United States Mounted Rangers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United States Mounted Rangers |
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A sketch of Henry Dodge in 1833 as the commander of the United States Mounted Rangers
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| Active | 1832-1833 |
| Country | .svg){kind=small} United States |
| Allegiance | United States Army |
| Branch | Cavalry |
| Type | Light cavalry |
| Role | Counterinsurgency Peacekeeping |
| Size | Battalion |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Major Henry Dodge |
The United States Mounted Rangers was a special group of soldiers formed in 1832. They were also called the "Battalion of Mounted Rangers." These soldiers rode horses and worked on the American frontier, which was the edge of settled land. The Rangers were created to help protect people and trade routes.
However, the unit had some problems. They were not very disciplined, and they cost a lot of money to keep going. Because of these issues, the Mounted Rangers were stopped in 1833. They were replaced by a new type of horse soldier called a dragoon regiment.
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Why the Rangers Were Formed
When the Mounted Rangers were created, the United States Army did not have many horse soldiers, also known as cavalry. This was because the army had been made smaller after the War of 1812.
A new trade route called the Santa Fe Trail opened up. Traders needed soldiers to protect their goods as they traveled across the wide-open prairies. In 1829, some foot soldiers tried to protect a group of traders. But they found it very hard to fight against mounted Comanche warriors. This showed that foot soldiers were not good enough for this job.
In 1831, a politician named Senator Thomas Hart Benton from Missouri suggested a new idea. He wanted to create a group of volunteer horse soldiers to defend the frontier. This idea became very important when the Black Hawk War started. Because of the war, Congress quickly agreed to form the Mounted Rangers.
How the Rangers Were Set Up
The Mounted Rangers were organized into six companies. Each company had a captain, a first lieutenant, a second lieutenant, a third lieutenant, five sergeants, and five corporals. There were also 100 private rangers in each company.
Henry Dodge was chosen to be the major and the commander of the whole group. Some of the captains included Lemuel Ford, Benjamin V. Becks, Jesse B. Brown, Jesse Bean, Nathan Boone, and Matthew Duncan. The leaders and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) were chosen directly from regular life, not from the army.
The private rangers were tough, experienced people. Many were hunters, trappers, or other outdoorsmen who were used to a difficult life. They signed up to serve for only one year. They also had to bring their own horses, riding gear, weapons, equipment, and clothes. They even had to pay for their horses' food. To make up for this, they received one dollar a day in addition to their regular pay.
Where the Rangers Served
After the Black Hawk War, three companies of the Mounted Rangers were sent to Fort Armstrong, Illinois. The other three companies were stationed at Fort Gibson in what was then called Indian Territory.
Their main job at Fort Gibson was to help the Indian agents and negotiators. These agents were trying to make peace between the native people living there and members of the Five Civilized Tribes. These tribes had been moved to lands west of the Mississippi River. Later, one of the Fort Gibson companies moved to Fort Leavenworth. Their mission there was to protect the trading groups on the Santa Fe Trail, which was the original reason the Rangers were formed.
Why the Rangers Were Disbanded
The Mounted Rangers were stopped when their one-year service period ended. It turned out that the rangers were not very disciplined. Also, their leather hunting shirts became so dirty that it was hard to tell them apart from regular citizens or local Native Americans.
The Secretary of War, Lewis Cass, showed that the Mounted Rangers cost more money than a regular regiment of dragoons. Because they were expensive and lacked discipline, Congress decided to replace them. They were replaced by the "United States Regiment of Dragoons". Major Henry Dodge, who had led the Mounted Rangers, became the colonel and first commander of this new dragoon regiment. Four captains and four lieutenants from the Mounted Rangers also became officers in the Dragoons.
