Sir Coyote!
Thanks for the PM. Sorry about not responding to this earlier. I meant to, but have been wrapped around the axle teaching a class and getting ready for the last phase of my Masters in Military History (graduation in 10 days...)
Not massively educated in this period. My area of interest is Edwardian. But read a lot about this period and know Rogers mostly from myth and legend. A lot of the material on him is equivocal... and it was Kenneth Roberts who created the personae we mostly know these days. And Spencer Tracy!
From what I understand, some Rangers used rifles but most used fowlers or smoothbore muskets. But most of them were drawn from rural folks in New England during the French Indian Wars and were woodsmen, trappers and otherwise schooled in the arts of frontier "Ranging." In Northwest Passage, Kenneth Roberts describes the Rangers as using their rifles to shoot tossed pinecones for practice (not easy in Flintlock Days...) but this is the writing of an historical fiction writer. So is it real or Memorex???? Great question. I don't have a definitive answer. My suspicion is that a few of the Rangers used rifles, but rifles in military use were in a pretty nascent stage during the French Indian Wars (Seven Years War). I suspect that most of the Rangers used personally-owned muskets but were likely proficient in their use compared to many in the era. There is supposed to be a letter/diary entry by a Private Goodnough (SP?) that references the Rangers using rifles, but there is also some argument as to the validity of his arguments. So my suspicion is that some Rangers had rifles, but most had quality muskets/fowlers/smoothbores and simply new how to load and shoot them. Again, this is a total conjecture on my part. There is likely some primary source material that is more definitive, but I haven't looked at it.
As for whether Morgan and Rogers ever met or faced off against each other.... that would have been quite a meeting. For fun, I did some digging to see if they could have crossed paths. But it looks pretty unlikely. Almost certainly, they never faced off in battle. I thought, perhaps, it could be more likely that they met on more friendly terms, but can't see anything to indicate this may have happened. They were just in different places at different times, according to the chronology of events between the French Indian Wars and the Revolugion. Again, that's conjecture on my part and not based on what I would term "exhaustive" research. I AM willing to bet that Morgan knew of Rogers and his tactics/ranging rules. But, again, I can't prove that. So don't take that as anything more than a guess. And were I to place a guess, I would say "no, they didn't meet, didn't face off and only possibly knew of each other."
Thanks for the offer of an adult beverage and some range time in GA... I will take you up on that next time I get down there!
On Daniel Morgan... he is one of my heroes of the Revolution. Years ago, American Heritage Magazine did an outstanding profile on him and Morgan's Riflemen. He and his 'shooters' made a huge contribution at Bemis Heights and Saratoga. The battle of Saratoga supposedly started with Horatio "Granny" Gates giving the order "Well, then, order on Morgan to begin the game.” (Rupert Furneaux, Saratoga, pg 20.) He was a fascinating guy and was central to the legend of the American Minuteman as a marksman and rifle shooter. Though this was definitely the minority... it still represents the common perception of the Revolutionary War Colonial soldier. Ultimately, by the end of the Revolution, the tactics of Morgan and, arguably, Rogers, had been supplanted by European tactics embraced by Washington. Also interestingly... the British had adopted a lot of the "ranging" and unconventional warfare tactics attributed to the early American minutemen.
Very complex time... one can (some have) made a career of the period! I can recommend some great books if you/anyone is interested.
Cheers,
Sirhr
