A
History of the
King's
Rangers
In May of 1779,
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Rogers, the famous commander
of Rogers' Rangers during the French and Indian War, was given a warrant
to raise two battalions of KING'S RANGERS to combat what the British
called the "unnatural rebellion." Rogers himself would ultimately have little
to do with the King's Rangers as he had given in to alcoholism. Major James
Rogers, Robert's brother, was the commandant of the Second Battalion.
Captain Samuel Hayden of New Jersey was the senior officer of the First
Battalion. The two battalions were quite different from each other. While the
1st Battalion was heavily comprised of New Jersey men, the 2nd Battalion
was composed mostly of New Englanders along with a few immigrants from
England and Ireland.
In
September 1779,
the Second Battalion of King's Rangers were garrisoned for
a time at Fort St. Johns on the Richelieu River (now Saint Jean, Quebec). In
October of 1780, a detachment of the Second Battalion took part in raids by
Major Christopher Carleton into the Champlain Valley and the attacks on Fort Anne and
Fort George NY. When rebels surrendered at Fort Anne, the King's Rangers took advantage of
an easy opportunity: they recruited 16 of the enemy prisoners into
their own relatively small ranks.
There was, however, another
side of the war. The Second Battalion was involved
in the business of spying for the British. One of the more interesting
missions was when James Breakenridge, Jr. of the King's Rangers accompanied another
loyalist carrying a secret proposal from Vermont's Governor Thomas Chittendon
and Ethan Allen regarding negotiations for Vermont to become a Canadian
province. Known as "The Vermont Negotiations," Major James Rogers was
reportedly heavily involved in correspondence and face to face meetings with
Allen and his associates.
The places of origin for the soldiers
of the 2nd Battalion breaks down as
follows:
Albany (NY): 44, Duches County: 41, Connecticut: 31, New York: 10,
New Milford: 8, Ireland: 7, Scotland: 6, [New] Hampshire: 5, Rhode
Island: 4, Boston: 4, Jersey: 4, England: 3, Hartford: 3, Germany: 2,
Londonderry: 2, New London(CT): 2, New Haven(CT): 2, Litchfield: 2,
See Brook: 1, Halifax, Nova Scotia: 1, Fairfield: 1, Monmouth County
(NJ): 1, Long Island: 1, Bedford: 1, Woster: 1, Stafford: 1, Salem (NH): 1,
Lebanon: 1, Castleton: 1, Canada: 1, Cumberland: 1, Charlestown: 1,
Colrand: 1, Durham: 1, Virginia: 1, Maryland: 1
Source: WO 28/10 from a 1783 source.
 |
A King's Ranger's discharge from British service.
Private Francis Van De Bogart was a member of
the 2nd Battalion of King's Rangers. A native of
Albany NY, Van De Bogart was 5' 6" and 28 years
old in 1783, the time of his discharge.
(original of document is owned by a decendent) |
The
Recreated
Regiment
Formed in 1974 by Douglas Fletcher of
Derry, New Hampshire, the King's
Rangers (known at the time simply as Rogers' Rangers) consisted of just
one company. During the U.S. Bicentennial, the embryonic unit participated
in many events including the 175th aniversary of Ft. Wellington, Quinte's Isle,
Belleville, Onatario, Kingstons, Ontario, United Empire Loyalists (UEL) Annual Convention,
325th of Ft. Chambly, Loyalist Days: Saint John, New Brunswick
as well as the television film April Morning.
In 1979, with the help of Tony Parkhouse of the Canadian War
Museum, major changes took place. New findings led to changes in clothing
and accoutrements.
As membership grew, more companies became necessary.
Ruiter's Company,
commanded by Captain Horst Dressler of Vermont, was designated in 1984.
Pritchard's Company, commanded by
Captain Mike Fitzgerald of Connecticut, was activated in 1990.
Today,
the Second Battalion of the King's Rangers is represented
with a membership stretching from Canada to New England. The King's Rangers are
members of the British Brigade,
an umbrella organization which honours the
memories of those British and American soldiers and their families who served
their country while fighting and dying for their beliefs and loyalties during the
American War of Independence.
