Colonial ranger units.

[ganulv]

He does pick and choose from the accounts. E.g., to locate Rogers' ambush he uses Bougainville's "two leagues" ("deux lieues") from Ft. Carillon - Beavor finds that leagues varied from 2.4 to 4.6 miles. He chose 2.4 miles x 2 leagues to match Fivemile Creek.

The old Spanish league was 3.45 miles, the lieue commune was c. 2.75 miles, and the ieue de poste was c. 2.4 miles. I’ve seen a number of 18th century English travel accounts in which a league seems to refer to an hour’s travel.

[jmm99]

I agree with you on the varying "leagues" (lieux ou lieues) - the 2.4 mile lieue de poste was ~= to the 2.4 mile lieue de Paris; but Paris was Paris, and Quebec was (well) Quebec.

So, here's a Quebec example from 1647 to 1765, originally the 1647 Seigneurie de Repentigny:

En 1647 premiere concession de la seigneurie a Pierre Le Gardeur ecuyer sieur de Repentigny. Cette seigneurie avait quatre lieux de front par six de profond et elle etait bornee au sud par les rivires Saint-Laurent et La Chesnaye (Des Mille-iles), a l'est par la seigneurie de Saint-Sulpice, au nord par les Laurentides (futurs cantons de Kilkenny et de Rawdon), puis l'ouest par ce qui sera plus tard la seigneurie de Terrebonne (1673).

Though later subdivided, the exterior boundaries remained the same - as in 1765 (my ggm was from Mascouche (St.-Henri); my wife's ggf was from l'Assomption):



Charlemagne (Celine Dion's hometown) is located on the west bank of the mouth of R. l'Assomption; Terrebonne is just west of the 1647 (and later) west boundary. The distance between Terrebonne and Charlemagne is just over 2 leagues (deux lieux; 1/2 of the original front).

The distance in miles between Terrebonne and Charlemagne is 7.42 miles (crow flies) and 9.32 miles (motorway; which seems to be what the 1647 description contemplated - following the river banks). Divide by 2 and one is closest to your Spanish league (straight line), or to Bearor's high of 4.6 miles (following the river-motorway, Chemin St.-Charles). Unless one finds compelling reasons to do so, picking the low of the 2.4 to 4.6 mile range seems a bit "forcing".

I'll be back with some French-Canadian links and some pdf pages to attach - so everyone can follow the key original sources (Bearor's first step, which may have some stumbles in it).

Regards

Mike

[jmm99]

This map is interesting. For example, one can follow 9N from Roger's Rock through modern Ticon; then 9N and 22 in a curve to the east almost to Stony Point & Fivemile Point (where Bearor believes Rogers set his ambush of the sleds); and then north near the shore to modern Crown Point village, etc.

There are two back doors to Crown Point village from 9N-22; take 7 north from 9N-22 to (1) reach Sam Curran Rd just before Crown Point Center, running behind Sugar Hill which meets 45 (Sugar Hill Rd), with choice of north to Crown Point Village or SE to the lake and Sheepshead Island (opposite very large Lapham Island in Vermont); or (2) go to Crown Point Center and then go east on 2 (Creek Rd) to Crown Point Village.

Then there's the question of islands in this stretch of Lake Champlain from old Ft. Carillon (Ticon) to Ft. Frederic (at the tip the Crown Point point of land). I make out only Sheepshead Is. (small but a real island with trees) nearby the NY shore and Lapham Is. (very large) nearby the VT shore. Signal Buoy "Island", just to Sheepshead's south, looks to be a submerged rock with a beacon. I find no other islands in this part of the lake - which might be a very important fact.

You might also check out Lord Howe Street in Ticon and its trailer park, which Bearor thinks was where Lord Howe died in 1757 (I don't dispute that) and also the site of the 1757 BoS (which I think has problems):

Newcomb author Robert Bearor, who devised the Lord Howe re-enactment, believes the field behind the Lord Howe Street Trailer Park was the place Howe was killed. He wrote a book, "French and Indian War Battlesites: A Controversy," detailing his research.

Oh, and a "bald mountain" (not Roger's Rock or Slide) also is going to be a factor in the 1757 BoS.

Regards

Mike

[jmm99]

Bearor, in his literature survey for Battlesites, missed Malartic, Journal des campagnes au Canada de 1755 1760 (1890), who locates Rogers' ambush of the sleds at "presqu'isle" (literally "almost an island"), pp.93-94 (pdf attached).

The location of Presqu'Isle is clear in the 1777 Montresor map (full map discussed in prior post):

MontresorNewYorkState1777Detail Presqu'Isle.jpg

Thus, Presqu'Isle is on the Vermont side, across from Halfway Br on the NY side - a bit closer to Ft. Frederic than to Ft. Carillon. That "almost island" is Lapham Is., across from Sheepshead Is, as shown in the Google Sat Map, and in this ACME topo map, as lying between B and C, a bit closer to C - and opposite Sugar Hill and Breeds Hill on the NY side.

Malaric places the end of the battle at "montagne Pelee" - "bald mountain", which is not specifically located by him.

Regards

Mike

[jmm99]

is available:

Loescher, The history of Rogers' rangers, v1 (1946)

Loescher, The history of Rogers' rangers, v2 (1946)

Loescher, The history of Rogers' rangers, v3 (1957)

He places the 1757 BoS on La Barbue (Putnam) Creek, roughly a mile or two SW of modern Crown Point Center (which is about 3 miles W of modern Crown Point Village).

Much good stuff.

Regards

Mike

[jmm99]

Roby, Reminiscences of the French War (1831) (cited by Bearor re: 1757 BoS).

I need only two pages from Hamilton, Adventure in the Wilderness: The American Journals of Louis Antoine De Bougainville, 1756-1760 (1990), pp.80-81, supposedly dealing with the 1757 BoS. Thanks if someone has them and will post.

Regards

Mike

[jmm99]

Historic Lake Champlain Maps - Library of Congress

Photos of the uncataloged maps of the Lake, from the "shelf maps" at LC.

This site has photographs of the historic maps of Lake Champlain filed at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. Click on a small image to view each photo. These maps are from the Library's "shelf maps", maps which are not cataloged. These maps can be downloaded and printed for further study.

Many of these maps are copies of maps found in European archives. In the 1930s an American researcher (Karpinski) scoured the archives of France and England (and other countries) looking for maps of the United States. The most interesting of these maps of Lake Champlain come from that effort.

The maps will not be easily legible, as they are not scans, but photographs. However, most details and words can be discerned, and we expect that readers will find value in this presentation. Slightly better copies are available from Old Maps (send an email), but for best quality, contact the Library of Congress, Geography & Maps Division.

These will help to resolve a number of questions about place names, distances, etc. E.g., see this 1752 Quebec map showing at far right the place names and scale for the key places between Ft. Frederic and Ft. Carillon. which was an exhibit in United States v. Repentigny, 5 Wall. 211; 72 U.S. 211 (1866).

15LC_LAKC_1752_GRANTS-snip.jpg

Regards

Mike

[jmm99]

These two compliment map 15 (prior post); and are Library of Congress maps 13 (1748) and 14 (175X).

Map 13 is the de Lery map, "Chaussegros de Lery, Gaspard-Joseph, Carte du Lac Champlain depuis le fort Chambly jusqu'au fort St. Frederick, 1748", described by Stonybrook:

This is a facsimile of a map that was originally created in 1748 by Chaussegros de Lery. This version, which was published in the Documentary History of the State of New York (1849), has a legend in both English and French, unlike the original, which has a legend in French only. The 1748 edition is a revision of a map first published in 1732.

Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Lery was a military engineer who was active in New France from 1716 until his death in 1756. He was engaged in constructing fortifications, as well as in civil engineering projects and map making.

This map gives a good overview of French activities in the Lake Champlain region on the eve of the French and Indian War. In addition to fortifications, the map conspicuously shows French land grants in the area. This is the only part of New York State that the French attempted to settle in the eighteenth century. Much like the English in the Hudson Valley, the French attempted to settle the area through a system of large land grants to aristocratic landholders, who were supposed to develop the land and attract additional settlers to their estates. These land grants existed almost entirely on paper: There were few potential settlers in New France, and the military threat from the British effectively discouraged people from moving into this area.

In more detail, see Allen, French Mapping of New York and New England, 1604-1760 (2005)

Starting around 1730, the French moved to strengthen their hold on the strategic Lake Champlain corridor. In 1731 they began construction of Fort St.Frederic (Crown Point), which is about two-thirds of the way down the lake. This fort was designed by the elder Chaussegro de Lery himself, who also helped fortify Quebec and Montreal. During time of war, the fort at Crown Point was used effectively by the French to launch raids against the British settlements in the Connecticut River Valley. In 1755 the French pushed even further south with the construction of Fort Carillon (later Fort Ticonderoga).

Thus, the 1748 and 1752 Quebec maps show Pointe a Carillon or Saut de ...(La Chute) - the fort was still in the future. Here is a snip (collage) from Map 13 (1748) showing the relevant details for the area where Rogers ambushed the sleds at Presqu'Isle.

13LC_LAKC_1748_MAP-snip.jpg

The French abandoned Fts. Carillon and Frederic in summer of 1759. The following snip (collage) is from Map 14 (175X) which shows both forts and can be safely dated to the period 1755-1759. A good chance is this map is based (at least in part) on Rogers' recces of 1756-1758.

14LC_LAKC_175X_FORT-snip.jpg

The last map expressly employs "Eight French Leagues or Twenty four English miles" - and the scale shows that 4 leagues (12 milers) is the scaled distance between Fts. Carillon (Ticon) and Frederic (Crown Point). The actual distance is about 12 miles. Written text on the map states the distance is "15 miles".

The only landmark between the two forts is R. a La Barbue (a little closer to Ft. Frederic).

The 1748 and 1752 maps show the distance between Ft. Frederic and Point a Carillon - La Chute (Saut) to be 4.5 leagues and 5 leagues. They also show R. a La Barbue, Pte aux Gravois and La Presqu'Isle.

Regards

Mike

[jmm99]

The last of the Library of Congress maps (that I found material to identifying the site of the 1757 Sled Ambush) is Map 16 (1758), in which Rogers probably had substantial input because of his scouts in 1756-1758.

The original map has been pieced together and its 7000 yard scale needs a little fixing - so some "photoshooping" gave me a contiguous map with "rulers" showing the distances between Ft. Carillon (Ticon) and Ft. Frederic (Crown Point) with added text for the major landmarks. Here is a reduced version of Map 16 as modified:

16LC_LAKC_1758_PART_OF-small.jpg

and a enlarged snip of the area from Fivemile Point to R. La Barbue:

16LC_LAKC_1758_Sled Ambush.jpg

Note that the road from Ft. Frederic crosses the R La Barbue and then branches to reach two landing areas. Thomas Brown stated they cut across the road just before they ambushed the sleds.

We came to the Road leading from Tionderoga to Crown Point, and on Lake Champlain (which was froze over) we saw about 50 [sic !] Sleys; the Major thought proper to attack them and ordered us all, about 60 in Number, to lay in Ambush, and when they were near enough we were order’d to pursue them.

Roger stated that:

The 19th we marched three miles from our encampment further down the lake [George], and then took the land, and, upon snow-shoes, travelled north-west about eight miles from our landing, and three from the lake, where we encamped.

The 20th we marched north-by-east the whole day, and at night encamped on the western side, opposite to and about three miles distant from Lake Champlain.

The 21st we marched east, till we came to the lake, about mid-way between Crown Point and Ticonderoga, and immediately discovered a sled going from the latter to the former.

The equilateral triangle inset is what happens if A to B (on a 12-mile base line) are reached via a NW slog (A to C, offset 6 miles from the base line) and a NE slog from C to B; then 3 miles to destination.

Rogers' 1757 route was more a "northwesterely" slog (about 8 miles on the 19th, after he had marched 3 miles along the lake before "landing"); then a "northeastrerly" slog (about 10-12 miles on the 20th, based on prior days' mileages); then 3 miles "easterly" to the lake on the 21st.

The ambush was something of a running fight as Rogers explained it:

I ordered Lieutenant Stark, with twenty men, to head the sled, while I, with a party, marched the other way to prevent its retreating back again, leaving Captain Spikeman in the center .with the remainder. I soon discovered eight or ten sleds more following down the lake, and endeavored to give Mr. Stark intelligence of it before he sallied on the lake and discovered himself to them, but could not. They all hastily returned towards Ticonderoga. We pursued them, and took seven prisoners, three sleds and six horses; the remainder made their escape.

The pursuit distance is not specified; it may be or may not be material to what happened later - because of the conflict in Rogers' and Brown's sequencing of events after the French prisoners were brought to shore and questioned. But this conflict (resulting in a 4-possibilty matrix of when and where the later battle with Langlade took place) is a matter for future discussion - if anyone wants to discuss it.

Regards

Mike