Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 8.djvu/37

 Robert Rogers, the Ranger.

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��half way between Ticonderoga and Crown Point, they discovered a train of provision sledges, three of which they captured, together with six horses and seven men. The others fled within the walls of Ticonderoga and alarmed the garrison. Feeling the insecurity of his situation he commenced at? once his re- turn. By two o'clock in the afternoon, his party was attacked by two hundred and fifty French and Indians, who en- deavoredto surround it. A vigorous fight was kept up until dark. Rogers was wounded twice and lost some twenty of his men. The French, as was sub- sequently ascertained, lost one hundred and sixteen. The proximity of Ticon- deroga rendered vain the contitiuance of the contest, and he availed him of the shelter of the night to return to Fort William Henry.

For this exploit he was highly compli- mented by General Abercrombie, and, at a later period of this same year, was or- dered by Lord Londown to instruct and train for the ranging service a company of British Regulars. To these he de- voted much time and prepared for their use the manual of instruction now found in his journals. It is clearly drawn up in twenty-eight sections and gives very succinctly and lucidly the rules govern- ing this mode of fighting.

The campaign of 1757 contemplated only the capture of Louisburg. To the requisite preparations Lord Londown directed all his energies. Having col- lected all the troops which could be spared for that purpose, he sailed for Halifax on the twentieth of June with six thousand soldiers, among them being four companies of Rangers under the command of Major Rogers. Upon ar- riving at Halifax his army was aug- mented by the addition of five thousand Regulars and a powerful naval arma- ment. We have neither time nor incli-

��nation to consider the conduct of Lord Londown on this occassion farther than to say that his cowardice and imbecility seem wonderful. Finding that, in all probability, Louisburg could not be taken without some one getting hurt, he returned to New York without striking a blow. If about this time our heroic commander of the Rangers used some strong language far from sacred, it will become us to remember " Zeke Webster" and think as charitably of his patriotic ex- pletives " as we can." He returned to New York three weeks after the surrender of Fort William Henry, where v.iih his Rangers he might have done something, at least, to prevent the horrible massacre which has tarnished the fair fame of ISIontcalm indellibly.

England and America both were hum- bled in the dust by the events of 1757 and 1758. Failure, due to the want of sufficent resources is severe, but how ut- terly insufferable when, with abundant means, incompetency to use them brings defeat. Still, we are under greater ob- ligation to Lord Londown than we are wont to think. His imbecility helped rouse the British nation and recall ^\^^\.- liam Pitt to power, whose vigor of pur- pose animated anew the people of other countries and promised an early termi- nation of French dominion in America.

Lord Londown was succeeded in the early part of 1758 by General Aber- crombie and plans were matured tor capturing the Lake forts, Louisburg and Fort Du Quesne. By the close of No- vember, the two last, with the addition of Fort Frontenac, were ours. The movement against Crown Point and Ti- conderoga did not succeed. In the as- sault upon the latter Rogers and his Rangers fought in the van and in the retreat brought up the rear.

In the spring of this year (1758) Rogers went down Lake George at the

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