Ranger Dawn: The American Ranger from the Colonial Era to the Mexican War (Stackpole Military History Series)

The author provides the background of the volunteer woodsmen who ranged and fought for the American colonies and later the United States, including Texas, from the 1600 to 1800's. These volunteers were called Rangers and fought using American Indian tactics of hiding behind cover, using raids to strike deep into enemy held territory, and firing accurately with long barreled rifles. The Rangers were all volunteers and were able to scout for valuable intelligence. Their one limitation in combat is not having a bayonet for their rifle, which made them very vulnerable to bayonet charges. The tactics of hiding behind cover and using accurate rifle fire, not massed musket fire, had a significant effect in breaking many regular British Army attacks in shooting officers and Sergeants.What is interesting about this book is the distain that both British Army and Continental Army Generals, overall, had towards the "undisciplined" militia, to include the Rangers. Indian style fighting was considered dishonorable to the Regular Army. As a result of this bias, the Rangers were often not employed to their full ability with traditional regular formations being used to fight battles.Another interesting topic was the brutality of war between Native Americans and the colonists/ United States. How all combatants would execute women and children, how the Natives would kidnap and torture their captives, how Americans would attack their neighbors.Very informative book, didn't realize that Robert Rogers, a key figure in Ranger history, actually fought for the British in the American Revolution and later died a broken man, in debt, never recognized by the British for his service in the French and Indian War.

I really wanted to like this book, but after the first 50 pages, I found it extremely hard to even finish it. The book is not well written and is filled with awkward sentence structure and an incoherent thesis . There are many typos to include wrong dates (1775 when it should be 1755 on page 50). After the first 25 pages, I went to the bibliography and foot note section to see what types of sources were used and if there was any real addition to the subject matter. The answer is no. This book then becomes nothing more than a regurgitation of past works with very little original scholarship. If it is an overview of Early American History and how the ranger participated you are seeking, then this book may be helpful to you. I purchased it thinking I was going to get a new grasp on the formation and implementation of the ranger. I was extremely disappointed. Short blurbs about a few specific rangers thrown into a general history of the American Colonies and the beginning of America as a country is what I got.There are many other books I would recommend before I purchased this book that has both original research and is better written on the ranger. This was the first book from Stackpole Military History Series I read, and if this book is an indication of how the other books are written in the series, it will be my last. Truly disappointed!

Author Robert W. Black is a retired U.S. Army Ranger. In this work he examines the origins of Ranger activities as exhibited during North America's colonial wars, the Revolutionary War and the early wars in America's history. For the most part historians focus on major battles and turning points during these wars. Black's approach is different. Focusing on Ranger contributions he adds a different dimension to the larger scale engagements and as a material plus details numerous smaller scale actions most historians eliminate in the interest of brevity.I found this work quite worthwhile, particularly in its discussion of Ranger affairs during the Revolutionary and Mexican Wars. For the most part Rangers developed their skill sets on America's frontiers as Europeans adapted to Indian warfare. During the French and Indian War ranging activities were incorporated into the British army. Rangers who served in this capacity would go on to serve with distinction during the Revolution. It was surprising to find out that Israel Putnam, John Stark, George Rogers Clark, Francis Marion, Thomas Knowlton, Thomas Sumter and Daniel Morgan had all honed their military skills in the Rangers. At the Battle of Bunker Hill Putnam, Stark and Knowlton all had more combat experience than the British officers they faced. During the Mexican War Texas Rangers John Hays, Sam Walker, Bigfoot Johnson and Richard Gillespie provided the eyes and ears to Zachary Taylor's American army regulars at the battles of Resaca del Palma, Monterey and Buena Vista, contributing significantly to those victories.This is not a particularly well written book. Many, far too many short choppy sentences lead to rough transitions and disjointed prose. But it is a very worthwhile book. Better understanding Ranger contributions to America's Wars leads to an enhanced understanding of the battles and the military strategy pursued within those wars. Add the smaller actions of a more partisan nature that most historians simply overlook and Robert Black is able to impart a much more complete understanding of events as they occurred.

Superb account of the Rangers, from early colonial times to the Mexican War. Packed with great details that I was not aware of. Like the origin of the term 'Indian summer' as an example. The author's skill in research and interesting writing style makes this a solid winner in all catagories. I wish the book had been longer as it kept my interest completely. Indepth info about Rogers Rangers and all the storied characters that populated our colorful and often violent history. Some fascinating stuff about the early Texas Rangers is included as well as the outfits that fought the British, brigands and Indians. I have read some of the author's other works and found this his best.I give this five tomahawks.