Rogers Island is like holy ground to members of Rogers' Rangers. It is a long and surprisingly large island in the middle of the Hudson River, opposite the site of the former Fort Edward (the infamous Fort Edward from which Gen. Webb refused to march to save Fort William Henry when it was attacked by the French Forces under the command of the Marquis de Montcalm in 1757). Fort Edward is virtually gone now; only remnant surface features are visible in the lawns of the residential neighborhood now occupying the site.

The town of Fort Edward is helping to celebrate and promote the 225th Anniversary of the War of American Independence.

A plan of Fort Edward, Rogers Island, and the Hudson River, approx. 1758

A modern topo map of Rogers Island and the town of Fort Edward

You can learn more about Many Flags (Rick Salazar) on the fabulous PBS video about reenacting at Fort Ticonderoga, called Then Again. Highly recommended. The video is available at the Fort Ti Museum Store.

Rogers Island was where the Rangers, and others, were housed during the middle years of the French and Indian War. It obviously had some advantages for the Rangers, in that they were out of the way of the "regular" troups, but it had many disadvantages as well. Being out of the way of the main body of soldiers and command gave them freedom which in turn gave them a bad name. But more importantly, the island was flooded regularly during the spring thaw, and living conditions were often miserable.

This weekend in June, a few regiments convened by invitation to take part in small tacticals at the site of the newly-developed visitor's center and 'fortification'. My ranger unit was invited to go but only 5 of us showed up: Jim and Kathy Hayes, Jim Spring, Wade Stoner, and I. My friend Rob Rowell was there with his grenadier unit, and a couple of other redcoat units were there, but the French did not show up. A few Indians were there, including one I had met before and who is clearly one of the leaders amongst the Indian reenactors, Many Flags (aka Rick Salazar — not to be confused with my friend Many Flags aka Malcolm MacWilliam aka Mark Hagenbuch).

Rain had been falling on and off during the day and had stopped not long before we arrived, but we were expecting more that evenign. We were lucky enough to find some slightly raised ground for our tents and so we didn't have to camp in a mud puddle. Well, Jim Spring and I each had a' tent, while Wade just pitched a little trek tarp attached to some poles, and Jim and Kathy were staying at a nearby inn.

The site was nice, right on the east side of the island, near the river, but unfortunately it was just under a railroad bridge which crossed the Hudson River via the island. I'm sure the builders chose that location because the island made it easier, but we F&I War fans thought it was certainly like desecrating hallowed ground. Both Amtrak and freight trains made their way across the bridge, and people on board stared at us, and sometimes waved.

Saturday morning was very cold. The rain had stopped in the night and the temperature dropped quite a bit. Wade lent me his blue blanket coat while I was getting a fire and breakfast going, which was a god-send. Wade wrapped himself up in one of his blankets, and in hind-sight I realize how cold and damp it must have been if Wade felt it, because now that I know him better I know that he never gets cold! He wears his breechcloth in the winter!

The next morning, Sunday, started out for me with what represents the quintessential reenactment scene: a misty morning. Maybe it is because I grew up in the dry and sunny city of Denver that misty mornings are such a treat, but at the very least I find that the mist and fog add a degree of magic and mystique to any reenacting event, heightening the sense of it all being unreal. With the mist hiding the sharp edges of the real world, I feel even more strongly like I'm in the past. When I think of my favorite events, they always include misty mornings. Even the train had a special effect as it went slowly through the mist.

While the mist was still working its magic, I went down to the riverside where Ed Bethel had tied up his bateaux. The river was very dark and the mist rising from the surface was light from the sun shining on it. And it was so serene. Back at camp, Ranger Jim Spring wandered around enjoying the site and the newly developed Visitor's Center (with many wonderful artifacts) and book store.

Unfortunately, no French had showed up, just some Indians. The British needed someone to fight against, so we Rangers were assigned to the opposition as French milice (militia) fighting with the Indians. I've done this a couple of times (e.g., Crown Point '00), and we rangers often get selected to go to the other side because our clothing is more flexible for this type of "cross dressing" once we remove our greenregimental coats. Anyway, the skirmishes were very small, and in some cases a bit dangerous because the space was very confined and people were not always following safety precautions. I recognized one Indian from our film shoot for the Battle on Snowshoes film project, and since I had not seen him anywhere since, I was concerned that he and his cohorts were not up on the rules and regulations we typically follow. But Many Flags seemed to know him and was fine with them, so I guess it was OK.

Once Saturday finally warmed up, we milice waited with the Indians by the edge of a wooded area until the redcoats discovered we were there and marched out to save the civilians. Not many units were there, but that was probably a good thing as we didn't have much space to play in. On Saturday, the battles went fairly well, we had some give and take in the ground, and the Brits finally won.

Of course! Saturday dinner was kind of funny, as we had to cobble together various whatevers to make a dinner. We had made a run to a large store to get some provisions, including bread and other goodies. We started with munchies, Port, Shrub, Ping, and whatever late in the afternoon. Speaking of cobbling, I cobbled together a pie and Jim Spring made a fabulous blueberry cobbler. I dropped my pie into the grass (twice), but fortunately Jim's cobbler survived and was very tasty. We had a small group but we still made merry. Jim's cobbler was two thumbs up.

Wade Stoner (left) and Jim Spring (right) cleaning muskets after Saturday's battle.

On Sunday, some of us thought the battle got a little out of hand, as the renegade Indian and his friends seemed to be pushing the limits in terms of getting too close, not dying when he should have been dead, and so on. We were all too close to each other, and even though we elevate the ends of the musket barrels to fire upwards, it is still dangerous to be that close. I got one great shot of Rob just after he had fired. It is hard to see it is Rob through the smoke, but I knew it was him. Eventually, Sunday's skirmish frustrated me enough that I decided to die. I think Wade might have done the same, as I noticed another body somewhere nearby in the grass.

Sunday, after the battle but before we left, Jim Spring took Wade and me down a dirt road past some of the artifacts from the island. These included old kilns and other permanent features. Some had been dug out from under several feet of topsoil. Many artifacts are still buried, which is a good thing because it helps protect them from the elements, thieves, etc. It was all on private land and the ruins were roped off so that we couldn't see any of it up close. Also, as I understand it, much of the known ruins are under several feet of dirt to protect them from the elements.

At any rate, the best we could do was take pictures beside the two monuments. The first monument we stopped to see was a monolith with a plaque dedicated to Rogers' Rangers and the other British forces who occupied the site during the French and Indian War. The second monument bears a plaque noting the many forts that had been on or near the site throughout the 18th century, beginning with the first fort, Fort Nicholson, in 1709. We were pleased to see the British flag flying at the second monument.

We also walked down the road to the southern end of the island. The property owner has a large boat-house here which is used, so I've been told, for parties for the rich and famous. He wants to put a casino on a floating barge just off the end of the island, which of course will mean commercial-grade roads, digging for commercial grade plumbing facilities, commercial-grade wiring, and a lot of traffic, all of which would destroy Rogers Island and the few delicate ruins that remain. Naturally, we are avidly against these development plans.

Chatting with the Indian Many Flags about these developments (he lives nearby and follows it closely), he explained the complexity of the relationship between the landowner and the town of Fort Edward. It doesn't sound good for the island, and I only hope people support the efforts of the town to stop any development on Rogers Island.

On the way out of town, I wanted to go see the remnants of Fort Edward (which I had seen before in 1999 a month before getting the reenacting bug) and Wade followed me over to take a look at Rogers' Island from the fort's side. I photographed the plaque dedicated to Fort Edward.