Danks' Rangers was a ranger unit raised in

colonial North America The colonial history of the United States covers the period of European colonization of North America from the late 15th century until the unifying of the Thirteen British Colonies and creation of the United States in 1776, during the Rev ...

and led by Captain

Benoni Danks Benoni Danks ( 1716 – 1776) was a New England soldier and politician who acted as the representative of Cumberland County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1765 to 1770. He is best known as the commander of Danks' Rangers, a unit ...

(ca. 1716-1776). It was modeled on and often served alongside of the better known

Gorham's Rangers Gorham's Rangers was one of the most famous and effective ranger units raised in colonial North America. Formed by John Gorham, the unit served as the prototype for many subsequent ranger forces, including the better known Rogers' Rangers.Car ...

. The unit was recruited in early 1756, during the early stages of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, from among men serving in two then-disbanding New England provincial battalions stationed in Nova Scotia. Raised to help protect the British garrison on the

Isthmus of Chignecto The Isthmus of Chignecto is an isthmus bordering the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that connects the Nova Scotia peninsula with North America. The isthmus separates the waters of Chignecto Bay, a sub-basin of the Bay of ...

and secure the area after the siege of

Fort Beauséjour Fort Beauséjour (), renamed Fort Cumberland in 1755, is a large, five-bastioned fort on the Isthmus of Chignecto in eastern Canada, a neck of land connecting the present-day province of New Brunswick with that of Nova Scotia. The site was strate ...

, their principle foes were

Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...

and

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

Indians conducting a low-level insurgency against the British authorities in Nova Scotia. Their primary area of operations was the northwestern portion of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

and the north and eastern parts of what would later become

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. The unit averaged a little over one hundred men for much of its existence, although it seems to have been augmented to 125 for the attack on Havana in 1762. The company often operated in tandem with Gorham's Rangers, based out of

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, and after 1761, the two companies were combined into a Nova Scotia ranging corps, led by Major

Joseph Gorham Joseph Gorham (sometimes recorded as Goreham, 1725–1790) was an American colonial military officer during King George's War and later a British army commander during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He is best known ...

Composition & Activities

Danks Rangers 1757 Recruitment Advertisement

In addition to

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Their various meanings depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, the Northeastern United Stat ...

s from New England, the unit contained

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

and

Irish immigrants The Irish diaspora () refers to ethnic Irish people and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland. The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages,Flechner, Roy; Meeder, Sven (2017). The Irish ...

as well, and a half-dozen Native Americans from New England. The company performed reconnaissance duties and frontier

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrori ...

. They not only played an important role in the Acadian Removals (1755-1760), but they took part in a number of important campaigns during the war, particularly the landing at Louisburg in 1758, and the Siege of Quebec in 1759. The unit suffered heavy casualties as a result of repeated skirmishing with Canadian militia and allied Indians around the edges of the Quebec siege and, for a time, after Danks was seriously wounded, the unit was absorbed into the ranger company of Captain

Moses Hazen Moses Hazen (June 1, 1733 – February 5, 1803) was a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Born in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, he saw action in the French and Indian War with Rogers' Ra ...

. As part of the combined Nova Scotia ranger corps, Danks and his company took part in the

Siege of Havana The siege of Havana was the successful capture of the Spanish-held city of Havana, Cuba in 1762 as part of the war between the two nations which formed part of the larger Seven Years' War. After the Spanish abandoned their former policy of neu ...

in 1762, where, according to

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

, Danks sold his commission in the rangers at Havana on 23 Sept. 1762 to Andrew Watson, who commanded the company for the next few months until the unit was disbanded after half its men had succumbed to tropical diseases. The survivors were drafted into

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 ...

regiments at occupied Havana whose ranks were equally depleted by illness.

Scalping Controversy

The unit was loathed by the Mi'kmaq who lived near Fort Cumberland, the units' main base of operation, and they also suffered from a poor reputation among the early

Anglo-American Anglo-American can refer to: * the Anglosphere (the Anglo-American world) * Anglo-American, something of, from, or related to Anglo-America ** the Anglo-Americans demographic group in Anglo-America * Anglo American plc Anglo American plc is a ...

settlers to the region—apparently because of their reputation for cruelty and for their

scalping Scalping is the act of cutting or tearing a part of the human scalp, with hair attached, from the head, and generally occurred in warfare with the scalp being a trophy. Scalp-taking is considered part of the broader cultural practice of the taki ...

of enemy combatants and non-combatants alike, regardless of their identity. The following account of Danks and his company comes from the notes compiled by Arthur G. Doughty, the editor of the journals of John Knox, an Irish officer in the regulars who was stationed at Fort Cumberland in 1759 and often assigned to accompany Danks' unit on missions: Doughty says of Danks, "He appears to have been one of the most daring officers in the service, and particularly energetic in attacking the Indians," but goes on to say that the company "were not over scrupulous in the matter of taking scalps". He makes this claim as there is evidence that while they were given bounties by various colonial authorities for the scalps of Indians, the unit was accused of scalping Acadians and Canadians as well and turning in their scalps, falsely claiming them to be from Indians. His source for this accusation is a letter written in 1791 by an early Nova Scotia settler, the Rev. Hugh Graham. In it, Graham has the following to say about the activities of Danks' company during the final phase of the

Expulsion of the Acadians The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal of inhabitants of the North American region historically known as Acadia between 1755 and 1764 by Great Britain. It included the modern Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Br ...

: :"A Party of the Rangers, a Regiment chiefly employed in scouring the Country of the deluded French who had unfortunately fallen under the Bann of British Policy, came upon 4 French Men, who had with all possible Caution ventur'd out from their Skulking Retreats to pick up some of their straggling Cattle or hidden Treasure. The solitary few, the pitiable four had just sat down, weary & faint, on the Bank fa Stream in order to refresh themselves with some Food and Rest, when this Party of the Rangers surprizd & apprehended them. And as there was a Bounty on Indian Scalps (a Blot on Britain's Escutcheon) the Soldiers soon made the supplicating Signal, the Officers turn'd their Backs and the French were instantly shot and scalp'd. A Similar Instance happened about the same time. A Party of the Rangers brought in one day 25 Scalps pretending that they were Indian. And the Commanding Officer at the Fort then Col. Wilmot, afterwards Governor Wilmot (a poor Tool), gave Orders that the Bounty should be paid them. Capt. Houston who had at that time the Charge of the Military Chest objected osuch Proceedings both in the Letter & Spirit of them. The Col. told him 'That According to Law the French were all out of the French, that the Bounty on Indian scalps was according to Law, and that tho' the Law might in some Instances be strain'd a little yet there was a Necessity for winking at such things.' Upon which Huston in Obedience to Orders paid down, telling them that the Curse of God should ever attend such guilty Deeds." Doughty further observed that "these Rangers almost without Exception clos'd their days in Wretchedness and particularly a Captain Danks, who ever rode to the Extreme of his Commission in every barbarous Proceeding. In the Cumberland Insurrection uring the American Revolutionhe was suspected to be "Jack on both Sides of the Bush" left Cumberland (that place) in a small Jigger bound for Windsor, was taken ill on the Passage, thrown into the hold among the ballast was taken out at Windsor half dead, and had little better than the burial of a Dog. He liv'd under a general Dislike & died without one to regret his Death." While some historians have suggested that Graham intentionally exaggerated his account due to an attempt to transform the story into a moralizing one, in addition to the fact that it was written a religious figure more than thirty years after the events described took place a recent article by historian Brian D. Carroll suggests the Mi'kmaq targeted rangers from Danks' company specifically for violent retribution. And Carroll further quotes Knox himself recording regular British troops having to defend an Acadian woman from members of the company during the Petitcodiac River Campaign in 1758.

Company's Personnel

The sources for the names of the company's personnel below are two muster rolls, one (incomplete) from 1758, and another (complete) from 1761. Both are in the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester Massachusetts (the French and Indian War and Massachusetts Collections, respectively). Another source was a list of sick rangers and deserters from the company in the same collections.

Officers

1758

* Captain

* Captain-Lieutenant Thomas Armstrong ied in Quebec, 1759* Lieutenant John Walker * Lieutenant Daniel Meech ied in Quebec, 1759

1761-1762

* Captain Benoni Danks esigned 23 Sept. 1762* Captain Andrew Watson ept.-Dec. 1762* Captain-Lieutenant John Walker * Lieutenant Thomas Dixon * Lieutenant Stephen Holland * 2nd Lieutenant Marquis de Compte de Gravena .k.a. "Peter De Compt"* 2nd Lieutenant Samuel Shipton ied in Havana, 1762* 2nd Lieutenant John Watmough ied at Havana, 1762* Dr. Nicholas Fredrick Meyer, surgeon nly on 1761 muster* Abraham Dupee (Dupuis?), surgeon

Non-Commissioned Officers

Sergeants

* James Turner, (1758) * Reuben Taylor, (1758) * Ichabod Warner, (1758) * Jazen (Jason?) Hazard (1758) * Daniel Goodwin (cpl 1758, sgt 1761) * William Walsh (cpl 1758, sgt 1761) * Zebulon Roe (pvt 1758, sgt 1761) * Enoch Goodwin (pvt 1758, sgt 1761)

Corporals

* Joshua How (1758) * Samuel Hall (1758) * Amos Hutchinson (pvt 1758, cpl 1761) * Alexander Stewart (1761) * Philemon Cassidy (1761) * Thomas Newton (1761)

Drummers

* William Saunders (1758-1761) * Rice Davis (1758-1761)

Enlisted Men

Anglo-Americans & Other Europeans

* Samuel Allen * John Archer * Justice Burke * Thomas Bantom * Simeon Burrs * Leonard Bowers * John Brown * Thomas Burnett * William Burns * John Bratis * Thomas Corkindale * John Cornish * Daniel Corben * John Collins * Henry Curtis * Jacob Clark * Charles Cassidy * John Cassidy * Robert Crossman * John David * Andrew Dodge * Isaiah Dibble * John Dunham * John Daugherty * Jonathan Farn (Fern?) * William Forth * Patrick Fowler * Jacob Fox * Henry Foster * William Fielding * John Giels * Ebenezer Garey * David Goodwin * John Green * John Grey * Morris Grant * James Hamilton * Abraham Hillhigh * Thomas Hill * Benjamin Hatch * Charles Hammon * Ignatius Holtread * John Haraden * Seth Harvey * Ebenezer Hodgkins * Nehemiah Hall * Jabesh (Jabez?) Hull * Ebenezer Humphreys * Jeremiah Jackson * Samuel Kilham * Daniel Kinney * John Lynen * Robert Lawrence * Richard Lovejoy * Alexander Lawhead * Nicholas Lord * James Montgomery * Daniel Mossett * Darius Minor * John Midsker * William Millburn * Christopher Minor * John McKnight * Clement Ness * William Nearey * John Peze (Pease?) * Nicholas Paxton * James Radford * John Rumins * Daniel Ramsdale * John Rogers * Ebenezer Roberts * Daniel Roods * Joseph Rooker * Thomas Rowe * William Read * William Read, Jr * James Rignor * Isaac Robinson * Barnaby Stinson * Asia Sneiling * John Sackett * Matthew Smythe * Thomas Seagrove * Stephen Solomon * William Sherman * Casper Strough * Amos Trevoy * John Thompson * Roger Taylor * Samuel Tots--- * Joseph ----- * William Tuttson * Thomas Tullson * Matthew Tappean * Benjamin Warren * Robert Wiley * Jedediah Williams * John Wilson * Josiah Webb * Robert Wilson * John Willington

Native Americans

* Moses Barns/Barnabus (Mashpee Wampanoag) * Joseph Caesar (Narragansett) * Joseph Cowett (Herring Pond Wampanoag) * ----- Jaquish (Mohegan) * Joseph Ralph (Nauset) * Samson Sacowen/Sockiont (

Pequot The Pequot ( ) are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of Connecticut. The modern Pequot are members of the federally recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, four other state-recognized groups in Connecticut includin ...

)Sacowen's name appears on a May 1756 list of 78 men in Captain William Lamson's company in the New England provincial battalions stationed in Nova Scotia, from which men from Danks' Rangers were drawn, along with the names of two dozen other Natives from Connecticut--mostly Mohegan and Tunxis men. In John Winslow's recruiting records for the regiment, Sockiont's place of birth and residence were listed as Groton, in Connecticut, meaning he was almost suredly from the Indian community at Mashantucket. "A List of Souldiers under ye Command of Wmll. Lamson, captaine in a Regiment of foot . . ." Winslow Papers, Massachusetts Historical Society

Endnotes

References

* Carroll, Brian D., ""Savages" in the Service of Empire: Native American Soldiers in Gorham's Rangers, 1744-1762," ''The New England Quarterly'' 85, no. 3 (Sept. 2012), pp. 383–429. * Faragher, Jack Mack, ''A Great and Noble Scheme: The Tragic Story of the Expulsion of the French Acadians from their American Homeland'' (W.W. Norton & Co., 2005). * Grenier, John, ''The Far Reaches of Empire: War in Nova Scotia, 1710-1760'' (Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 2008). * Plank, Geoffrey, ''An Unsettled Conquest: The British Campaign Against the Peoples of Acadia'' (UPENN Press, 2001) {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Military history of Acadia Military units and formations of Nova Scotia Military history of New England Military history of the Thirteen Colonies Regiments of the British Army Military units and formations of the French and Indian War British American Army Rangers 1756 establishments in the British Empire 1762 disestablishments in North America British Army Rangers