Butlers Rangers

07/25/2024

Come see us at Old Fort Niagara this weekend - July 27 & 28. Well be out in the field at the Grand National Encampment of the American Revolution along with several hundred other reenactors. We'll be defending the fort from an attack from the despised rebels (the colonial "patriots" as they call themselves). It's 1779 and we'll defend the crown and our people by any means necessary! https://www.oldfortniagara.org/plan-your-visit

06/18/2024

Come visit us this Saturday, June 22 from 12-5 in Monterey, MA at the Bidwell House Museum. We'll be out in uniform and serving up some exciting history on the Loyalists, Butler's Rangers, and the American War of Independence! (Enjoy this pic of some of us from Fort Lee, NJ from November 21!)

04/30/2024

Please be advised that our web page, butlersrangers.org, will be down on 5/5/24 from approximately 7-9 pm for server maintenance. We'll be back up as soon as our host finishes the upgrade.

Join Butler's Rangers for fun, adventure and learning about history by living it. Butlers Rangers are the most challenging group, but also the most fun.

11/18/2023

The 2023 Retreat Weekend at Fort Lee Historic Park and New Bridge, NJ is THIS WEEKEND (November 18-19)! And Butler's Rangers will be out there!

Please see the schedule below - detailed information has been sent to registered unit commanders!

Saturday, November 18th, 2023

6:30 am- Camp opens at Fort Lee

8:30 am- All modern vehicles and items removed from camp

9:00 am- Public welcome into Fort Lee

9:15 am- Continuous presentation on 18th century coffee and making

10:00 am- Unit commanders meeting near Washington’s Marquee

10:15am- 18th Century Cricket Presentation takes place in front of the patio

11:10 am- Formation for parade to Monument Park in front of museum patio. Official welcome remarks by Commander John Lopez and Fort Lee staff

11:30 am- Parade to Monument Park

12:00 pm- Arrival at Monument Park- various speeches given and a single elevated musket volley shot

1:00 pm- Lunch at huts

1:30 pm- Music Demonstration

2:00 pm- Artillery demonstration (by NWC crew)

2:45 pm- Formation for Battle

3:00 pm- Rearguard battle action begins at Fort Lee

3:45 pm- Battle reenactment ends

4:00pm-18th Century Cricket Presentation takes place in front of the patio

5:00 pm- Site closed to public. Participants begin their dinner preparation and settle in for the night

5:30pm- BAR membership meeting in Fort Lee auditorium

11:00 pm- lights out

Sunday, November 19th, 2023

7:30 am- camp is awake
9:00 am- all campers should be packed up and on their way to New Bridge Landing

10:00 am- all camps are broken down and no reenactors should be left on site, gates to Fort Lee may be closed at this time

10:00 am -New Bridge opens to Public (Houses open)

10:45 am British troops march off to stage for the first skirmish

11:00 am - Continental Troops begin forming on the front lawn of the Steuben House for a safety inspection

11:15 am – Troops march across the New Bridge, action begins in Lower Brett Park (Houses Close)

12:00 pm - Rations issued, lunch at the camp kitchen (Houses open)

12:30 pm - Children's Drill in front of the Demarest House

1:15 pm – Troop assemble in front of Christie House, perform safety inspection and march to the river (Houses Close)

1:30 pm – Second skirmish commences as Congressional forces reach the bridge.

2:15 pm - Action ends and the troops and reenactors are encouraged to engage the public. (Houses Open)

2:30 pm – General Washington addresses the public

3:00 pm - Reenactors that have long travels ahead of them may start leaving, local troops will remain

4:00 pm - Site closes to the public, safe travels (Houses Close)

10/16/2023

Looking for a good read? Then check out "The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution" by the incredible Alan Taylor. This riveting narrative will forever change your views on American history, the War of Independence, and the power and resistance of Haudenosaunee people! (And, yes, your beloved Butler's Rangers are discussed in Taylor's narrative.)

09/07/2023

We're out to put an end to this bloody rebellion once and for all! Come visit us in the field this weekend at the Herkimer Home in Little Falls, NY! We're ready for battle!

06/13/2023

We are sharing this information from the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield! You might just find some of us out on the battlefield this weekend.

245th Anniversary of the Battle of Monmouth Reenactment

While our reenactment is taking place on June 17th and 18th, the original Battle of Monmouth took place on June 28th, 1778. The Battle of Monmouth was the biggest and longest one day battle of the war. The two sides did not engage in any large battles in the north after Monmouth.

In June of 1778, the British army upon learning the French were coming to assist the Americans withdrew from the captured American capital Philadelphia to their main base in New York City. While some troops went by sea, about 20,000 British troops had to march across New Jersey to New York. The British left Philadelphia on June 18 reaching Monmouth Court House on June 27th and stopped for a day to rest. The Americans marched from Valley Forge, PA on June 19th, camping near Englishtown on June 27th.

The British began to leave Monmouth Courthouse on the morning of June 28th. When their rear guard was attacked by the American advance force east of Monmouth Court House, Clinton sent Cornwallis’ division back to face them. The American troops, led by Lee, were forced to retreat to the west of Freehold, where they met Washington’s main force near Tennent. The fresh American troops stopped the British advance around noon. After a long midday cannonade the two sides sparred with each other in the late afternoon but neither side could gain an advantage. The British pulled their lines back late in the day. Late at night they resumed their march to Sandy Hook and then New York.

The battle was technically a draw as neither side was able to outfight the other. The British claimed a victory because they defeated Lee’s advance force and stopped the Americans from attacking their long column of wagons and supplies. The Americans claimed victory because they occupied the battlefield after the British left. This greatly increased American morale and strengthened Washington’s position as commander of the army.

See our page https://www.friendsofmonmouth.org/historical.html for more information including articles on Molly Pitcher, Morgan’s Rifleman, French – Hessians - German participation at Monmouth, the Revolutionary War in New Jersey and much more.

06/09/2023

Hear ye! Hear ye! We are blowing the dust off of our page and will now regularly post event announcements, educational information, pictures, and perhaps the occasional meme. Please stay tuned for some announcements about events Butler's Rangers will be at this summer. In the mean time, enjoy this photo of some of us at the Fort Lee reenactment we attended on November 20, 2021. The good news is that we sent General Washington and his forces on a hasty retreat! Until we meet again...