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 Daniel Morgan (c. 1736 – July 6, 1802) was an American pioneer, soldier, and politician from Virginia. One of the most respected battlefield tacticians of the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, he later commanded troops during the sup ...

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

, which served a vital role executing his tasks because its men were equipped with

rifles A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting and higher stopping power, with a barrel that has a helical or spiralling pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifle ...

, with an effective range of 300-500 yards, rather than of

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. Some examples of smoothbore weapons are muskets, blunderbusses, and flintlock pistols. ...

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

s, which had an effective range of 100 yards, giving riflemen a strategic advantage if properly deployed and utilized in battle.

History

Daniel Morgan began his Revolutionary War service in 1775, when he commanded a company of western Virginians in the Beeline March to

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. 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: "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 specifically the Pennsylvania Long Rifle, was an important symbol and tool on Virginia's frontier. A technology which originated in Europe, rifling was introduced to the colonial backcountry by German immigrant

gunsmiths A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very ...

, who adapted the technology of the shorter, Germanic jaeger rifle to the longer style of flintlocks which were popular in America. 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 Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...

'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 (armed forces), 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 colon ...

and assigned command of the

11th Virginia Regiment The 11th Virginia Regiment was a Continental Army regiment that fought in the American Revolutionary War. Authorized by the Second Continental Congress on 16 September 1776, it was organized on 3 February 1777 and consisted of four companies fro ...

, and a few months later was also instructed by

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

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 U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. 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, Morgan's Riflemen helped establish better conditions for the coming

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 ...

, 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 The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...

and

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

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 Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...

. In the January 1781

Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Cowpens was a military engagement during the American Revolutionary War fought on January 17, 1781, near the town of Cowpens, South Carolina. American Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot forces, estimated at 2,000 militia and reg ...

, 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.

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 and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

. In '' Empire: Total War'', Morgan's Riflemen was a unique unit to the United States via DLC. In the seventh season of the television series '' Outlander'', Jamie Fraser is recruited by Daniel Morgan to join the Riflemen.

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