This T. Nichols' original photo depicts The Major's actual Powderhorn
and Buckskin Shirt, on display in the Fort Ticonderoga Museum.
"The Birth of a Nation, and a
Fighting Force"
Until the drums of war called, Robert
Rogers tried being a farmer on the New Hampshire frontier. Born to James and Mary Rogers
on 18 November, 1731 in Methuen, a small town in the northeastern Massachusetts Bay
Colony. Rogers' formulative years were spent amidst the alarms and exclusions of war. In
1744 news arrived in New England that France had declared war against Great Britain. News
spread quickly that French-led Indians were striking beyond the tidewater cities
from St. Francis, down to Lake Champlain. Everyone withdrew to more populated centers for
protection, as the barbaric and unpredictable assaults continued. By this time, Rogers was
eager to wonder; really not much for farming, marriage, or any other stabilizing
lifestyle, he took to the woods. He felt an urge to know what was beyond the distant hills
and he had also grown fond of hunting. Trouble was also finding its way into his life of
indecision, and war was again breaking out. Massachusetts Bay was seeking recruits and
Rogers saw a new opportunity. What better defense to a counterfeiting charge, then the
shield of Patriotism. Always independent and itching for a fight, Rogers makes claims that
he can recruit scouts to keep watch on the rivers, lakes and woodlands, then report back
his findings. He needed men of stout character and he also needed money to supply and
sustain his efforts. Starting mostly with men from New Hampshire, Rogers organized and
lead a most formidable fighting force. From 1755 to the mid 1770's Rogers' Rangers, (as
they were called), used tactics learned from the Indians to harass, ambush and attack the
enemy. His exploits are too numerous to explain in this briefing, except to recommend
contacting the Fort Ticonderoga Museum Library. They have a wealth of information that you
will surely find fascinating. His personal diary,(which can be obtained at the library),
lists missions conducted from Fort Edward, (his base of operations), to all of the ground
North of Lake George, and West to what is now Detroit, Michigan.
You will learn of his constant hardships, how he lived these years in
debt, due to little support, and how he finally died in poverty and misery in Southwork,
England on 18 May, 1795.
Major Robert Rogers left behind a legacy of Leadership and Commitment
to duty. His historic standing orders, although altered by the modern mission, are still
studied, taught, and adhered to by the United States Army Ranger Department and every
individual Ranger.
