Rogers Rangers and the Search for the River Ourigan

By James Trump

Thirty-six years before Lewis and Clark set out on their voyage of discovery, Major Robert Rogers, Commandant of Fort Michilimackinac, launched his own expedition in search of the elusive Northwest Passage. He was certain this water route across the continent existed. The key, however, was finding the River Ourigan, so named by the western Indians and said to run from the Shining Mountains to the Great Western Ocean. Lack of funds to sustain the mission and Rogers arrest, alleging he was conspiring with the French to betray the British Crown (which were proven false) forced the expedition to turn back.

Now with the backing of King George, Rogers assembles a coalition of investors creating the Far West Company, whose success depends on the opening of a new trading empire west of the Mississippi River and over the Shining Mountains. Upon returning to Fort Michilimackinac, Rogers leads a battalion of Rangers in search of the fabled passage leading to the riches of the Pacific Ocean and the Far East.

Travel with Major Rogers and his men through the interior of the continent and experience the wonders and dangers they encounter along the way. Does the passage really exist? Join the expedition to find out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543433890

James Trump

James Trump is a native of Hoagland, Indiana and has been interested in American military history all his life. He is a historical reenactor and hopes to spark interest again in our country’s proud history through short, historical novels. James is also the author of: Rogers Rangers and the Raid on Fort Michilimackinac 1758- A Tale of the French and Indian War, From The Valley to The Bluffs-Company A and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, “Their Three to Our One” 1775- A Tale of Bunker Hill, and an alternative novel of Benedict Arnold-Battle of West Point 1780.

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Rogers Rangers and

the Search for the River Ourigan

A Novel of the Northwest Passage

James Trump

Copyright © 2017 by James Trump.

Library of Congress Control Number:         2017910407

ISBN:                  Hardcover                  978-1-5434-3388-3

                            Softcover                    978-1-5434-3387-6

                            eBook                         978-1-5434-3389-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 07/11/2017

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1     London

Chapter 2     New York / New Hampshire

Chapter 3     Fort Michilimackinac At Last

Chapter 4     The Far West Company

Chapter 5     The Conspiracy Of Gage And Johnson

Chapter 6     On To Fort Superior

Chapter 7     The Expedition Begins

Chapter 8     To The Missouri River

Chapter 9     Through Sioux Territory

Chapter 10   The Mandans

Chapter 11   Fort Townshend

Chapter 12   Winter Along The Heart River

Chapter 13   To The Bend Of The Missouri

Chapter 14   To The Elk (Yellow Rock) River

Chapter 15   The Badlands Of The Missouri

Chapter 16   Recall Rogers!

Chapter 17   Encounter At The Medicine River

Chapter 18   Over The Shining Mountains

Chapter 19   Command Decisions

Chapter 20   Traversing The Kooskooskee And Kimooenim

Chapter 21   Surmounting The Ourigan

Chapter 22   To The Pacific

Chapter 23   The End Of The Passage

Chapter 24   Race To The Falls

Chapter 25   Rogers Station Winter

Chapter 26   The Red Willow Trail

Chapter 27   Return To The Missouri

Chapter 28   Devastating News

Chapter 29   The Grand Detour

Chapter 30   St. Louis

Chapter 31   You’d Have Thought I’d Return A Hero

Chapter 32   Trials And Tribulations: An Afterword

ALSO BY JAMES TRUMP

Rogers Rangers

and The Raid on Fort Michilimackinac 1758

A novel of the French and Indian War

From The Valley To The Bluffs

Company A and The Battle of the Little Big Horn

Their Three to Our One 1775

A Tale of Bunker Hill

Battle of West Point 1780

A Tale of the Revolution

Front Cover Art:

The Beginning - Lewis and Clark on the Missouri River

Artwork appears courtesy of artist Todd Price

Please visit Todd’s website gallery at: www.nightowlstudio.net

Please provide feedback on the book to:

[e-mail]

To My Family

Past Present and Future

and

To the Men and Women

of our Armed Forces

Please give to Veteran Charities

PREFACE

T HIRTY-SIX YEARS BEFORE Lewis and Clark set out on their voyage of discovery, Major Robert Rogers, Commandant of Fort Michilimackinac, launched his own expedition in search of the elusive Northwest Passage. He was certain this water route across the continent existed. The key, however, was finding the River Ourigan, so named by the western Indians and said to run from the Shining Mountains to the Great Western Ocean. Lack of funds to sustain the mission, and Rogers’ arrest, alleging he was conspiring with the French to betray the British Crown, (an accusation that was untrue and proven false in a court martial) forced the expedition to turn back.

I thought it would be interesting to see what he might have accomplished had he been able to obtain substantial funding for his expedition-and even lead it! Rogers’ legal and personal woes, his confrontations with General Gage and Sir William Johnson, all of which factored into his arrest, I found to be of interest and have woven them into this story.

As this novel takes place well before Lewis and Clark launched their expedition into the unknown, terrain features such as mountains and rivers, which the Rangers travel along, will have alternative names than the ones given by those famous explorers or the modern titles you might be familiar with. This same rule applies to the Native American people Rogers’ expedition encounters during their long journey to the Pacific Ocean.

Like in the The Raid on Fort Michilimackinc 1758, I have used the calculation of three miles equals one league to measure distance traveled.

I hope you forgive my altering of history and find the Ranger’s search for the Northwest Passage as enjoyable to read, as I have had in writing it.

James Trump

June 2017

Liberty Township, Ohio

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A S WITH MY past books, I would like to acknowledge the men and women of our Armed Forces, past and present, for the unselfish service and sacrifice you have given to our cou ntry.

To historical artist Todd Price, for allowing his painting: The Beginning - Lewis and Clark on the Missouri River, to appear on the cover of this book. Please visit Todd’s website gallery at: www.nightowlstudio.net

To my friends and family, who have provided guidance, support and a tremendous amount of patience, throughout this project.

This book would not have been possible without the help and guidance from the team at Xlibris Publishing.

To all, I am personally indebted.

James Trump

Liberty Township, Ohio June 2017

BID_761414_Trump_FWC_Crest.tif

Crest of the Far West Company

A List of Maps

CHAPTER ONE

London

L ONDON ENGLAND, ON this cool November evening, was covered in a thick, smoky-haze, caused by the remnants of burning coal lingering just above the chimneys of the city’s homes and businesses. A light snow had fallen earlier in the day, covering the dirty cobblestone streets and walkways with a fresh layer of white. This recent coating quickly disappeared, however, as Londoners went about their busy affairs, returning the avenues of mobility back to their customary dull gray appear ance.

Emerging from one of the buildings, located in the center of London and known as Charing Cross, was a tall, husky man. He paid no heed to either the filthy snow, or the murky haze, as he descended the stairs to the street. Reaching the landing, he tugged the collar of his frock coat closer together to ward off the cold, then made his way toward the Westminster sector of the city. Even though the weather was inclement, he chose to walk rather than take one of the many coaches plying for his trade.

The lamplighter had just finished lighting his row of lamps, when the solitary man appeared on the narrow street. As he traveled over the slush covered cobblestones, the smell of burning whale oil filled his nostrils, while the glow from the flickering lamps illuminated his figure, projecting a larger than life shadow on the walls of the buildings bordering the street. In this man’s case, however, the towering shadow did indeed fit his persona, for he was none other than the legendary Major Robert Rogers of his Majesty’s Rangers.

At only thirty-four years of age, Rogers was already well known in London’s society. His service to the Crown during the Seven Years War, or as it was known in the North American Colonies, the French and Indian War, was the talk of the city’s coffeehouses and gardens. When things had looked bleak for the British Army during the war, it was Rogers who swung the momentum back to their favor by taking the fight to the French and their numerous Indian allies. His daring scouting missions and hit and run tactics along the Lake George corridor, the raids on the French forts bordering the Great Lakes, the destruction of the Abenaki Village on the Saint-Francois River and the harrowing return journey, were well-known to Londoners. Rogers, and his gallant Rangers, had even been at Montreal in 1760, which was the last battle of the war fought in the North American continent.

His audacious tactics had won him the respect and praise of the overall British commander serving in the colonies, General Jeffery Amherst. Amherst became one of the major champions of Robert Rogers, and would both defend, and depend upon him in the coming years.

After the war, Rogers watched as his Ranger companies were disbanded, leaving him on only half pay. He had acquired quite a substantial, personal debt, while raising and maintaining his Ranger Companies during the war, and now his creditors were demanding full payment of these debts or threatening him with legal action. Amherst tried to intercede on Rogers’ behalf, but his Majesty’s Treasury demanded the appropriate receipts before it would reimburse him. Unfortunately, for Rogers, however, he lacked the clerical skills needed during the war to record and retain many of these receipts.

In the midst of his financial problems, he met and fell in love with Elizabeth Browne. Elizabeth was the daughter of the Reverend Arthur Browne, the minister of Queen’s Chapel and one of the most powerful men in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The two were married on June 30, 1761, by Elizabeth’s father, and soon moved to Concord, New Hampshire.

The honeymoon was short-lived, however, as General Amherst ordered Rogers to Charles Town, South Carolina, to put down a Cherokee Indian uprising. He left Portsmouth on July 6th, 1761, and sailed from New York on the twenty-third of July. But, by the time Rogers arrived in Charles Town in August, the uprising had been suppressed, leaving him to administrative duties in the city. Rogers sold his commission for a captaincy in an independent company of South Carolina, hoping this increased income would help to stave off his creditors.

While in the city, however, he met and befriended the Governor, Arthur Dobbs. The seventy-two-year-old man had loved exploration in his younger days and had even searched for an all water route to the west, originating from Hudson’s Bay. This was the fabled Northwest Passage leading to the riches of the Orient. Their long talks on the subject had rekindled a flame in Rogers, which had first been ignited by the English merchant, Alexander Henry, back at Fort Michilimackinac in 1758. Dobbs passed his knowledge, and the torch of searching for the Northwest Passage on to Rogers.

Rogers now knew what he needed to do. He would go to England and petition the treasury for his debts incurred while serving the British Crown, and petition the King personally, to be named Commandant of Fort Michilimackinac. From there, he would mount an overland expedition and search for the Northwest Passage.

Rogers wrote letters to General Amherst in New York, requesting his return to New Hampshire and Elizabeth. He also wrote to Alexander Henry, who was now operating his trading business out of Montreal. Rogers and Henry would be in constant communication over the coming years, laying the groundwork for a bold, new business venture.

Finally, in October 1762, General Amherst granted Rogers permission to return to New Hampshire and his bride. Rogers once again sold his commission in the independent company of South Carolina and purchased a captaincy in a New York unit.

Upon returning to Portsmouth, Rogers was immediately besieged by his impatient creditors. He was making plans to sail for England in the spring of 1763, when he was once again called upon by General Amherst to put down an Indian rebellion. This was the famous Pontiac Conspiracy of 1763. This brilliant uprising, conceived by the Chippewa chief, Pontiac, resulted in the loss of most of the Great Lake Forts. Even Fort Michilimackinac fell to Rogers’ old adversaries Matchekewis and Minavavana. They were the chiefs of the Odawa and Ojibwe tribes living near the fort. Only Forts Detroit and Pitt were still in British possession after the start of the uprising.

Fort Detroit, however, was under an intense siege, and in need of fresh supplies and reinforcements, if it was going to hold out. Rogers again left Elizabeth and traveled to Fort Niagara to join a relief force being put together under Captain James Dalyell of the 1st Regiment of Foot.

They departed Fort Niagara on July 10 in a flotilla of bateaux and approximately 250 men, including nearly forty hastily recruited Rangers. After a harrowing journey, they reached Fort Detroit on thirtieth of July. Captain Dalyell directly pressured Major Henry Gladwin, Commandant of the fort, into letting him lead an immediate attack on Pontiac’s warriors. Over 200 men left the fort in the early morning hours of July 31st, led by Dayell and including Rogers and his Rangers. On the way toward the Indian encampment, the column had to cross a wooden bridge over Parent’s Creek. Halfway across the bridge, the leading elements of Dalyell’s force were ambushed by Pontiac’s warriors, forcing them to retreat to the fort. As they fought their way through the deserted settlement outside the fort’s walls, the Indians tried to maneuver and outflank the British, blocking their retreat. Rogers and some of his Rangers took cover in one of the houses and succeeded in holding the Indians at bay until the retreat could resume. Rogers’ men continued to fight a delaying action all the way to the fort’s gate, buying time for the soldier’s safe return. Dalyell, however, was killed in the retreat.

Pontiac continued the siege until the end September, then, suspended the entire uprising. Rogers was now free to return to New Hampshire and Elizabeth.

Upon his arrival home, Rogers was once again relentlessly hounded by his creditors. After trying several business ventures, which only landed him deeper in debt, Rogers was sentenced to jail time in New York City. Word of his imprisonment soon reached a fellow comrade-in-arms from their raid on Fort Michilimackinac, Captain Nathaniel Harburn of the Sixtieth Regiment of Foot. Harburn, whose sympathies lay with Rogers, ordered his men to march down to the jail under full arms and See to his release! Once freed, Rogers now had to flee, or face even stiffer penalties from the authorities. With no time to inform Elizabeth of his plight, he immediately set sail for London on a military packet ship. Captain Harburn, however, personally delivered Rogers hastily written note to Elizabeth, explaining his dire situation. Escaping to London would be Rogers best, and last, chance of redemption.

On the voyage across the Atlantic, Rogers met and befriended a fellow colonist, Nathaniel Potter. Potter was a graduate of Princeton College and was fascinated with Rogers’ adventures during the war and the subsequent Indian uprisings. He suggested a book of Rogers’ exploits would sell well in London, and agreed to introduce Rogers to a publisher friend of his when they arrived there.

Rogers landed in England with very little funds to his name, but with the help of Potter, the fame of his reputation, and a network of fellow Freemasons, Rogers secured a room in a section of London named Charing Cross.

Rogers set about at once arranging to meet with the proper individuals, whom could aid him with writing petitions concerning the debts he incurred during the French and Indian War. In the meantime, Potter had introduced him to John Millian, who was a bookseller and printer. He liked Rogers’ idea about a book containing his adventures during the war and agreed to publish his military journals. Millian even prompted Rogers to write further about the wilds of North America, which he also thought would sell very well. The results were the Journals of Major Robert Rogers and A Concise Account of North America. Both books did sell well and brought Rogers a modest income. More importantly, to Rogers, they attracted men of influence and standing who had interest in North America and the Northwest Passage to his cause.

Three of these men were Charles Townshend, Doctor John Campbell, and Chase Price. Charles Townshend, a substantial politician, prior Lord of the Admiralty and Secretary of War, was the brother of Robert Townshend, whom Rogers had served with in the late war. Rogers had been introduced to Townshend by Benjamin Franklin, who himself was a noteworthy politician and inventor from the colonies.

Through the influence of Townshend, Rogers met with the Board of Trade on September 13, 1765, and submitted the many advantages of finding this interior passage to the rich trade routes of the Orient. The Board of Trade referred Rogers to the military department, as Rogers planned on using Rangers and other military personal for the expedition.

Rogers had proposed a cost to the Treasury of £32,000 to mount and sustain the expedition. The Treasury, however, was still reeling from the expense amassed in waging war against the French, and could not muster the amount required for Rogers’ quest. Rogers was not about to give up, however, and set about planning a counter proposal, using the same determination he demonstrated against the French and Indians. With the financial backing of Townshend and his associates, Rogers crafted a blueprint for a new trading company in the Great Lakes region. This was a bold venture, which he and Alexander Henry had been considering, and according to Henry’s latest correspondence, was well under way. This joint military and civilian coalition would cut in half the expenses needed for the expedition to the British Crown. Townshend, utilizing his political skills, presented Rogers’ revised proposal to the King, stressing that the French and Spanish were actively searching for the passage and what a loss financially it would be to England if they found it first. The King held high regard for Rogers and was sympathetic for the costs he had personally expended while serving his Majesty’s Army. He granted Rogers £16,000 for the expedition to find the Northwest Passage. The King also named him as the new Commandant of Fort Michilimackinac, which included a superintendency over the western Indians and a commission as captain in the Sixtieth of Foot, also known as the Royal Americans. Even though this was a reduction in rank from major, which he had held while leading his Rangers in the war, Rogers graciously accepted the King’s offer. This duel income would help him pay off his personal debts not obligated by the war department. The King requested that Rogers personally appear before him in Court on the seventeenth of October, where he presented his hand to Rogers to be kissed.

It had taken Rogers a little over a year to achieve all that he had set out to do and he was more than ready to return to New York and Elizabeth. He had left a dishonored man, but would return with the favor of the King and a mission that would make him even more renowned, when accomplished.

He would not make the same mistakes due to his lack of bookkeeping and financial skills that he had in the past, however. So, in his first act as Commandant of Fort Michilimackinac, he hired Nathaniel Potter to be his personal secretary and manage the clerical affairs of the post. Potter had agreed to Rogers’ offer and sailed in advance for New York. While there, he would arrange for Rogers’ journey to Fort Michilimackinc, where the new Commandant hoped to arrive by late summer. Potter was also to post an announcement in the newspapers stating Rogers would be recruiting a new battalion of Rangers for service in the Upper Country. The true purpose of the battalion was to be kept strictly confidential.

Rogers would be leaving in two days for New York and wanted to pay his respects to Charles Townshend before he sailed. He was now nearing the end of the street, where the bigger homes were situated, belonging to the more affluent residents of London. Rogers climbed the snowy stairway leading to the familiar door of one of these homes, and brought down the massive knocker three times. The door swung open, flooding the landing with the bright light from within. Townshend’s servant, whom Rogers had met many times before, stood in the entranceway.

Major Rogers, sir. Mr. Townshend has been expecting you. May I take your coat and hat, sir? He then pointed the way to the drawing room.

Rogers handed the man his hat and frock coat, then being familiar with the layout of the house, proceeded into the room indicated by the servant. Townshend and Price were seated in front of a roaring fire talking quietly.

Both men rose quickly as Rogers entered the room and greeted him warmly.

Robert, I am glad to see you. Is everything arranged for your return to the colonies? Townshend asked.

Rogers took the hand of Townshend, then Price, as he replied, Yes, Charles. I sail the day after tomorrow.

I am glad to hear it, Price added. We can’t wait for this venture to begin!

Chase and I were talking over a glass of Madeira. May I pour you one, Robert?

Yes, of course Charles. Thank you, Rogers replied.

As Townshend poured the wine, Rogers reached into his breast pocket and produced a letter.

I received this yesterday from Montreal. According to Alexander Henry, everything is proceeding according to plan.

May I read it, Robert? Townshend asked.

Of course, Charles, Rogers replied, handing him the letter.

While Townshend paced the room reading the letter, Rogers and Price engaged in quiet, small talk. When Townshend finished the letter, he gave it to Price, having not said a word about its contents. Price sat down in a chair by the fire as he read through Henry’s letter. Rogers poured himself another glass of wine and waited for Price to finish. Rogers noticed a smile form on Price’s face, as he folded the letter’s pages and handed them back to Rogers.

A capital fellow, this Alexander Henry, to be sure! exclaimed Price.

He is, indeed, added Townshend. Let me propose a toast, gentlemen. To the Far West Company!"

To the Far West Company! repeated Rogers and Price.

The three men raised their glasses, toasting the new fur trading company that would help subsidize the cost, and reap the benefits of Rogers’ expedition.

I was trying to show Price earlier the locations of Fort Michilimackinac and the Far West Company’s post, which Henry is having constructed, but was not sure of their precise coordinates on the map. Will you point them out to us, Robert?

Yes, of course Charles, Rogers said.

They went over to a table where an old French map of North America was laying open. It was a very sparse map, showing only the rough outlines of the Eastern Colonies, the major rivers, Great Lakes, and the territories to the west. Rogers pointed out the various locations and the known river routes leading to Fort Michilimackinac.

Placing his finger on the map where the fort was located, he stated, Here, gentlemen, where the Great Lakes of Huron and Michigan converge, lies Fort Michilimackinac. The lake lying to the north, which looks like a hand formed into a fist with the thumb and forefinger extended, is Lake Superior. If you look to where the tip of the forefinger is pointing, that is where the headquarters of the Far West Company will be located, where the Saint Louis River empties into Lake Superior. Its location will put us farther west than the Hudson’s Bay Company’s post at the Grand Portage, or as the Indians call it, The Great Carrying Place. In fact, we will be about fifty leagues from that post.

"Fifty leagues! Then we will be in direct competition with the Hudson’s Bay Company!’ exclaimed Price.

Precisely, Townshend said. We will create a monopoly on the expanding trade going into, and coming from, the west! Robert has even bigger plans of establishing a new colony there, with Fort Michilimackinac as its capital.

How do you propose transporting the goods coming from the west to Fort Michilimackinac, Robert? Price asked.

By ship over Lake Superior to Sault Ste. Marie, where the Post at Saint Mary’s is located. That is the former site of Fort Repentigny, an old French outpost. From the Post at Saint Mary’s to Fort Michilimackinac, then over the old voyageur routes leading to Montreal and Quebec. Once there, it’s down the Saint Lawrence River to the Atlantic, Rogers said nonchalantly, as if men from the Far West Company were already moving trade goods over these routes.

It is amazing how all the lakes connect with one another, allowing ships to flow from one lake to the other, Price said.

Not quite, Chase. We will have to transport the goods at Sault Ste. Marie around the rapids of the Saint Mary’s River to waiting ships on the other end. Henry is of the opinion, however, that eventually a canal can be dug to bypass these rapids. The soldiers garrisoning the Post at Saint Mary’s would then protect the canal. But, that is in the future gentlemen; for now, we only need to provide enough men to oversee the transfer of the merchandise to the waiting ships. With the cooperation of General Amherst, I am certain we can utilize the established posts to our benefit, stated Rogers.

General Amherst? I thought you have heard Robert. General Amherst has been recalled to England, Townshend announced.

Recalled? Who is to take his place, Charles? Rogers inquired.

General Thomas Gage has been named to take over the command of the army in North America, Townshend answered.

Rogers said nothing. He knew he had lost a staunch friend and comrade in General Amherst and had gained an adversary in Thomas Gage.

What’s wrong, Robert. Is there a problem with General Gage? asked Price, noticing the scowl on Rogers’ face.

No. It was just I had not heard of Amherst’s return to England, Rogers replied, trying to mask his disdain for his old nemesis.

The rest of the evening was spent pleasantly, while Rogers recounted his adventurous raid on Fort Michilimackinac as his friends and fellow investors in the Far West Company listened intently. This storytelling continued into the early morning hours before Rogers said his goodbyes and started for the door. Townshend followed him and personally handed him his coat and hat.

Thank you, Charles, for a most enjoyable evening and for your friendship over the past year. I hope to repay you in spades one day, Rogers said.

Robert, can you really find this Northwest Passage? Townshend asked.

If it exists, and I believe along with Arthur Dobbs that it does, I will not only find it, Charles, but will name it after you, Rogers replied.

That would be an honor indeed, Robert, but I will settle for a city, or even a river, in your new colony, Townshend chuckled, then added, Remember Robert, no one must know of our involvement in the Far West Company outside our inner circle. Especially the King, or the military establishment in the colonies.

You can rest assured our involvement will remain hidden, Charles, Rogers replied.

He grasped Townshend’s hand and firmly shook it, then started back to his lodgings in Charing Cross.

Tomorrow would be spent buying gifts for Elizabeth before boarding the packet ship for his return to New York.

CHAPTER TWO

New York / New Hampshire

T HE SHIP ARRIVED in New York’s busy harbor on January 9 th , 1766, after a long, but uneventful crossing of the Atlantic. Rogers wasted no time in making his way to General Gage’s headquarters, located on Broad Street, near Fort George. He needed to present Gage with the two dispatches he conveyed, allowing him to draw the required funds needed to recruit and maintain his new Ranger Battalion, along with his own pay.

Reaching Gage’s headquarters, he was forced to wait in a room full of officers and civilians, who were also there to see the commanding general. Rogers grew extremely impatient as the hours slowly passed, until at last, Gage’s orderly showed him into his office. Rogers briskly saluted Gage, as he entered the room and said, Captain Rogers of his Majesty’s Sixtieth of Foot, sir.

Gage returned Rogers’ salute with a look of disdain, as he asked Rogers what he could do for him. Gage had received written orders from General Amherst stating he was to expedite Rogers’ requests upon his return to New York. This had infuriated Gage, because he didn’t think Rogers merited any special favors. Then, Gage read the reports in the newspapers confirming Rogers’ commission as Commandant of Fort Michilimackinac, and of the King bestowing his favor upon him. Those articles had been the first specific word Gage had heard about Rogers’ promotion. This had been Potter’s idea. They had both thought it prudent to have the news of Rogers’ audience with the King, and of his promotion, distributed throughout the New England Colonies. This, Potter calculated, would help increase the number of volunteers Rogers needed to raise his battalion.

As the commanding general of the King’s Army in the colonies, Gage felt he should have been officially informed, instead of reading about it in the colonial rags they called newspapers. These articles only created additional ill will he felt toward Rogers. Rogers sensed this animosity at once when he came through the door, but chose to take the high road with his superior officer.

I have official documents from the Secretary of War, Lord Barrington, and the Secretary of State, Sir Henry Conway, Rogers said, as he handed the dispatches over to Gage.

Gage accepted the dispatches, and without offering Rogers a seat, or saying a word, sat down behind his desk to break the seals and reveal their contents. When he was finished, only then did he ask Rogers to sit down.

It says in Barrington’s dispatch that you are to have superintendency over the Indians west of Fort Michilimackinac. We already have a Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Upper Country, Sir William Johnson. The current commandant at Fort Michilimackinac, Captain Howard, acts on Sir William’s authority alone, Gage stated.

"Yes, General Gage, but Sir William Johnson’s authority now ends there. I will be dealing with the Indian tribes lying much