What were Rogers' Rangers?

Rogers' Rangers was an independent company of rangers attached to the British Army during the French and Indian War. The unit was informally trained by Major Robert Rogers as a rapidly deployable light infantry force tasked with reconnaissance and conducting special operations against distant targets. Their military tactics were so bold and effective that the unit became the chief scouting unit of British Crown forces in the late 1750s. Later, several members of Rogers' Rangers became influential leaders in the American Revolutionary War and a large number of ex-rangers were present as patriot militiamen at the Battle of Concord Bridge.

Rogers' Rangers was a group of colonial militia that fought for the British during the French and Indian War. Commanded by Robert Rogers they operated primarily in the Lake George and Lake Champlain regions of New York. The group was formed during the winter of 1755 by forces entrenched at Fort William Henry. The Rangers employed some of the earlier forms of guerrilla warfare used by European armies, used frequently during winter raids against French towns and emplacements, travelling on snowshoes and on frozen rivers.

Never fully respected by the regular British forces, they were one of the only non-Indian force able to operate in the region due to the harsh winter conditions, and the difficulties of moving regular forces though the region's mountainous terrain.

After the British forces surrendered Fort William Henry, the Rangers were stationed on Rogers Island near Fort Edward. This allowed the Rangers to train and operate with more freedom than the regular forces.

In March 1758 at The Battle of the Snowshoes Rogers' Rangers ambushed a French-Indian force and were in turn ambushed by French-Indian Forces. The Rangers had 52 survivors/8 wounded and 125 lost. Rogers estimated 100 killed and nearly 100 wounded of the French-Indian forces; however the French listed casualites as total of 10 Indians killed/17 wounded and 3 Canadians wounded.

During 1759 the Rangers were involved in one of their most famous operations: the Rangers were ordered to destroy the Indian settlement of Saint-Francis in Quebec from which attacks on British villages were frequently being launched. Rogers led a force of 200 Rangers from Crown Point, New York, deep into French territory. Following the successful destruction of the village, the force ran out of food during their retreat back through northern Vermont. Once the Rangers reached a safe location along the Connecticut River at Fort Wentworth, Rogers left them encamped, and returned a few days later with food, and relief forces from Fort at Number 4 now Charlestown, New Hampshire the nearest English town. In the Raid on St.Francis, Rogers thought 200 were killed, leaving 20 women and children to be taken prisoners, of whom he took 5 children prisoners; however, the French record that only 30 were killed {including 20 women and children}

At the end of the war the Rangers were given the task of taking command of Detroit from the French forces on behalf of the British crown.

After the war most of the Rangers returned to civilian life. In 1763 a unit of the Rogers' Rangers who were formed into the British 80th Regiment of Light Armed Foot {1758-1764} were ambushed at the Devil's Hole Massacre during Pontiac's Rebellion. At the outbreak of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord, former Rangers were among the Minutemen firing at the British. After these events, Robert Rogers offered his help to the commander of the Colonial Army, George Washington. Washington refused, fearing that Rogers was a spy because Rogers had just returned from a long stay in England. Rogers was infuriated by this and did indeed join the British--forming the Queen's Rangers {1776} and later the King's Rangers.

The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) of the Canadian Army claim to be descended from Rogers' Rangers. Also claiming descent from Rogers' Rangers is the 1st Battalion 119th Field Artillery of Michigan and the U.S. Army Rangers.

The historical novel Northwest Passage (1937), an American classic, gave great verisimilitude to the events of Rogers' Rangers' raid on the Abenaki town of St. Francis. The first half of the novel was later adapted to film called Northwest Passage (1940).

During the Second World War, the U.S. Army was interested in the tactics of the British Commando units, which by then had a couple of years of experience, and wanted similar special operations forces of their own. Recalling this colonial unit, they took the name "Rangers" as the official title; these units consider Rogers their founding father and distribute copies of Rogers' Rangers Standing Orders to all aspiring Ranger students.

A more recent book, White Devil - A True Story of War, Savagery, and Vengeance in Colonial America, by Steven Brumwell (ISBN 0-306-81389-0, Da Capo Books, 2005), contains an historical analysis of the St. Francois raid and ensuing controversy.

In 2002, Mind Lab Films produced a Documentary about Robert Rogers and his Rangers entitled "The Battle On Snowshoes." The Film is available through Heritage Books.