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Robert Rogers

Robert Rogers, author, army officer (b at Methuen, Mass 8 Nov 1731; d at London, Eng 18 May 1795).

Rogers, Robert

Robert Rogers, author, army officer (b at Methuen, Mass 8 Nov 1731; d at London, Eng 18 May 1795). A versatile frontiersman, Rogers ably led colonial Rangers during King George's War (1744-48; see WAR OF THE AUSTRIAN SUCCESSION) and the SEVEN YEARS' WAR, but he had a knack for getting into trouble through prodigal spending habits, drinking and gambling. He was tried by court-martial but acquitted at Montréal in 1768 for alleged treason and overspending. During the AMERICAN REVOLUTION, Rogers raised and commanded the LOYALIST Queen's (later King's) Rangers. His most significant achievements are literary. While in London in 1765 he published his wartime Journals, and A Concise Account of North America. Ponteach, or, The Savages of America, a critical portrayal of British colonists' exploitation of Indians, was published in London in 1766.