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Robert Rogers, or '''Rodgers''' ( 7 November , 1731 – 18 May , 1795 ), was an English-American colonial frontiersman whose service to the people of New England in the various struggles for its existence against the indigenous population and the final might of the French monarchy was so valuable to them that it outweighed his later betrayal of them and service to the crown during the American Revolution . Rogers was the model of the rugged frontiersman who cared little for law, government or ideology, but rose to greatness in defence of his native land. History is kinder to him that it has been to Benedict Arnold . The latter's name has become synonymous with traitor, but Rogers' name escaped that fate. Nevertheless Rogers died alone in poverty in the city of London , far from his family and from the woods and mountains of New Hampshire . ROGERS AND THE RANGERS Rogers raised and commanded Rogers' Rangers during the French And Indian War . He did not invent the concept of ranger nor its far-ranging strategy. The daring attack on a select target far behind enemy lines by a small band of highly disciplined special forces is known from antiquity; for example, the Slavs used it against the Byzantine Empire, and the Goths against the Persian Empire. For the most part the American colonials knew nothing of those events. The method was reinvented by the aboriginals of New England in their struggle to drive the English settlers from their lands, and was imitated and carried to new levels by those same settlers. As the natives discovered, the ranger strategy and ranger tactics alone are insufficient to win a war, which must be won by regular forces. Meanwhile the method is effective as far as it goes. After a brief period of harmonious relations with the natives, the colonials of New England found themselves locked in a life-or-death struggle with the tribes and groups that had not converted to Christianity over the issue of whether the English would be allowed to live or to remain on American soil. The contest began with King Phillip's War . The bitter result was unfavorable to the natives. They found it expedient to abandon their vulnerable settlements and found new ones on the outskirts of English settlement. Among them were the Abenaki , who removed to St. Francis, Quebec (near Pierreville). From these outlying lands the natives harbored resentment and struck out at the colonists whenever they could in daring, long-distance raids, during which they eliminated English homesteads and took English captives, to be sold, traded or raised as natives. The colonists retaliated in kind, developing striking units whom they called rangers, giving the ordinary English word meaning forester a new use. Rogers evidenced an unusual talent for ranging. He took the initiative in raising, equipping and commanding ranger units. He added theory to the art, writing the first field manual of the topic. The Queen's York Rangers of the Canadian Army and the U.S. Army Rangers claim him as their founder and " Rogers' Rules Of Ranging " are still quoted. Rogers operated in the area that is now New England and South Eastern Canada and developed the basis of modern Special Forces tactics. During the French And Indian War , Rogers' Rangers specialized in Reconnaissance and deep penetrating raids into enemy territory. Mental and physical toughness, discipline and courage were highly valued and regularly displayed by all rangers. Major Rogers went deeply into debt, as he was personally responsible for paying his soldiers, and took loans to ensure his soldiers were paid properly. He was never compensated by the British Army or government, though he had reason to believe he should have those expenses reimbursed. This started his financial troubles. EARLY LIFE The events of Robert Rogers' life have been of interest to local and amateur historians for some time. Many have written about him, but the details vary considerably. Part of the problem is the strong partisan sentiments he seems to evoke, and another part the circumstance that many have written from hearsay. Only detailed research by professional historians can settle many of the questions. The account given in this article is a very general one based on some prevalent current views. Robert was born to James and Mary McFatridge Rogers on November 7 , 1731 , in Methuen , a small town in northeastern Massachusetts (today no longer small and continuous with the city of Lawrence). James was an Irish immigrant. A plaque marks the spot today. At that time the town was serving as a staging point for colonization to the north. In 1739, when Robert was eight years old, the family went pioneering to the north, where James founded a settlement on 2190 acres of upland, which he called Munterloney after a hilly place in Derry and Tyrone , where he had once resided. Robert refers to this place as Mountalona. Later it was renamed to Dunbarton, New Hampshire (near Concord ). Robert was not allowed much of a childhood that we would consider normal. The English colonies were engaged in a series of conflicts with other European powers and their colonies, who shared the aboriginal desire to remove the English from New England. King George's War (1740-1748), known on the continent as the War of the Austrian Succession, broke out when Robert was nine and ended when he was 17. At that time Robert was a veteran, a skilled frontiersman, and a French speaker. He does not tell us much about these years, but it seems likely that he served in the New Hampshire militia. He might have scouted for Pepperrell 's force, raised in 1745 for the purpose of taking Louisburg from the French, but this is only speculation. The age of 14 allows time for his rough education and is about right for membership in the colonial militia in time of war. By 1748 Robert had found his talents, but he was now adult, free of obligation and faced with the necessity of earning an independent living. Like many another warrior without war, he turned to (or rather continued) the free and predatory way of life, but in those frontier times, fine legal distinctions were not always made. For example, most of the colonials with the means practiced smuggling. In 1754 (age 23), the year before the beginning of his greatest success, he was indicted for being the head of a gang of counterfeiters recruited by himself. FRENCH AND INDIAN WARS In 1753 French forces took a fort being constructed by the British in the vicinity of Pittsburgh and renamed it Fort Duquesne . The region already had been settled and was being used by English traders. Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia therefore sent a force under George Washington in 1754 to retake the fort. He was attacked by the French and defeated at The Battle Of Great Meadows on July 3, 1754. The French received his surrender and graciously allowed him to return to Virginia, hoping that this gesture would rid them of the English. The hope proved vain. In 1755 Major General Edward Braddock marched on Fort Duquesne with a force of about 2000 men, including colonials under Washington. On July 9 they were Ambushed near the fort by 7000 native Americans led by 250 French colonials. Braddock received a mortal wound and Washington assumed command. He beat a hasty retreat. In that year war became general over all the colonies, spreading also to Europe. Britain and France declared war on each other. The English in America suffered a string of defeats similar to that of Braddock. Encouraged, native Americans living on the entire periphery of English settlement launched a savage attack, once again with the intent of driving the colonists into the sea. Ranger recruiter These events transpired in the middle of Robert Rogers' criminal case. We do not know what happened to the counterfeiting ring, except that much of it probably went into the rangers with Rogers. Charges against him were dropped. In 1755 he appears as a recruiter for John Winslow. Perhaps the colonial government decided it needed experienced militiamen more than it needed to prosecute Rogers, or perhaps Rogers made a deal. We don't know. Rogers arrived in Portsmouth , New Hampshire, in 1756. There he began to recruit rangers. It was probably at this time that the rangers recruited by him began to be called "Rogers'". He was well supported by the frightened and angry colonials. The Masons of St. John's Lodge in Portsmouth received him with two degrees. In Portsmouth also he met his future wife, Elizabeth Browne, youngest daughter of Reverend Arthur Browne ( Anglican ). They were to marry in 1761. By the end of 1756, Rogers had raised three more companies of rangers, making four. He commanded one. Robert's brothers James, Richard and possibly John all served in Rogers' Rangers . Richard died of small pox in 1757. James went on to take over Robert's post in the King's Rangers at the end of the Revolution. It is not known what became of John but it is suspected he remained in the south after Robert's 1762 visit to Charleston, South Carolina . Northern campaign From 1755 to 1758 the rangers served under a series of unsuccessful British commanders operating over the northern accesses to the English colonies: Major General William Johnson , William Shirley , Colonel William Haviland, Major General James Abercromby . The British could do no more than fight holding actions around Lake Champlain , Crown Point , Ticonderoga and the upper Hudson. They were victorious in Nova Scotia (Acadia), from which they transported the French to Louisiana . In these campaigns the rangers were indispensable. They grew gradually to twelve companies and a few companies of natives who had thrown in their lot with the English. Rangers were kept organizationally distinct from regulars. They reconnoitered and skirmished. They were the commander's eyes, ears and first line of defence. Rogers was their acting commander as well as the direct commander of his own company. He gave advice, which was for the most part ignored. In 1758 Abercromby recognized his status by promoting him to major, with John Stark as second in command. He then held two ranks appropriate to his double role: captain and major. In 1759 the tide of battle turned and the English advanced on Quebec . Until now the rangers had done nothing to distinguish themselves from other irregular troops. Now, Major General Jeffrey Amherst had a brilliant and definitive idea. He sent major Rogers on an expedition far behind enemy lines to the west against a vital point there: St. Francis, a staging base for native raids into New England. The natives had given up their aboriginal way of life and were living in a town next to a French mission. Rogers burned the town, killed about 1/4 of its population, and barely escaped before pursuers down the Connecticut River under great duress. The blow struck by Rogers was a major psychological victory. The colonists no longer felt that they were helpless. The unfortunate residents of St. Francis (a combined group of Abenakis and others) understood that they were no longer beyond reach. Raiding from there did not cease, but it diminished. |
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