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Read Ebook: Rogers' Rock Lake George March 13 1758: A Battle Fought on Snow Shoes by Rogers Mary Cochrane

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We immediately laid down our packs, and prepared for battle, supposing these to be the whole number or main body of the enemy, who were marching on our left up the rivulet, upon the ice. I ordered Ensign M'Donald to the command of the advanced guard, which, as we faced to the left made a flanking party to our right. We marched to within a few yards of the bank, which was higher than the ground we occupied; and observing the ground gradually to descend from the bank of the rivulet to the foot of the mountain, we extended our party along the bank, far enough to command the whole of the enemy's at once; we waited till their front was nearly opposite to our left wing, when I fired a gun, as a signal for a general discharge upon them, whereupon we gave them the first fire, which killed above forty Indians; the rest retreated, and were pursued by about one half of our people. I now imagined the enemy totally defeated, and ordered Ensign M'Donald to head the flying remains of them, that none might escape; but we soon found our mistake, and that the party we had attacked were only their advanced guard, their main body coming up, consisting of 600 more, Canadians and Indians; upon which I ordered our people to retreat to their own ground, which we gained at the expence of fifty men killed; the remainder I rallied, and drew up in pretty good order, where they fought with such intrepidity and bravery as obliged the enemy to retreat a second time; but we, not being in a condition to pursue them, they rallied again, and recovered their ground, and warmly pushed us in front and both wings, while the mountain defended our rear; but they were so warmly received, that their flanking parties soon retreated to their main body with considerable loss. This threw the whole again into disorder, and they retreated a third time; but our number being now too far reduced to take advantage of their disorder, they rallied again, and made a fresh attack upon us. About this time we discovered 200 Indians going up the mountain on our right, as we supposed, to get possession of the rising ground, and attack our rear; to prevent which I sent Lieutenant Phillips, with eighteen men, to gain the first possession, and beat them back; which he did, and being suspicious that the enemy would go round on our left, and take possession of the other part of the hill, I sent Lieutenant Crafton, with fifteen men, to prevent them there; and soon after desired two Gentlemen, who were there, volunteers in the party, with a few men, to go and support him, which they did with great bravery.

The enemy pushed us so close in front, that the parties were not more than twenty yards asunder in general, and sometimes intermixed with each other. The fire continued almost constant for an hour and a half from the beginning of the attack, in which time we lost eight officers, and more than 100 private men killed on the spot. We were at last obliged to break, and I with about twenty men ran up the hill to Phillips and Crafton, where we stopped and fired on the Indians who were eagerly pushing us, with numbers that we could not withstand. Lieutenant Phillips being surrounded by 300 Indians, was at this time capitulating for himself and party, on the other part of the hill. He spoke to me, and said if the enemy would give them good quarters, he thought it best to surrender, otherwise that he would fight while he had one man left to fire a gun.

I now thought it most prudent to retreat, and bring off with me as many of my party as I possibly could, which I immediately did; the Indians, closely pursuing us at the same time, took several prisoners. We came to Lake George in the evening, where we found several wounded men, whom we took with us to the place where we had left our sleds, from whence I sent an express to Fort Edward, desiring Mr. Haviland to send a party to meet us, and assist us in bringing in the wounded; with the remainder I tarried there the whole night, without fire or blankets, and in the morning we proceeded up the lake, and met with Captain Stark at Hoop Island, six miles north from Fort William-Henry, and encamped there that night; the next day being the 15th, in the evening, we arrived at Fort Edward.

The following is a LIST of the Killed, Missing, &c.

The Captain and Lieutenant of His Majesty's regular troops, volunteers in this party, were taken prisoners; the Ensign, another volunteer of the same corps, was killed, as were two volunteers, and a Serjeant of the said corps, and one private.

Of Capt. Rogers's Company,

Lieut. Moore Killed. Serjeant Parnell Ditto. Thirty-six privates Ditto.

Of Capt. Shepherd's Company,

Two Serjeants Sixteen privates

Of Capt. James Rogers's Company,

Ensign M'Donald Killed.

Of Capt. John Starks's Company,

Two Serjeants Killed. Fourteen privates Ditto.

Of Capt. Bulkley's Company,

Capt. Bulkley Killed. Lieut. Pottinger Ditto. Ensign White Ditto. Forty-seven privates K. and Miss.

Of Capt. William Stark's Company,

Ensign Ross Killed.

Of Capt. Brewer's Company,

Lieut. Campbell Killed.

MUSTER ROLL OF CAPTAIN CHARLES BULKELEY'S COMPANY OF RANGERS

The author found this muster-roll, with other valuable papers, in an old tea-chest in the attic of a colonial house at Littleton, Mass., now owned by a collateral descendant of Capt. Bulkeley. In this house Major Robert Rogers and his officers once spent the night, while the privates were quartered in the church near by.

Captain Bulkeley served first in Phineas Osgood's Company in their expedition to Nova Scotia, and later in Robert Rogers's Rangers. He was killed by the Indians near Rogers Rock, on Lake George, on March 13, 1758, and forty-seven of his men with him.

This muster-roll of Captain Bulkeley's company, and other lists which I shall include in a larger work, are the only lists of Rogers's Rangers known to exist.

"A MUSTER ROLL OF CAPT. CHAS. BULKELEY'S COMPANY OF RANGERS FROM THE 24TH DAY OF JUNE TO THE 24TH DAY OF AUGUST, 1757, BOTH DAYS INCLUSIVE."

Until what Time of Time in the Total No. Men's Names Quality Entrance Service of Days

Chas. Bulkeley Capt. June 24 Aug. 24 62 Jam. Rogers Lieut. June 24 Aug. 24 62 Thos. Cunningham " June 24 July 16 31 Henry Phillips Ensign " " Aug. 7 45 Henry Phillips Lieut. Aug. 8 " 24 17 Wm. Morris Ensign " " " " 17 Oliver Bates Serg't June 24 " " 62 Jonas Warren " " " " " 62 John Dinsmore " " " " " 62 Alexander Robb " " " " " 62 David Anthony Priv. " " " " " Boaz Brown " " " " " " Boston Burns " " " " " " Benj. Bridge " " " " " " Judah Bill " " " " " " Rob't Campbell " " " " " " Solomon Crosby " " " " " " Dan'l Conally " " " " " " Philip Clim " " " " " " Abram Clark " " " " " " Sam'l Clark " " " " " " Sam'l Cunningham " " " " " " Sam'l Crosby " " " " " " Thos. Clish " " " " " " James Coleman " " " " " " Christopher Conally " " " " " " Phineas Douglas " " " " " " Hendrick Dawson " " " " " " Sam'l Douglass " " " " " " Jonathan Danforth " " " " " " Joshua Dutton " " " " " " Jonathan Edmunds " " " " " " Zachariah Fitch " " " " " " Wm. Fitch " " " " " " Matthias Farnsworth " " " " " " Joseph Flagg " " " " " " John Flagg " " " " " " Sam'l Gold " " " " " " Jonathan Gates " " " " " " Jonathan Hodgkins " " " " " " Chas. Hans " " " " " " Solomon Hartwell " " " " " " Amaziah Hildreth " " " " " " Dan'l Hartwell " " " " " " Francis Hartwell " " " " " " Thos. Hewit " " " " " " John Hewit " " " " " " Joseph Kidder " " " " " " John Lessly " " " " " " Francis Leighton " " " " " " Nicholas Lin " " " " " " Abel Lawrence " " " " " " Wm. McGee " " " " " " Abram Munroe " " " " " " John Middleton " " " " " " Rob't McNee " " " " " " Alexander McCally " " " " " " John McKalley " " " " " " Andrew Notgrass " " " " " " James Nichols " " " " " " Wm. Pool " " " " " " John Phillips " " " " " " Wm. Prentice " " " " " " Jonah Prentice " " " " " " Patrick Rogers " " " " " " Nathan Robbins " " " " " " Sam'l Rice " " " " " " Elezar Stearns " " " " " " Benj. Spaulding " " " " " " Aaron Smith " " " " " " Philip Stewart " " " " " " James Stuart " " " " " " Hendrick Sixbury " " " " " " Nathan Simonds " " " " " " Wm. Smith " " " " " " Alexander Scott " " " " " " John Stuart " " " " " " Isaac Southward " " " " " " Wm. Taylor " " " " " " John Trull " " " " " " Nathan Taylor " " " " " " David Vanderheyden " " " " " " Solomon Wallace " " " " " " David Wallace " " " Elijah Willson " " " Wm. Willson " " " Wm. Crosby " " " Died Aug. 2 Wm. Glenny " " " " " 10 James Glenny " " " " " 13 Ephraim Kellock " " " " July 24 Wm. McClellan " " " " " 30 Nathan Munroe " " " " Aug. 5 Peter Martin " " " " July 18 Richard Russell " " " " " 28

Other names of Rangers found in account book of Captain Chas. Bulkeley's:

Wm. Annis Sam'l Britton Eliab Bewer--Ensign A. R. A. Cutter, Dr. Michael Conally Daniel Dwyer Thomas Farmer Amasa Gilson George Shur William Swan William Stewart William Stark--Lieut. Abiel Smith Elnathan Sherwin David Willis James White--Ensign Jacob Emerson Ebenezer Kimball Mr. Rolfs John Rossiers Robert Lottridges Graham & Comp Capt. Burbank Capt. Sheperd Thos. & Benj^n Forseys

Copy of a Receipt, dated "Halifax, 10th Aug, 1757."

Rec'd Of Capt. Chas. Bulkeley three hundred Spanish Mil'd Dollars for inlisting Recruits into His Majesty's Company of Rangers, commanded by said Charles Bulkeley at ten Dollars Each Recruit and to appear with Said Recruit at Albany in ye Province of New York in Sixty days from the above date, or to return the above s'd Dollars to Said Bulkeley on Demand.

James Rogers.

Lieut. Rogers returned in October, 1757, with the following recruits:

Dan'l Addleton Hugh Anderson Thomas Burnside Benj. Brown Nathan Chapman John Cahail Wm. Curtis John Collins John Craige Edward Costalow Eb^n Cymbal John Cumings Will^m Devine Benj. Darling Matthew Dickey Isaac Day Dan'l Dickinson Jacob Emerson James Faulkiner Edward Logan Chas. McCoy Dan'l Murfey John Mater Morris Obrien John Rogers John Sparrow George Soper Benj^n Scott Jer. Swan Oliver Spalding Will^m Scott Ebenezar Sherwin Sam'l Stinson Wm. Stuard John Spraguer Will^m Scott Abram Scott Nath^ Taylor Leonard Taylor Jno. Thompson--enlisted Albany Daniel Ware

LIST OF PERSONS IN CAPTIVITY.

The names in italics are those of the captives.

TAKEN IN MAJOR ROGERS' FIGHT, NEAR TICONDEROGA. MARCH 13, 1758.

MAJOR ROBERT ROGERS 1731-1795

Robert Rogers was the son of James and Mary McFatridge Rogers. He was born in Methuen, Massachusetts, on November 7, 1731. Early in the spring of 1739 James Rogers, with his family, moved from Methuen, to the wilderness of the township now known as Dunbarton, New Hampshire. He named the rich green meadowland and upland, 2190 acres, where he settled, "Munterloney," for a place where he had once lived in Ireland, a mountainous district in Counties Derry and Tyrone.

Robert thus speaks of the years passed here in "Mountalona":

"It would perhaps gratify the curious to have a particular account of my life, preceding the war; but though I could easily indulge them herein, without any dishonour to myself, yet I beg they will be content with my relating only such circumstances and occurrences as led me to a knowledge of many parts of the country, and tended in some measure to qualify me for the service I have since been employed in. Such, in particular, was the situation of the place in which I received my early education, a frontier town in the province of New Hampshire, where, I could hardly avoid obtaining some knowledge of the manners, customs, and language of the Indians, as many of them resided in the neighborhood and daily conversed and dealt with the English.

"Between the years 1743 and 1755 my manner of life was such as led me to a general acquaintance both with the British and French settlements in North America, and especially with the uncultivated desart, the mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and several passes that lay between and contiguous to the said settlements. Nor did I content myself with the accounts received from Indians or the information of hunters but travelled over large tracts of the country myself, which tended not more to gratify my curiosity, than to inure me to hardships, and, without vanity, I may say, to qualify me for the very service I have since been employed in."

--Rogers' Journals, Introduction. Dublin, 1769.

Robert Rogers was six feet in height, a well-formed, fine looking man, with fine manners and magnetic presence. He was one of the most athletic men of his time, well known in all trials of strength or skill. General Stark used to say of him, that for presence of mind in time of danger, he was unsurpassed.

At the age of twenty-three years he organized and disciplined his Rangers. On the 6th of April, 1758, Captain Rogers was promoted to a Majority and had command of this famous corps.

His Journals of his Ranging Service, present an interesting account of his severe and perilous warfare. It is very rare. A copy recently brought ?25. Some of the principal causes of the war are exhibited with spirit and truth in his drama Ponteach. His Concise Account of North America and his Concise Historical Account, etc., are both rare books containing valuable information.

He died in London, on May 18, 1795.

I claim, and with a justifiable pride, that Robert Rogers, the famous partisan chief, was the greatest American in the "Old French and Indian War."

Major Rogers was an author as well as a soldier. After the close of the "Seven Years' War," he went to London and published four books, viz.:

JOURNALS OF MAJOR ROBERT ROGERS:

Containing

an account of the several excursions he made under the Generals who commanded upon the continent of North America, during the late War.

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