The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-07-25

placed under the command Of Edward Hand as
colonel Later In the year Morgan returned TO
the army through an exchange of prisoners and
became colonel of the Eleventh Virginia regiment
Cater designated as the SEVENTH composed Of
remnants Of the company he had led north from
Frederick at the opening of the war and other
sharpshooters who were recruited for the regi-
ment.
In June. 1777, Washington, convinced that the
sharpshooting ability of these frontiersmen from
Pennsylvania Maryland and Virginia might prove
a decisive factor In the war If concentrated in
one unit and led by the right officers decided
TO organize such corps As result the Corps
of Rihemen" or the "Corps of Rangers" wash
ington used both names in referring to it) came
into existence. 1t was also known as "Morgans
Rif1emen" and "Morgan's PartiZan Corps be-
cause its colonel was Daniel Morgan. Richard
Butler of the Ninth Pennsylvania was made lieu
tenant-colonel and Capt. Joseph Morris of New
Jersey became major
The captains, according to Wilkinson's Mem
oirs, were Samuel ]. CabeIl, Thomas Posey, Ga
briel Long of Maryland (other authorities list
him as Virginian) Van Swearingen of the
Eighth Pennsylvania, James Parr of the First
Pennsylvania, Hawkins Boone of the Twelfth
Pennsylvania, Matthew Henderson of the Ninth
Pennsylvania and a Captain Knox whose for
mer affiliation is unknown. The corps consisted
Of approximately 500 men, transferred from the
various regiments serving in the Continental
line. OF this number Pennsylvanians supplied
1913 officers and men, Virginia, 163, and Mary
land, So.
The rif1emen soon justified Washingtons faith
In their ability and they behaved so CALAMITY
as to win special mention from His Excellency
In a letter to congress. In it he spoke of their
conduct and bravery where they constantly adj
vanced upon an enemy far superior in numbers
and wen secured behind redoubts.'
When the threat of Burgoyne's invasion doomed
on the northern horizon, the eommander-in-chief
decided that General Gates needed these rangers
more than he did. In letter to Gov. George
Clinton of New York he said: II am forwarding
as fast as possible to join the Northern Army,
Col. Morgans Corps of Rifemen, amounting to
five hundred. These all chosen men selected
from the army at large, well acquainted with
the use of rifles and with that mode of fighting
which is necessary to make them good counter
poise to the Indians, and they have distinguished
themselves on a variety of occasions since the
formation of the corps, In skirmishes with the
enemy"
Morgan and his men were destined TO distin-
guish themselves even more in the Saratoga cam
paign. They were invaluable both in the desultory
sniping attacks on Burgoyne's camp and In
pitched battle. Under the leadership of the dash
ing Benedict Arnold they won laurels the
bloody field of Freeman's Farm and added to
them at the decisive Battle Of Saltwater, a..
though Gates basely deprived both Morgan and
Arnold Of the credit that was justly theirs In
fact it was at Saltwater that one of the rife
men fired another shot heard round the world"
For when a ball from the rife of Timothy Muir
ply, the Pennsylvania, struck down Gen. Simon
Fraser, Burgoynes ablest subordinate, he sealed
the doom of luckless Gentleman Johnny's'
army and made Saratoga the turning point Of
the Revolution"
After this campaign the rifemen rejoined
Washington at Whitemarsh. Placed in the divi-
sion commanded by young Marquis de Lafayette,
they won from him this tribute: 81 never saw
men merry, so spirited, so DESTROYS to go on
TO the enemy, whatever force they might have
had, as this corps" During the winter at VAL
ley Forge Morgan's were constantly en-
gagged in scouting expeditions and in marrying
the British foraging parties
Early in ITS Morgan, whose health had been
broken by the hardships he had undergone re-
turned 10 his home in Virginia TO recuperate.
Thereupon Major Posey, successor to Major
Morris, who had been killed in an engagement
during the winter of 1777, became commander.
But the "Old Wagner was back in the field in
time 10 lead his rifemen to further honors at the
Battle of Monmouth. Soon afterwards he gave
up the command again. The corps was broken
up and various companies assigned to different
regiments.
The disarmament of Morgan's Rifle Corps
prevented the establishment of what might have
been splendid tradition in the history of Amer
lean arms recent historian has pointed out
that 'some 80 years before congress authorized
the raising of ten companies of border rifemen.
George ii had looked to the highland border of
north Britain for a regiment TO have the virtues
peculiar TO the frontier, and ten companies were
raised from the Highlanders whose duty had
been TO watch upon the braes' This regiment
became the Black Watch, famous today The
famous American rife corps would have had its
identity preserved in the American army il
similar useful traditionalism had prevailed in the
United States. 1t has not and there are no Nor
gan's Rifles"
II is true that there are no ssIorgan's Rifles"
In the American army today But the glory of
that name is imperishably preserved in the rec
ord Of their achievements on the battlefelds of
Saratoga and Monmouth and along the trail
which Sullivan, the Town DESTROYER blazed
through the gloomy forests of the Iroouois coun-
try from Tfoga TO Genesee Castle And so long
as the story Of the struggle for American lib
erty is repeated. so long win THE Rilemen OF
the Revolution be shining name in the annals
OF our nation.
eWestera Newspaper Uzioa