Talk:John Butler (Ranger)

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Military history: North America / United States / Early Modern / American Revolution C‑class

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Is "pioneer" the best term to use to disambiguate this guy? I'll save adjusting links to John Butler for a day or two, just in case someone moves it to a better title. -- Chuq 02:41, 5 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Probably a better title would be John Butler (soldier). --Kevin Myers 20:54, Feb 21, 2005 (UTC)

Even better, John Butler (Loyalist), as was done with Walter Butler (Loyalist). --Kevin Myers 13:38, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

No, that introduces a British POV. Tory would be more neutral. Pollinator 17:35, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

Hmm, I think the opposite may be true. For the American Revolutionaries, "Tory" was the word you used when you wanted to slander someone -- almost like the modern "fascist (epithet)". I wonder what the Butlers called themselves, if anything? --Kevin Myers 22:26, August 6, 2005 (UTC)

Pioneer is not a good disambiguation. John Butler (Ranger) would probably give the most specificity, but John Butler (Loyalist) would also be good. This issue was first raised 17 years ago now, so I may make the move myself in a week or two if there are no objections. NJInce (talk) 12:25, 20 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Rogers Rangers?[edit]

Was John Butler in Rogers Rangers during the F&I war? I have a reference to a Lieutenent John Butler who was with the Rangers when they accepted the surrender of Detroit. He was then dispatched to receive the surrender of Kekionga (modern Fort Wayne), and was relieved a year later, just in time to miss Pontiac's Rebellion. I have to wonder if there's a connection between that John Butler and the man in this article. Mingusboodle (talk) 03:25, 1 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Fat?[edit]

Lets not call this man "fat" unless we have a citation... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.60.117.200 (talk) 22:23, 16 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]

John Butler's Rank and the Battle of Oriskany[edit]

Most sources refer to John Butler as a Lieutenant Colonel, however, he did not obtain this rank until the Winter of 1780. Butler was commissioned Major Commandant of a "corps of rangers" in September 1778. When discussing the Battle of Wyoming or the Battle of Newtown he should be therefore be referred to as Major Butler. This makes it easier when writing about the Battle of Wyoming since Lieutenant Colonel Zebulon Butler commanded the American forces. John Butler was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Tryon County militia from 1772 until 1775, so many of his contemporaries used the rank as a "courtesy" title.

It is misleading to say that John Butler led the "Indians" at the Battle of Oriskany. In the summer of 1777, Butler persuaded the Seneca and Cayuga to abandon their neutrality and fight with the British. While Butler did lead his small contingent of Indian Department rangers at the battle, the indigenous forces were led by the Seneca war chiefs Sayenqueraghta and Cornplanter, and by the Mohawk war leader Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant). The ambush was a cooperative effort with Butler acting more as a liaison than as a commander. Griffin's Sword (talk) 22:04, 5 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]