{{Infobox military unit , unit_name= Adams' Rangers , image= Dr. Samuel Adams.png , image_size = 275px , caption = A woodcut of Dr. Samuel Adams, the future British Loyalist and

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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

military leader of Adams' Rangers, who was publicly humiliated in 1774 by being tied to a chair and hung from the sign of the Catamount Tavern in Arlington,

New Hampshire Grants The New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the colonial governor of the Province of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 (including 131 towns), were made ...

, in present-day

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, for falling out of favor with his enemies, the

Green Mountain Boys The Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization established in 1770 in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants and later in 1777 as the Vermont Republic (which later be ...

, over land dealings in early Vermont , country = {{flagcountry, Kingdom of Great Britain , allegiance = {{flagcountry, Kingdom of Great Britain , type=

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

( auxiliary troops) , branch= Loyalist local volunteer corps , dates=1777-1780 , specialization= scouting , command_structure= British Army under generals

John Burgoyne General (United Kingdom), General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British Army officer, playwright and politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1761 to 1792. He first saw acti ...

, Simon Fraser, Baron Riedesel , size= company (70 men) and officers , current_commander= , garrison=

Province of Quebec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

, ceremonial_chief= , nickname= Adams’ Company of Rangers , motto= , colors= , march= , mascot= , battles =

Saratoga Campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of a British army, which historian Edmund M ...

(1777) *

Battle of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) were two battles between the American Continental Army and the British Army fought near Saratoga, New York, concluding the Saratoga campaign in the American Revolutionary War. The Battle ...

(1777) , notable_commanders= Captain

Samuel Adams Samuel Adams (, 1722 – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, Political philosophy, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colonial Massachusetts, a le ...

Captain Jeptha Hawley
Lieutenant Simpson Jenne
Ensign

Gideon Adams Gideon Adams (February 11, 1755 – June 20, 1834) was a farmer, soldier, Justice of the Peace and politician in Upper Canada, British North America, British Empire, now Ontario, Canada. Gideon Adams was born in Connecticut, in 1755 and mov ...

, anniversaries= Adams' Rangers, also known as Adams’ Company of Rangers, were a British

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

local volunteer corps and independent military company raised to support the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during the

. Led by Dr. Samuel Adams of Arlington,

(now

), the Rangers made their most significant contribution to the British war effort by serving with the ill-fated Burgoyne Expedition in the

Saratoga campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of a British army, which historian Edmund M ...

of 1777.

Company formed

The soldiers of Adams's Rangers were recruited primarily from the region of the New Hampshire Grants (also known by the Patriots as the Republic of Vermont), with the largest number of recruits coming from Arlington under heavy opposition from the majority Patriot population and their old enemies, the Patriot

. Dr. Adams later stated that he had raised 70 men for the company. Either late in the Burgoyne campaign or in early 1778, the Rangers absorbed a body of soldiers from the Bateaux Service, under Jeptha Hawley, who was also from Arlington.

Campaigns

In 1777, Adams' Rangers were a part of the scouting service during the

. Very little has been recorded concerning the activities of the unit during the disastrous campaign, but Loyalist claims made by men of the Ranger company described piloting the army, running dispatches between British commanders, raiding cattle from Rebel farms, and defending Loyalist farms from

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

foraging Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Foraging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavi ...

parties. After the British Army's defeat and surrender at Saratoga, Adams' Rangers and other Loyalist units were allowed to retreat to the

. For the next three years Adams' men, like most other Loyalist troops in Canada, were occupied with

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

duty and employed in work parties improving the defences of the Province. Several of the soldiers and their families lived at the

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

camp at the Machiche, near

Trois-Rivières Trois-Rivières (, ; ) is a city in the Mauricie administrative region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice River, Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence rivers, on the north shore of the Sain ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. In early 1778, the company numbered 37 all-ranks — by mid-1780, their number had been reduced to 27.

Company Officers

Captains
Dr. Samuel Adams of Arlington,

Jeptha Hawley of Arlington,

Lieutenant
Simpson Jenne of

Clarendon, Vermont Clarendon is a New England town, town in Rutland County, Vermont, Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,412 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Clarendon spans U.S. Route 7 in Vermont, U.S. Route 7 and is split by ...

Arlington,

Ensign

of Arlington,

Uniforms

Company disbanded

Frustrated by lack of prospects and dispersement of his men around the Province, Captain Adams demanded to be allowed to join his company to Robert Rogers'

King's Rangers The King's Rangers, also known as the King's American Rangers, was a Loyalist provincial ranger unit that specialized in close combat, irregular warfare, raiding, reconnaissance, and tracking. It raised in Nova Scotia for service during the Amer ...

or go to New York to serve in the Central department. When his demands were refused, Adams disbanded his men in late October 1780. Following the dissolution of the Adam's Rangers, a few of the men from the company joined the King's Rangers, but the majority were absorbed into McAlpin's Corps, a collection of under-strength Loyalist units. In November 1781, these British units were consolidated into a new Provincial regiment, the Loyal Rangers, commanded by Major Edward Jessup.

Resettled in British Canada

Following the war, a few of Adam's men returned to the United States. Some settled in Quebec around Sorel, but most were granted land in southeastern Ontario along the St. Lawrence River. The largest concentration of former Adam's Company men settled in Ernestown and Edwardsburg Townships.

References

*Coldham, Peter Wilson. ''American Loyalist claims Volume 1'' Washington DC: National Genealogical Society, 1980. *Palmer, Gregory. ''Biographical sketches of Loyalists in the American Revolution'' Westport CT: Meckler Publishing, 1984. *''Muster Roll of Captain Samuel ADAMS’s Company Raised by Order of Genl. BURGOYNE the 9th August 1777 for the Purpose of Rangers. Busherville 23d January 1778.''. Great Britain, British Library, Additional Manuscripts, No. 21827, folio 14. *''A Return of Men, Women and Children Belonging to Capt. ADAMS Corps of Loyalists at Machiche Augt. 10, 1780.''. Great Britain, Public Record Office, War Office, Class 28, Volume 10, folio 95. *''A Return of Captain Adam’s Corps of Loyalists. Mashish 6 March 1780.''. Great Britain, British Library, Additional Manuscripts, No. 21827, folio 193. *''Loyalist Settlements 1783-1789, New Evidence of Canadian Loyalist Claims.''. W. Bruce Antliff, The Archives of Ontario, Bicentennial Publication from the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture Susan Fish, Minister. *''The Old United Empire Loyalist List, 1784-1884,'' Centennial, Rose Publishing Company, Toronto, Canada, 1885. *''United Empire Loyalists. Evidence in Canadian Claims.''. Second Report of the Bureau of Archives for the Province of Ontario. B. Alexander Fraser. Parts 1 and 2. Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc.

External links

Adams’ Company of Rangers - The On-line Institute for Advanced Loyalist StudiesUnited Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada Directory of Loyalists
Loyalist military units in the American Revolution British American Army Rangers Military units and formations disestablished in 1780