When a couple of members of the 55th of Foot joined us Rangers at the Lake George Tactical (LGT) in 2004, and more of them came again in 2005, it occurred to me that their presence on the LGT was not only very fitting, but so was a brief note on why.  I hope this explains why I'm so pleased they are there.

In 1757, Fort Edward was the home to a large part of the British Forces, and after the fall of Fort William Henry that year, it was the last Northern stronghold for the British along the Hudson River/Lake George/Lake Champlain coridor until 1759.  Fort Edward was home to the Rangers (on what is now called Rogers Island) as well as a number of Regular and Provincial units.  From Fort Edward, the Rangers made regular and frequent scouts northward to Ticonderoga and Crown Point, taking routes on both sides of the lakes and on the lakes themselves.  This is, therefore, the reason why the Lake George Tactical is near holy ground for us Rangers.

One of the units also stationed at Fort Edward was the 55th of Foot. The head of the 55th was Brigadier-General Lord George Howe, who also in command of the British Army in North America in 1757.  Howe admired Robert Rogers and the Ranger tactics.  More importantly, he more than arguably any other of the British command, recognized the significance of Ranger tactics for fighting in the American wilderness.  On one occasion, the General himself went on a scouting mission with the Rangers, “being fond, as he expressed himself, to learn our method of marching, ambushing, retreating, &c. and, upon our return, expressed his good opinion of us very generously“ (The Journals of Major Robert Rogers).

Howe had so much respect for rangering techniques that he ordered serious modifications to his unit, not only in their dress and equipment but in their fighting style, as Tim Todish discusses in his Annotated Journals of Major Robert Rogers (page 110):

Being universally liked on a personal level by both the Regular and Provincial soldiers, Howe proved himself an easy convincer: his innovations were quickly and readily adopted by most. And these changes were quite radical, especially for the tradition-bound redcoats. By the early summer of 1758, Abercromby's soldiers, gathering for the final push against Fort Carillon, had been transformed, in the words of one of them, into a species of fighting-men whose attire made them resemble "common Ploughmen."

Hats were ordered trimmed down to narrow brims. Queues were snipped off, and hair cropped to within an inch of the skull. Coats were cut nearly to the waist, and all lace and "regimentals" (facings and cuffs) were removed to make the uniform as light as possible. Waistcoats were also deemed superfluous, and left behind with swords and hangers. Linen overalls or buckskin breeches were preferred over the army-issue breeches. Checked shirts were probably provided for field use.

Indian-style leggings (green being the favored color) protected their legs from brush and insects. They rolled up their provision-filled haversacks in their blankets, and these in turn were wrapped in bearskin mattresses or other covers, the bundles tied and carried with tumplines a la Rangers, Canadians and Indians.

The officers were not to wear sashes, but only gorgets to distinguish themselves while on duty. The deliberate shooting-down of Braddock's officers by the enemy at the Monongahela was not lost on Lord Howe (although, he would be one of the first men killed in the upcoming campaign). Officers generally carried fusils. The muskets of the men were cut down to make them lighter and more manageable in the woods, and their barrels were blackened to prevent sun glint. The ten best marksmen in each regimen received rifle-barreled carbines of an undetermined manufacture, equipped with iron ramrods and bayonets. Leather lock covers, and plugs for the gun muzzles, kept their weapons generally free from damp. Waistbelts carried the bayonets, and tomahawks in place of swords.

One of the officers of the 55th wrote, "You would laugh to see the droll figure we all make.  Regulars as well as provincials have cut their coats so as to scarcely reach their waists. No officer or private is allowed to carry more than one blanket and a bearskin. A small portmanteau is allowed each officer. No women follow the camp to wash our linen. Lord Howe has already shown an example by going to the brook and washing his own." (from Montcalm and Wolfe, by Francis Parkman, 1884.)

From 1757 on, members of the 55th were frequently assigned to or volunteered for scouting duty with the Rangers. Their men suffered the same successes and failures, and many were killed, wounded, or captured on these missions. And for that reason, we welcome the 55th at the Lake George Tactical and are proud to serve with them there.

Read more about the 55th of Foot here, here, and read about their recent history after a series of amalgamations here.