Rogers' Rangers | |
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Active | 1755–1796 |
Country | Great Britain |
Allegiance | British Army (1775-1796) New England Colonies (1755–1775) |
Branch | British provincial unit |
Type | Special operations Auxiliaries |
Role | Special operations Maneuver warfare Guerrilla warfare Skirmishing |
Size | Nine companies (in the regiment) |
Garrison/HQ | Fort William Henry (1755–1757) Rogers Island (1757–1763) Fort Detroit (1763-1796) |
Engagements | French and Indian War
Pontiac's War (1763–1766)
|
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Lieutenant Colonel Robert Rogers Lieutenant Colonel James Rogers Captain William Stark Lieutenant John Stark |
Rogers' Rangers was a company of soldiers from the Province of New Hampshire raised by Major Robert Rogers and attached to the British Army during the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War). The unit was quickly adopted into the New England Colonies army as an independent ranger company. Rogers was inspired by colonial Frontiersman Ranger groups across North America and the teachings of unconventional warfare from Rangers such as Benjamin Church. Robert Rogers trained and commanded his own rapidly deployable light infantry force, which was tasked mainly with reconnaissance as well as conducting special operations against distant targets. Their tactics were built on earlier Colonial precedents and were codified for the first time by Rogers as his 28 "Rules of Ranging". The tactics proved remarkably effective, so much so that the initial company was expanded into a ranging corps of more than a dozen companies (containing as many as 1,200–1,400 men at its peak). The ranger corps became the chief scouting arm of British Crown forces by the late 1750s. The British forces in America valued Rogers' Rangers for their ability to gather intelligence about the enemy. They were disbanded in 1761. [clarification needed]
Later, the company was revived as a Loyalist force during the American Revolutionary War. Nonetheless, a number of former ranger officers fought for the Continental Army as Patriot commanders with some participating as militiamen at the Battle of Concord Bridge.[1]
The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) of the Canadian Army, formed by Rogers and Loyalist veterans of Rogers' Rangers, claims descent from Rogers' Rangers.