Wade Stoner as Capt. Quintin Kennedy at the Lake George Tactical in 2004

It has been my honor and pleasure to command the British force at the Lake George tactical for the past few years and I have enjoyed writing a first-person report each time for all to enjoy.  In doing so, though, I lose the ability to talk about “The event.”  So this year, in addition to the traditional braggery of an arrogant British officer, I have written this preface to tell you about the event from a modern and sincere perspective; no spin, no selective omissions, no biases.

First off, let me explain how I came to be in command, as it is not something I ever really wanted (even now).  The first year, the Brits needed somebody to step up and fill the void. It seemed like it was my turn in the barrel and we all muddled along through it. When it was over, I knew we could do better. Additionally, I wanted to “give back” something to the event which has given me so much over the past 15 years, and after watching the event falter a bit from the way I had come to know, I hoped to try and breath some life back into it. The persona of Captain Quintin Kennedy seemed quite appropriate and provided some legitimacy for me.

Based on the numbers we have been showing, it seems I have fallen short of my goals. As long as I have been going to the Lake, we have never had the amount of people that French are blessed with, but this last couple of years we did find some new blood with Dunn’s company and the 55th and the future looks very promising. If you set the numbers aside for a moment, though, and look at the amount of activity, the camaraderie between forces, and the overall quality of the event – something good has been happening. This year the Rangers got back to rangering, moving camp often, moving up and down the Lake and taking the fight to the French. This year, I saw some very welcomed new faces while enjoying the company of some old ones.  It was good to have Peter Marques back especially bringing along the next generation – Nate Marques (who is in desperate need of your prayers, by the way, as he has something of mine which I will recover from him this fall).  Being present to return Gerry Cook to the Lake was something I will cherish forever. I can’t say enough good things about the Brit team this year; they all worked hard, played hard, and participated with honor.

Likewise, the French forces, under Med Chandler’s command, did an outstanding job and raised the quality of the event for all participants.  Whether on land or in the boats, they were a very formidable opponent.  I met my fate too many times this year because I repeatedly underestimated both their initiative and their capabilities (I am now educated).  Facing Loius and his lads, hearing them yelling orders in French was just too perfect! Not to mention they have way too much energy for a bunch of frogs.

It is important for everyone to understand what this event is. The opportunities and potential are unlike anything else in our time period. It is as close as we can come to sharing a few days in the woods with those we try to portray.  We literally walk in their footsteps and see the same magnificent views of their time. It is also as close to real battle as some of us will fortunately ever see. The event evokes all sorts of expectations and emotions. I say all this because I think it’s very important that we realize and understand this actually happens. Sometimes we get so “into it” that it’s hard to see the big picture. Add to that the fact that we don’t shoot bullets and it creates a bit of a conundrum. We have to somehow artificially simulate actual combat, which means some sort of rules, guidelines, whatever we want to call them. These unwritten rules were in existence before I ever knew there was a Lake George Tactical. And, like many things that go undocumented, they evolved and morphed into many different things for many different people. As many of you know, several years ago the French Commander and I attempted to document the “Articles of War” as we knew them, to try and provide some consistency and common basis of understanding. As it turned out some worked, and some didn’t.  Each year we have tried to look at the lessons learned and make improvements where possible.  Sometimes, no matter what though (remember the part about expectations and emotions) it all just goes to hell. 

This happened twice this past year with two very different outcomes. Let’s talk about the positive one first. There was quite a standoff on Commission Point early in the week. Up until then, there had only been small skirmishes; this was the first “big” battle. The Brits were on land and the French were trying to take it. It was great! It was great for the first 15 minutes or so. As typically happens in any prolonged engagement (remember the emotions and expectations thing), things started to break down and really detract from the event in whole. So what do you do in that situation?  This early in the week, what we do will set the tone for the rest of the week. I chose to jump out of the 18th century, “freeze” the scene, and talk with the French officers. They concurred that it would be in both sides’ best interest to terminate this engagement and discuss the situation with all involved. That’s what we did. Everyone sat around in a circle. The officers explained why the action was stopped, identified the issues, came to concurrence on how to handle those issues, and then went back to the 18th century. In hindsight, it was absolutely the best thing that could have happened. The integrity and respect afforded to our respective opponents for the rest of the week was incredible.

Although a smaller engagement with only a few rangers and an overwhelming force of Indians, a similar situation occurred, also early in the week, around the islands north of Floating Battery. This time, however, things broke down completely and the issues were not resolved and we never saw the Natives in force again the rest of the week. I can’t tell you how unfortunate that was. 

I said earlier that, “It is important for everyone to understand what this event is.” What’s more important, however, is for everyone to understand that it is OUR event to shape and mold into what we want it to be. Ideally, we handle all the non-period discussion throughout the year via telephone and email and we hold war councils for people to voice their opinions so that once we are there, we stay in the eighteenth century – that is the goal. But after seeing it both ways this year, when things head south, we need to be able to stop for just a moment, fix the problem, and have a better event for it.

In closing, if anyone is interested in discussions to work the bugs out BEFORE the event, you are more than welcome to contact me, although I think it would be most appropriate to contact the respective commanders as they are the ones charged with pulling off this magnificent event. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you who the British commander will be for ’07, other than it will not be me.   If you, or anyone you know is interested in the role, please contact me at your earliest convenience.  I am not leaving the Lake, and I am quite willing to work with whomever takes over command, but I think it is time for a new face on the British side.

In closing, the list would go on for pages, but I want to thank all those whom I have come to know and respect on the Lake.  It is all of you, the participants, that have made this event so special to me.

With the greatest respect and admiration,

Wade Stoner