Royal Corsican Rangers
Encyclopedia
The Royal Corsican Rangers was a unit of the British Army
, composed mainly of Émigré
s, which served during the later part of the French Revolutionary Wars
and throughout the Napoleonic Wars
.
seceded from the French Republic, and invited British troops to assist in driving French troops from the island. For two years, the island was part of an Anglo-Corsican Kingdom
. However, relations between British and Corsicans soured. Spain declared war against Britain in 1796, putting all British territories in the Mediterranean at risk and prompting the British to withdraw from Corsica. Several pro-Paoli Corsicans fled the island or were exiled, and in September 1798, they formed a light infantry company known as the "Franc Tireur Corses" on Minorca
, which at the time was held by the British. The unit consisted of seven officers and 226 other ranks.
In July 1800, Captain Hudson Lowe
of the 50th Foot
was detached to command the unit, with the temporary rank of Major. Lowe had served on Corsica during the brief period of British control, and spoke both French and Italian. The unit was transported to Gibraltar
, where they impressed General Ralph Abercromby
, who was preparing an expedition to remove the French from Egypt
, which they had conquered in 1798. Abercromby issued them with new uniforms, issued them with the Baker rifle
, and placed them in his Reserve Division. They took part in the opposed landing at the Battle of Aboukir
after which they were re-titled the Corsican Rangers.
The unit took part in the subsequent actions in Egypt. They received praise, and were entitled to wear buttons and other equipment decorated with a sphinx. The Peace of Amiens was signed between Britain and France shortly after the French evacuated Egypt. The Corsican Rangers were disbanded in Malta
.
, Sardinia
and Naples
, to a strength of roughly 600 in ten companies. The regiment was officially accepted into the British Army in October 1804.
In July 1805, the Royal Corsican Rangers took part in a British expedition to Sicily and Naples. On 4 July 1806, three companies of the regiment took part in the Battle of Maida
, which ended with a British victory.
From the end of 1806 to 1808, the Rangers were stationed on Capri, where Hudson Lowe was appointed commander of the garrison. In 1808, French and Neapolitan forces under Joachim Murat
, the King of Naples imposed by the French, attacked the island and conquered it after a severe fight. Some of the Rangers deserted rather than fight Corsicans in French service, but others distinguished themselves. Lowe was forced to capitulate, but his forces were allowed to depart with full military honours.
The next year, the regiment took part in an expedition to the Ionian Islands
under General Sir John Stuart
. By this time, the regiment was commanded by its former second in command, Lieutenant Colonel John McCombe. On 30 September, 600 troops from the regiment, led by Colonel Lowe (who was appointed second in command to Major General John Oswald
, the commander of the division), captured Zakynthos
from its outnumbered French garrison without fighting. Detachments participated in the capture of other islands of Kefalonia
, Ithaca
and Kythira
.
The Rangers were stationed in the Ionian Islands until the end of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1814 and 1815, some of them took part in further actions against Murat's Neapolitan forces.
On 13 Feb 1814, the island of Paxos
, in the Adriatic, surrendered to and a detachment of 160 troops. The troops moved so rapidly through the island that the enemy did not have time to organize resistance. As a result, the British force, which included men from the 2nd Greek Light Infantry from Cephalonia, the Royal Corsican Rangers, the 35th Regiment of Foot
and other units, and marines and seamen from the Apollo, captured 122 enemy troops and a small, well-designed fort of three guns.
The regiment was disbanded on Corfu
in 1817. During its service in the Napoleonic Wars, it had worn a uniform similar to that of the 60th (Royal American) Regiment
, consisting of a dark green jacket with red facings, blue trousers and black gaiters, with black leather equipment.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, composed mainly of Émigré
Émigré
Émigré is a French term that literally refers to a person who has "migrated out", but often carries a connotation of politico-social self-exile....
s, which served during the later part of the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and throughout the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
First embodiment
In 1794, the Corsicans under Pasquale PaoliPasquale Paoli
Filippo Antonio Pasquale di Paoli , was a Corsican patriot and leader, the president of the Executive Council of the General Diet of the People of Corsica...
seceded from the French Republic, and invited British troops to assist in driving French troops from the island. For two years, the island was part of an Anglo-Corsican Kingdom
Anglo-Corsican Kingdom
The Anglo-Corsican Kingdom was a short-lived self-declared independent state on the island of Corsica during the mid-1790s.-Background and history of the kingdom:During the time of the French Revolution, Corsica had been a part of France for just two decades...
. However, relations between British and Corsicans soured. Spain declared war against Britain in 1796, putting all British territories in the Mediterranean at risk and prompting the British to withdraw from Corsica. Several pro-Paoli Corsicans fled the island or were exiled, and in September 1798, they formed a light infantry company known as the "Franc Tireur Corses" on Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
, which at the time was held by the British. The unit consisted of seven officers and 226 other ranks.
In July 1800, Captain Hudson Lowe
Hudson Lowe
Sir Hudson Lowe KCB, GCMG was an Anglo-Irish soldier and colonial administrator who is best known for his time as Governor of St Helena where he was the "gaoler" of Napoleon Bonaparte.-Early life and career:...
of the 50th Foot
50th (Queen's Own) Regiment of Foot
thumb|right|250px|soldier of 50th Regiment about 1740The 50th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1755 to 1881....
was detached to command the unit, with the temporary rank of Major. Lowe had served on Corsica during the brief period of British control, and spoke both French and Italian. The unit was transported to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, where they impressed General Ralph Abercromby
Ralph Abercromby
Sir Ralph Abercromby was a Scottish soldier and politician. He rose to the rank of lieutenant-general in the British Army, was noted for his services during the Napoleonic Wars, and served as Commander-in-Chief, Ireland.He twice served as MP for Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire, and was...
, who was preparing an expedition to remove the French from Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, which they had conquered in 1798. Abercromby issued them with new uniforms, issued them with the Baker rifle
Baker rifle
The Baker rifle was a flintlock rifle used by the Rifle regiments of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. It was the first standard-issue, British-made rifle accepted by the British armed forces....
, and placed them in his Reserve Division. They took part in the opposed landing at the Battle of Aboukir
Battle of Abukir (1801)
The Battle of Abukir of 8 March 1801 was the second battle of the Egyptian campaign in the French Revolutionary Wars, to be fought at Abu Qir on the Mediterranean coast, near the Nile delta. A British army of 5,000 led by General Ralph Abercromby landed along the beach to dislodge an entrenched...
after which they were re-titled the Corsican Rangers.
The unit took part in the subsequent actions in Egypt. They received praise, and were entitled to wear buttons and other equipment decorated with a sphinx. The Peace of Amiens was signed between Britain and France shortly after the French evacuated Egypt. The Corsican Rangers were disbanded in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
.
Second embodiment
When war broke out again between Britain and France in 1803, Major Lowe was ordered to raise a second Corsican regiment, to serve in the Mediterranean. Most of the officers Lowe nominated were Corsican, as was the hard core of 360 riflemen, organised in six companies. They were augmented by recruits from SicilySicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, to a strength of roughly 600 in ten companies. The regiment was officially accepted into the British Army in October 1804.
In July 1805, the Royal Corsican Rangers took part in a British expedition to Sicily and Naples. On 4 July 1806, three companies of the regiment took part in the Battle of Maida
Battle of Maida
The Battle of Maida on 4 July 1806 saw a British expeditionary force fight a First French Empire division outside the town of Maida in Calabria, Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. John Stuart led 5,200 British troops to victory over about 6,000 French soldiers under Jean Reynier, inflicting...
, which ended with a British victory.
From the end of 1806 to 1808, the Rangers were stationed on Capri, where Hudson Lowe was appointed commander of the garrison. In 1808, French and Neapolitan forces under Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat
Joachim-Napoléon Murat , Marshal of France and Grand Admiral or Admiral of France, 1st Prince Murat, was Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808 and then King of Naples from 1808 to 1815...
, the King of Naples imposed by the French, attacked the island and conquered it after a severe fight. Some of the Rangers deserted rather than fight Corsicans in French service, but others distinguished themselves. Lowe was forced to capitulate, but his forces were allowed to depart with full military honours.
The next year, the regiment took part in an expedition to the Ionian Islands
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e...
under General Sir John Stuart
John Stuart, Count of Maida
Sir John Stuart, Count of Maida GCB , was a British Lieutenant-General during the Napoleonic Wars.Stuart was born in Georgia, the son of Colonel John Stuart, superintendent of Indian affairs in the southern district, and a prominent loyalist in the War of Independence...
. By this time, the regiment was commanded by its former second in command, Lieutenant Colonel John McCombe. On 30 September, 600 troops from the regiment, led by Colonel Lowe (who was appointed second in command to Major General John Oswald
John Oswald (British Army officer)
General Sir John Oswald, GCB, GCMG was a prominent British Army officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars whose service was conducted in seven different theatres of war. Oswald was born in Fife and educated in France, which gave him both excellent command of the French language...
, the commander of the division), captured Zakynthos
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
from its outnumbered French garrison without fighting. Detachments participated in the capture of other islands of Kefalonia
Kefalonia
The island of Cephalonia, also known as Kefalonia, Cephallenia, Cephallonia, Kefallinia, or Kefallonia , is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece, with an area of . It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit...
, Ithaca
Ithaca
Ithaca or Ithaka is an island located in the Ionian Sea, in Greece, with an area of and a little more than three thousand inhabitants. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It lies off the northeast coast of Kefalonia and...
and Kythira
Kythira
Cythera is an island in Greece, once part of the Ionian Islands. It lies opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is administratively part of the Islands regional unit, which is part of the Attica region , Greece.For many centuries, while naval travel was the only means...
.
The Rangers were stationed in the Ionian Islands until the end of the Napoleonic Wars. In 1814 and 1815, some of them took part in further actions against Murat's Neapolitan forces.
On 13 Feb 1814, the island of Paxos
Paxos
Paxos may refer to:* Paxos algorithm, an algorithm for fault tolerant distributed systems* Paxoi, a Greek island...
, in the Adriatic, surrendered to and a detachment of 160 troops. The troops moved so rapidly through the island that the enemy did not have time to organize resistance. As a result, the British force, which included men from the 2nd Greek Light Infantry from Cephalonia, the Royal Corsican Rangers, the 35th Regiment of Foot
35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot
The 35th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment in the British Army. The regiment became The Royal Sussex Regiment.-History:The 35th Regiment changed its name many times during its history...
and other units, and marines and seamen from the Apollo, captured 122 enemy troops and a small, well-designed fort of three guns.
The regiment was disbanded on Corfu
Corfu
Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...
in 1817. During its service in the Napoleonic Wars, it had worn a uniform similar to that of the 60th (Royal American) Regiment
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
, consisting of a dark green jacket with red facings, blue trousers and black gaiters, with black leather equipment.