Rogers' Rangers

Robert Rogers was a hero of the French & Indian War. He was the inspiration for the movie Northwest Passage with Spencer Tracy playing Rogers.

Rogers wrote a manual, Rogers'’ Ranging Rules, in which he

set down more than two dozen no-nonsense rules for frontier warfare. He insisted on the intensive training of his soldiers, including exposure to live-fire exercises. The result of his efforts was the creation of a highly mobile force that could sustain itself for long periods by living off the land.

Although he was not the first to use the frontier-fighting tactics he employed, he was the first to write them down as "rules" and this is why he's still a hero to rangers today.

The Rogers story does not have a happy ending, however. He was tried (& acquitted) for treason by the British, but didn't have much luck with the Continental Army when the Revolution broke out.

When the Revolution arrived in 1775, he applied for a commission. Rejected by George Washington as "the only man I was ever afraid of", Robert Rogers was instead arrested as a spy. In revenge, he escaped and turned Loyalist, commanded the Queen's Rangers, and fought against the American cause.

This weekend a statue to Rogers will be unveiled on the island – Rogers Island – he used as his base during the French & Indian War. Not everyone is happy with this, however. Some, including veteran Bob Bearor, object to the ceremony being held on Monday, Memorial Day, because Rogers fought for the British during the Revolutionary War. Others, including the veteran who owns the property where the statue will stand, don't see any issue with having the ceremony on Monday. That date simply facilitates a bigger gathering.

I think it's an interesting argument. The key is, what is Memorial Day all about.

The Revolution was another form of Civil War and I don't think excluding those who fought honorably for the British from Memorial Day makes any sense, seeing as those who fought for the Confederacy are honored. However, Rogers had no honorable role in the Revolution, although he was not Benedict Arnold.

Given his role in the French & Indian War, which was crucial in the development of what is the US today, I don't have a problem with this ceremony on Monday. I do think, however, that it would have been better to have it on a different day, say Labor Day.

I just came across this article from the Boston Globe. It seems Rogers may have been as bad as Arnold. Robert Rogers was the man who trapped Nathan Hale. That does it for me – he should not be honored in any way this weekend.