BUTLER'S RANGERS, 1777-1784

During the American Revolution, many people (it is estimated one in three) remained loyal to the British Crown. A large number of men and boys enlisted in both the regular British Army and units raised in the colonies for service during the Revolution. These units were known as Provincial Corps, one of which was raised by John Butler, an American Loyalist, from the Mohawk Valley in New York. That corps became known as Butler's Rangers.

The Ranger Area of Operations

The Rangers were headquartered at Fort Niagara (now on the American side of the Niagara River), first in barracks in the fort, and then in quarters built on this side of the river. It fought as a major unit at Wyoming Valley (1778), Chemung (1779), and the Mohawk River (1780 and 1781). However, most of their expeditions were mounted by company-sized units.

A key factor in the success of the Rangers was the close co-operation of the Rangers and the various Indian tribes with which they served.

Historians consider the Rangers to have been the most active and successful Provincial Corps in the Northern Command during the Revolution. It fought in what are now the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Virginia and Kentucky. This is an astounding scope of operations when one considers they traveled on foot, in canoes and on horseback.

The Ranger Display
The uniform in the display is a replica. Only an original cartridge pouch, pouch plates, cross-belt plates, and a hackle are known to exist, and the uniform design is conjecture. This is probably because on disbandment the men had little but the uniform clothing on their backs, and they soon wore it to rags. There are documentary references to the uniform being green, and historians have concluded that it was patterned on the design of the regular British Army.

Cartridge Pouch

Note the leather leggings. These were worn in the field as overalls to prevent damage to the trousers. The shoulder belts which suspended equipment were held together by cross-belt plates. In the field, the men probably adapted the uniform, carried hatchets, and perhaps wore a scarf about the forehead as a sweat band.

The Beating Order for the Rangers stipulated that they were to provide their own weapons. In the event, though, this was impractical. Some men had no weapons when they arrived at Niagara, and those who did had muskets that were terrible shape. The British Commanding Officer at Niagara began issuing muskets from "the King's Store." These were either the British Long or Short Land Service musket , commonly known as the "Brown Bess", similar to the replica in the display.


Brown Bess

It should be noted that all the weapons in the Museum have been made inoperable.

Following the war, the John Butler reported that many of the Rangers "would rather go to Japan" than return to their former homes in the colonies. In fact, many men found they were unable to do so. Facing reality, they turned to the Niagara Peninsula where they obtained land as United Empire Loyalists.

The display centred on the fireplace represents a Loyalist family. Life was rudimentary, with few luxuries. In the first few years, the families were dependant on the British Army to supply foodstuffs to supplement what they were not able to grown.