Major Rogers and the Abenakis Treasures

[Gypsy Heart]

Major Rogers and the Abenakis' Treasures

Wabo Madahondo- the white devil", was the name given by the Abenakis of St. Francis of the Lake to Major Robert Rogers. Sir General Jeffrey Amherst (*) ordered the latter to go on an avenging expedition against the Indians.

On the 4th or 5th of October, 1759, heading 142 colonial soldiers called the "Rangers" (ancestors to the Commandos) he attacked an indian encampment, taking the occupants by surprise.

Early in the morning, the "Rangers" attacked the St. Francis of the Lake village with incredible brutality. Three hours after they arrived, 200 men, women and children laid dead amongst the smoking ruins of their homes, of their Church and of the small Jesuits' Convent.

As they arrived at night before the Rangers discovered 600 to 700 scalps displayed on stakes as trophies for everyone to see. This surely did not attract their pity.

After this raid, the Rangers carrying the loot, returned up the St. Francis River in order to reach the Magog River. Their main goal was to reach Fort no. 4 located on the East bank of the Connecticut River in Charlestown. After walking for eight days, they found themselves on Lake Memphremagog. Their provisions were diminishing fast. Were they carrying with them the famous treasure which was to be hidden on the banks of Lake Memphremagog or its surroundings?

In his journal dated December 24, 1759, General Amherst wrote "A small group returned loaded with "wampum" (objects made of shells and used as ornaments) and lovely things brought back from St. Francis of the Lake. Father Maurault who later served there as a missionary mentioned in a book written in 1866. "The portion of Rogers's booty is estimated at $933.00 and consists mainly of "wampum" and provisions.

Father Charland in his book, History of St. François du Lac (1942), states: "The objects seized by the Rangers were silver plated copper chandeliers, a small statue of Our Lady of Chartres and valuable objects. "Father Gravel in his book Suagothel (name of Major Rogers' expedition) mentions on page 14: "The Church was ransacked and burned; the Rangers took valuable objects, namely a relic containing a gold case, a solid sterling statuette of Our Lady of Chartres and sterling plated chandeliers."

Around 1816, a journal published that: "Two golden candlesticks worth $1,000.00 were found in the woods in Hatley, East Canada" (taken from the Stanstead Journal, March 3, 1949).

On the 15th of November 1869, a letter written in Magog by Mr. Harrington was sent to Mr. Louis Gill, mentioning: "In 1827, an incense vessel, believed to have been left by one of Roger's men, was found on an island in the Watopeka river where it empties into the St. Francis, at Windsor Mills, Quebec, and in 1838, one Robert Orme, of Vermont, found a large image of a saint at the mouth of the Magog river, and gave it to a priest then living in Sherbrooke", "Could this have been part of Rogers' loot?"

In 1862, a farmer, Dennison Brown, while ploughing his land on the banks of Lake Memphremagog, found a hatchet at the very spot where 3 Rangers are presumed to have been captured by the Indians as they returned from their expedition.

In 1800, a bayonnette was found by James Bodwell on the bank of the Tomifobia River, near Stanstead.

It is believed that the hatchet would have belonged to one of the Rangers. You can find these two objects at the Knowlton Museum, source: volume 11 published in 1910, pages 93 to 102.

Around 1880, Mr. B.F.D. Carpenter in his history of Derby, talks a lot about the Rangers' treasures which are presumably buried on Nathaniel Sevrens's farm located on the banks of Lake Memphremagog. Mr. Sevrens is pioneer who arrived from New Hampshire in 1832. He discovered a 5 foot copper rod rising above a hillock in the middle of a man made clearing. It is believed that the Rangers would have buried their treasures in this very same spot.

Many attempts were made by money diggers in order to recuperate the treasures. Cabalistic formulas, ceremonials and plots were used for this purpose. The result was that one day as they were digging and pounding with an iron bar, the sound of a metallic box was heard (tradition said that the treasures were kept in a metallic box), a voice was raised and the box disappeared never to be found again.

A 1867 publishing about Magoon's Point, South of Georgeville, relates that: "An unexplored cavern exists in this locality, and it has been believed that a large amount of treasure stolen from a Roman Catholic Cathedral was secreted there. Indeed, there are persons who claim to have seen two massive gold candlesticks which were found buried in the road near the cave" (1)

Having reached Lake Memphremagog, Rogers cites in his report to General Amherst: "Rogers broke his detachment up into small companies". Everything leads us to believe that part of his men passed on the West of the Lake while the others went to the East side. We know for sure that they split at the head of the lake. (Where Newport is today)

Leonard Auger, our local historian, published a very well documented article relating this event in 1939. This article was also published by the Vermont Historical Society in volume 27, no. 4, pages 287 to 304.

Metro Goldwym Meyer, a Hollywood film Company, inspired by Kenneth Rogers' romantic novel of Northwest Passage, made a coloured film in 1959. Part of the action takes place on Lake Memphremagog. The shooting of the film was done in a corner of the Idaho State. The great Spencer Tracy portrayed Major Rogers. Father Gravel does not give this book much historical value.

Tradition was preserved and we often hear people recalling that some of their relatives were saying that they knew where the treasures were buried.

Twenty five (35) years ago I was even approached by a Cherry River resident who asked for $5,000.00 payable in advance, to tell me on which farm the treasure was buried. I did not have that kind of money at the time and he later told me the name of the farmer who happened to own more than 700 acres. Good thing I did not take him seriously for I, in all probability, would still be digging....

An intensive study should be made on this subject because according to Mr. Auger, Rogers' attack means the extermination of the Abenakis. We find a similar conclusion: "The abenakis were eliminated as a danger to frontier settlements for ever". (2) In 1985, around 60 people only who can understand and speak Abenakis, still remain. We owe all these beautiful names: Memphremagog, Massawippi, Coaticook, etc. to this enchanting language.

Rogers returned to England in 1782. He was jailed upon arrival for his numerous debts. Half his salary was given to pay his creditors during the years 1784 to 1794. He died in Borough on May 18, 1795 and was buried during a rain-fall in the church yard which later became the Elephant Hotel and Castle.

"Finis Coronat Opus" (the end crowns the work).
--
(*) We are referring to Jeffrey Baron Amherst, 1717-1797, English general in French and Indian War; appointed governor general of British North America. (Funk and Wagnalls- New Practical Standard Dictionary- J. G. Ferguson, Publishing Company.)

(1) Burt's illustrated Guide: 1867- page: 196
(2) Page 30- The Queen's York Rangers by Stewart H. Bull. - courtesy of Mr Ralph Plaskett- Toronto
--
Jacques Boisvert, crypto-dracontologue - crypto dracontologist
Societe internationale de dracontologie du lac Memphremagog
Société d'histoire du lac Memphremagog, Magog, Québec, Canada
Situé dans les Cantons de l'Est-situated in the Eastern Townships
Bienvenue/Welcome to: http://www.interlinx.qc.ca/memphre
email- courrier electronique: memphre@interlinx.qc.ca
http://www.avcnet.org/ne-do-ba/rrr_4.html

 

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[Gypsy Heart]

Re: Major Rogers and the Abenakis' Treasures

Taking sides in Europe’s wars The Rogers’ Rangers raid against the AbenakiOOdann September 13, 1759, Major Robert Rogers crossed Lake Champlain, leading 200 Rangers who later secretly trekked across the Eastern Townships and, at daybreak, on October 4 , fell upon thesleepy Abenaki St Francis Mission,today the Odanak Reserve, located nearthe mouth of the St Francis River.ak 1759: A massacre and stolen treasureThey massacred 30-50 Abenaki of all ages, sacked and burned the village andstole the church treasures. The Rangers fled but were pursued byAbenaki warriors who, captured some,then horribly tortured them beforeexecuting them. The return trek of the surviving raiders who split up into small groups, some going through Potton Township, was an ordeal to be remembered in American militaryannals. There were only 74 survivors,the others were captured killed, or diedof starvation. The stolen treasures went through a similar fate, as theywere hidden or thrown away along the trails.Thehorde of precious church ornaments raises some tantalizing questions as it included a BlackMadonna and a silver shirt…The Odanak Abenaki Odanak is the Abenaki Reservation located on the St. Françis River, next to the villages of St-François-du-Lac and Pierreville. The name ODANAK means village andABENAKI is synonymousto Land of the Rising Sun. According to Father Maurault (1886), theCanibas were their ancestors.Who are the Abenaki?These First Nations people, associated with the large Algonquin family, are generally recognized as the former inhabitants of the Eastern Townships long before the arrival of the first settlers following theAmerican Revolution. Actually, their homeland was thecoast of New England from where they were expelled byBritish colonists at the beginning of the 17th century.Forced into exile to the north, in Nouvelle-France, theysettled mainly along the St. Lawrence River in Bécancour, at Odanak and in the northern part of Lake Champlain atSwanton, Vermont.They formed an alliance with the French and engaged in numerous raids against the British colonies ofNew Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, killing, plundering, bringing back prisoners and scalps which were hungat their houses. They were also part of most war parties during the French andIndian War (1754-1763).The Rangers On the other hand, the British had a strongdesire for revenge against the Abenaki andGeneral Jeffery Amherst ordered Major Robert Rogers to plan a punitive raidagainst Odanak. Rogers had raised a contingent of frontiersmen trained inunconventional hit-and-run attacks similarto today’s commandos. They became theRogers’ Rangers, the forerunners of theU.S. Army Green Berets. Major Rogers, who was 27, planned the raid code named Suagothel and gathered200 men including some StockbridgeIndians from Massachusetts. On September12, at night, they left Crown Point on Lake Champlain steering their whale boats to elude the French fleet. They reached Missisquoi Bay after already losing 41 men to exhaustion and desertion. The party abandoned their boats and undertook a strenuous march to the northeast, through thick woods and bogs. OnOctober 2 they reached the St. Francis Riverwhich they hazardouslycrossed in five feet ofwater. They were then inreach of the St. FrancisMissionorOdanak,which consisted of about 60 houses, made of wood,bark or stone, and achurch. It was a village not too different fromFrench ones of the timeand with a population of about 250. The raid The Abenaki formed an alliance with the French and engaged in numerous raids against the British colonies of New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts, killing, plundering, bringing back prisoners and scalps which were hung at their houses. They were also part of most war parties during the French and Indian War (1754-1763)At daybreak on October 4 the village was encircled by 142Rangers and the Abenaki were attacked, caught by surprise
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in their sleep. People were killed outright or died whentheir houses were set on fire. Those fleeing to the nearbyriver were shot down.The place was plundered, burnt, including the church which had its religious treasures taken away, includinggold and silver plated chandeliers, a solid silver statue of the Blessed Virgin, a silver reliquary, etc.The number of victims was estimated at about 30 dead, including 20 women and children. This figure is muchsmaller than the 200 Rogers announced upon his returnhome. This smaller number of casualties resulted from the absence of many warriors who were away looking for the Rangers and because many dwellers took refuge in a wooded ravine afterbeing warned in advance by aStockbridge Indian with the Rangers,who later died in the attack .The ordeal of the return march The raid was over by 7 a.m. and the Rangers, loaded with churchtreasures and corn cobs, were on their way back home with prisoners,including Marie-Jeanne, daughter of a great chief and wife of Chief Samuel Gill. A painful and deadlyreturn ordeal was beginning as hunger loomed and the raiding partywas being followed by Abenaki warriors and French soldiers. Theywalked along the St. Francis Riverbut, arriving where Sherbrookestands today, Major Rogers decided to divide up his troop into small parties, believing it would be easier to find food for smaller groups. They split up,and some went toward Coaticook, hoping to reach Fort #4 on the Connecticut River while others followed the east and west shores of Lake Memphremagog. Another group reached South Bolton and marched along the North Missisquoi River down to Highwater and followed its main course toward Missisquoi Bay.The return march was a nightmare. The Abenaki caught upwith some of the fleeing Rangers who were horriblytortured and executed. In addition, food was nowhere tobe found and they were dying from starvation. Some evenresorted to cannibalism and this was the fate of Marie-Jeanne, slaughtered at Highgate Falls by StockbridgeIndians who later had their throats slit and were scalped byAbenaki. Oral tradition tells us that three Rangers werecaptured on Traver Road in Potton and another party nearChateau Brook, on the shores of Lake Memphremagogwhere a hatchet, typical of the Rangers’ weapons, was found in 1862 on Dennison Brown’s farm. The lastsurvivors arrived at Crown Point, their departure place, onNovember 12.The outcome of this expedition which is still celebratedtoday, was as follows: 17 killed by Abenaki, 8 captured,43 dead of starvation, 73 survivors including Major RobertRogers who was granted a Captaincy in the Regulars. Odanak’s Treasures It is worthwhile to take a second look at the loot taken bythe Rangers at Odanak. Various authors on the subject were surprised at the wealth in the St. Francis Mission.There were a lot of gold guineas and rich churchornaments such as a large banner illustrating Mary and Jesus embroidered with gold and silver thread, a gift fromLouis XV’s wife Queen Marie Leczinska,.However, three artifacts are noteworthy. First was a ringset with a ruby the size of an eyeball, a jewel of great value. Second was a solid silver statue of the blessed Virgin Mary(said to have weighed 10 pounds), was a replica of the Black Madonna, Notre-Dame-de-Sous-Terre (Our Ladyof theUnderground) kept in the crypt ofChartres Cathedral in France, and given by the Jesuit missionaries of the time. The cult of the Black Madonna goes back to Antiquitybut was discretely perpetuated,among others, by the Jesuits. Awooden replica was more recentlygiven to the Odanak church.Exhausted by fatigue and hunger, the Rangers relieved themselves of the stolen treasures and discarded them along their return journeyback. Chandeliers were found inHatley and an incense burner in Windsor, ornamentswhich today have vanished but are believed to have comefrom Odanak. As for the silver statue, Sergeant BenjaminBradley carried it to the Jefferson Notch area, New Hampshire, where before dying of starvation he threw itdown a wooded ravine. Many treasure hunters have gone after it but in vain.The third artifact of great interest historians reported was a silver shirt reliquary taken from the sacked Odanak church. Fathers Maurault (1866) and Charland (1964)wrote that it burnt in the fire whereas Father Gravel (1950) said it was stolen. Knowing the Rangers’ greed for thesetreasures, we rather believe the silver shirt was taken awaybut, like the other sacred objects stolen, it was discardedalong the return trail.It is intriguing that a chest armour (breast plate) wasdiscovered by Lawrence Buzzel from Cherry River in theearly 1950s on the east side of Lake Memphremagogacross from the Three Sisters islands. Jacques Boisvertpurchased it in 1956 and the newspaper La Tribune de Sherbrooke published a picture of it on July 18, 1956. It was later put on display at the Lantern Inn but stolen
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shortly afterward. If a reader knows anything of the whereabouts of this heritage treasure, please contact one of the authors.Even limited to a newspaper picture, we feel justified to raise the hypothesis that the Odanak silver shirt was stolen from the church but hidden away by the homebound Rangers. Indeed, the place it was found was on the course taken by 2nd Lieutenant Cargill who followed the east shore of Lake Memphremagog to reach the east side of the Barton River and Crystal Lake in Vermont where his hungry men finally caught many fish. Whether this silver shirt or armour, came from Odanak is still uncertain but it was very intriguing to read in the Vermont Patriot of September 1826 that a chain mail was discovered under a large rotten stump in a field near Irasburg. Again, this artifact was called an “iron shirt” not unlike the “silver shirt” from Odanak. These two items were discovered on the return trail taken by one of the Ranger groups who had sacked Odanak, possibly along with them others treasures that had not been accounted for by the missionaries. EpilogueThis raid had been ordered by General Amherst and was a personal vindication for Major Rogers who had seen his family wiped out by the Abenaki. It had only little military significance since Quebec City had already fallen to Wolfe and Montreal was to capitulate in September 1760. However, Amherst wanted to make sure that no Abenaki would further be in his way. Even though veryfew Abenaki warriors had been killed in the Odanak raid, their village had been destroyed. They were destitute for the oncoming winter and forced to move out to other Indian villages.Contrary to what happened in the French community of Quebec, this military expedition received wide coverage in English literature both in Canada and the U.S.A. and, despite the high loss in lives that occurred, has become quite famous. A novel on the subject , Northwest Passageby Kenneth Roberts was published in 1936 and MGM studios made a film of it starring Spencer Tracy in the early 1940s. On the other hand, a retaliation raid by the Iroquois against the French village of Lachine next to Montreal in 1689 was widely covered in French Quebec history books. It seems that, to historians, the massacre of the Abenaki in Odanak was much less important than the lives of 24 French settlers and 60 prisoners!This tragic event is one more thread in the tapestry of Eastern Townships’ history and we thank Mrs Nicole Obomsawin, Director of the Abenaki Museum in Odanak for her collaboration on the research. The Museum is presently undergoing major renovations but will be open to the public next summer. By Gérard Leduc, Potton Heritage Association Inc. and Jacques Boisvert, Lake Memphremagog Historical Society We also wish to thank Peter Downman for his careful revision of the English text. The reference material consulted for this paper was the following: Histoire des Abénakis depuis 1605 jusqu’à nos jours, Abbé J.A. Maurault, 1866. Histoire des Abénakis d’Odanak, Père T.-M. Charland, 1964. Identity of the St. Francis Indians, G.M. Day, 1981. The History of Rogers’ Rangers, B.G. Loeschers, Vol. 4, 2002. Brome County Historical Society Museum.Illustrations: Major Robert Rogers (1731-1795). (Source: DeVolpi & Scowen, The Eastern Townships: A Pictorial Record)Abenaki warrior, from www.rogersrangers.com Map from the novel Northwest Passage by Kenneth Roberts, Doubleday, 1936.See also www.ranger.org/rangerHistoryRogersRangers.Standing Orders, Rogers’ Rangers The following, originally issued by Capt. Robert Rogers, 1759, was still in use in the 20thcentury and probably still is today. This copy is taken from USARV GTA 21-3 (September 1967). Each soldier arriving in the Republic of Vietnam was issued this GTA (General Training Aid), which measured 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches, and required to keep it on his person at all times. Although writtenduring the French and Indian Wars, the tactical doctrine contained in these rules was entirely applicable to operations in Vietnam. 1. Don’t forget nothing.2. Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute’s warning.3. When you’re on the march, act the way you would if you was sneaking up on a deer. See the enemy first. 4. Tell the truth about what you see and do. There is an army depending on us for correct information. You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but don’t never lie to a Ranger or officer.5. Don’t never take a chance you don’t have to. 6. When we’re on the march we march single file, far enough apart so one shot can’t go through two men.7. If we strike swamps, or soft ground, we spread out abreast, so it’s hard to track us.8. When we march, we keep moving ‘til dark, so as to give the enemythe least possible chance at us. 9. When we camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps. 10. If we take prisoners, we keep ‘em separate ‘til we have had time to examine them, so they can’t cook up a story between ‘em. 11. Don’t ever march home the same way. Take a different route so you won’t be ambushed.12. No matter whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each partyhas to keep a scout 20 yards ahead, twenty yards on each flank and twenty yards in the rear, so the main body can’t be surprised and wiped out.13. Every night you’ll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force.14. Don’t sit down to eat without posting sentries. 15. Don’t sleep beyond dawn. Dawn’s when the French and Indians attack.16. Don’t cross a river by a regular ford. 17. If somebody’s trailing you, make a circle, come back onto your own tracks, and ambush the folks that aim to ambush you. 18. Don’t stand up when the enemy’s coming against you. Kneel down. Hide behind a tree.19. Let the enemy come ‘till he’s almost close enough to touch. Then let him have it and jump out and finish him up with your hatchet. 20. Don’t use your musket if you can kill ‘em with your hatchet.
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