The Queen's Rangers, also known as the Queen's American Rangers, and later Simcoe's Rangers, were a Loyalist military unit of 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 ...

that specialized in cavalry tactics, close combat, irregular warfare, maneuver warfare, raiding, reconnaissance, screening, and tracking. Formed in 1776, they were named for Queen Charlotte. The Queen's Rangers was a light corps in the tradition of British rangers during 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 ...

, operating on the flanks and in advance of Crown forces, manning outposts, conducting patrol for screening, and carrying out raiding and reconnaissance operations. A low number of

Black Loyalist Black Loyalists were people of African descent who sided with Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. In particular, the term referred to men enslaved by Patriots who served on the Loyalist side because of the Crown's guarantee of fr ...

s served in the Queen's Rangers, such as the trumpeter Barnard E. Griffiths. After the war, the Rangers were removed to the British colony 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 disbanded. On September 1, 1791, the regiment was re-formed as the Queen's Rangers under Colonel Commandant

John Graves Simcoe Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 u ...

French and Indian War

The origins of the Queen's Rangers began in the

(

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 ...

), during which

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

fought for territories in the New World. At first, French-Canadian and their Indian allies were quite effective in employing guerrilla tactics against the British regulars. To counter the French tactics, Robert Rogers raised companies of New England frontiersmen for the British and trained them in woodcraft, scouting, and irregular warfare, sending them on raids along the frontiers of

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

as Rogers' Rangers. The Rangers soon gained a considerable reputation, particularly in the campaigning in upstate New York around Fort Ticonderoga and Lake Champlain. They also launched a long-range raid to destroy Indian allies in the St. Lawrence valley, gained the first lodgement in the amphibious landings on Cape Breton to capture

Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The harbour had been used by European mariners since at least the 1590s, when it was known as English Port and Havre à l'An ...

, and took the surrender of the French outposts in the upper

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

after the war.

American Revolutionary War

When the American Revolutionary War broke out in 1775, about fifty Loyalist regiments were raised, including the

Butler's Rangers Butler's Rangers (1777–1784) was a Loyalist provincial military unit of the American Revolutionary War, raised by American loyalist John Butler. Most members of the regiment were Loyalists from upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania. T ...

, the King's Royal Regiment, and the Maryland and Pennsylvania Loyalists. Robert Rogers again raised a unit, this time in New York (mostly from Loyalists living in Westchester and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

), from western Connecticut, and with men from the Queen's Loyal Virginia Regiment. The new unit was named in honour of Queen Charlotte. It first assembled on

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

in August 1776 and grew to 937 officers and men, organized into eleven companies of about thirty men each, and an additional five troops of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

. The unit immediately set about building fortresses and redoubts, including the one that stood at Lookout Place. Rogers did not prove successful in this command and he left the unit on January 29, 1777. The regiment had suffered serious losses in the Battle of Mamaroneck, a surprise attack on their outpost position at Mamaroneck, New York, on October 22, 1776. Eleven months later, on September 11, 1777, they distinguished themselves at the Battle of Brandywine, suffering many casualties while attacking entrenched American positions. They were then commanded by Major James Wemyss. On October 15, 1777,

was given command, when the unit became known informally as "Simcoe's Rangers".

turned the Queen's Rangers into one of the most successful British regiments in the war. They provided escort and patrol duty around Philadelphia (1777–8); fought in the Philadelphia Campaign; served as rearguard during the British retreat to New York (1778); fought the Stockbridge Militia in

The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

(1778); fought on October 26, 1779, at

Perth Amboy, New Jersey Perth Amboy is a city (New Jersey), city in northeastern Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area, New York Metro Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city' ...

, where Simcoe was captured but freed in a prisoner exchange on December 31, 1779; at Charlestown, South Carolina (1780); in the raid on Richmond, Virginia with

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 ...

and in other raids in Virginia (1780–1). The unit surrendered at Yorktown, its rank and file imprisoned at Winchester, Virginia. Earlier, on May 2, 1779, the regiment was taken into the American establishment as the 1st American Regiment and was later, on December 25, 1782, taken into the British establishment. In 1783, when the war was ended by the Treaty of Paris, the Queen's Rangers left New York for Nova Scotia, where it was disbanded. Many of the men from the unit formed Queensbury, New Brunswick on land grants.

Post-war years

After 1791, when Simcoe was named lieutenant governor of the newly created

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

, the Queen's Rangers was revived to form the core of the defence forces. The leaders were mostly veterans of the American War of Independence. Although there was little military action during this period, the Rangers were instrumental in building Upper Canada through Simcoe's road building campaign. In 1795–6 they blazed the trail for

Yonge Street Yonge Street ( ') is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Great Lakes#Geography, Upper Great Lakes. Ontario's first colonial administrator, ...

, and then turned to

Dundas Street Dundas Street () is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western Greater Toronto Area, suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways—Ontario Highway 2 ...

and Kingston Road. They also built the original

Fort York Fort York is an early 19th-century military fortification in the Fort York neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort housed members of the British and Canadian militaries and defended the entrance to Toronto Harbour. The fort featu ...

, where they were stationed. The Queen's Rangers were again disbanded in 1802 with most of the men joining the York Militia. During the War of 1812, many of the disbanded rangers saw active service with the Upper Canadian militia. During the

Rebellions of 1837 Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

, Samuel Peters Jarvis raised a new Queen's Rangers out of the York Militia to fight the rebels, which again disbanded soon after being raised.

Legacy

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

Reserve Regiment called The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) (RCAC) traces its roots to the original Rogers' Rangers. In 2012 the Rangers were assigned the perpetuation of three War of 1812 units and received battle honours accordingly. An Ontario historical plaque was erected in

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a town in York County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in Colony of Virginia, colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while ...

, by the province to commemorate the Queen's Rangers' role in Ontario's heritage. An elementary school in Copetown, Ontario was named after the Queen's Rangers in 1958. This school was closed in 2019.

Notable officers

* Lieutenant Colonel Robert Rogers: Commanded August 26, 1776, to January 29, 1777. Former commander of Rogers' Rangers during the French and Indian War. * Major Christopher French: Temporary Commander January 30 to May 4, 1777. Came from and returned to the 22nd Regiment of Foot. * Major James Wemyss: Commanded May 5 to October 14, 1777. Came from the 40th Regiment of Foot. Later was field commander of the 63rd Regiment during the Southern Campaign. * Lieutenant Colonel

: Commanded October 15, 1777, to October 13, 1783. Came from the 40th Regiment of Foot. * Captain

Æneas Shaw Aeneas Shaw ( – February 6, 1814) was a Scottish soldier and political figure in Upper Canada. He was born in Pitlochry, Scotland at Tordarroch House. Shaw was the second son born to his father, the chief of Clan Ay, named Angus Shaw. His ...

: Purchased his commission towards the start of the American Revolution, later becoming Captain. Rejoined the reformed Queen's Rangers in 1792 when the unit relocated to Kingston, and then went with Lieutenant Colonel Simcoe to York, present-day Toronto, in 1793.

Footnotes

References

* Katcher, Philip, ''Encyclopaedia of British, Provincial, and German Army Units 1775–1783'', 1973, * Biographical Sketches of the Infantry and Cavalry Officers of the Queen's Rangers. http://home.golden.net~marg/bansite/btfoxhounds.html{{Dead link, date=May 2020 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes .

External links

History of the Queen's York Rangers

Loyalist military units in the American Revolution British American Army Rangers Ranger regiments of Canada Military units and formations established in 1776 Military units and formations disestablished in 1802