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The FReeper Foxhole Remembers Army Rangers - Feb 25th, 2003
Globalsecurity ^

Posted on 02/25/2003 5:33:40 AM PST by SAMWolf

U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

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Rangers Lead the Way!


The history of the American Ranger is a long and colorful saga of courage, daring, and outstanding leadership. It is a story of men whose skills in the art of fighting have seldom been surpassed.

The history of the US Ranger did not begin with Robert Rogers in the 1750's as is widely believed. Units specifically designated as Rangers and using Ranger tactics were employed on the American frontier as early as 1670. It was the Rangers of Captain Benjamin Church who brought the Indian conflict known as "King Phillip's War" to a successful conclusion in 1675.



Rangers came into existence in response to challenges that were far different than those faced in the Old World during the 17th century. The major differences were in the ruggedness of the terrain and the enemy they faced in the New World.

The American Indian did not conceive of war as a long campaign of maneuver, and he despised pitched battles. Hardened by his environment, accustomed to traveling great distances on foot, he was more inclined to use stealth and reconnaissance to select his objective, then execute a swift and devastating raid that employed terror to maximum advantage.

European tactics and methods were useless against this combination of terrain and enemy. Survival dictated the need for new methods. Small groups of men began to move out from the settlements to scout the surrounding territory for signs of enemy movement and to provide early warning. Reports of these groups include words such as: "This day, ranged 9 miles." Thus, the "Ranger" was born.

As their skill in woodcraft and this new form of warfare was perfected, it was now the turn of the "Rangers" to use the raid. They were versatile from the start, able to move on foot or horseback. In addition to over-land raids, they conducted over-water operations against the French and their Indian allies.


Rogers' Rangers Standing Order #19: Let the enemy come till he's almost close enough to touch. Then let him have it and jump out and finish him up with your hatchet.


In the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the famous Robert Rogers developed the Ranger concept to an extent never known before. A soldier from boyhood, Rogers had a magnetic personality. Operating in the days when commanders personally recruited their men, he was articulate and persuasive, and knew his trade. He published a list of 28 common sense rules, and a set of standing orders stressing operational readiness, security, and tactics. He established a training program in which he personally supervised the application of his rules. In June 1758, Robert Rogers was conducting live-fire training exercises. His operations were characterized by solid preparation and bold movements. When other units were bivouacked in winter quarters, Rangers moved against the French and Indians by the use of snowshoes, sleds, and even ice skates. In a time when the English colonists were struggling, Rogers' Rangers carried the war to the enemy by scouting parties and raids.

His most famous expedition was a daring raid against the fierce Abenaki Indians. With a force of 200 Rangers, traveling by boat and over land, Rogers covered 400 miles in about 60 days. Penetrating deep into enemy territory, and despite losses en route, the Rangers reached their objective undetected. On September 29, 1759, they attacked and destroyed the Indian settlement and killed several hundred Indians; the Abenaki were no longer a threat.

Rangers continued to patrol the border and defend the colonists against sporadic Indian attacks for the next decade.

When the time came for the colonies to fight for their independence, the American Rangers were ready.

On June 14, 1775, with war on the horizon, the Continental Congress resolved that "six companies of expert riflemen be immediately raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia." In 1777, this force of hardy frontiersmen provided the leadership and experience necessary to form, under Dan Morgan, the organization George Washington called "The Corps of Rangers." According to British General John Burgoyne, Morgan's men were ". . . the most famous corps of the Continental Army, all of them crack shots."



Also active during the Revolutionary War were Thomas Knowlton's Connecticut Rangers. This force of less than 150 hand-picked men was used primarily for reconnaissance. Knowlton was killed leading his men in action at Harlem Heights.

Another famous Revolutionary War Ranger element was organized by Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox." Marion's partisans, numbering up to several hundred, operated both with and independent of other elements of General Washington's army. Operating out of the Carolina swamps, they disrupted British communications and prevented the organization of loyalists to support the British cause, thus substantially contributing to the American victory.

During the War of 1812, Congress called for the Rangers to serve on the frontier. The December 28, 1813, Army Register lists officers for 12 companies of Rangers.


John S. Mosby. He and his men did not carry sabers and were armed with multiple revolvers rather than cavalry carbines. It was said that a Ranger could be riding at full gallop and fire 3 rounds into a tree trunk before he passed. This accounted for many empty Federal saddles. Fighting behind enemy lines, the Rangers usually didn't carry a flag, but on the Berryville raid, riding beside Mosby was 17 year-old Robert Stockton Terry who carried the battalion's new flag.

The best known Rangers of the Civil War period were commanded by the Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby. Mosby's Rangers operated behind Union lines south of the Potomac. From a three-man scout unit in 1862, Mosby's force grew to an operation of eight companies of Rangers by 1865. He believed that by the use of aggressive action and surprise assaults, he could compel the Union forces to guard a hundred points at one time. Then, by skillful reconnaissance, he could locate one of the weakest points and attack it, assured of victory. On his raids, Mosby employed small numbers, usually 20 to 50 men. With nine men, he once attacked and routed an entire Union regiment in its bivouac.

Equally skillful were the Rangers under the command of Colonel Turner Ashby, a Virginian widely known for his daring. The Rangers of Ashby and Mosby did great service for the Confederacy. Specialists in scouting, harassing, and raiding, they were a constant threat and kept large numbers of Union troops occupied.

Rangers who fought for the United States during the Civil War should also be mentioned. Although often overlooked in historical accounts, Mean's Rangers captured Confederate General Longstreet's ammunition train, and even succeeded in engaging and capturing a portion of Colonel Mosby's force.



TOPICS: VetsCoR
KEYWORDS: army; freeperfoxhole; rangers; specialforces; veterans
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To: SAMWolf
Michael Ramirez sure has a good way of saying things.
61 posted on 02/25/2003 7:34:34 PM PST by Dubya (Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,but by me)
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To: PhilDragoo
Thank You Phil for the account of the Battle of Takur Ghar. Men like these make me proud to call myself an American.
62 posted on 02/25/2003 7:34:54 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf; All
In the beginning there came a man to the world, a protector and savior of men. He spoke the language of many--mostly he spoke care and concern for his fellowmen. He was trained in the arts of war and killing. He was the ultimate warrior. One who stood among men not as a god or noble -- but as another man. Just a man. His exploits were far and many and many of his enemies he did kill -- always protecting his people and his land. He understood sacrifice and he offered his life to his country and its people. For him, life was hard and many scorned him as a killer. That was easier than trying to understand his dedication to his people. Women feared and loved him for his mysterious ways of seeing life. Nobles saw him as a lesser individual who didn't know that the real values in life were money and power. To them he was ingnorant. To his comrades he was a brother who understands all. To his family he was pride and honor. To himself he was a man of special dedication -- one who puts his country and his people before anything else in his life. God saw him as a son for He saw in the man sacrifice, love, and courage while he was scorned for his beliefs. Jesus saw him as a special brother and saves a special place in heaven for him. His enemies saw him as the reaper of death and they feared him. The warrior, the soldier, the Ranger, the soulchild who sits in the lap of the King Immortal Supreme. The blood from his body will always stain the earth. The earth will swallow his body and the sky will always offer her tears to his memory.

Dedicated to those who fought and died before me giving me the soil on which I stand and love and serve to defend. To those Rangers before me who have given honor and standards in courage to live up to. To those British Commandos who have taught my brothers during their conception. Oh God, I pray that I never fail myself. May my children never feel the hand of Communism that lurks as a shadow over the world.-----Author Unknown

The above was given to my husband when he was in 3/75.
63 posted on 02/25/2003 7:56:16 PM PST by rangerwife
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To: rangerwife
Thanks Rangerwife. That's beautiful I love these two lines"

Dedicated to those who fought and died before me giving me the soil on which I stand and love and serve to defend.

May my children never feel the hand of Communism that lurks as a shadow over the world.
64 posted on 02/25/2003 8:02:01 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
They still show reruns here on PBS
65 posted on 02/25/2003 8:19:04 PM PST by Valin (Age and deceit beat youth and skill)
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To: Valin
That's amazing. I would have never thought anyone would run Lawrence Welk shows.
66 posted on 02/25/2003 8:21:31 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
Every Saturday night ch.17 6:00-7:00. I'm assuming they get it cheap.
67 posted on 02/25/2003 8:49:31 PM PST by Valin (Age and deceit beat youth and skill)
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To: Valin
LOL The estate probably pays PBS to play it.
68 posted on 02/25/2003 8:53:21 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
Can't close out the day without James Earl Rudder
69 posted on 02/25/2003 9:39:26 PM PST by top of the world ma
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To: SAMWolf; AntiJen; All
Hiya Sam!

I've got some patriotic balls for you. Sorry I'm late but, better late…


70 posted on 02/25/2003 9:49:48 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul
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To: top of the world ma
Thanks for the link to Rudder's biography
71 posted on 02/25/2003 9:57:23 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: Victoria Delsoul
Darn I have a retractable antenna so I can't use antenna balls.
72 posted on 02/25/2003 9:58:45 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
Aw, too bad. :-(
73 posted on 02/25/2003 10:07:20 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul
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To: Victoria Delsoul
I just wasn't gonna touch that one with a 10 foot pole
74 posted on 02/25/2003 10:17:13 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
how about a 6 foot pole?
75 posted on 02/25/2003 10:22:25 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul
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To: Victoria Delsoul
Not even a 12 foot Hungarian.
76 posted on 02/25/2003 10:27:05 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: SAMWolf
LOL, nighty night Sam. It was fun, as usual.

Cya tomorrow.


77 posted on 02/25/2003 10:30:31 PM PST by Victoria Delsoul
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To: Victoria Delsoul
Good night, love that Rottweiler!
78 posted on 02/25/2003 10:32:14 PM PST by SAMWolf (We do not bargain with terrorists, we stalk them, corner them , take aim and kill them)
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To: PhilDragoo
BTTT!!!!!!
79 posted on 02/26/2003 3:05:06 AM PST by E.G.C.
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