Morgan's Riflemen or Morgan's Rifles, previously Morgan's Sharpshooters, and the one named Provisional Rifle Corps, were an elite

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

unit commanded by General Daniel Morgan in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, which served a vital role executing his tasks because it was equipped with what was then the cutting-edge rifle instead of muskets, allowing for a Rifleman to have an effective range of double that of the average Infantryman.

History

Daniel Morgan got his start in the Revolutionary War in 1775 as the captain of a small rifle unit set up by the state of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, one of 10 such units commissioned by Congress. Morgan recruited 96 men (80 men and 16 officers), marched 600 miles, arriving in Boston on August 6, 1775. They gave an exhibition as described in the Virginia Gazette of September 9, 1775 quoted; "A man held between his knees a board 5 inches wide and seven inches long, with a paper bulls-eye the size of a dollar. A rifleman at 60 yards without a rest, put eight bullets in succession through the bulls-eye." From the same source we are told that the rifleman gave an exhibition "in which a company, on a quick advance, placed their shots in 7 inch targets at 250 yards." The rifle or more properly, the Pennsylvania Long Rifle and later known as the Kentucky Rifle made by German immigrants was cutting edge at the time as it had grooves called rifling to spin the ball thereby greatly improving accuracy. Later Morgan's most significant action was support for the invasion of Canada, and the Battle of Quebec in which he was seen as a hero, despite General Benedict Arnold's overall failure and their subsequent capture. In early 1777, when Morgan was freed from captivity, he was commissioned as a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and assigned command of the 11th Virginia Regiment, and a few months later was also instructed by

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

to form a Provisional Rifle Corps, men skilled with the use of the long rifle, from his and other nearby regiments.Daniel Morgan and His Sharpshooters
/ref> Having done so, his first assignment was to harass Colonel William Howe as he retreated through

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Morgan did so by having his 500 riflemen snipe the enemy troops as they moved, using their longer range to do so from safety, an unusual tactic for that day. Sent to join the northern army headed by General

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory in the Battl ...

, Morgan's Riflemen helped establish better conditions for the coming Battle of Saratoga, by a series of quick attacks on their Indian allies, driving them back in order to interfere with British intelligence of the American troops' movements. His Riflemen proved pivotal in several engagements, including driving back an advanced unit all the way to the enemy's main forces, and later helping turn the main battle by attacking from the right flank, and is credited with forcing the British retreat. In the summer and fall of 1779, Morgan and his riflemen were part of Sullivan's Expedition into the Southern Tier and

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York, in the United States. This region straddles the northern and transitional ...

regions of New York. After a series of similar successes, Morgan left active service for a year, then joined the southern army with

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependab ...

. In the January 1781

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781 near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina, between U.S. forces under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan and Kingdom of Great Britain, British for ...

, Morgan led Continental troops to a major victory that resulted in the near-total destruction of Tarleton's force. Morgan retired shortly afterwards due to health issues.Golway (2005), p. 250

Popular Media

Morgan's Riflemen were a key model for the fictional unit portrayed in the movie The Patriot, by

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...

. In Empire: Total War, Morgan's Riflemen was a unique unit to the United States via DLC.

References

Bibliography

* {{cite book , last1=Golway , first1=Terry , title=Washington's General: Nathanael Greene and the Triumph of the American Revolution , date=2005 , publisher=Henry Holt and Company, LLC , isbn=0-8050-7066-4 , url-access=registration , url=https://archive.org/details/washingtonsgener00golw Military units and formations of the United States in the American Revolutionary War