Gorham's Rangers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gorham's Rangers |
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|---|---|
| Active | 1744–1762 |
| Country |  Great Britain |
| Allegiance | British Crown |
| Branch | Provincial Irregulars; British Army Ranger |
| Type | Reconnaissance, Counter-insurgency, and Light Infantry |
| Role | Reconnaissance, counter-insurgency, amphibious and light infantry operations |
| Size | One Company |
| Garrison/HQ | Annapolis Royal (1744–1749) Halifax (1749–1762) |
| Engagements | King George's War
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Captain John Gorham Major Joseph Gorham Lieutenant William Bourne |
Gorham's Rangers was a famous and very effective group of soldiers in colonial North America. They were like early special forces. This unit was started by John Gorham in 1744. It became a model for other ranger groups, including the well-known Rogers' Rangers.
The unit began as a special company from Massachusetts. This meant they were not part of the usual local army. They were formed during King George's War to help protect the British fort at Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia at the time had many Acadian and Mi'kmaq people who were often against the British.
At first, Gorham's Rangers had about sixty Indian members led by British officers. Over time, more Anglo-Americans and immigrants from Scotland and Ireland joined. By the mid-1750s, Native Americans were a smaller part of the unit.
These rangers were experts at finding out what the enemy was doing (called reconnaissance). They were also skilled in fighting on water and using surprise attacks (guerrilla warfare). They often used large whaleboats for quick attacks on settlements along the coast or rivers. This small unit was the main British defense in Nova Scotia from 1744 to 1749.
Later, the company joined the British Army and grew bigger during the Seven Years' War. They played a big role in battles in Nova Scotia and other important campaigns. They were especially brave during the Siege of Quebec in 1759.
Contents
King George's War
Gorham's Rangers started as a Massachusetts company of New England Indians. Most were Wampanoag and Nauset people. They were led by Anglo-American officers, with Captain John Gorham in charge.
The company was formed in 1744. Nova Scotia's governor asked Massachusetts for help. The rangers were sent to help the British at Annapolis Royal. They arrived in September 1744. Their presence helped end a siege by Acadian and Mi'kmaq forces.
The Indian members of the company were offered rewards for capturing enemies or proof of their defeat. In December, they wanted to return to New England to claim these rewards. While there, John Gorham became a lieutenant colonel. He helped lead his father's regiment in the Siege of Louisbourg in 1745.
The rangers stayed near Annapolis Royal. They used Goat Island as their base. In May 1745, Mi'kmaq, Abenaki, and Huron Indians attacked the island. They captured nine Indian rangers and some British crew members. These prisoners were taken to Quebec. Some were held in the city, while others were adopted into Indian villages. A few were later freed or traded. Some even chose to stay with their new communities.
Gorham returned to Annapolis in 1746. He led the rangers on small trips against the Mi'kmaq and fought with Acadians. By this time, the unit was much smaller. Many had been lost to accidents, sickness, injuries, or capture.
In 1747, Gorham went to England. He met King George II. The King approved making the unit part of the British Army. He also allowed the unit to grow. From 1747 to 1749, this company was mostly responsible for defending British lands in Nova Scotia. They also fought against Acadians and their Indian allies.
Father Le Loutre's War
When Father Le Loutre's War began, Gorham's Rangers were the main force fighting the rebellion. They were not just a fighting unit. John and Joseph Gorham, along with Captain Sam, also talked with enemy leaders. They spoke with Le Loutre, Mi'kmaq chiefs, and Acadian leaders.
When the new governor, Edward Cornwallis, arrived, he created a new capital at Halifax. Gorham's unit then moved its base from Annapolis Royal to Halifax. The company also helped build Fort Sackville (Nova Scotia) and Fort Edward (Nova Scotia).
After John Gorham died in 1751, his brother, Lieutenant Joseph Gorham, took command. By 1750, at least six other ranger companies were formed in Nova Scotia. All of them were based on Gorham's Rangers. These new units mainly had Anglo-American recruits.
Rangers at this time sometimes wore blue coats. However, a French report in 1755 said Gorham's company wore "grey, with small leather caps or hats." Their uniforms changed over their nineteen-year history. You can find more details about their uniforms and gear online here. No pictures of Gorham's Rangers from that time are known to exist.
French and Indian War
During the Seven Years' War, Joseph Gorham led the company. They fought in Nova Scotia and in many other important battles of the war. From 1755 to 1760, they helped the British stop ongoing small attacks in Nova Scotia. These attacks were by Mi'kmaq Indians and Acadians.
The rangers also took part in the expulsion of the Acadians. This was when Catholic French settlers (Acadians) were forced to leave their homes. They had to move because they would not promise loyalty to the British Crown. After they left, Protestant settlers from New England moved into the empty lands in Nova Scotia.
The rangers also helped attack Fort Beauséjour in 1755. In 1757, the company explored French-held Louisbourg. This was before Lord Loudoun's planned attack. Gorham's men dressed as Acadian fishermen. They sailed a captured fishing boat into the harbor at night. A French warship eventually fired on them. But the information they gathered was important. They learned about a French fleet and more soldiers arriving. This made Loudoun cancel his attack.
In 1758, they played a key role in the first water attack during the second siege of Louisbourg. They were also vital in the small-scale fighting and burning of enemy areas around the Siege of Quebec in 1759. In 1761, the unit officially became part of the British army.
The next year, they went to Cuba. Almost half of the unit died from tropical diseases there. The unit was ended soon after the capture of Havana. The remaining rangers joined other British regiments.
During most of the Seven Years' War, Gorham's rangers were based in Halifax. They often worked with a similar unit, Danks' Rangers, at Fort Cumberland. This sister company was led by Captain Benoni Danks. In 1761, both companies combined into one Nova Scotia ranger corps. Joseph Gorham became its Major Commandant.
Both companies usually had between ninety and one hundred men. For the siege of Quebec, Gorham's company grew to 125 men. Danks' company also grew to the same size for the Cuba trip. When combined, the corps had 253 men for the Cuba trip. Of these, 122 (almost half) died, including eight officers. The corps was officially ended in 1763.
Unit Composition
1744-1749
At first, the rangers were a sixty-man unit of only Native Americans. They were led by British officers. Captain John Gorham III (1709-1751) was in charge. He was a whaling captain and merchant before this. He had no special ranger training. The junior officers, many of whom were his relatives, also learned from the experienced Native American soldiers.
Most of the forty-eight regular soldiers were Wampanoag and Nauset Indians from Cape Cod. Some had fought in earlier wars. Many of these soldiers also worked on whaleboats. A few Pequawket Indians from Maine joined too. These included "Captain Sam," who was a guide, translator, and negotiator for the company.
After three years, the company was much smaller. Gorham said that almost three-quarters of the original Indian members had died, been captured, or gotten sick. By mid-1747, only twenty-one men were left. However, Gorham went to England and convinced his leaders to make the company part of the British army. This allowed the company to grow again. By February 1748, there were sixty-five rangers. Native Americans were still preferred and made up almost two-thirds of the unit.
1749-1756
Gorham's Rangers grew a lot during these years. By summer 1749, they had 114 men. They usually had between 90 and 95 men through the mid-1750s. Native American men continued to serve. But more and more new recruits were Anglo-Americans.
By 1749-50, John Gorham was in debt from using his own money to fund the company. He went to London to get paid back. While there, he got smallpox and died in December 1751. Joseph Gorham took over command. He preferred Indian soldiers. He tried to get more Native American soldiers into the unit.
1756-1762
By the mid-1750s, most of the original Indian members of Gorham's Rangers were gone. They had been killed, left, captured, or died from sickness. While Indians from southern New England still joined until 1761, most new members were Anglo-Americans or recent immigrants from Scotland or Ireland.
The company usually had between 90 and 95 men. But for the Siege of Quebec, it grew to 125 men. However, many soldiers were lost at Quebec due to constant small fights. By September, only about sixty rangers were fit to fight. Men from other ranger companies and provincial troops joined the unit. This made the percentage of Anglo-Americans and Europeans in the company even higher.
Even though there were fewer Native Americans, the unit kept using the same fighting methods. These methods were first developed by the Wampanoag, Nauset, and Pequawket members in the 1740s. The Gorhams taught these tactics to other British commanders and soldiers. Danks' Rangers also had some New England Indians, but not as many as Gorham's company.
Recent Scholarship
Some older stories about Gorham's Rangers say the company first had Mohawks from New York or Métis from Canada. But new research shows this is not true. After looking at old records, no Iroquois people were found to have served in the company.
Instead, the records show that the Native Americans in the unit were mainly Wampanoag and Nauset Indians from Cape Cod. A few were Pequawket from Maine. This is confirmed by comparing their names with census records and other documents from the 1700s. These records show that most of these men came from Indian communities on Cape Cod and nearby areas.
Notable Members
[Note: This is not a complete listing of members of the company]
Colonial Englishmen & Other Europeans:
Officers
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Non-Commissioned Officers
Enlisted Men
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Native Americans
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Identified as Indian in company records from 1746-1748 but tribal/village affiliation unclear (most likely Wampanoag or Nauset):
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Africans
- Limus Coffin (from Yarmouth, MA, African-born former slave of Col. Shubael Gorham, father of John and Joseph)
