User blog:Master of Awesomeness/Season Premiere: Caçadores vs. Rogers' Rangers



Here it is! My first legitimate battle. Sure, it took awhile but I got to it eventually. Thanks to Skully for the title card but let's get to it. Today, we have a battle of black powder legends. Rogers' Rangers! The ranger company consisting of provincial irregulars that carried out reconnaissance and served in the Seven Years' War for the British Crown. Versus! The Caçadores! The elite light infantry unit of the Anglo-Portuguese Army that rose from the demoralization of loss in the War of the Pyrenees to become the Arthur Wellesley's "fighting cocks" in the Peninsular War. Who is deadliest?

Roger's Rangers
Rogers' Rangers was initially a provincial company from the colony of New Hampshire, attached to the British Army during the Seven Years War (called the French and Indian War in the United States). The unit was quickly adopted into the British army as an independent ranger company. It was trained by Major Robert Rogers as a rapidly deployable light infantry force tasked mainly with reconnaissance as well as conducting special operations against distant targets. Their tactics, built on earlier colonial precedents, but codified for the first time by Rogers, proved remarkably effective, so much so that the initial company was expanded into a ranging corps of more than a dozen companies (containing as many as 1,200-1,400 men at its peak). The ranger corps became the chief scouting arm of British Crown forces by the late 1750s. The British valued them highly for gathering intelligence about the enemy.

Later, the company was revived as a loyalist force during the American Revolutionary War. Nonetheless, a number of former ranger officers became patriot commanders. Some ex-rangers even participated as patriot militiamen at the Battle of Concord Bridge.

Queen's York Rangers of the Canadian Army, formed by Major Robert Rogers and Loyalist veterans, claims descent from Rogers' Rangers.

(Modified from pre-existing DFW article)

 Long Range= "Brown Bess" Flintlock Rifle
 * Weight: 10.5 pounds
 * 18 mm round
 * Range: About 100 yardsBrownBess.jpg

|-|Mid Range= Blunderbuss
 * Weight: 11 pounds
 * Length: 32 inches
 * Ammo: Lead shot/improvised ammunitionBlunderbuss1.jpg

  |-|Short Range= Tomahawk and Hunting Knife

Tomahawk
 * Weight: 2 pounds
 * Length: 1.1 feet
 * Single-edged



Hunting Knife
 * Weight: 1 pound
 * Length: About 8 inches
 * Steel blade





Caçadores
In 1808, following the poor showing of the Portuguese Army against the French in the War of the Pyrenees, the Portuguese Government decided that a commander-in-chief would need to be appointed in order to discipline and train the demoralized Portuguese Army. British Army General William Beresford was recommended for the position by Arthur Wellesley and he was appointed as commander-in-chief. As part of Beresford's reforms, six independent battalions of Caçadores were created. Later in the Peninsular War, more battalions would be created due to the success of the originals.

One of the most distinctive features of these elite light infantry was their brown uniform. This camoflauged better against the dry Iberian Peninsula than the other green uniforms used by most other elite light infantry in Europe.

During the Peninsular War, the Caçadores became notable for their marksmanship at long distances. Arthur Wellesley came to refer to the Caçadores as the "fighting cocks" of the Anglo-Portuguese Army.

The battalions and later regiments of Caçadores continued to constitute the light infantry of Portugal for the rest of the 19th century. The Caçadores eventually phased out to become line infantry in a reorganization of 1911 that came about due to new firearms technologies and infantry tactics.

(Modified from Wikipedia)

Long Range= Baker Infantry Rifle
 * Weight: 9 pounds
 * 18.9 mm round
 * Range: About 100 yards

|-|Mid Range= Flintlock Pistol
 * Weight: 2.5 pounds
 * Length: 19 inches
 * Ammunition: Lead ball

|-|Close Range= Pattern 1796 Light Calvary and Bayonet

Pattern 1796 Light Calvary Sabre
 * Weight: 2.5 pounds
 * Length: 44 inches
 * Steel blade

Bayonet
 * Weight: About 0.5 pounds
 * Length: 14 inches
 * Steel blade

Notes:
Only detailed edges or a well-written paragraph will count as a vote.

Battle will be classic five-on-five: five of Rogers' Rangers vs. five of Arthur Wellesley's Caçadores

Voting ends August 31st.