The Partisan Ranger Act was passed on April 21, 1862 by the
Confederate Congress
The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new na ...
. It was intended as a stimulus for recruitment of
irregulars
Irregular military is any non-standard military component that is distinct from a country's national armed forces. Being defined by exclusion, there is significant variance in what comes under the term. It can refer to the type of military orga ...
for service into the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
The Confederate leadership, like the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
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** ''Un ...
leadership, later opposed the use of unconventional warfare out of fear the lack of discipline among rival
guerrilla groups could spiral out of control. On February 17, 1864, the law was repealed after pressure from General
Robert E. Lee and other Confederate regulars.
Only two partisan Ranger groups were exempt and allowed to continue to operate:
Mosby's Raiders and
McNeill's Rangers
McNeill's Rangers was an independent Confederate military force commissioned under the Partisan Ranger Act (1862) by the Confederate Congress during the American Civil War. The 210 man unit (equivalent to a small or under-strength battalion) w ...
.
Background
Initially, Confederate President
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
did not approve of
unconventional warfare
Unconventional warfare (UW) is broadly defined as "military and quasi-military operations other than conventional warfare" and may use covert forces, subversion, or guerrilla warfare. This is typically done to avoid escalation into conventional ...
because it reduced the number of able men eligible to serve in the regular army. However, after conventional
Confederate forces were driven out of western Virginia in the summer and early fall of 1861, pro-Confederate unconventional combatants remained active in the region. Virginia Governor
John Letcher
John Letcher (March 29, 1813January 26, 1884) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician. He served as a Representative in the United States Congress, was the 34th Governor of Virginia during the American Civil War, and later served in ...
issued a proclamation calling to "raise such a force as would enable General Floyd to recover Western Virginia from the invaders." On March 27, 1862,
Virginia Legislature
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 1619 ...
passed an ''Act to Authorize the Organization of ten or more Companies of Rangers'', known as the Virginia Ranger Act.
On April 8, 1862, a bill was introduced to the
1st Confederate States Congress by a member of the Confederate Congress from Virginia to allow raising a force of partisan Rangers with a five dollar bounty for every dead federal. The Confederate Senate Congressional Military Committee removed the bounty provision, and proposed permitting future partisan Rangers to receive the same pay as regular Confederate soldiers on conditions they were subject to
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
regulations. In one exception, partisan Rangers were authorised to sell captured arms and munitions to
Confederate Quartermaster-General's Department.
The Confederate Congress passed the Partisan Ranger Act on April 21, 1862.
Content
There were two purposes of the Partisan Ranger Act. One was control of unconventional warfare forces and employ them for the
Confederate States
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
advantage. The other purpose was to promote the use of unconventional warfare in areas outside the reach for the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
.
According to Document 94 of the Congress of the Confederate States, the Partisan Ranger Act reads as follows:
''Section 1''. The congress of the Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
do enact, the president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
be, and he is hereby authorized to commission such officers as he may deem proper with authority to form bands of Partisan rangers
The Partisan Ranger Act was passed on April 21, 1862 by the Confederate Congress. It was intended as a stimulus for recruitment of irregulars for service into the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
The Confederate leadership, lik ...
, in companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
, battalion
A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...
s, or regiment
A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation.
In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...
s, to be composed of such members as the President may approve for the purposes of unconventional warfare.
''Section 2''. Be it further enacted, such partisan Rangers, after regularly received in the service, shall be entitled to the same pay, rations, and quarters during the term of service, and subject to the same regulations as other soldiers.
''Section 3''. Be it further enacted, for any arms and munitions of war captured from the enemy by any body of partisan Rangers and delivered to any quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...
at such place or places may be designated by a commanding general, the Rangers shall be paid their full value in such manner as the Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
may prescribe.
The Partisan Ranger Act led to the recruitment of unconventional soldiers into the Confederate Army. Partisan Rangers had the same rules, supplies, and pay as the regular soldiers of the army, but they would be acting independently, detached from the rest of the army. The partisan Rangers were to gather intelligence and take supplies from the federals. Anything they brought back would be given to the quartermaster, a military officer in charge of providing food, clothing, and other necessities; in return, they would get paid.
The Partisan Ranger Act drew many Southern men who were reluctant to serve in a regular army. but were eager to enroll in a partisan corps with the same pay as conventional soldiers. The
unintended consequences
In the social sciences, unintended consequences (sometimes unanticipated consequences or unforeseen consequences) are outcomes of a purposeful action that are not intended or foreseen. The term was popularised in the twentieth century by Ameri ...
of the Partisan Ranger Act were beliefs all forms of unconventional warfare were approved, including violence toward civilians.
Outcome
The Partisan Ranger Act was repealed on February 17, 1864, after
Robert E. Lee persuaded Confederate politicians to focus on more conventional means of warfare. This did not mean the end of unconventional warfare, but it meant the end of the Confederate government trying it out as an effective military strategy.
Legacy
The Partisan Ranger Act may have failed in the end, but it played a certain role in the American
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. Multiple partisan rangers groups and units proved to be useful in staging independent raids and collecting information about movements of the Union Army, as well as conducting reconnaissance and skirmishes during the battles. Altogether, the partisan rangers were able to somewhat distract and hamper the Union Army operations throughout the war until it developed somewhat successful counter-strategies late in 1864.
[Taran, Nicholas]
''United States Army counter partisan operations in northern Virginia during the American Civil War''
Fort Leavenworth, KS: US Army Command and General Staff College, 2016.
References
Further reading
* Johnson, Adam Rankin, and William J. Davis
''The Partisan Rangers of the Confederate States Army'' Louisville, Ky.: G. G. Fetter Company, 1904.
* Raiford, Neil Hunter. "The 4th North Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War." McFarland & Company, 2003, p. 5.
* Mackey, Robert R. "The UnCivil War: Irregular Warfare in the Upper South, 1861-1865." University of Oklahoma Press, 2004. .
*Inc Ebrary. "Modern Insurgencies and Counter-Insurgencies: Guerrillas and their Opponents Since 1750". Routledge (UK), 2001.
*McKnight, Brian D., and Barton A. Myers, eds. "The Guerrilla Hunters: Irregular Conflicts During the Civil War," 2017.
{{American Civil War
1862 in American law
1862 in the Confederate States of America
1st Confederate States Congress
Confederate States of America legislation
Irregular forces of the American Civil War
Raids of the American Civil War
April 1862 events