About This Book

Founded by the Legendary Robert Rogers and Later Led by John Graves Simcoe, an American Loyalist Unit that Fought Alongside the British

Prior to the British attack on Long Island in August 1776, French and Indian War hero Robert Rogers organized a regiment to join the fight—but not on the side of his native New Hampshire. Named in honor of Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, Rogers’s regiment recruited the bulk of its soldiers from the large number of Loyalist refugees on Staten Island who had fled from New York. Rogers’s command of the unit was short-lived, however, after a humiliating defeat in late October by a surprise attack on his headquarters. Under new leadership, the unit played a decisive role and suffered heavy casualties at the battle of Brandywine that brought them their first favorable attention from the British high command. With this performance, and under the able leadership of John Graves Simcoe, the Queen’s American Rangers—sometimes known as “Simcoe’s Rangers”—were frequently assigned to serve alongside British regular troops in many battles, including Monmouth, Springfield, Charleston, and Yorktown. Receiving frequent high praise from Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton, the Commander in Chief of the British Army in America, the unit was placed on the American Establishment of the British Army in May 1779, a status conferred on provincial units that had performed valuable services during the war, and was renamed the 1st American Regiment. Before the end of the war, the rangers were fully incorporated into the British regular army, one of only four Loyalist units to be so honored.

The Queen’s American Rangers by historian Donald J. Gara is the first book-length account of this storied unit. Based on extensive primary source research, the book traces the complete movements, command changes, and battle performances of the rangers, from their first muster to their formal incorporation into the British Army and ultimate emigration to Canada on land grants conferred by a grateful British crown.

Donald J. Gara is a historian of the American Revolution with special emphasis on the military contributions of the Loyalists. His articles have appeared in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research and he is a contributor to Cavalry of the American Revolution.

Praise for The Queen’s American Rangers:

“Gara has compiled a substantial amount of detailed information into a readable and informative narrative. . . . The Queen’s American Rangers is a comprehensive synthesis of multiple primary sources, a work suited for the serious student of Revolutionary War history and military tactics.”—On Point

“There have been very few studies of specific Revolutionary War units, an unusual situation given the number of Civil War unit histories. This is a field where a diligent historian can illuminate particular aspects of a regiment’s service as well as its role in the larger conflict. Donald J. Gara has provided a first-rate example of how to undertake such a study successfully with The Queen’s American Rangers, a history of one of the best known and most effective loyalist regiments in the war for Independence.” —Journal of the American Revolution

“An excellent, well-told history of an American loyalist fighting outfit.”—Military Officer