Shadow Warriors: A History of the US Army Rangers

Introduction

Rangers: not the Forest Park Rangers, not the Law Enforcement Texas Rangers and most certainly not the baseball Texas Rangers. No, indeed there is only one kind of American Ranger – the killing kind.

Their names are many: Rogers’ Rangers, Darby’s Rangers, Airborne Rangers or Army Rangers... but then there are also others called Rangers – Merrill’s Marauders, Mars Task Force, the 475th, Long Range Reconnaissance Patrollers (LRRP), Long Range Patrollers (LRP), Ranger Rangers, and even Vietnamese Rangers advised by American Rangers.

No person can claim to write a complete history of any unit, much less of one that has painted the canvas of war blood-red so often and on so many occasions. One Ranger officer serving during the Global War on Terrorism calls Rangers that Pantheon of Heroes. Certainly appropriate, as no sane individual joins an outfit that usually advertises with such succinct bulletins as volunteers wanted for dangerous and hazardous missions... 80% casualties expected. However, one little secret people don’t know about is that, in general terms, a soldier serving during war time has a better chance of surviving with an elite unit – an outfit that has high standards and excellent training. The old adage of the more you sweat in battle the less you bleed on the battlefield is apt... but when things go wrong, they go dreadfully wrong, as we will see throughout the Rangers’ history.

Many Ranger books are excellent historical records of the men they cover, but many also do not discuss the more problematic issues such as race relations, drug abuse, failure in combat, or even bad morale. Most of those issues fall outside of the parameters of this book as well and I can only offer a cursory review of some of the Ranger histories, focusing instead on the modern Rangers from 1974 to 2005. This is not to belittle other Rangers; some don’t even receive a mention, simply because there is only so much that can be covered within these pages (just to note one such example, there were hundreds of Ranging-type units during the American Civil War). The official lineage and honors of today’s 75th Ranger Regiment only begin with William O. Darby’s 1st Ranger Battalion founded in 1942. Colonial and Civil War Rangers are excluded, though often mentioned in an historical context. Suffice it to say that this book offers merely a glimpse into Rangers and their history. I apologize in advance for the cursory coverage, particularly to those outstanding Long Range Patrollers from World War II and the parent unit of the modern Regiment, the 5307th Composite Unit Provisional (CUP), commonly known as Merrill’s Marauders. They are the founding fathers of our current Rangers. It is almost criminal not to have covered in detail the all-black 2nd Airborne-Ranger Company of the Korean Conflict – a great outfit deserving of a more detailed painter for their contribution to Ranger history. Equally dissatisfied, the Long Range Patrollers and Rangers of Europe and Vietnam.

The focus of this book is on the modern Airborne Rangers from 1974. The reason for this is simple; plenty of books detail Ranger exploits, particularly during the French and Indian War, with Rogers’ Rangers as the shining example. The Civil War has enough literature to keep most people happy for years to come. World War II has experienced a sensational explosion of material ever since the well-received film, Saving Private Ryan. The Korean War had about 700 Rangers and thus represents the smallest force – but it does have several fine histories despite that fact. Vietnam has dozens upon dozens of volumes of varying quality. I have recommended a number of these books in the Bibliography and Further Reading section on page 317.

There are many myths surrounding Rangers and their combat record. Colonial Rangers made mistakes and were killed, they scalped people, and their leader owed his men money and went to jail. Mark Twain recalls his misadventures as a Ranger during the Civil War and the Rangers don’t come out looking good. World War II has its share of myths as well. The 2nd Ranger Battalion was not the first American unit on top of Pointe du Hoc during D-Day – elements of the 116th were. Although some Darby’s Rangers fought valiantly at Cisterna, most surrendered, the majority of casualties being suffered by the 4th Ranger Battalion while attempting to relieve their trapped comrades. On the other hand, Vietnam-era patrollers and Rangers were by and large professional and provided the NCO core for the future Rangers that reactivated the 75th Infantry in 1974. A huge debt is owed to them.

Most importantly, this book is not about the Tab wearer, the Ranger School graduate, no, he only attended a two-month school. Indeed this book is about the men who chose and are still choosing to lead a lifestyle that usually is extremely difficult, fraught with physical and mental hardships. Those are the real Rangers – the Rangers that wore and are wearing the highly coveted Ranger Scroll, their unit patch, their way of life and death.

Mir Bahmanyar

City of Angels

Robert Rogers and Captain Jacob Cheeksaunkun scout ahead of Amherst’s advanced guard of Rangers and light infantry in June 1759. (Gary Zaboly)

PART I

THE RISE OF THE RANGERS

Colonial Rangers

Fleeing one empire to start another

As people were fleeing the yoke of old Europe, as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld likes to say, a great many men were waging a campaign to carve out a new country, disposing of the previous inhabitants over the next two hundred years, and in the process creating a new type of soldier, one that could range to and fro, live off the land, and adopt some of the fighting techniques and tracking skills the Native Americans had developed in their culture.

As the English and Scots grew in numbers, more and more settlements were built. As these encroached on the natives, war broke out with some regularity and this led to the English settlements establishing small immobile garrisons along the major approaches as a defense against those Native American attacks. This protection soon proved inadequate, as the enemy would raid the settlements through various routes and retreat before the militia could respond. Thus each colony needed to establish a foot patrol to guard against the enemy’s approach, and give the militia enough time to assemble and march.

The action of these soldiers patrolling an area was described as ranging, and the soldiers who ranged were called Rangers. René Chartrand in his book Colonial American Troops 1610–1774 argues that men assigned to patrols or ranger duties were called Rangers as early as the 14th century in England.¹

In a public affairs document released by the 75th Ranger Regiment in 1999, Rangers served the English King in his forest districts during the Middle Ages. For example, in 1371, Henry Dolyng was a Ranger of the New Forest and Thomas of Croydon was a Ranger in Waltham.² The primary purpose of these woodsmen was to protect the animals of his Lord’s forests as well as to serve as a deterrent to the occasional brigand on the prowl around the local areas.

It further states that in the American colonies, in 1634 through 1635, Edward Backler was hired as a Ranger for Kent Island, a Virginia plantation in the upper Chesapeake Bay (now Maryland), and assigned with the task of the guarding against the approach of Native Americans who had been harassing the settlement.³ The private use of small parties of military Rangers by plantation owners in Virginia and Maryland was apparently common and would continue throughout the coming century. Much like his Old World counterpart, the colonial Ranger was tasked with combat and reconnaissance patrols – to ambush the dreaded, marauding Indians whenever and wherever possible.

The Standing Orders. The origins of it are disputed, but it was probably written by someone in the Ranger Training Detachment in the 1950s. (Author’s collection)

The primary battlefield of Roger’s Rangers between 1755 and 1759: the rivers, lakes, islands, swamps, and forested mountains of the northern New York war front. (Gary Zaboly)

THE EARLY RANGERS

Extract from Reminiscences of the French War: Robert Rogers’ Journal (The Freedom Historical Society, New Hampshire, 1898) preface xvi–vxii:

The British Generals [were convinced] of their utter inability to operate in America, without the aid of a strong corps of Rangers, composed of the natives of the country, whose knowledge of Indian warfare, would enable them to prevent a similar surprise and overthrow. A commission was accordingly issued to Major Rogers, the author of this Journal, to enlist and discipline the corps; and his details may be relied upon as being substantially correct; and the rules established by him for the ranging service, may be of some benefit to future partisans, should wars with the Indians render such services necessary.

The Rangers were raised principally in New Hampshire, were regularly paid by the Crown in the same manner as troops of the line, and officered by the most hardy, intelligent, and enterprising partisans of that day, many of whom, were afterwards distinguished in the Revolutionary war. The hardy character of the Rangers and the experience acquired by their hunting excursions and intercourse with the Indians, enabled them to discharge the arduous duties in which they were employed. These were to scour the woods, and ascertain the force and position of the enemy; to discover and prevent the effect of his ambuscades, and to ambush him, in their turn; to acquire information of his movements, by making prisoners of his sentinels, who were frequently taken and brought away from the gates of Crown Point and Ticonderoga, by these daring woodsmen; to clear the way for the advance of the regular troops, and lastly, to fight the enemy according to his own fashion, and with his own weapons, whenever circumstances required. If on these occasions, they sometimes deviated from the usages of civilized warfare, in making use of the scalping knife, the barbarity of the enemy, the law of retaliation, and the emergency of the times must be their apology. They were compelled to fight Indians upon their own terms.

Their expeditions were confined to no particular season. Summer or winter, it was the same to them. They frequently made long and fatiguing marches through the snow, by the use of snow shoes, and were often obliged to encamp in the forest without fire, for fear of being discovered by the vigilance of the enemy; and with no other food, than the game they had killed on the march. They frequently penetrated 500 miles into the enemy’s country, destroying French settlements, and Indian villages. They were in fact, the most formidable body of men ever employed as partisans in the wars of this country; and in every regular engagement proved themselves not inferior to the British Troops. The description and character of the scout in the Last of the Mohicans, is not inapplicable to those of one of Rogers’ Rangers.

Virginia used Rangers as early as 1676 and at times coordinated operations with the colony of Maryland. Other southern colonies eventually followed suit and continued to use Rangers during those periods when Native American raids appeared likely.

Much like the sister colonies in the south, the northern colonies – which ultimately saw more action during the French and Indian War than their neighbors – started forming Ranger units to protect against raids during the 17th century. In 1670, the colony of Plymouth (in modern-day Massachusetts) maintained a Ranger unit under Thomas Willet.⁴

During King Phillip’s War (1675–76), also known as the Metacomet War, the colonies of Plymouth and Massachusetts formed ranging units. One of the interesting aspects of colonial Rangers is that they also included other races, including blacks and friendly Native Americans who were organized into independent ranging companies. One of these units was the one commanded by Benjamin Church (1639–1718) whose Rangers adapted very well to this new breed of war fighting – raiding and skulking in the woods. Gary Zaboly points out in American Colonial Ranger: The Northern Colonies 1724–64 that battles with Native American warriors in the early 17th century had demonstrated the virtual uselessness of European armor, pikes, cavalry and maneuvers in the dense New World forests. And that not until the early 1700s were the colonists finally capable of producing hearty men who could penetrate deeply into uncharted Indian territory.⁵ Ranger Church is credited not only with combining colonists with friendly Natives and thereby creating a deadly ranging force, but also with the creation of the first American military manual, when one of his sons published Benjamin Church’s memoirs in 1716.⁶

During much of the 18th century, most of the other northern colonies used Ranger units to screen and protect their frontiers. In Nova Scotia, New York, and Georgia, Rangers were active during the War of Jenkins’ Ear (1739–42) and King George’s War (1739–48), fighting against the French, Spanish, and their Native American allies.

The European portion of the Seven Years’ War (1755–63), unlike the portion fought in America known as the French and Indian War, was fought by pitting columns of drilled soldiers against one another. With lines of soldiers standing facing each other, and firing volley after volley at each other’s immobile lines, 18th-century European warfare was nothing like the new style of warfare developed in the North American colonies during the French and Indian War.

In North America, the British Army formed companies of Rangers, including the Ranger Company of the New Hampshire Provincial Regiment, founded in 1756 and later known as His Majesty’s Independent Company of American Rangers. This unit is more commonly known as Robert Rogers’ Rangers.

The first Ranger company formed by the British Army was founded on March 23, 1756, and was composed of 50 privates, three sergeants, one ensign, one lieutenant, and one captain. The enlisted men needed the qualifications of being rugged and experienced in traveling and hunting, as well as having the qualities of courage and loyalty. As British Army soldiers, the Rangers were subject to military discipline and the Articles of War, and their mission was to annoy, raid, destroy, and distress the enemy whenever possible.

These whaleboats were used by Rangers. Note the marking on the front one – Major Rogers Comp 1. (Gary Zaboly)

Major Robert Rogers raised ten companies to fight the French and their Native American allies. Reconnaissance, ambushes, raids, and prisoner snatches were the main tactics of the colonial Rangers, and when they found themselves outnumbered, the Rangers would disperse and re-form later, traits which are true of today’s Rangers. It was Robert Rogers who put the Ranger training and standard operating procedures (SOPs) onto paper. The Standing Orders (of disputed origin but probably based on Kenneth Roberts’ Northwest Passage) and the Rules of Discipline have remained unchanged and are to this date taught to new Rangers, the rules just as applicable today as they were 250 years ago.

Despite the emphasis on discipline and rules, Rangers and their officers tended to be a little wild, which tended to strain their relationships with regular troops. It was, however, this wildness of character that made them uniquely suited for duty with Ranger companies. Unorthodox men with an unorthodox fighting style also required an unorthodox leader – a role well filled by Robert Rogers. Rough and tough and generally at odds with his superiors, Rogers was an ideal leader for such troops. The unique challenges inherent in the system of irregular fighters functioning within the hierarchical structure of a regular army would continue to trouble future Ranger units. In his book, A True Ranger, Gary Zaboly notes:

His checkered historical reputation must lay at his own feet; and part of the tragedy is that he seemed unable to completely shake off the dirty moccasin from one of those feet. He was cautious but also impulsive. He was princely at times, but shameless at others. He was the type of man who could accept the surrender of the last major fort in French Canada, yet also be capable of wrecking an English tavern in a drunken brawl. He could romance and proudly wed the fair daughter of a prominent New England minister, but on his many travels fall prey to infidelity and whoring. He could foil and collar an English highwayman during a robbery attempt... but also keep jolly company with scoundrels, rakes and wanted men.

War fighting between the opposing forces was nasty and brutish – Rangers did take scalps. (Gary Zaboly)

He was put through trials as an accused counterfeiter and debtor. The British had him court-martialed for high treason. Washington ordered him arrested as a spy. Creditors constantly hounded him. He was often jailed, and once had his legs so tightly shackled that the marrow oozed from a split shin bone. On another occasion he barely escaped getting his ears cropped, and possibly even being executed. And the day came, almost inevitably, when he began to drink heavily. Gambling also became a very costly addiction, while divorce removed him forever from his only son.

Such a stormy life was generally a breeding ground for rumors, and his was rife with them. Time and again he was reported captured, killed or missing in combat. Once it was said that he had staged his own kidnapping. The French, constantly bedeviled by him, imagined he had built a secret fort somewhere high in the Adirondacks to use as a base for his operations. He was thought to have donned Indian garb and paint several times in order to casually infiltrate enemy villages and camps. During a pursuit in wintertime, it was said that he barely escaped capture by sliding down a fearfully steep mountain slope some 700 feet in length. In his forties, he claimed to have fought in the Sahara Desert, in the service of the Ottomans. At the start of the Revolution, a report circulated that hundreds of Indians had formed an army under his leadership to join the American cause. Insinuations of adultery, of formulating nefarious schemes to create autonomous western empires, of plotting to sell his services to this government or that, all colored and shook his passage through this world.

That some of these rumors eventually proved true probably surprised no one. For Robert Rogers was a man apart, one who was forever demonstrating that he was capable of anything. His was a life filled with enough fame and turmoil, glory and trouble, accomplishment and tragedy for a dozen active men.⁷

In response to the Ranger tactics, the French and Native Americans formed special anti-Ranger companies, which would later be strikingly called to mind by the North Vietnamese reaction forces formed against Ranger (LRRP/LRP) teams in 20th-century Asia.

Rangering or ranging in northeastern winters required hardened men who were experts at wilderness survival and crack shots with their rifles. Their missions were always high risk, and many Rangers were killed, wounded, captured, or died of exposure or starvation. Rogers’ Rangers would develop another tactic still used by modern Rangers – the deep raid – and striking at the enemy in their own area of operation became a Ranger trademark. Rangers from their beginning have excelled at terrifying their opponents by striking where and when least expected.

In October 1759, Rogers and his unit of 200 men raided the Abenaki tribe at St Francis, traveling hundreds of miles across land and water, battling harsh elements for nearly a month. The raid was successful, although the Rangers were attacked and took many casualties on the way back from pursuing French and Native American irregulars. By showing that they could achieve the seemingly impossible, the Rangers greatly enhanced their prestige and reputation with the St Francis raid. Most people only casually acquainted with the St Francis raid do not realize that the village was not only a polyglot of different tribes, captives and whites who had been amalgamated into the host tribe but also an established settlement, rather than a native village per se. A description of it comes from a military engineer who visited St Francis in 1752 [who] counted more than 50 houses made of squared timbers covered with bark or boards. Another dozen homes were built in the French style, possibly of frame construction. Two years later St Francis boasted near 40 buildings of all sorts, including some built of stone.⁸

Rogers’ Rangers also participated in the Montreal Campaign of 1760, and the western campaign, reclaiming posts as far as Detroit and Shawneetown. In the west in 1763, Rogers Rangers performed with distinction in the battle of Bloody Ridge.

MAJOR ROBERT ROGERS’ RULES OF DISCIPLINE

These volunteers I formed into a company by themselves, and took the more immediate command and management of them to myself; and for their benefit and instruction reduced into writing the following rules or plan or discipline, which, on various occasions, I had found by experience to be necessary and advantageous, viz.

Rogers meets General William Johnson. Note the uniforms of the Rangers. (Gary Zaboly)

The Revolutionary War

Don’t Tread on Me!

In Congress, July 4,

1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Americans... ¹⁰

The British Empire was vast; the Americans also had vast amounts of land, mostly unexplored, and much like the British Empire it would require the establishment of a regular army to create and maintain the newly announced republic – to not only combat the European troops employed by the Crown who sought to quell the colonial rebellion but to also subdue any other resistance domestic or foreign. The Empire, however, would not go quietly – it would fight for nearly a decade (1775–84) to retain its colonies in America. As one empire was showing her age and was beginning to crumble like a weathered face, another one was born.

Although the official 75th Ranger history stipulates that during the American Revolution the individual states as well as the continental government made widespread use of Rangers and that on June 14, 1775, with the threat of war looming, the Continental Congress mandated the immediate formation of ten companies of expert riflemen – six in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia and by 1777, this force was commanded by Daniel Morgan, and was christened by George Washington, the Corps of Rangers,¹¹ it would be far more accurate to argue that Rangers and ranging-type units were more or less used to patrol local frontiers and arguably unimportant to the war as a whole. Indeed a US Army abstract on colonial and revolutionary Rangers concludes:

Ranger veterans played a major role