THE RAID ON ST. FRANCIS

Historical:

The Stockbridge was a tribe of the Mohican confederacy.  They were located along the rivers of New York and New Hampshire.  Stockbridge men were skilled hunters and trackers.

In 1756, a company of Stockbridge Mohicans was raised under the captaincy of one of their own, plus a Mohican Lieutenant and ensign.  Their orders were to busy themselves, "... annoying the enemy, taking prisoners and scalps, intercepting enemy convoys, destroying their cattle, burning their barns and magazines, 5 pounds sterling to be given for any Indian or French prisoner or scalp."  Their abilities caught the eye of Robert Rogers, who it is said, "took a fancy" to the Mohicans.  The resulting relationship brought the Mohicans into service as a special forces company, practitioners of guerilla warfare. The Stockbridge warriors became valued members of Rogers' Rangers.  Though theStockbridge Indians had been walking the path of Calvinistic domestication for quite some time, they had apparently not lost their touch when it came to matters of war.

Rogerssent a company of Mohicans to Fort William Henry in 1756, another group accompanied him to Fort Edward. From these two bases, the Mohicans frequently set out on reconnoitering missions, from Canada to the Hudson Valley. The activities and fighting prowess of the Mohicans during the war was vital to England's success. They were everywhere; scouting, raiding, harassing, and fighting. Mohican loyalty, though sorely tested, proved constant and reliable. They remained an important and lasting component of the British Army to the end.

Info: Woodland Indians Skirmishing A, Stockbridge Indians, The Raid on St. Francis, two figures