Today in Ranger history

[cams]

This is a great thread. First time seeing it tonight, thoroughly enjoyed the reading. Thanks Jim.

[Jim]

On this day in 1815, Americans defeat British forces at the Battle of New Orleans. Did you know that we used to celebrate January 8 as a national holiday, with fireworks and celebrations, just like we do the Fourth of July?

Several weeks ago, I made a similar statement about “Evacuation Day,” the once-celebrated (now forgotten) New York holiday. What are all these “forgotten” anniversaries doing to our national identity? How are they undermining pride in our heritage?

The Battle of New Orleans occurred at the end of the War of 1812. That war with Britain resolved issues that remained outstanding after the American Revolution. Interestingly, the Battle of New Orleans was fought even after a treaty of peace had been signed with Britain. Unfortunately, that treaty was still on its way across the Atlantic Ocean. No one in America knew about it.

By late 1814, the British had turned their focus to the South. If the Port of New Orleans were captured, then it could help cut off supplies to the states. Major General Andrew Jackson was in New Orleans, preparing to defend the city when the British arrived in the area. On December 23, the British captured a plantation just outside of New Orleans. Unfortunately for them, one man got away. He ran to New Orleans and reported the British position to Jackson.

Jackson made an unexpected decision: He decided to march out of the city and meet the British. That night, he launched a surprise attack. The battle lasted most of the night and ended with no clear winner. The real battle was yet to come. In the meantime, the two sides sat on opposite sides of a plain, building their defenses and occasionally firing at each other.

The main attack came on January 8. “It was a daunting sight," one historian writes of that attack, "thousands of redcoats filling the plain, sixty or seventy men deep in a broad front, moving inexorably toward the American lines.”

Jackson ordered his troops to fire—and they fired relentlessly! Rows of British soldiers fell, but they were replaced with more. At one point, they even seized an American redoubt, but the Americans soon took it back.

Perhaps the worst moment for the British came when several of their officers were killed. One eyewitness later noted: “All was now confusion and dismay. Without leaders, ignorant of what was to be done, the troops first halted and then began to retire, till finally the retreat was changed into a flight . . . .”

Soon, it was over. One American soldier later described the scene: “When the smoke had cleared away and we could obtain a fair view of the field, it looked, at the first glance, like a sea of blood. It was not blood itself which gave it this appearance but the red coats in which the British soldiers were dressed. Straight out before our position, for about the width of space which we supposed had been occupied by the British column, the field was entirely covered with prostrate bodies.”

The British weren’t entirely done. They attempted a siege of a nearby fort and stayed in the area for a few more weeks. But the impressive victory outside New Orleans on January 8 had pretty much decided it.

The Treaty of Ghent would soon arrive on American shores, bringing an end to the War of 1812. In some ways, the outcome in New Orleans was irrelevant. But it was important for the nation’s morale. We felt that we'd won the war that was, effectively, our second war of independence. The outcome of the Revolution had been more than just a fluke!

[Jim]

On January 9, 1936, the Army adopts the .30-caliber M-1 semi-automatic Garand (named for inventor John Garand) as its standard rifle. This will be the principal weapon for the individual Soldier in the U.S. Army​ and the armies of many allies in and after World War II.

[Jim]

Civil War
1863
Battle of Arkansas Post

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hist ... ansas-post

[Jim]

On this day in 1777, Brigadier General Hugh Mercer dies from the wounds that he received at the Battle of Princeton. Do you remember him from the January 3 history post? He was the American officer who refused to surrender, even when he was surrounded by British soldiers.

Mercer was born in Scotland. Much of his early life is lost to history, although it is known that he was a surgeon in Bonnie Prince Charlie’s army. When that uprising against the British was squashed at Culloden in 1746, Mercer fled to the American colonies.

The move changed his life! He fought in the French and Indian War, after which he settled in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He became friends with his fellow Virginian—none other than George Washington! He even bought Washington’s childhood home, Ferry Farm, with the intent of establishing his family there.

The American Revolution interrupted these plans. As tensions grew with Great Britain, Mercer was quick to join the Patriot cause. He was appointed Colonel of the 3rd Virginia Regiment, then a Brigadier General in the Continental Army. He fought with Washington at the Battle of White Plains, and he was with the army on its retreat through New Jersey. He participated in both the first and second battles of Trenton. (See December 26 and January 2 history posts.) Washington trusted him, once writing that Mercer’s “Judgement and Experience may be depended upon.”

Mercer lived up to this trust during his final battle.

On January 2, Washington’s army was cornered at Trenton, but it had snuck away from Cornwallis in the middle of the night. Washington was headed toward Princeton! Part of Cornwallis’s army had been left behind there, and Washington planned a surprise attack. As the army approached the city, Mercer was dispatched with a contingent of men to seize a bridge that lay on the route toward Trenton. He would be able to delay any British that were headed toward Cornwallis.

Early on January 3, Mercer’s men ran into the British. The two sides met in an orchard. The fighting was intense, and the British were fighting well. Mercer was surrounded by British soldiers. They saw the markings on his uniform, and they thought he was Washington! One yelled: “Call for Quarters, you damned rebel.” Mercer refused! Instead, he fought back, yelling: “I am no rebel.” Mercer was struck down by the butt of muskets, bayoneted multiple times and left for dead on the field.

Just at that moment, Washington arrived with reinforcements. In the end, Americans would win the day. But it was too late for Mercer. Legend has it that he refused to leave the field until the battle was concluded. As the story goes, his men propped him up against an oak tree (the “Mercer Oak”) so they could defend the man who would not leave them.

After the battle, Mercer was carried to a nearby house so he could be treated. Dr. Benjamin Rush was there, helping his treatment, but he finally succumbed to his wounds on January 12.

[Jim]

This date in Ranger History: January 17, 1991:

Operation Desert Storm begins.

After Iraq invaded the small country of Kuwait; the President George H. Bush tried in vain to work a diplomatic solution. After failing to reach a solution, the United States deployed combat forces, along with those forces was elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment. As ground combat operations began, Bravo Company in its entirety and Alpha Company, 1st Platoon, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment deployed in support of Operation Desert Storm. The Rangers were primarily used in a contingency role.

[Jim]

On January 19, 2004, Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2d Brigade begin returning to their home post, Fort Bragg, N.C. after service in Iraq.

[Jim]

On January 20, 1863, after the disaster at Fredericksburg, Major General Ambrose Burnside marches the Army of the Potomac up the Rappahannock in another effort to cross the river and reach Lee’s left flank. Icy rains, however, turn the roads into a quagmire. The movement is soon abandoned and the men return to their winter camps near Falmouth. Soldiers dub the maneuver the “Mud March.” Morale in the Army of the Potomac sinks to its lowest point in the war.

[Jim]

On January 24, 1776, Major General Henry Knox arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with the cannon he brought more than 300 miles from Ticonderoga on boats and sleds. He has not lost even one, although several had to be retrieved out of icy rivers.

[Jim]

On this date in Ranger History: January 25, 1974:

Headquarters, United States Army Forces Command, published General Orders 127, directing the activation of the 1st Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry, with an effective date of January 31, 1974.

Rangers Lead the Way!

[Jim]

On this date in Ranger History: January 26, 1974

We highlight a small portion of the result of Gen. Creighton Abrams, "Abrams Charter."

1st Battalion (Ranger) and 2nd Battalion (Ranger), 75th Infantry were initially known throughout the Army as Abrams Rangers. The battalions were referred to as such because of the deep personal involvement of Gen. Abrams in their foundation. The units quickly established a reputation as among the toughest, if not the toughest, combat forces int he world. Certainly their capability in combat has contributed greatly to the overall success of the Army.

Abrams' Rangers contributed much more to the Army then that of a combat force. The battalions also contributed to the recovery of the U.S. Army then that of a combat force. The battalions also contributed to the recovery of the Army as a whole from the turmoil following the Vietnam War.

A little known contribution of the 1st Ranger Battalion to the Army was the concept of the Family Readiness Group. The Family Readiness Group was and still is an organization of the family members of a military unit. The purpose was to provide an organization, a construct, to the members to support each other. Support especially required when the service member sponsor of the family is deployed. Today, the FRG is very much an institutionalized part of the Army. Such organizations did not exist in 1974, although families of Soldiers have been helping each other since the days of the frontier, no formal structure existed.

[Jim]

On February 3, 1986, the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger), activated in 1984, is re-designated as the The 75th Ranger Regiment, and all Ranger units are consolidated into three battalions. The 75th Ranger Regiment, commanded by Colonel Wayne A. Downing, is assigned to the 1st Special Operations Command, with its headquarters at US Army Fort Benning.

[Jim]

On February 8, 1962, the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) is established under the command of General Paul D. Harkins. MACV is a unified command subordinated to the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific, in Honolulu with authority over all U.S. military personnel and operations in South Vietnam.

Among the units supported by USMAC-V were the Vietnamese Ranger units.

[Jim]

On February 9, 1944, the new Bronze Star Medal is authorized by the President to be awarded “for heroic or meritorious service against the enemy not involving aerial flight.” It is noted that the ribbon will be issued until the medal is available

[Jim]

On or around this day in 1778, the Oneida Indians offer assistance to George Washington’s troops, then quartered for the winter at Valley Forge. One Oneida woman, in particular, really went above and beyond the call of duty!

The Oneidas were one of the few tribes to openly declare their support for Americans during the Revolution. The tribe was part of the Six Nations Confederacy. Most of those tribes sided with the British, but the Oneidas sided with the Patriots. In large part, their allegiance can be credited to the work of an American missionary, the Reverend Samuel Kirkland. He was good and kind to them, and they respected him. Kirkland’s efforts were important! Indeed, early in the war, Washington wrote to Congress, soliciting assistance for Kirkland’s missionary and peacekeeping efforts.

“[Reverend Kirkland] can need no particular Recommendation from me,” Washington wrote, “But as he now wishes to have the Affairs of his Mission & publick Employ put upon some suitable Footing, I cannot but intimate my Sense of the Importance of his Station, & the great Advantages which have & may result to the United Colonies from his Situation being made respectable. All Accounts agree that much of the favourable Disposition shewn by the Indians may be ascribed to his Labour & Influence.”

Congress was receptive to the idea and approved funds for Kirkland’s efforts to “promote the happiness of the Indians, and attach them to these colonies.”

The Oneidas were also doubtless influenced by other factors. For instance, an earlier boundary negotiation had not gone well for the Oneidas. Perhaps they were wondering if the British would respect their sovereignty. It’s not like the British had a great track record of respecting the American colonists, either.

The Oneidas heard that Washington’s army was having a tough time at Valley Forge. It was cold! They lacked sufficient clothing and food. Diseases wreaked havoc. Washington wrote of this time: “To see Men without Cloathes to cover their nakedness, without Blankets to lay on, without Shoes, by which their Marches might be traced by the Blood from their feet, and almost as often without Provisions as with; Marching through frost and Snow . . . is a mark of patience and obedience which in my opinion can scarce be parallel’d.”

The Oneidas decided to help. A group of tribe members, including a woman named Polly Cooper, set off toward Valley Forge. They brought as many as 600 baskets of corn with them. Once they arrived, Polly showed the Continentals how to cook the corn. The process of cooking white corn, making it edible for human consumption, was pretty different from the yellow corn that Americans normally ate. Polly endured the rest of the winter at Valley Forge with the American army, cooking for them and nursing sick soldiers.

According to oral legend, Polly would not accept payment for her services. However, the soldiers were so grateful that they gave her a black shawl. In some versions of the story, the soldiers themselves bought the shawl. In others, Martha Washington herself gave the shawl to Polly. The Oneidas still keep that shawl as a treasured artifact, to this day.

The Oneidas helped the American effort at other points during the war, too. Naturally, those are stories for another day.

Yes, obviously, the relationship between Americans and Indian tribes has had difficulties. But there were good moments, too. Shouldn’t we remember both the good and the bad, to get a balanced picture of our founding?