing about the expedition of General Griffeth Rutherford against the Cherokee in 1776,"At that time,if a gentleman could procure a hunting shirt made of good tow linen and died black,with a motto across the breast in large white letters 'LIBERTY OR DEATH',and a pair of stout breeches and leggins of the same texture,and a buck's tail on his wool hat for a cockade,he was fine enough for anything,and in fact our good Gen'l's hunting shirt was inferior,it was a dingy colored,ordinary looking one".
The expedition originated in Western North Carolina near Fort Defiance on the Yadkin River.Lenoir further stated,"There were very few imported blankets in camp,and at that time there was not a store with 45 miles of Fort Defiance,and a very few sheep in this new country,and no attempt to raise cotton. Our sole means of procuring clothing were of hemp,flax,and tow. Our blankets generally made of the same materials.When striped,they were called Linsey blankets.
Written by Gen'l Wm. Lenoir for Dr. J.G.M. Ramsey of Knoxville,Tenn.in June,1835.
From the Lenoir Papers #426 in the Southern historical Collection,University of North Carolina Library,Chapel Hill."
from OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - "The Struggle with the Indians 1763-1783" - From "A History of Ohio" by Eugene H. Roseboom and Francis P. Weisenburger,1953
"Claiming the region around Fort Pitt, and controlling that frontier village despite Pennsylvania's claims, (Fort Pitt was no longer a British post, since the troops had been removed in 1772) the Old Dominion, under its aggessive Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, an active land speculator, set about to crush the Ohio tribes and establish its title to the great Northwest. On June 10, 1774, Lord Dunmore called out the militia of the western counties, and the war was on. The governor sent out Colonel Angus McDonald to raid the Shawnee towns, but the expedition did little but stir up the Indians to a greater fighting pitch. The more important work was left to Dunmore himself, who assembled a force of militia at Fort Pitt, and Colonel Andrew Lewis, who called out the frontiersmen of the southwestern counties. The original plan was for a junction of the two forces at the mouth of the Big Kanawha, but Dunmore, coming down the Ohio from Fort Pitt, preceeded only as far as the Hocking, and then marched up that valley toward the Shawnee villages on the Pickaway Plains, where he expected Lewis to join him. The latter, with some eleven hundred back-woodsmen, followed the Kanawha to the Ohio, and on October 6 encamped at Point Pleasant at the junction of the two rivers. Here, in the early morning of October 10, he was attacked by more than a thousand warriors, mostly Shawnees, under the leadership of the crafty and skillful Cornstalk. They had crossed the Ohio the night before, unobserved by Lewis's scouts, and were within two miles of the sleeping Virginia troops when they were discovered by hunters. A desperate battle ensued between Indians and Lewis's frontiersmen with the result in doubt until late in the day, when the braves began to retire.
That night they retreated across the Ohio and returned to the Shawnee towns. One-fifth of Lewis's forces were killed or wounded, while the number of Indian casualties was smaller; but the failure of the attack of the Indians and their withdrawal gave the Virginians a hard-earned victory.
The battle of Point Pleasant has sometimes been called the first engagement of the American Revolution, but this is hardly the case. Great Britain was in no way involved, as the Indians were fighting on their own initiative to defend their lands against the aggressions of the
frontiersmen. Nor were the latter conscious of upholding the American cause against the mother country, particularly since a royal governor had called them to arms. It was rather the beginning of another chapter in the long struggle of the Indians to protect their lands against the unceasing
pressure of the colonist. Not until Wayne's victory in 1794 was the contest for the Northwest terminated. However, Point Pleasant was long celebrated in frontier annals for the heroic deeds of the participants. Stories and ballads recited around the fireplaces of log cabins made the battle take on an epic character to the generation that listened to the firside chronicles...."
Larry Gorecki in his article "The necessary considerations of emulating an American rifleman during the Revolutionary War" discusses riflemen in terms of distinct time periods:
Longhunters, Indian traders, and the "Overhill" men within and west of the Appalachian Mountains. The time frame is 1700-1775.
from the Long Hunter Sketchbook - Dr. James Hanson:
A compilation of a series of booklets planned by the author (Pat Alderman) to cover succeeding periods of early Tennessee history. Beginning with the long hunters in the 1760s and ending with Tennessee’s admittance to the Union in 1796, the thirty-six eventful years are divided into five sections: The Overmountain Men; One Heroic Hour at King’s Mountain; The Cumberland Decade; State of Franklin; and Southwest Territory.
Filled with photographs, maps, and illustrations, this compact, readable text includes “Sycamore Shoals Treaty, March 17, 1775,” “Washington County List of Taxables 1778,” “Signers of the Franklin Petition,” and many other important documents. The extensive index of approximately 5000 names includes more than 1700 of those who fought at King’s Mountain.
A well-illustrated book that gives detailed descriptions of the clothing, arms and equipment of the frontier rifleman during the period 1760 to 1800. Includes a chronology of the military actions where rifle troops played a role. Much of the same equipment was used by the pioneers as they moved westward later. The final 90 pgs are like a sketch book on clothing and accoutrements. Selected quotes on dress: A eyewitness described the southern riflemen as "....Not overburdened with fat, but tall, raw-boned and sinewy." (from Drury Mathis, Loyalist Captured at King's Mountain, 1780, LaCrosse, 71) "....ever man rich and poor with their hunting shirts, belts and tomahawks fixed....in the best manner." (Michael Wallace, Letter to Gustavius Wallace, 1775, from LaCrosse, 71) "....had not two pairs of breeches among them. The rest wear breechclouts, leggins and hunting shirts, which have never been washed, only by the rain since they were made." (Diary of Nicholas Cresswell, from LaCrosse, 74) see http://www.colonial-enthusiast.com/18thC/clothes-hair-colors-etc.txt
bravenet.com