untitled
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U.S. Rifle Regiments - The Lost Lineage
As I read the 1895 article ESPRIT DE CORPS by Captain Charles King, I was reminded again not only of the Army's long and colorful history but its's varied and shifting nature and also, sadly, how much tradition and even prestige has been lost! King contrasted the British and German focus on heritage and tradition with American indifference but was inspired by current attempts as evidenced by the work to which he contributed. King's eloquent observations on the need for fostering Esprit de Corps - to preserve regimental tradition - still echoes. Undoubtedly confused would he have been in witnessing the next 100 years, the ebb and flow of buildup, drawdown, reorganization and experimentation, seemingly every decade, but moreso dismayed by the erosion of the regimental spirit and indifference to tradition. Echoing King, I too decry the short shrift given to lineage, especially in the cases of various federally established army "rifle" units.
In brief, it is my contention that the "Ranger" lineage ought to include the US Rifle Regiments (1808-1821), US Voltigeur & Foot Riflemen Regiment (1847-48), and US Sharpshooter Regiments (1861-65), thereby ensuring a richer and deeper legacy is perpetuated. If a recent popular Ranger history author can provide a "complete" history which includes two non-U.S. units - His Majesty's Independant Company of Rangers (e.g.Rogers Rangers) and the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry of the former Confederate States of America!; surely a case OUGHT and can be made, on a sounder organizational, tactical and uniform bases for the aforementioned units.
Rifle Units in the Revolution
As ought to be well known, the history of the Rangers continued 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.
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." - 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.
The "Continental Rifle Corps" were a
light infantry corps of accomplished riflemen.
These units were comprised of 10 companies, each possessing 68 musket infantrymen. Note that the Colonial rifle differed from the musket in function and application. Due to the inability of the rifle to accept a bayonet, musket infantrymen were normally used in conjunction with riflemen in order to repel British bayonet charges.
Morgan's Corps was soon urgently requested to help fight the British army which was invading New York from Canada. Morgan's Riflemen not only ended the activities of the British Indian allies, they also played a pivotal role in the defeat of the main British army at Saratoga delivering devastating targeted fire on the enemy and its officer corps, in particular. This "Continental Rifle Corps" also participated in the Battle of Monmouth, though their true potential was not realized in that battle. In command at Cowpens, sans his beloved Corps, Morgan's perceptive tactics saved the American Army, and the Revolution,with a smashing victory.
Update - 2007 - An interesting note to the Ranger and Rifle unit connection is found in the person of Morgan's illegitimate son, Willoughby Morgan, born about 1780-81 (while Morgan campaigned in the Carolinas),who served as an officer in the post War of 1812 Rifle Regiment. - see Donald Higginbotham's "Daniel Morgan - Revolutionary Rifleman" and website CANTONMENT MISSOURI, 1819-1820 by Sally A. Johnson. Footnote for Lt. Col. Willoughby Morgan - "Morgan, Willoughby, Va. Capt. 12 Inf., 25 Apr, 1812. Maj. 26 June, 1813. Retained 17 May 1815 as Capt. Rifle Reg. with bvt of Maj. from 26 June 1813. Maj 8 Mar 1817. Lt. Col. 10 Nov. 1818. Trans. to 6 Inf. I June 1821. Trans. to 5 Inf. 1 Oct. 1821. Trans. to 3 Inf. 31 Jan. 1829. Col. 1 Inf. 23 Apr 1830. Bvt Col 10 Nov. 1828 for 10 yrs. fai serv. in one grade. Died Apr. 4, 1832." (Hamersley, op. cit., p. 648)." see also - http://jrshelby.com/morgan/index.htm + http://jrshelby.com/kimocowp/cp.htm + http://jrshelby.com/kimocowp/morgan.htm
More on Daniel Morgan and his contributions to the Ranger-Riflemen legacy virtualology.com base data
-Calahan, North. Daniel Morgan: Ranger of the Revolution. AMS Press, 1961; ISBN 0-404-09017-6
-Graham, James The Life of General Daniel Morgan of the Virginia Line of the Army of the United States: with portions of his correspondence. Zebrowski Historical Publishing, 1859; ISBN 1-880484-06-4
Selected Excerpts on Morgan's "Ranger Corps" or "Rifle Corps" from Graham's "The Life of General Daniel Morgan of the Virginia Line of the Army of the United States:"
-Higginbotham, Don. Daniel Morgan: Revolutionary Rifleman. University of North Carolina Press, 1961. ISBN 0-8078-1386-9
recent book - Revolutionary Rangers: Daniel Morgan's Riflemen and Their Role on the Northern Frontier, 1778-1783 - Richard B. LaCrosse, Jr.
Uniforms
Official Story from CMH's ARMY LINEAGE SERIES,INFANTRY Part I: Regular Army
Continental Army Lineages
Pennsylvania Rifle Regiment
Maryland & Virginia Rifle Regiment
Morgan and His Riflemen - William Waller Edwards
PICTORIAL FIELD BOOK OF THE REVOLUTION. VOLUME I. BY BENSON J. LOSSING 1850.
Daniel Morgan
CHAPTER II. THE RIFLEMEN OF THE REVOLUTION-from American Prisoners of the Revolution by DANSKE DANDRIDGE 1910."
Morgan's Riflemen related reenacting - links may not still exist
Continental Line
http://www.morgansrangers.com/id64.htm
http://www.brigade.org/barmem/american/morgans.html
http://home1.gte.net/5white/vaabout.html
http://set.pdsinfo.com/livinghistory/seventhvareg.nsf
http://www.captainselinscompany.org/ -- Good Pics
http://hometown.aol.com/CaptCresap/page/index.htm
http://www.lightbob.freeserve.co.uk/rifles/photo/index.htm
http://www.geocities.com/socalmorgans/history.html
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
The Longhunters - Emory L. Hamilton (site includes graphics and links to
The Long Hunters In Tennessee from Ramsey's "Annals of Tennessee"
The Longhunters-from Ramsey's "Annals of Tennessee"
The Longhunters
The Longhunters
The Longhunters
The OverMountainMen* and
Kings Mountain
The Battle of
King's Mountain, 7 Oct 1780
The Patriot Army at King's Mountain
*See below for the Sevier and Tipton family connection to the Rifle tradition.
"Turning Point in the Wilderness" MHQ: Quarterly Journal of Military History Article Archive - By Tom Wicker
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. Capturing British posts at Kaskaskia and Cahokia on the Mississippi River and Vincennes on the Wabash River, when, however, British Lieutenant Governor Hamilton marched from Detroit and recaptured Vincennes Clark 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 and wet of a flooded winter!
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark and The Long Knives
George Rogers Clark and The Long Knives
George Rogers Clark and The Long Knives
The Illinois Regiment - Virginia State Forces
A MUST SEE Site!
Historical Clothing Information
Frontier Clothing Research - Ron Poppe
Hunting Shirt Research - Ron Poppe
Ranger and Riflemen Sketchbook
A personal sketchbook for those interested in the Ranger, Woodsman/Longhunter and Riflemen of the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars.
A Compilation of Registers of the Army of the United States, from 1815 to 1837 By William A. Gordon
selected captured images at:
The U.S. Regiment of Riflemen (1808-1821)
"The original Regiment of Riflemen was created in 1808, and three more regiments were raised in 1814. In some ways a forerunner of today's "special operations" units, the Riflemen recruits were often rugged frontiersmen in civilian life. Their elite status was accentuated by distinctive green coats with yellow trim, and they were armed with Model 1803 Harper's Ferry rifles (no bayonets). While sometimes cited for their slower, more methodical rate of fire, they were also renowned for their deadly accuracy." - Mark Parker in Western & Eastern Treasures Magazine
"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?
Bennett Riley - more on him later - see complete Riley's Testimony
"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." - excerpts form Green Coats and Glory by John C. Fredriksen, Ph.D.
Primary readings:
Excerpts from GREEN COATS AND GLORY: THE UNITED STATES REGIMENT OF RIFLEMEN, 1808-1821:
PART I and PART II, by John Fredriksen MILITARY COLLECTOR & HISTORIAN. Issue No.1, Vol. 50 (nominal Spring 1998) of MILITARY COLLECTOR & HISTORIAN. Issue No.2, Volume 50 (nominal Summer 1998) of MILITARY COLLECTOR & HISTORIAN.
"Green Coats and Glory," by John C. Fredriksen, Old Fort Niagara Assoc., Youngstown, NY 2000. 80 pages. Four full color illustrations by H. Charles McBarron Jr., Allan Archambault, and twenty-two various black & white illus. Author Fredriksen gives a full examination of the corps, including clothing & accoutrements, information of M1803 Harpers Ferry rifle, and a full examination of the various campaigns that the corps of riflemen participated in. A must have for the enthusiast of American military history or scholar of the War of 1812." from e-bay description.
"This Excellent & Gallant Rifle Corps; The Model 1803 Harpers Ferry in Service." from Man at Arms, Vol. 3, No.4, July/August 1981. by Dr. Wayne R. Austerman (Historian, U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, Fort Sam Houston, TX.) This is a rare gem that includes vivid combat and post-war exploits of the Rifles - including the exploits of Bennett Riley.
Search of the Company of Military Historians' Journal - the Military Collector & Historian at
MCH Search
yields the following essential articles for this unit (order no, name, title, volume, issue, page author/artist):
A-0011 J. Duncan Campbell Notes on the Insignia of the Riflemen,U.S. Army, Part I, 1 2 6 Author
A-0016 J. Duncan Campbell " ", Part II 1 3 6 Author
A-0268 H. Charles McBarron, Jr. Regiment of Riflemen, Winter Uniform, 1812-1815 6 4 100 & plate 95 Artist & Author
A-0556 J. Duncan Campbell First Pattern Cap Plate for U.S. Regiment of Riflemen 12 4 114 Author
A-1392 John T. Powell Regiment of Riflemen Cap Insignia, 1808-1812 27 4 180 Author
A-3080 John C. Fredriksen Green Coats and Glory; The United States Regiment of Riflemen, 1808-1821: Part I 50 1 2 Author
A-3111 Marko Zlatich & Detmar Finke The Uniform of The United States Rifle Regiment,1808-1810 50 3 120 Author
A-3095 John C. Fredriksen " " : Part II 50 2 58 Author
A-3338 Frederick Charles Gaede Review - Green Coats and Glory: The United States Regiment of Riflemen, 1808-1821 by John C. Fredriksen 53 3 142 Author
A-3710 Rene Chartrand Review - Green Coats and Glory: the United States Regiment of Riflemen
1808-1821 by John C. Fredriksen 57 1 53 Author
Tippecanoe Staff Ride (Hawkins' Company - Rifle Regiment)
The Patriot War in East Florida 1812 - First Regiment of United States Riflemen:
United States Troops in Spanish East Florida, 1812-1813 PART ONE By T. FREDERICK DAVIS
Letters of the Invaders of East Florida, 1812 by Rembert W. Patrick - Florida Historical Quarterly Volume XXVIII, July 1949 Number 1
Point Peter Exhibit, St. Marys, Georgia
for some good by name accounts of Riflemen see:
HISTORY OF THE WAR OF THE UNITED STATES
WITH GREAT BRITAIN IN 1812, [THE FIRST SEMINOLE WAR, BLACK HAWK'S WAR, THE SECOND SEMINOLE WAR] & WAR WITH MEXICO.
by JOHN LEWIS THOMSON ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS, FROM DESIGNS BY W. CROOME AND OTHER ARTISTs PHILADELPHIA.: J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, 1887.
Kentucky Regulars in the War of 1812 - a brief mention of 2nd Rifle Regiment
The following document images are from the Library of Congress: American State Papers --INDEX TO MILITARY AFFAIRS. VOLUME I:
click to view more extracted
More Rifle Regiments - House Bill 17 - 1814
from a List of officers of the army of the United States from 1779 to 1900 by William H. Powell, 1838-1901
Finding historical information about and "connections" amongst the officers of these units is an ongoing and fascinating project. Fredriksen, rightfully, focuses on many of the key regimental figures (Smyth, Duane, Smith, Sevier, Butler, Gibson, Forsythe, Appling, Kearsley, etc)as well as the numerous combat exploits of their many subordinates largely through the end of the War of 1812, however, one might consider sketches of these lesser known soldiers as found through online searches and in A Dictionary of All Officers, who Have Been Commissioned,...1789-1859, by Charles Kitchell Gardner, 587 pages
or the
Historical Register of the United States Army: From Its Organization 1789-1889, by Francis Bernard Heitman
Again, lists of these officers by year can be seen as extracted
NARA records are incomplete insofar as concerns the mustering out of the 4 regiments...noted is the absence of the 2nd Rifle and the records notation (Note 5) about the "nature of the unit" is an example of early bureaucratic memory!:
Regiment muster out roles
1st Riflemen
Capt. George Gray Jr.'s Co.
Capt. Lodowick Morgan's Co.
Capt. Thomas Ramsey's Co.
Capt. Edward Wadsworth's Co.
Company not indicated
[2nd Rifle regiment - not listed]
3rd Rifle Regiment
Capt. Walter Coles's Co.
4th Riflemen
Capt. Joseph Kean's Co.
Capt. John Lytle's Co.
Company not indicated
4th Rifle Regiment
Capt. Benjamin Birdsall's Co.
Company not indicated
Rifle [Regiment?] (Note 5)
Note 5: The record does not state the nature of the organization."
- http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/1812/units-subunits.html
Rifle Regiment 1815-1821:
The following offer vignettes on the postwar Rifle Regiment role in opening the west along the Mississippi and across the wide Missouri:
Fort Crawford, Wisconsin
Sept. 16, 1816 - Four companies of riflemen under command of Brevet Maj. Morgan built the first Fort Crawford near Prairie du Chien (Brevet General Smythe [Smith], the Colonel of the rifle regiment, also instituted unpopular martial law dubbed "A Reign of Terror"
Fort Smith
Company A, Rifle Regiment - November 1817 to February 1822 - built the first Fort Smith, Arkansas
FIRST STEAMBOATS UP THE MISSOURI - Collections of the NSHS - Volume 17
River Expeditions - 1819
Cantonment Missouri & Rifle Regiment
The First Regiment of United States Riflemen - Fort Atkinson, Nebraska
NSHS = http://www.nebraskahistory.org
On Earth's Remotest Bounds: Year One: Blood and Water (2004) by Kenneth C Flint - chronicles the first year of the joint Rifles-6th Infantry expedition up the wild Missouri by steamboats and keels to reach Cantonment Missouri and build their Fort. The journals of Rifle Surgeon John Gale and from Long's Expedition are among the sources.
See James's Account of S. H. Long's Expedition, 1819--1820
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lhbtn:@field(DOCID+@lit(lhbtnth014div12)):
See again: "This Excellent & Gallant Rifle Corps; The Model 1803 Harpers Ferry in Service." from Man at Arms, Vol. 3, No.4, July/August 1981. by Dr. Wayne R. Austerman (Historian, U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School, Fort Sam Houston, TX.) This is a rare gem that includes vivid combat and post-war exploits of the Rifles - including the exploits of Bennett Riley.
from American State Papers --INDEX TO MILITARY AFFAIRS. VOLUME I. (cont.) and
A Compilation of Registers of the Army of the United States, from 1815 to 1837 By William A. Gordon:
captured for the Rifle Regiments as edited images at
US Army Organization - 1819
Rifle Regiment Disposition - 1819
-----------------------------------------------
Contention - The Regiment(s) of Riflemen (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th), forgotten as they are, justly deserve to be considered part of the evolution of the U.S. Army Ranger concept and, therefore, should be included in the Ranger historical lineage.
Argument 1: In tactics, organization, and qualifications the Regiment of Riflemen belong to the Ranger story - especially as the ranger story rightly includes Morgan's Riflemen/Rangers and allows for Mosby's Rangers (a partisan-ranger outfit) belonging to an opposing army!
Argument 2: The few military historians who have studied the US Rifle Regiments' actions are in agreement that, in the use of concealment, marksmanship, aimed fire, skirmish, ambush, raid, and spearhead tactics, they pointed the way to the future employment of "modern Ranger infantry."
*Captain Jesse Bean,
may be said to "connect" the old Rifle Regiment to the US Mounted Rangers (which formed the core of the 1st Dragoons) "(Bean)..was born about 1784 in Tennessee, and died before 31 January 1844 in Independence County, Arkansas...served during the war of 1812 in between 28 July 1812 and 28 July 1817 in Captain Joseph Kean's* Company of the US Rifle Regiment as a gunsmith. In 1832 Lewis Cass, Secretary of War, commissioned Jesse to raise a company for the military force at Fort Gibson on the Arkansas River above Fort Smith. This was Captain Jesse Bean's Arkansas Mounted Rangers of the Army of the United States, the first military company raised in the area specifically to serve outside the territory. The company was in service for about a year. In 1832 the Indian Commissioner, Henry Leavitt Ellsworth was instructed "to visit and examine the country set apart for the emigrating Indians, west of the Mississippi", land in what is now Oklahoma. He was accompanied by the famous author Washington Irving whose book "A Tour of the Prairies," published in 1835 and based on Irving's journal during this trip. Washington Irving's "tour" included a circuit from Ft. Gibson through the back country and back to Ft. Gibson between 10 October 1832 and 9 November 1832. During this portion of the tour Ellsworth and Irving were escorted by Jesse's company. Nancy remarried after Jesse's death." - source: Kraus-Everette Genealogy
*4th Rifle Regiment
Continuing the saga - The Rifle Regiment did not die easily; the concept was seen as an alternative to the high cost of maintaining Dragoons and led to their temporary conversion to Riflemen:
Just as the Mounted Ranger Battalion of 1832 provided leaders for the 1st Dragoons, the Rifle concept, if not men, directly shaped the establishment, employment, and legacies of two outsanding units:
The U.S. Second Dragoon Regiment (1836-1861)
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 (later the 2nd US Cavalry). 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. - Army Lineagae Armor-Cavalry(see ** below)
Next, a Rifle Regiment was proposed with a mix of mounted and foot troops in mind; as a unique mounted formation for a special mission. In fact two were advocated in 1846 - and come to fruition in the cauldron of war as a Regiment of Mounted Riflemen and a Regiment of Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen:
U.S. Regiment of Mounted Riflemen (1846-1861) - "Brave Rifles!"
"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
"The Regiment of Mounted Riflemen was constituted to help establish a military road to the Oregon Territory. For a number of years the opening of the road, part of it through unexplored territory, had been discussed. Money was finally appropriated and a plan developed calling for forts from the Missouri to the Columbia. That there ought to be military protection for the project was evident, and for once a mounted force appeared to be the most economical solution. Debates in Congress on organizing this new force brought out the point that mounted troops could be used to carry the mail, as messengers, and to guard settlers going west. One member of Congress said he would vote for raising the regiment just to restore a rifle regiment to the Army. Although the United States had once been the rifle country of the world, he contended, it had fallen behind the European nations. There was not one rifle regiment in the establishment. He further stated that the unit should be mounted because, he thought, it was idle to send infantry against Indians who would be on horseback." - ARMOR-CAVALRY Part I: Regular Army and Army Reserve by Mary Lee Stubbs and Stanley Russell Connor OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY UNITED STATES ARMY WASHINGTON, D.C., 1969
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. It stayed the 3rd Cavalry thru WWII, when it was redesignated 3D Cavalry Group Mechanized, and is today's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
*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 - The horn is European in origin and the symbol for the light infantry (also called Jaegers (Hunters), voltigeurs (Vaulters), or Legere (Light). Light and Rifle infantry used the horn/bugle to issue commands on the battlefield as opposed to the drums of the Line Infantry)
"The green facing on the distinctive uniform authorized for the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen
in 1851 and its gold trumpet insignia are shown by the color of the shield and by the crest."
Argument 3: If not recognized by the Rangers, at least the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen - today's 3rd Armored cavalry regiment - should have the smarts to add the first US Regiment of Riflemen to its legacy.
The U. S. Regiment of Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen (1847-48)
Defined:
Voltigeurs - literally meaning "vaulter" or "leaper" : skirmisher
Voltigeur - a picked company of irregular riflemen in each regiment of the French infantry, lightly armed skirmisher.
Voltigeurs — "Picked companies of irregular riflemen in French regiments. They are selected for courage, great activity, and small stature. It is their privilege to lead the attack." - A Dictionary of Military Terms By Edward Samuel Farrow 1918
Voltigeurs - "Soldats de certaines unites d'elite d'infanterie legere (XIXe siecle). Soldiers of certain elite units of light infantry (19th century)." The US Army went through various phases of French Army influence on uniform design as well as organization and tactics, e.g. the forage cap or kepi, Souaves, Napoleonic decisive battle
Organized:
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.
Various Descriptions:
"At the start of the Mexican War, Congress tried to get along with just eight infantry regiments of Regulars, but in doing so gave the President power to expand their companies to one hundred enlisted men during the war. Ten months after hostilities commenced, it was necessary to change this policy and add nine new regiments-with the same organization as the old ones-to the Regular infantry. Eight of them, as was customary, bore numbers, the 9th through the 16th; but the other got a name. It was called the Regiment of Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen. Half of this unit was to be mounted, the other half on foot, and each horseman was paired with a foot soldier who was to get up behind him for rapid movements. This arrangement was never executed, and the Voltigeurs became in fact a regiment of foot riflemen, armed with the same rifle (a muzzle-loader) as the Mounted Riflemen. Quite by chance, the regiment included a company of mountain howitzers and war rockets, but it was not linked with the riflemen tactically, nor were the rockets and howitzers ever used together. Although raised as Regulars, the nine new infantry regiments created during the Mexican War were disbanded when the war was over. .. The Regiment of Mounted Riflemen remained active after the Mexican War, but in 1861 it was redesignated as the 3d Cavalry."- www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Lineage/in/infantry.htm
"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.
"The new regiments (which brought the regular army up to 1356 officers and 29,534 men) were to serve during the war and then be disbanded. One of them was the Third Dragoons. Another consisted of voltigeurs, "theoretically an equal number of infantry and of mounted ; men (the former to be taken up on the horses of the latter, when celerity movement should be desired) with a battery of small guns that could taken apart and transported on mules (Niles, May 15, 1847, p. 161); but practically the Voltigeurs were foot-riflemen (Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 924). The regiments destined for Scott were the following: (Brig. Gen. Picrce's g.) 9 Inf. from N. Eng. under Col. Ransom, 12 Inf. from N. and S. Car., Ark. and Texas under Lieut. Col. Bonham in the absence of Col. ...lson, and 15 Inf. from Ohio, Mich., Wis. and Iowa under Lt. Col. How...in the absence of Col. Morgan; (Brig. Gen. Cadwalader's brig.) Inf. from Pa., Del. and Md., under Col. Ramsey, 14 Inf. from 111.,
in. and 1л. under Col. Trousdale, Voltigeurs from Pa., Md., Va., Ky. and Miss, under Col. Andrews (Ho. 60; 30, 1, p. 924). Each Regiment was theoretically to consist of 851 men including 47 officers i.), but the two brigades going to Scott were not expected to muster above 3500. Scott was authorized to change tin; organization should the exigencies of the campaign require (Ho. 60;'30, 1, p. 922)..." Footnote 24 pp 363-364 - The War with Mexico by Justin Harvey Smith, 1919
"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." - Webbs in the Military - www.webbdeiss.org/webb/webb_boys_r.html
"At its inception The U.S. regiment of Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen was envisioned as a combined command containing dragoons, infantry and artillery. Half of the men were supposed to be mounted on horses. For rapid movement, each foot riflemen, would climb up behind the saddle of the voltigeur. The men's table of organization also featured a company of mountain howitzers and rockets. In actual practice, however, the Voltigeur Regiment functioned as infantry, and its men gave a good account of themselves with the famous Model 1841 ('Mississippi')rifle, the Army's first general-issue percussion shoulder arm." Urwin "United States Infantry an Illustrated History," 1988, p.70
"The Voltiguers (sp), 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." -
www.webbdeiss.org/webb/webb_boys_r.html
"...Hardee's manual was written for the intial purpose of training the new regiment of Voltiguers that was to be raised for the regular US Army. The Voltiguers would be a true "light infantry" regiment, armed with rifles, and would function as such on the battlefield, providing skirmish and screening forces to the main battle line. They would have had all new equipments and uniforms, and Hardee used those patterns as examples for his illustrations. Couple this with the regiments of Dragoons and Mounted Rifles, and you have a very "European" styled army. What transpired to throw all of this off kilter, of course, was the Civil War. Suddenly, we needed several armies RIGHT NOW! and so the fine tuning and tactical experimentation and evolutions were set aside to concentrate on the more important task of raising and training the volunteer army. Americans took a lot from the french, from Bayonet drill to caliber of musket to design/style of clothing. However, we also gleened much from other countries during this period. Basically, we took what seemed to work and/or function the best, and incorporate it into out own system(s). Thus, the Dress Hat, copied from the Austrians, along with the pleated frock coat. French-style uniforms and weapons, and English organisation and linear formations. Actually, we developed the two rank formation during the rev-war, the British copied it then, and then we switched back to the three-rank for a time, finally settling on the two-rank system. But I digress....Anyway, it's an interesting period to research. Almost a military/industrial rennaissance of the New World." - 1st Maine Authentic Campaigner Post
Uniforms: 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.[son of Colonel James Simmons McIntosh - see below]
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 trousers)
Order of Battle - March to Mexico City
1st Division (worth)
Garland's brigade: 2d Art., 3d Art., 4th Inf
Clarke's brigade: 3d, 6th, 8th infs; Co A, 2d Art., Light Art.Bn.
2nd Division (Twiggs)
P.F. Smith's brigade: 1st Art., 3d Inf., Rifle Regt.
Riley's brigade: 4th Art.; 2d and 7th infs, Engr. Co., ord. Co, Light Co. K, 1st Art.
Pillow's Division
Pierce's brigade: 9th, 12th, 15th infs.
Cadawaler's (sp) brigade: Voltiguers, 11th and 14th infs, Light Co. I, 1st Art.
Quitman's Division
Shield's brigade: New York regt., South Carolina Regt., Marine detachment.
Watson's brigade: 2nd Pennsylvania Regt.; H Co., 3d Art.; C Co., 3d Dragoons.
Harney's brigade: 1st Bn., Cavalry; 2d Bn., Cavalry.
The above lists appears in Emory Upton, The Military Policy of the United States, p. 214.
(cited in John S.D. Eisenhower, "So Far From God" The U.S. War with Mexico 1846-48, p.307.)
NB- note the use of title Rifle Regt.
Combat Actions Timeline
The Voltigeurs, some or part, were engaged at:
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)*
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).
see: http://www.webbdeiss.org/webb/webb_boys_r.html
Mexican War - General Scott's reports
History of The War of The United States With Great Britain in 1812, [The First Seminole War, Black Hawk's War, The Second Seminole War] & War With Mexico, by John Lewis Thomson Illustrated With Numerous Engravings, from Designs By W. Croome and other Artists Philadelphia.: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1887
Account of the Organization of the Army of the United States, 1848 [and an account of The War with Mexico] By Fayette Robinson, E. H. Butler & co., 1848
The Regiment of Voltigeurs arrived at Fort McHenry, Aug. 23, 1848, and shortly after it disbanded.
Sources see:
MCH-Journal A-0135 Frederick P. Todd The Curious Case of the Voltigeur Uniform 4 2 44 Author
NARA-391.6.1 Textual Records: Company descriptive books of the Regiment of U.S. Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen, 1847-48.
www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Lineage/in/infantry.htm
http://www.webbdeiss.org/webb/webb_boys_r.html
http://www.dmwv.org/mwvets/units.htm
http://www.dmwv.org/mexwar/documents/mexcity.htm
www.gbp.net/mexicanwar/infantry.html
http://www.aztecclub.com/uniforms/uni-table1.htm
http://www.currensnet.com/CWCONGRS/Mountain_hwtzers/mh_d_mexwar.htm
http://www.relicman.com/butfzzv.htm - In the Civil War, Virginia units most likely used the Voltigeurs Eagle buttons since the letter "V" was conveniently embossed on the shield. "A good many of these buttons show up in eastern sites occupied by Virginia troops, too many to account for simply recycling of old uniforms. It is likely that some of the Virginia militia units purchased them as a stock item." -http://www.qmfound.com/changes_in_the_army_uniform_1895.htm
"in 1852, the writer reported in favor of the gray uniform and system for the designation of rank,which in many respects was identical with that adopted by the Rebels, this color and system received the full endorsement of KEARNY, who dwelt with emphasis on the superior advantages of grey,"
"NB-None is more beautiful or striking than the old national GREY, faced and trimmed with bright yellow somewhat similar to the dress of the Voltigeurs, or Foot-Riflemen (See 1" 1004, U. S. Army Regulations 1847)." "...At morning and evening twilight; in foggy, muggy, and rainy weather, a body of men thus clothed would be undistinguishable at a very short distance, and amid the smoke of battle they would be swallowed up at once in the clouds of kindred hue. Grey and yellow, or gold, form the richest dress in the world ; without bullion, it is the cheapest, taking into consideration its serviceability, it is national to a great degree, and last, not least certainly, it is the least fatal to its wearer." pp. 163-164 - Personal and Military History of Philip Kearny, Major-general United States ...By John Watts De Peyster
Obviously this understanding of the advantages of grey (from the War of 1812 to the Voltiguers) was not lost on the likes of Davis, Lee and Johnston - and some Virginia units would even use the Voltigeur buttons.
Contention - The U. S. Regiment of Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen, deserves mention, if not inclusion, in the lineage of the Rangers - their battle record speaks for itself and was in the Ranger small unit action, spearhead tradition -witness the storming of Chapultepec castle
The Link - Bennett Riley
In the biography of Bennett Riley (Fredriksen's "Forsythe Avener") one may link the legacy of the "old" Rifle Regiment of the War of 1812 with that of the two "Rifle Regiments" of the Mexican War
- the US Regiment of Mounted Riflemen and the US Regiment of Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen -
Bennet Riley (or Bennett) (1790–June 6, 1853) was the seventh military governor of California, serving in 1849, before the territory became a U.S. state. He was born in 1790 in St. Mary's County, Maryland...:
"Appointed to the military service from Maryland as an ensign rifleman January 19, 1812,3 he was promoted to third lieutenant on March 12 and saw active service at Sacket's Harbor, New York, during the War of 1812. After the evacuation and burning of Fort Madison in November, 1813, there was great alarm in the settlements below; in consequence of which a new post was built on a high promontory of the Mississippi, opposite the middle fork of the Des Moines River; the work of building the post which was named Fort Johnston, was done by the Rangers and some regular troops; W. S. Harney and Bennet Riley were among the officers stationed there. As at Fort Madison, the contractor failed to supply the garrison with needed provision and Fort Johnston was abandoned and burned the spring after it was built.
Under the Act of February 10, 1814, three new regiments of riflemen were organized and Riley's was designated the First; he became a second lieutenant on April 15 of that year. The four regiments were consolidated May 17, 1815 and Bennet Riley served as adjutant from December, 1816 to July, 1817. He had become a first lieutenant the last of March, 1817, and reached the grade of captain August 6, 1818.
On the previous March 16, 1818, Secretary of War, John C. Calhoun, had ordered Col. Thomas A. Smith to establish a permanent post high up the Missouri River at the mouth of the Yellowstone; preparations were made which resulted in the expedition, commanded by Col. Talbot Chambers, getting away from Belle Fontaine Barracks on August 30. The detail was made up of riflemen who traveled in six keel boats under the command of Captains Bennet Riley, Matthew I. Magee and Wyly Martin. After the boats had been towed for about sixty days they arrived at Cow Island (Isle au Vache) eighty miles above Fort Osage. Provisions had given out and ice formed in the river so that further progress was impossible until spring; a group of log houses was built and Captain Martin was left in command when Colonel Chambers returned to Missouri. The post was called Cantonment Martin in honor of the senior captain but it must have been an empty honor since the riflemen were hard put to keep from starving. They relied on game they killed until the arrival of Maj. Stephen H. Long late in July, 1819. Captain Riley was transferred to the Sixth Infantry October 3, 1821 and in 1823 he fought with Lieut. Col. Henry Leavenworth and William H. Ashley in the second battle with the Arikara Indians who had attacked the boat of a trader where thirteen men were killed and others wounded; this fight brought on a conflict with the United States; Riley who led one wing of the expedition was reported as serving with gallantry as he was an adept in campaigning on the plains.
An amusing story, characteristic of the times, was related in the personal recollections of a pioneer, regarding Captain Riley "...who fought with so much bravery all through the Mexican war." He and Captain Thomas F. Smith were descending the Mississippi River in two keel boats, each in command of one hundred men; for company the two officers were riding in the same boat and as she descended the stream they saw a dead tree with the roots embedded in the mud at the bottom of the river. Captain Smith remarked to Captain Riley: "There is a sawyer." To which Riley replied, "I say it's a snag." Captain Smith immediately retorted: "I say it's a sawyer; do you mean to dispute my word?" Riley answered, "And I say it's a snag; do you mean to dispute my word?" Captain Smith directed the non-commissioned officer commanding the vessel, "Round the boat to, sergeant—No man shall dispute my word. . . " The two captains went ashore, and in the presence of the enlisted men under their command, took a shot at each other with pistols; the officers had been imbibing a little and neither was hit by the exchange of shots....According to the historian Edwin L. Sabin12 "Bennet Riley was an illiterate man and I have read the statement that he could not read or write. "He probably picked up a smattering of reading and writing for use in middle life..." The same author describing Kit Carson wrote: "His lack of education did not rank him below a number of officers in those days when Colonel Bennet Riley, of enunciation impeded by a hair lip, prated of his beginnings as an illiterate cobbler."
He led the first military escort along the Santa Fe Trail in 1829.
"From Camp Sabine, August 28, 1837, Riley wrote his friend Senator Lewis F. Linn of Missouri an account of his peregrinations since leaving Missouri. A large part of this LETTER is reproduced as it gives details of this officer's service not otherwise found; it settles the question of his birthplace; discloses his disappointment at non-recognition of his gallantry and the touching reference to his son.
"...I have been removed from Jefferson Barracks to Natchitoches, in this State, from thence to Fort Jesup, from Fort Jesup to this place, and from this place back to Jesup, and from thence to the Caddo Indians, and from thence to New Orleans, and from thence back to this place, where we have remained until this time, but how much longer I am unable to say...I would rather be in Missouri than any other State in the Union that I have been in, not excepting old Virginia, the place of my birth...We have been here nearly two years, and for what purpose I am unable to say, for there has been no invasion or threatened invasion, that I know of. There are no Indians nearer than eighty or one hundred miles of us, and we are fifty or sixty miles from those large planters who have so large a number of negroes that it would require a garrison near to prevent their negroes rising...We have temporary quarters built at this place, which is about two miles and a half from the river Sabine, on a straight line, and about four by the road."
"It is my opinion that we could be of more use to the service if we were on the frontier of Missouri or Arkansas. There we could be a check on the Indians; for if we do not establish a line of posts around that frontier soon, the enormous body of Indians which the government is sending among you will become dissatisfied, and will rise and use you up before we can help you...the sooner it is done, the less it will cost the government, and the less blood will be spilt."
"...two wars have shown us that riflemen are the most efficient troops that ever were employed in our country. Where can you find troops more efficient than...Forsyth's riflemen of the last war with Great Britain? I served with Forsyth's riflemen during the whole of the late war, up to the reduction of the army in 1821, and I have been in the infantry since..."
"I have served my country honestly and faithfully for near twenty-five years, and have commanded detachments, companies, battalions, regiments, and brigades, and have been on some important expeditions, and have had the good fortune to have the approbation of my commanding officer and the government...At the close of the last war, Mr. Dallas, then Secretary of War, promised me the brevet rank of major; but unfortunately he died..."
"I made repeated applications after the war for leave to visit Washington, but without effect until the fall of 1820, which was the first opportunity I had of laying my claims before the President and Secretary of War, which I did, but I was told I was too late by Mr. Monroe and Mr. Calhoun; but they both, if I understood them, agreed that my claim was just."
"Again in 1826, I had my claim before Mr. Adams and Mr. Barbour, and had no better success. I claimed brevets for the following actions: The battle of La Cole's mill—General Wilkinson told me, for my gallant conduct, that he would remember me. In the summer of 1814, on the day the gallant Forsyth40 fell, I, with fifteen riflemen, led the enemy's force, of about seven or eight hundred strong, into an ambuscade, in such a manner than, if Forsyth had obeyed his orders, not a man of them would have escaped to have told the story; for which General T. A. Smith sent for me, and offered me brevet rank, which I declined. A few weeks after I dispersed a party of the enemy of more than my number, killed their advanced guard, and wounded and took prisoner...an Indian chief by the name of Malaun. He was a celebrated chief; and to show you how much the British thought of him, they asked his body of General Smith, and had it buried in splendid style; for this General Smith sent for me again, and offered me brevet rank again; which I again declined."
"Well, sir, for the battle of Plattsburg I respectfully refer you to Major General Macomb [and also to a letter from Macomb to him written in 1826 on file in War Dept.] For these few battles I was promised brevet rank. Since then, in 1823, at the battle of the Arickarees, General Leavenworth recommended me to be brevetted to a major. Again on the Santa Fe road, August 3, 1829, when I defeated eight hundred Indians with one hundred and fifty, and killed and wounded forty of them; and again defeated them on the 10th of November."
"Sir, if I had received brevets for all of these actions only, I should have been a colonel by brevet, September 11, 1834....I had a talk with General Jackson in 1831...[about brevets]..."
"I am more anxious at this time than I was heretofore, for I wish my son, when he grows up, to see and hear that his father has served his country honestly and faithfully, by gallantry. My services are well known; but I wish my name to be on the records of my country for gallant services;"
"On the 4th of March last, about twelve o'clock, we gave Matty and old Tecumseh twenty-six roarers...
B. Riley, Major United States Army."
"After years as a brevet major, Riley on September 26, 1837, was made a full major and assigned to the Fourth Infantry. A month later he was ordered to join his regiment in Florida. Riley was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Second Infantry December 1, 1839; within three days all of the field officers of the Fourth regiment were changed by resignation, promotion and death—"a remarkable event, that may not occur once in twenty or thirty years in time of peace."
"During the Seminole War, On June 2, 1840, Riley was brevetted colonel for his bravery and good conduct at the battle of Chokachatta, Florida."
"The most treasured relic of the Second Infantry is a drum major's baton presented to the regiment by Colonel Riley in 1843. On the silver knob was engraved "Noli me tangre"."
"Colonel Riley made a most distinguishable record in the Mexican War; he commanded the Second Infantry under General Scott and the Second Brigade (2d Artillery, 2d, 4th and 5th Infantry and Voltiguers) of General Twiggs division in the valley of Mexico. He was brevetted a brigadier general for gallantry at Cerro Gordo April 18, 1847, and at Contreras he is said to have made a handsome movement with his brigade; Gen. Persifer Frazer Smith in his official report said Riley displayed gallantry, skill and energy; in a charge "he planted his colors upon the farthest works". On August 20, 1847, Riley was awarded the brevet of Major general for gallantry and General Scott assured him, after one of his engagements, that his bravery had secured a victory for the American army. General Scott publicly asserted that much of his success at Monterrey and Cerro Gordo was due to Riley's valor." - Chronicles of Oklahoma Volume 19, No. 3 September, 1941 GENERAL BENNET RILEY Commandant at Fort Gibson and Governor of California By Carolyn Thomas Foreman.
Maryland Resoultions
- Resolution of thanks to Lieutenants Alexander H. Cross, Robert Swan, Robert H. Archer and William H. Fitzhugh, of the regiment of Voltigeurs, U. S. army, natives of Maryland.
- Resolution authorising the Governor to procure and present to Brigadier General Bennet Riley, a sword.
He was appointed brevet major general fought at the Chapultepec ("But the troops held their ground and pressed on, until, finally, the castle above having been taken, they entered the Mexican barricade with a portion of the Rifle Regiment."* (Ripley.)")
"The third brigade (Col. Riley's) was reviewed and inspected on the plains of Molino del Rey on the 21st ult. By Major Buchanan, Acting Inspector General. It is needless, says the Star, to speak of the perfection of this command when it is known that the 2d Artillery, 2d, 4th and 5th Infantry and Voltiguers compose the command. (Mexico, February 20, 1848. Orders—No. 3.Richmond Whig(citing the Star) 22 March 1848)"*
"He is generally considered one of the ablest brigade commanders in the army during the war with Mexico. After the war he was placed in command of the Department of the Pacific and served as the military governor of California. He died in 1853 in Buffalo, New York. Fort Riley and Riley County in Kansas are named for him."
*NB- It is not clear if this is a reference to the US Regiment of Mounted Riflemen "Brave Rifles" or the US Regiment of Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen - I suspect the former as throughout the war the US Regiment of Mounted Riflemen was referred to as the "Rifle Regiment" or "Rifles" - nonetheless, neither regiment was under Riley's direct command until at least after the seizure of Mexico City (see Richmond Whig). But in this erroneous contemporary affiliation one can witness how historians have failed to address the true legacies of the US Rifle Regiments - lost and confused legacies indeed!
A Rifleman Transcedent - James Simmons McIntosh
New! - Riley is indeed a pivotal figure but I sense he would smile down upon me for at last discovering and connecting the story of his fellow officer in arms J S McIntosh! In researching various Rifle Regiment officers from the 1808-1821, the story of one of its once junior officers, James Simmons McIntosh, finally? came to my attention and struck me as one most compelling to add to and conclude the "Rifle Regiment saga." In a 35 year career, this officer distinguished himself in combat in two wars. He first served with the US Regiment of Riflemen at the outset of the war in 1812, continued on when it became the 1st Rifle Regiment in 1814. During which he distinguished himself in two noteworthy, singular "Rifle victories" in the War of 1812 - Sandy Creek and Black Rock. For his actions in these battles alone he was undoubtedly retained and promoted to Captain in the consolidated and truly elite postwar Rifle Regiment when it journeyed west. He continued in service after the Rifle's disbandment in 1821; eventually serving with the 4th Infantry and then 5th Infantry - culminating as commander of the 5th Infantry Regiment and as a Brigade Commander in the Mexican War. One may wonders, however, if the old Rifle Regiment had been kept intact or again expanded into several wartime "Rifle Regiments" - what honors his (or Riley's) leadership would have enabled? As it was, he earned his Regular Army heros rest; dying from mortal wounds received in close action at Molino Del Rey at the head of his regiment.
J. S. McIntosh (GA)- 1st Rifle Regiment - postwar Rifle Regiment
Second Lt Rifle. 13 Nov. 1812: First Lt Dec. 1813: distinguished under Maj. Appling at Sandy Creek : wounded under Maj. L. Morgan, in affair near Black Rock 3 Aug. 1814: retained, Dec. 1815, in Rifle. : Capt Mar. 1817 : transferred Sept 1818, to Ordnance: in 4th infy May 1821 : bvt Major 'ten yrs. faithful service 8 Mar. 1827: Major 7th infy 21 Sept. 1836: Lt colonel 5th infy 1 July 1839: bvt Colonel "for gallantry and distinguished service in battles of Palo Alto and Rio de
la Palma" 9 May 1846 (Aug 1846) in which he was dangerously wounded: commanded his brigade in Worth's division and distinguished, in battle of Churubusco: commanding a brigade and distinguishing in the storming of Él Molino 8 Sept 47, in which again severely wounded and died of his wounds 26 Sept 1847.
Col. James Simmons McIntosh's official report concerning the battle of August 20 1847 - Battle of Contreras and Churubusco Official Reports
"At Molino del Rey was supposed to be a cannon foundry, and it was thought by General Scott that a large quantity of powder was stored there. General Worth was ordered to make the attack, carry the enemy's lines, and destroy the ordnance works and return to his former position. To carry out this order General Worth directed General John Garland's brigade to be posted on the right with two pieces of Simon H. Drum's battery, so as to prevent re-enforcements from Chapultepec, and to be
in position to support, if necessary, the assaulting forces; the guns of Captain Benjamin Hugér to be placed on the eminence to Garland's right and rear; a storming party of some five hundred picked men under Brevet Major George Wright, Eighth Infantry, to take post near and to the right of Hugér's battering guns, to attack the battery in the center of the enemy's lines; Clarke's brigade under Colonel James S. McIntosh and Captain James Duncan's battery opposite the enemy's right to support the assaulting column; Cadwallader to be held in reserve; and Major Edwin V. Sumner with his cavalry to be posted on the extreme left. Some changes were made in the disposition of the Mexican forces. Early on the morning of the 8th Hugér with two 24-pounders opened fire, and the assaulting column under Major Wright advanced under a heavy fire of grapeshot from the Mexican center and left. Undismayed, they pushed forward now under fire of musketry, captured a battery, and turned it upon the enemy, who fled in confusion. They were soon re-enforced, and rallied and reopened fire not only from their lines but from the housetops and walls. The storming party was driven back, but Duncan's battery opening fire at this time checked the Mexican advance. The light battalion of Colonel Charles F. Smith, now under command of Captain Edmund Kirby Smith, Fifth Infantry, moved forward, supported by a part of Cadwallader's brigade, and this was followed by a forward movement of Garland's brigade and Drum's battery. This movement was irresistible, and the Mexicans fell back, bravely contesting every inch of ground. Pending the fire of Duncan's battery, one section of the battery, under Lieutenant Henry J. Hunt, opened fire on the enemy's lines between the Casta Mata and Molino del Rey. McIntosh fought in close quarters, and charged and drove the enemy in his front, but received three wounds, one of which proved mortal. General Alvarez, commanding the Mexican cavalry, was held in check by the voltigeur regiment under command of Major E.V. Sumner, and Duncan's battery. The fight was continued obstinately and bravely by the Mexicans from the roofs of houses. The main force of the enemy, having been driven toward Chapultepec, were rallied by General Peña Y. Barragan, and made an advance. Captain Drum was ordered forward, and with a captured six-pounder cleared the road. The battle lasted for more than two hours and was hotly contested by the Mexicans. Those who escaped death or capture retreated to Chapultepec, leaving General Worth in full possession of their lines. Worth's loss was one hundred and sixteen killed and six hundred and seventy-one wounded, a total of
seven hundred and eighty-seven."- General Scott - General Marcus J. Wright, in Great Commanders, 1893 - http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17444/17444-8.txt
Fort McIntosh (TX) was established in early 1849 as one of a chain of border forts. The Mexican War has just ended and Laredo, Texas was an easy crossing point for Mexicans and Indians determined to raid into the U.S. Originally named Camp Crawford, the fort was renamed to Fort McIntosh in 1850 to honor Lieutenant Colonel James Simmons McIntosh, who had been killed at the Mexican War Battle of Molino del Rey.
Portrait at James Simmons McIntosh, Colonel of the 5th United States Infantry
Col. James Simmons McIntosh, U. S. A. (1787-1847) son of Lieut. Col. John McIntosh, (1755-1826) commandant of Fort Morris when the British demanded its surrender, and he replied, "Come and take it." He displayed great bravery at Briar Creek, 1779, where he was wounded and taken prisoner - born and died in McIntosh county, Ga; grandson of William McIntosh (1726-96), served in the Continental Army and was delegate to the first Provincial Congress at Savannah, 1775. He was born in Scotland; died in Darien, Ga. His brother Lachlan was a distinguished brigadier general.-Lineage Book By Daughters of the American Revolution
His son Lieutenant and later Captain Leonidas McIntosh served with the Voltigeur Regiment in the Mexican War: "Gen. John McIntosh, son of Col. William McIntosh, was the father of Maj. William Jackson McIntosh, Maj. John Nash McIntosh and Col. James Simmons McIntosh of the United States Army and Mexican War, whose sons were Capt. Leonidas McIntosh of Mexican War and Gen. John Baillie McIntosh of the Federal Army, who lost a leg [battle of Opequan, Virginia], and his brother Gen. James McQueen McIntosh of the Confederate Army, killed at Oak Ridge [Pea Ridge]..."- A SKETCH OF THE McINTOSH FAMILY - The Magazine of History with Notes and Queries - Contributor
Published 1908 -google book - [see RECOLLECTIONS OF A NAVAL LIFE Including the Cruises of the Confederate States Steamers "Sumter" and "Alabama" Kell, John McIntosh, 1823-1900] - google book
see Lachlan McIntosh - http://www.virtualology.com/lachlanmcintosh/
for fuller portraits of this distinguished soldier and naval family - see McIntosh-The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans - By Rossiter Johnson, and Brown, John Howard, - google book
- as a special agent to Brasil in 1949 he filed a report - Record of the Department of State, Communications from special agents, 1794-1906 - http://www.brasilemb.org/cultural/brazil_studies.pdf
- In May 1856, Leonidas Mclntosh was appointed Major of the 2d Battalion Light Infantry "Nicaraguan Army". - Walker's Expedition to Nicaragua: A History of the Central American War; By William Vincent Wells,1856 p.252.
- At its height this army numbered possibly 1,200 Americans. According to impartial author Daniel Lucas in 1896 "the impression that Walker's ranks were recruited mainly from the Southern States. No conception could be more erroneous. Among his officers many were English and German, such as Henningsen, Doubleday, Schwartz, and Swingle. Still more were northern, such as the gallant Anderson, the feeble Lockridge, Dolan, and many others. Two States supplied beyond question the majority of his private recruits—New York and California. These were both free States." - Nicaragua: War of the Filibusters By Daniel Bedinger Lucas, 1896 [The Filibusters organizationl unit names included Rifle, Voltigeur, Light and Rangers - RG]
- In 1856, a Lieutenant Colonel Leonidas McIntosh was associated with the exploits of the infamous filibuster and "illegal" President of Nicaragua William Walker (TN); apparently as Commandant of the town of Masaya, McIntosh was involved or may have ordered the execution of 4 young Nicaraguans - exact role undetermined role from translation of website, which references Historical Complete Works of Masaya historian Jerome Perez Marenco and cites "The War in Nicaragua, written by William Walker" (page No. 277)- laprensa.com.ni/archivo/2007/julio/30/noticias/opinion/205505_print.shtml
Walker made effective use of the 1841 Mountain Howitzer - the Voltigeurs artillery piece and something McIntosh would likely have been experienced with - see Bull Pup:The 1841 Mountain Howitzer by Steven Grizzell
In two general officers brothers, one fighting for the South and one for the North, James Simmons McIntosh's legacy eerily leads us to the saddest chapter in our nation's history and a new chapter in the saga of the rifle and rifleman:
Civil War
Roy M Marcot's recent title,U. S. Sharpshooters Berdan's Civil War Elite cites the interesting fact that Hiram Berdan's reported initial concept envisioned his Sharpshooters mounted and wearing blue unifoms vice the green which colored their legend. While Marcot cites this mounted aspect as an "unusual request," as can be seen above, such a request was in keeping with the Dragoon/Mounted Rifle/Voltigeur legacies. Moreover, even after the formation of his now green clad foot Sharpshooters was underway Berdan wrote to a Captain Wells about augmenting the force with a "regiment of mounted SharpShooters for my Corps...armed with sabres and the improved Volcanic rifle (carbine size), capable of being fired 15 times without lowering it from the shoulder." Although this mounted proposal fizzled, such a proposed armed mounted force enabled the ascendency of the Union Cavalry in the last half of the war. For more on this illustrious formation, "reputed to have inflicted more caualties on the enemy than any other outfit in the war" click on:
For a contrasting example of how the states maintained legacies in meeting the federal government's call for volunteers one need only consider a lsiting of state unit names at
http://www.bitsofblueandgray.com/nicknames.regts.htm
For illustration consider these selected NY state unit names from the excellant site at:
http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/nicknames.htm:
Morgan Rifles; Northern Sharpshooters; New York Riflemen assigned to 93rd NY Infantry
New York State Rifles; Riflemen assigned to NY 18th Infantry
Union Rangers; NY 25th Infantry
Union Rifles; part of NY 51st Infantry
Union Sharpshooters; part of 17th Veteran Infantry
United States Rifles: Colonel Wladimir Krzyzanowski received authority from the War Department August 20, 1861, to recruit a regiment of infantry, which he named the United States Rifles...the 58th (NY) Regiment was organized in New York City by the State authorities by the consolidation of the incomplete Morgan and the United States Rifles.
United States Voltigeurs or Rangers, Co. A; Co. D, assigned to NY 51st Infantry
United States Voltigeurs, Cos. B and C; Cos. I and K, NY assigne to 57th Infantry
- from New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. Frederick Phisterer. Albany: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912."
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Conclusion
In Green Coats and Glory, John Fredriksen observed that: "Ironically, as the American army eliminated its rifle arm, the British army consolidated its famous 60th and 85th Regiments into a standing rifle brigade"
British Ranger and Rifle Units
He adds, "Discounting incidental* formations like the Voltigeurs of the Mexican war and a small Regiment of Mounted Rifles, it was not until the advent of Berdan's Sharpshooters in 1861** that the United States Army possessed a unit of green-clad sharpshooting specialists to carry on the tradition of American riflemen."
*On the contrary, the combat performance of the Voltiguers was not incidental; it was simply "lost" in the shoddiness of US Army reorganizations and to erstwhile Army historians
**The term "Foot Riflemen" was still used in the 1861 regulations despite the fact that no such branch existed in the Regular Army at that time.
US Rifle Uniform - offers a good summation of Rifle units in US Army
The book Sharpshooters of the American Civil War 1861-65, Warrior 59 by Philip Katcher, Colour Plates by Stephen Walsh Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2002, ISBN 1-84176-463-9, 64 pages, which treats both USA and CSA sharpshooter units, contains brief mention of the riflemen marksmen of the Revolution, the US Rifle Regiment of the War of 1812.
In two small chapters from a recent excellent study, Shock Troops of the Confederacy: The Sharpshooter Battalions of the Army of Northern Virginia, CFS Press,cAsheville, NC, 2006, Fred L. Ray rightly discusses these forerunners of Civil War Sharpshooters but adds no new insights.
Go to Sharpshooter Regiments
My contention builds on Fredriksen's statement and adds that the logical evolution of dispersed rifled infantry tactics, the selection of uniquely skilled and fit men, and the call for specialized units to execute skirmish, ambush and assaults missions,while employing whatever feasible means of mobility at hand, truly puts the US Rifle Regiment(s), US Voltigeur & Foot Riflemen Regiment, and the US Sharpshooter Regiments firmly in the US Army Ranger tradition. US Military Historians, if not the bureaucratic-minded lineage keepers and today's so-called Ranger-historians who have foisted much repetitious scholarship on the buying public, have overlooked*, through shabby and incomplete research, the opportunity to include these units in the chronological discussion of the evoulution and legacy of the modern Ranger and Light Infantry.
*not to mention official lineal descendants such as the Rangers of the War of 1812 and Mounted Rangers of 1832; slighted when compared to the inclusion of non-lineal units such as CSA partisan rangers.
Discusuion: I have taken the liberty to create images of existing record documents found by searching using keywords "Rifle Regiment" and "Regiment of Riflemen" as found in
American State Papers, 1789-1838 Thirty-eight volumes
where one can select Search or Browse (Select Searchable Text) under
Military Affairs
In some cases, I have created composite pictures by pasting from various imaged pages. The purpose of this effort is academic in nature; to provide for my fellow RR enthusiasts a record, albeit incomplete, from which to study the historical development, organization, and administrative events in the existance of the Rifle Regiment (1808-1821)in its various forms and permutations.
In searching using the term "Regiment of Riflemen" and reading of the development of two full or half "mounted" Rifle Regiments, I became convinced that the title "Regiment of Riflemen" was invoked for a purpose that, in the minds of the legislators, tied the new proposed unit(s) to that of the previous foot Rifle Regiments of the War of 1812 period. In support, I find it more than a coincidence that the apellation "mounted" does not appear in any 1846 Congressional Globe (29th Congress) legislative article titles proposing or discussing the new regiment(s)as shown:
3 Congressional Globe, House of Representatives,29th Congress, 1st Session, Page 420, Regiment of Riflemen--Mr. McClernand
4 Congressional Globe, House of Representatives, 29th Congress, 1st Session, Page 549, Two Regiments of Riflemen--Mr. Yell
5 Congressional Globe, House of Representatives,29th Congress, 1st Session, Pages 550 through 551, Two Regiments of Riflemen--Mr. Gentry
6 Congressional Globe, House of Representatives, 29th Congress, 1st Session, Pages 476 through 477, Two Regiments of Riflemen--Mr. Haralson
7 Congressional Globe, House of Representatives, 29th Congress, 1st Session, Pages 564 through 567, Two Regiments of Riflemen--Mr. Tilden
In conclusion, the search for newer forms of weaponry and mobility do not obviate but reinforce these strong, organizational, tactical, and historical ties of foot and mounted Rangers, Rifles, and Sharpshooters to today's Rangers. The name "Regiment of Riflemen," "Rifle Regiment," or even "Rifles," had a military cultural and historical connotation that fixed it in the minds of soldiers and politicians alike.
Acknowledging that all US infantry became defacto riflemen with the mass production of rifled arms does not negate the advanced tactical, organizational and uniform uniqueness of the regular rifle corps. By the time the evolution of warfare caught up with them, in a more perfect military world, where traditions counted, these first elite units would have been rescued and saved from oblivion.
Bureaucrats failed to maintain, foster, and nuture this tradition in the reorganization schemes of their day. A distinctly formidable, combat proven, and proud legacy, that directly tied the Army to its Continental and early Army "roots" was, thereby, denied and "lost" for more than one regular Army unit still serving today.
Yet, to perpetuate the folly by which a young nation's legislators and bureaucrats delt with the army's "regimental system" of its day, is to impose a needless constraint - if we can reorganize each decade or so (it seems) we should also be able to re-dedicate.
If today's BCTs can adopt nicknames that extoll such non-American legends as the "Spartans" then surely others can read a bit more pertinent history and use the Riflemen legacy to foster ESPRIT DE CORPS
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A parting salute to Rifle Re-enactors - hats off to these riflemen - who keep the legacy alive and visible to the enlightened? American public
The First Regiment of United States Riflemen - Fort Atkinson, Nebraska
U.S. Regiment of Riflemen Gower's Company - Join their group at 1812usriflemen
Mackinaw
Regiment of Rifles *no longer available
Rifle Regiment-Forsyth's Company
Rifle Regiment-Forsyth's Company
Rifle Regiment-Forsyth's Rifles Inc.
Return me to Ranger History
Return me to My Military History Pages
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Rifle Regiments - Lost Lineage Essay:
Today's Army is transforming into a modular Brigade concept, and historically minded leaders are rightly evoking the past to justify the changing of long standing units (at least by American standards) from one construct to another. Take, for example, the 2nd Armored Cavalry, recently returned from Iraq after deployment from Ft. Polk. Now stationed at Ft. Lewis and officially re-named the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, albeit it is an infantry-equipped Stryker Brigade Combat Team. It will next be re-flagged as a Brigade Combat Team under the 2nd Infantry Division, but not to go away. Subsequently it is earmarked to reappear in Germany as our lone ground force commitment to Europe. If that isn't somewhat confusing for non-Army folks to follow, it calls itself the "Second Dragoons" - which was actually, their first title when formed in 1836, in response to the increasing trouble in Florida during the Second Seminole War. They proved then that mounted troops (most were mounted) could wage a mobile fight in the mixed jungle and scrub, terrain.
So, what's in a name, right? In fact, the fighting Army is replete with such unique historical stories - the 1st Infantry is not the oldest regiment - that would be the 3rd Infantry - "Old Guard." There is one unit seemingly forgotten and overlooked, that in light of today's transformation, if not for other reason, deserves to be remembered. It is the Regiment of Riflemen, which was "unquestionably the most effective infantry formation fielded by the United States in the War of 1812" in the estimation of its foremost historian John F. Fredriksen, author of "GREEN COATS AND GLORY: THE UNITED STATES REGIMENT OF RIFLEMEN, 1808-1821" Old Fort Niagara Assoc., Youngstown, NY, 200 or see Issue No.1 & 2, 1998, Vol. 50 of MILITARY COLLECTOR & HISTORIAN.
It is my contention that the Regiment(s) of Riflemen (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th), forgotten as they are, justly deserve to be considered part of the evolution of the U.S. Army Ranger concept and, therefore, should be included in the Ranger historical lineage.
Argument 1: In tactics, organization, and qualifications the US Regiment of Riflemen belongs to the Ranger story - especially as the ranger story rightly includes Morgan's Riflemen/Rangers but allows for Mosby's Rangers (a partisan-ranger outfit) belonging to an opposing army! (I also make the case for the US Sharpshooter Regiments (1st & 2nd)
Argument 2: The few military historians who have studied the US Rifle Regiments' actions are in agreement that, in the use of concealment, marksmanship, aimed fire, skirmish, ambush, raid, and spearhead tactics, they pointed the way to the future employment of "modern Ranger infantry."
Argument 3: If not recognized by the Rangers, at least the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen - today's 3rd Armored cavalry regiment - should have the decency and smarts to add this unit to its legacy.
Argument 4: A study of the US Voltigeur & Foot Riflemen organization and actions in the Mexican War justifies its inclusion in the spearhead story of ranger operations and rescue from oblivion as with its ancestor Rifle Regiments.
For starters, I disagree with Fredriksen - an outstanding historian and fine gentleman who consented to my use of his work on this for academic-use website - and the tenor of conclusion from "Green Coats and Glory" :
"Discounting incidental formations like the Voltigeurs of the Mexican War and a small Regiment of Mounted Riflemen it was not until the advent of Hiram Berdan's sharpshooters in 1861 that the United States Army possessed a unit of green-clad specialists to carry on traditions of American riflemen." pp.71-72
Upon closer scrutiny, I believe this assertion is, at best, too simplistic and, at worst, misleading.
First, the U.S. Regiment of Mounted Riflemen was and is NOT an incidental unit (not that Fredriksen literally meant this)! Witness that they became the 3rd Cavalry who begat the modern 3rd Armored Cavalry and, as evidenced in Iraq to date, have seen their fair share of "foot" slogging and have "led the way" in adaptation to COIN operations (*see excerpt from article below).
Moreover, I argue that the evolution of dispersed rifled infantry tactics, the selection of uniquely skilled and fit men, and the need for specialized units to execute irregular tactics as well as the traditional skirmish, ambush and assault missions, using the best means of mobility available, truly and firmly puts the US Rifle Regiments, US Voltigeur & Foot Riflemen Regiment, and the US Sharpshooter Regiments in the US Army Dragoon, Mounted Riflemen and US Army Ranger traditions. Any of these current formations can make a legitimate claim to the legacies of these "forgotten" units.
As concerns the ranger tradition, the problem has continued to be exacerbated by the "wanna make a buck" authors - so-called ranger-historians - who have foisted much repetitious scholarship on the military history buying readership. Even respected military historians have overlooked the ranger's War of 1812 and mounted past.
For example, official lineal descendants such as the rangers of the War of 1812 (Foot and Mounted) and Mounted Rangers of 1832 have been given extremely short shrift, especially when one compares their treatment with the dubious claims, on official and historical organization and mission grounds, to such glamorous units such as Mosby Rangers - CSA partisan rangers - or even the "Swamp Fox" - Francis Marion's partisans of the Revolution. It is important to stress that these units were all mounted formations!
Through such shallow or incomplete research they have shortchanged themselves of the opportunity to include these units in a serious, chronological discussion of the legacy and evolution of the Ranger story.
Stronger cases could be made for units such as the US Regiment of Riflemen and the US Sharpshooter Regiments - not the least of which was that they were regular US Army units! - than Revolutionary militia units such as Marion's partisans or Confederate Army units! (One must make an exception for Roger's and other appropriate colonial Rangers before the Revolution.) In tactics, organization, and personnel qualifications, Riflemen and Sharpshooters, belong to the Ranger story. In their use of concealment, aimed fire, skirmish, ambush, raid, and spearhead tactics, they truly "led the way" to the future employment of "modern" Ranger infantry.
The same can be said for the Dragoon, Mounted Riflemen, and Light Infantry legacies. One need only observe the OIF COIN usage and up-armored adaptations of today's formations - be they Stryker, armored Cavalry, or Light - and then compare with the discussions of the period 1815-1850 - to see that relevance. Dragoons and Mounted Riflemen of the 1830s were evolutionary heirs of the mounted Riflemen and Rangers since colonial times.
Thus the case for arguments 1 and 2. For argument 3 - that the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen should add this unit to its legacy - here is the rest of the story:
Fredriksen, in summing up, describes how, in 1837, then Major Bennet Riley (Ft. Riley Kansas named in his honor) unsuccessfully appealed to Congress in discussions on reforming a rifle regiment;
"It is my opinion that a rifle regiment should be added to the peace establishment, as two wars have shown us that rifleman are the most efficient troops that were ever deployed by our country. 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?"
Fredriksen further mentions another attempt in 1841 to form two rifle regiments. But he should have gone further.
In 1819, Inspector General Colonel Arthur Perenneau Hayne saw clearly that consolidating the number of posts to three stregically placed positions and mounting troops of the caliber of the Rifle Regiment: "Under proper arrangment, the expense of mounting & equiping the Command would not be very considerable...thus formed and equiped the Corps could act in the Three fold capacity of Dragoons, Infantry and Riflemen." - Report of Inspection of the Ninth Military Department, 1819 - L. B. S. The Mississippi Valley Historical Review, Vol. 7, No. 3 (Dec., 1920), pp. 261-274
The seeds of this inclusive approach are aptly captured in Dr. Wayne R. Austerman's, "This Excellent & Gallant Rifle Corps; The Model 1803 Harpers Ferry in Service." published in Man at Arms, Vol.3, No.4, July/August 1981 (cited by Fredriksen). Dr. Austerman vividly describes the essential challenges and requirements that demanded the tactics, techniques and procedures, that an appropriately armed and mobile force would need in confronting the Plains tribes while on escort and constabulary duties in the opening west. The actions of the 6th Infantry, and particulary those of of Maj Bennett Riley, pointed directly to the need for a well-armed, mobile and highly disciplined and competent force of regulars to demand the respect of the tribes. The absorption of the dissolved Rifle Regiment into the 6th Infantry, an "illogical" organizational mistake, forced from on high, nevertheless, provided both the means (Model 1803 rifle), tactical approach (swifter dispersed rifle formations vice slow moving linear, line infantry movements) and aggressive leadership demanded in the new area of operations.
The dismounting of Dragoons and even Artillery in the Seminole Wars and the "official" dismounting and re-designation of the 2nd Dragoons in 1842, to "Regiment of Riflemen," albeit for only one year, points to the continuity of the Rifle concept. Furthermore, by examining the 1846 Congressional debate, which resulted in the creation of the US Regiment of Mounted Riflemen - today's 3rd Armored cavalry - one might see that its creation was not far removed from these earlier attempts in time or perhaps, more importantly, informed memory, to resurrect the Riflemen concept.
As it is, the basis for this linkage is easily found in the Army's own book "Army Lineage: Armor-Cavalry." Concerning the 2nd Dragoons is stated:
"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 2nd Dragoons again (later the 2nd US Cavalry). 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."
This last sentence, however, overlooks the ideas, executive and congressional, behind the Mounted Riflemen and Voltigeurs:
Indeed, as concerns the 1846 debate, it is worth noting that the title "Two Regiments of Riflemen" was used in the Congressional articles and banner without the term "mounted." Now, this is explainable perhaps due to article space considerations yet, in reading the debate itself, it is quite apparent that the writers and Congressmen were cognizant of the tradition and uniqueness of the Regiment of Riflemen from 1808-1821. Moreover, the "mounted versus foot" debate was only one, , and not the most important, item amongst a host of constitutional, officering and manning - "regulars versus militia," - issues at play.
"(Mr Haralson) was willing to see the President vested with the power to mount or dismount such portions of the two regiments as he might at any time deem requisite and proper. He was not of the opinion, however, for reasons which he would state, that the whole of this increased force should consist of mounted men....Although the bill itself did not designate the particular service in which this force should be employed, yet it had been announced that a portion of it at least was to be put on the line of emigration to Oregon. he asked gentlemen to consult their own good sense on this point. Would mounted men be required altogether at the stockades? Was not every man who knew anything of military matters aware, that certain services were required to be performed in and about these stockades, and that it would be useless that every man there should have a horse? A detachment of one or two companies must remain at every one of the forts, not only to protect emigration, but to protect the public property. It was indeed requisite, that a portion should be mounted, in case of Indian, attacks, or to escort emigration, if necessary, and to perform other services in which the speed of mounted men might be required--to repel invasion, or to pursue and enemy retreating into the prairies, and whom men on foot could not reach. A mixed force, therefore, at the discretion of the president, or of the commanding officer on that particular service, was required."-- Congressman Haralson, Georgia, March 26, 1846.
In actuality, the "mounted versus foot" - mission and organizational - issue was primarily a question of anticipated expenditures, the constitutionality of Executive-branch employment prerogatives and, from the opposition point of view, secretive schemes afoot (many in Congress opposed Polk's war).
The US Army's experiences in the western river expeditions of 1817-1821, in which the Rifle Regiment was chosen for specific reasons and proved to play such a prominent and critical part, also informed the debate. The new regiment was to be formed "specially designed for to protect American emmigration and the commerce of the prairies." - Congressman McClernand, Illinois, April 10, 1846
They also discussed the essential composition of the unit in terms of the source and caliber of officers and men to be recruited or transferred. What emerges from a reading here is a striking similarity between that of the Regiment(s) of Riflemen (in original intent and proven execution) and the new Regiment of Mounted Riflemen especially as concerns recruitment, caliber, and expected performance of the men - as Congressman Haralson eloquently expresses:
"What kind of me do you want on that service? ...men taken from your large cities --a trodden down, spiritless sot, such as would receive the lash, if it were requisite to apply it? Surely not. We want no such material for an army. We want men who are bound to the institutions o' the land, who love their country for their country's sake, and who acknowledge that the first great law of that country is obedience to the laws;men who in serving as privates, would not find themselves degraded. Such are the men we want; such the men who are to be found in the South, and on our western prairies, who breathe the pure atmosphere of liberty, and who know its blessings, and feel it no degradation to fight for them, if necessary. The gentleman also thought proper to speak of the insubordination of our army, and of a force to be raised from the freemen of the west. I have no fear that a regiment from the western States would bear out the description he has given. In 1813 and 1814 the western men did not show that spirit of insubordination. They have never done so when the tocsin was sounded and the drum beat, and they were called on to serve their country; nor do I think I will ever do so. 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....By and through them,a knowledge of the country will be obtained, which would
lead to its settlement, in many instances, by the discharged soldiers themselves." -- Congressman Haralson, Georgia, March 26, 1846.*
American State Papers, 1789-1838 Thirty-eight volumes
When formed, a young lieutenant Grant would bemoan that Polk had chosen to play favorites in officering the Mounted Riflemen, "Don't you think Mr. Polk has done the officers of the army injustice by filling up the new regiment of riflemen from citizens?* It is plain to be seen that we have but little to expect from him..." "NB-* Grant had applied for a command in this regiment. For political reasons the bill authorizing the equipment of the regiment specified that it should be officered from civilian ranks." - Letter to J. W. LOWE, Esq., Batavia, Ohio from U. S. GRANT, 4th Infy. - in McClure's Magazine, 1896, p 370.
If direct evidence could be found pinning Riley's 1837 testimony and his or other official's "lessons learned" from the 6th Infantry experiences to the 1846 Congressional debate and subsequent legislation establishing a new "regiment of Riflemen," albeit mounted or half-mounted, then a direct linkage could be established between the Regiment of Riflemen of 1808-1821 and the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen (1846-present). In this way the Regiment of Riflemen could directly be included in the Mounted Riflemen's - 3rd Armored Cavalry's - story. Conceptually, however, it is easy to see and make the connection.
The short history of the U. S. Regiment of Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen also deserves mention, if not inclusion, in the lineage of the Rangers - their battle record speaks for itself and was in the Ranger "spearhead" tradition - witness their storming of Chapultepec castle. Research convinces me that there is a direct doctrinal connection of the 1808-1821 Regiment of Riflemen (lead spearhead amphibious assault on York Upper Canada), to the 1846 Mounted Riflemen (*Brave Rifles!) and to the 1847-48 U.S. Regiment of Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen (half foot - half mounted)- both forced to fight on foot during the Mexican-American War, despite their intended mounted capability.
The 1837, 1841, 1846 and 1847 rifle regiment discussions, legislation, and creations - resulting in the U.S. Mounted Rifle Regiment in 1846 and U.S. Regiment of Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen in 1847 - are not "incidental"** to the story of the old U.S. Regiment of Riflemen and by extension the US Sharpshooters or, from a modern perspective, the evolution to WWII Ranger and today's Ranger or Armored Cavalry/Dragoon/Stryker formations.
In conclusion, the search for newer forms of weaponry and mobility do not obviate but rather reinforce these strong, organizational and tactical historical ties of regular US Army foot or mounted Rangers, foot or mounted Rifle formations, and Sharpshooters. The name "Corps of Rangers," "Ranger Corps," "Rifle Corps," "Regiment of Riflemen," "Rifle Regiment," or even "Rifles," had a military cultural and historical connotation that fixed it in the minds of soldiers and politicians of their day.
Congress and Army bureaucrats failed to maintain, foster, and nurture in the reorganization schemes of their day. From this, as has been long known and often stated, a distinctly formidable, combat proven, and proud legacy, that directly tied the Army to its Continental and early Army "roots" was, thereby, denied and "lost" for more than one regular Army unit still serving today. For units such as the Rangers and Rifles this was doubly so.
To perpetuate the folly by which a young nation's legislators and bureaucrats dealt with the army's "regimental system" of its day, is to impose a needless constraint. If the army can re-organize each decade or so (it seems) we should also be able to re-dedicate.
If today's Brigade Combat Team - BCT - can adopt such non-American, but bold, nicknames as "Spartans" then surely others can "buy American" and change their nickname or add the Riflemen legacy to further foster their ESPRIT DE CORPS
End
On historical naming and transformation - consider another example - The former 2nd Armored Cavalry
Regiment. It is now transforming into an infantry-equipped Stryker Brigade Combat Team - officially re-named the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and re-calling themselves the "Second Dragoons" - their first title when formed in 1836 in response to the increasing trouble in Florida during the Second Seminole War - and is soon to be forward deployed to Germany as our lone remaining ground commitment. see The Army's Modular Forces
The US Regiment of Voltigeurs & Foot Riflemen combat record in the Mexican War would be coveted by many a unit today - IF KNOWN - consider if today our Army historians were to ignore a key units role in the taking of Baghdad!
"Brave Rifles?" - recently I uncovered what I call the General Scott "Come out Steel" Tribute Controversy?:
In his 1885 "Notes of the Mexican War 1846-47-48, author J. Jacob Oswandel, who served in Capt. William F. Small's Co. C, First Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, chronicled a version of Scott's famous "come out steel speech" as directed to the Volitigeurs and NOT the Mounted Riflemen. Memories are fuzzy things but this mention was not in passing. Rather, in a speech given on April 18, 1872 to the Scott Legion at a banquet in Philadelphia, in honor of the 25th anniversary of Cerro Gordo, he remembered and recorded, his recollecton in this way:
"Oh yes, some of our comrades will yet remember when Gen. Scott rode from regiment to regiment, thanking God and his heroic men for their brilliant victories; and when he came to the rifle Voltigeur regiment — a regiment that lost nearly all its commissioned officers and more than
one-half of its men—he noticed their thin ranks and shattered banners and wept, saying,
"You have gone through fire and blood and have come out steel." [Applause.]
Oswandel then opines:
"Who has ever heard of more heroic deeds? who has ever read of more triumphant achievements? I have not, and it remains for future historians to give a correct idea of the Mexican war. There is not a parallel in all the bright pages of the history of the world like the campaign of Mexico. [Applause.] " "Yet in the face of all these brilliant achievements, staring in the eyes of our people, we are not recognized by our government." - p. 627.
Considerations:
- would Oswandel not have been corrected by somone or corrected his mistake before publishing such a claim 13 years later?
- Or, considering another common military explanation, towit: General Scott greeted each unit with remarkably similar speeches! He would not be the first General to do so;
- But, if Oswandel is acccurate, and the praise from Scott was singular, one might conclude that this would not be the first time one combat unit got the credit for another unit's exploits"
One can never know.
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*The Lessons Of Counterinsurgency
Washington Post, February 16, 2006,Pg. 14
U.S. Unit Praised for Tactics Against Iraqi Fighters,Treatment of Detainees
By Thomas E. Ricks, Washington Post Staff Writer
TALL AFAR, Iraq -- The last time the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment served in Iraq, in 2003-04, its performance was judged mediocre, with a series of abuse cases growing out of its tour of duty in Anbar province. But its second tour in Iraq has been very different, according to specialists in the difficult art of conducting a counterinsurgency campaign -- fighting a guerrilla war but also trying to win over the population and elements of the enemy. Such campaigns are distinct from the kind of war most U.S. commanders have spent decades preparing to fight.......
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Selected Excerpts from CMH's ARMY LINEAGE SERIES, INFANTRY Part I
"One of the distinctive features about the Revolutionary War was the use of rifles and rifle units in it. The rifle was virtually unknown in the New England Army that opened the war. Indeed, throughout the conflict, muskets were the armament of the troops of the line. At 100 yards, the best musketeers could hit a man-sized target only four shots out of every ten. In contrast, expert riflemen could kill a man with every shot at 100 yards and do good execution at twice that range. The chief limitations on the use of riflemen were the scarcity of expert shots and the fact that the rifle could not carry a bayonet. Although the latter deficiency was somewhat overcome through the use of tomahawks and knives, riflemen remained vulnerable to a determined bayonet attack. Accordingly, riflemen were not useful in the line, but both sides made extensive use of them as sharpshooters ahead of and around the main fighting force.
As already mentioned, the rifle companies from Pennsylvania in William Thompson's Battalion soon lost their specialization and became an element of the line, armed with muskets. Nearly as short-lived as a rifle unit was the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment, composed of the original Continental rifle companies from Maryland and Virginia plus some later ones from the same states. This unit was captured at Fort Washington on 16 November 1776 and was never re-formed. Just at the time of its capture, Daniel Morgan received a commission as Colonel of the 11th Virginia. He recruited 118 riflemen and joined the Continental Army with them at Morristown, New Jersey, early in April 1777. Very soon Washington drew 500 picked riflemen from the regiments of his Army and put them under Morgan's command. Thus began the most famous of the rifle corps which persisted intermittently throughout the Revolution. Sometimes Washington referred to Morgan's unit as a rifle corps, sometimes as "rangers." The latter term requires a little elaboration. Rangers were a species of infantry that the British had developed to cope with the methods of the French and Indians in North America. They were scouts who ranged the forests spying upon the enemy, gathering intelligence on his strength and intentions, and harassing him when they could. Units of rangers had to be made up of men who understood woodcraft and who could match the Indians in stealth. Also, they had to be trained shots. Actually, corps like Daniel Morgan's were rangers a good deal of the time. In addition, there were certain units, such as Thomas Knowlton's Connecticut Rangers, which regularly bore the title......
Two beatings inflicted by the Northwest Indians brought about an experiment in organization which had precedents in certain European corps and in some of the
Continental Army. The entire military establishment was converted in 1792 into a legion, that is, into a field army in which the three combat branches, infantry, cavalry, and artillery, were combined in the same organization. The legion consisted of four sublegions. Each sub-legion contained infantry, riflemen, cavalry, and artillery; indeed it was the forerunner of the twentieth century regimental combat team....
Jefferson's administration had only a brief chance to test its convictions regarding a strong militia and a small standing army, for war clouds were gathering once more. The United States almost began the second war with England when the British warship Leopard attacked the American Chesapeake in 1807. This aggression caused Congress to add five Regular infantry regiments in 1808, the 3d through the 7th, and also to constitute the Regiment of Riflemen. The latter was a product of the Revolutionary experience and the first rifle unit since the end of the Legion in 1796. Rifle elements re-entered the service through the agency of Brig. Gen. James Wilkinson, commanding the army, and Henry Dearborn, Secretary of War, both of whom had had firsthand experience with them in the last war. Aside from the augmentation of April 1808 there was no further preparation for a fight until just six months before the second war with England. At that time, that is, in January 1812, Congress constituted ten new regiments of Regular infantry. The act of 11 January 1812 which created them was remarkable in at least two ways: first, it provided for the largest regiments and battalions authorized in the United States before the Civil War and, second, it established an organization that was at variance with the seven existing regiments. As a result, in the first six months of 1812 there were three different-sized infantry regiments, besides one of riflemen. The 1st and 2d regiments made up the infantry of the "military peace establishment," and they had ten companies in them of seventy-six enlisted men. The 3d through the 7th regiments, authorized in 1808, were called the infantry of the "additional force," and comprised ten companies with two more officers and two more enlisted men each than the 1st and 2d had. The 8th through the 17th in no way resembled the others, for they had eighteen companies of 110 enlisted men, arranged in two battalions.
Military Districts during the War of 1812
No. 1. Massachusetts and New Hampshire
No. 2. Rhode Island and Connecticut
No. 3. New York, from the Sea to the Highlands, and East Jersey
No. 4. West Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware
No. 5. Maryland and Virginia
No. 6. North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia
No. 7. Louisiana, the Mississippi Territory, and Tennessee
No. 8. Kentucky, Ohio, and the territories of Indiana,Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri
No. 9. New York, North of the Highlands, and Vermont
image sources are from the Library of Congress: American State Papers --INDEX TO MILITARY AFFAIRS. VOLUME I.
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. 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.
No sooner was war over than Congress scrambled to rid itself of its more than 30,000 infantrymen. An act of 3 March 1815 set the peace establishment at 10,000 men, divided among infantry, rifle; and artillery regiments. Cavalry was eliminated, and eight infantry regiments and one rifle regiment arose from the ruins of the forty-six and four in existence. The rifles were consolidated and the infantry, after many rearrangements, settled as follows:
1st Infantry formed by consolidation of the 2d, 3d, 7th, and 44th
2d Infantry formed by consolidation of the 6th, 16th, 22d, 23d, and 32d
3d Infantry formed by consolidation of the 1st, 5th, 17th, 19th, and 28th
4th Infantry formed by consolidation of the 14th, 18th, 20th, 36th, and 38th
5th Infantry formed by consolidation of the 4th, 9th, 13th, 21st, 40th, and 46th
6th Infantry formed by consolidation of the 11th, 25th, 27th, 29th, and 37th
7th Infantry formed by consolidation of the 8th, 24th, and 39th
8th Infantry formed by consolidation of the 10th and 12th
(or remember this way -The First Infantry became a part of the new Third Infantry, while the old Second, Third, Seventh and Forty-fourth, were united to form the new First Infantry. The old Fourth went into the new Fifth; the Fifth into the Eighth; the Sixth into the Second, and the Eighth into the Seventh.)
....... There was no effort to preserve the honors or traditional numbers of any of the prewar regiments. The 1st was merged with other regiments and redesignated the 3d, and the old 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th were likewise lost in the remains of disbanded regiments. The new numbers were founded on the seniority of the colonels, the senior colonel commanding the 1st, and so forth...After the reorganization of 1815, the Regular infantry fluctuated in size with the whole military establishment.
Prospects of peace appeared to improve, and in 1821 Congress felt safe enough to cut expenses by disbanding the Rifle Regiment and the 8th Infantry....
Congress was obliged to augment the Regular infantry (in 1838) by adding thirty-eight privates and one sergeant to each company, and by raising a new 8th Infantry, the fourth unit to go by that number. At one time or another, every one of the eight regiments of infantry served in the Florida swamps.....As quickly as the (Seminole) 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. In May 1846 a new rifle unit, the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen, was constituted. 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 1841 rifles, bayonets, and flintlock pistols, fought on foot.
At the start of the Mexican War, Congress tried to get along with just eight infantry regiments of Regulars, but in doing so gave the President power to expand their companies to one hundred enlisted men during the war. Ten months after hostilities commenced, it was necessary to change this policy and add nine new regiments-with the same organization as the old ones-to the Regular infantry. Eight of them, as was customary, bore numbers, the 9th through the 16th; but the other got a name. It was called the Regiment of Voltigeurs and Foot Riflemen. Half of this unit was to be mounted, the other half on foot, and each horseman was paired with a foot soldier who was to get up behind him for rapid movements. This arrangement was never executed, and the Voltigeurs became in fact a regiment of foot riflemen, armed with the same rifle (a muzzle-loader) as the Mounted Riflemen. Quite by chance, the regiment included a company of mountain howitzers and war rockets, but it was not linked with the riflemen tactically, nor were the rockets and howitzers ever used together.
Although raised as Regulars, the nine new infantry regiments created during the Mexican War were disbanded when the war was over. Their dissolution left a peace establishment of eight foot regiments. This structure seemed less adequate than it would have before 1846, for "Manifest Destiny" had entered the reckoning of the legislators. The inescapable need to protect, at least partially, the vast area taken from Mexico, and to help settlers across the great plains to California and Oregon, caused Congress to add the 9th and 10th Infantry in 1855, the fourth of both numbers in United States service. The ten regiments in existence after 1855, the 1st through the 10th, made tip the foot establishment until after the actual opening of hostilities in 1861. The Regiment of Mounted Riflemen remained active after the Mexican War, but in 1861 it was redesignated as the 3d Cavalry.
Civil War: Even though most of the volunteer infantrymen were raised and officered by the states, a few hundred units were not. Several types of volunteers were more directly linked to the United States than to any state, the earliest of these being two regiments of U.S. Sharpshooters (1st and 2d) organized in 1861. These two contained companies from several states, raised by the states. Their origin in more than one state was an uncommon attribute, but their real distinguishing feature was the manner in which they were officered. While the states appointed the company and field officers in ordinary volunteer units, the Federal government appointed them in the Sharpshooters and similar outfits......www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/Lineage/in/infantry.htm......
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