Analysis Of John Simcoe's Rangers

To fully understand the Queens Rangers, it is imperative to delve into the ideals and life of their leader, John Simcoe. Simcoe was a rare breed of British Officer; he fashioned a vibrant personality, was unanimously deemed ambitious, possessed an understanding of small unit military tactics, received a superb education, and was also a patron of the arts. He would regularly write poetry, sketch, and read classic literature. Unlike many of his colleagues, Simcoe was not born into wealth, possessed no aristocratic background, and lacked any family legacy within the Army. Simcoe’s only tie to the British military was his Godfather, an Admiral in the Royal Navy. Nonetheless, he was able to climb through the ranks and do so in a gallant manner.
Simcoe also included “servants” in his battle plans, which included African Americans and Native Americans. This is a very interesting area of Simcoe’s Rangers that are very unique, in a letter to Major André, Simcoe writes, “I understand Mrs. Elliot is to apply to the Comdr. in Chief for four Negro boys now with the Queens Rangers, & I think it necessary to explain to you this matter-”. This shows that Simcoe used African Americans in his ranks, although not line soldiers, he was leaps and bounds ahead of many other leaders at that time. Another demonstration of his disregard for social status in his unit comes from his Company of Highlanders, Simcoe writes, “The Junction… augmented the regiment into eleven companies… the eleventh was formed of Highlanders. Several of those brave men, who had been defeated in an attempt to join the army in North Carolina, were now in the corps… they were furnished with the Highlander dress, and their national piper.” Thus, his improvable ability to develop a successful unit, solely made up of partisans is in direct correlation with his personality, ambition, and forward thinking innovation, Simcoe was not interested in where his Rangers were from, he was interested in selfless service to the
It is imperative to look deeper into what made him so influential as a leader. He consequently affected the Queens Rangers through his personality, which undoubtedly played a crucial role in forming the positive environment for his Rangers. In a letter to Simcoe from an Ensign in the Rangers, the level of deep rooted respect for their astute leader is made clear, “Yesterday and part of the day before there was nothing but the picture of distress in every Countenance, but this morning the Soldiers are Shouting the Father of the Rangers is alive-”. This dispatch was in response to the Rangers discovering that Simcoe was alive and would be returned after he was captured by American regulars following an engagement. Thus it can be determined that Simcoe was perceived as a father figure and viewed the Queen’s Rangers as his family. The science and psychology behind motivating soldiers in combat is still a rather new study, nevertheless Dave Grossman, the former professor of Psychology at West Point has been a pioneer regarding research into the very open field of study. In his book On Killing, Grossman states, “… the primary factor that motivates a soldier to do the things no sane man would do in combat (that is, killing and dying) is not the force of self-preservation but a powerful sense of accountability towards his comrades on the battlefield”. In