Hodges' Scout: A Lost Patrol of the French and Indian War by Len Travers (review)

When writing on war, our need to understand the overarching narratives of politics and battles often muffles the experience of individuals, especially those from the lower rungs of the army and society. Following the 250th anniversary of the Seven Years' War (also known as the French and Indian War in the United States and the Guerre de la Conquête in French Canada), a wave of new research has brought fresh insight to the conflict's historiography—not the least of which is a reassessment of the lives of such traditionally forgotten individuals. The most probing examples of these works are the two-volume series Vivre la Conquête, edited by Gaston Deschênes and Denis Vaugeois, and La Guerre des Canadiens, 1756–1763 by Jacques Mathieu and Sophie Imbeault (both published by Septentrion in 2013). We can now add Len Travers's equally important work to this growing body of individual histories during this global conflict.

Travers' book recounts the events surrounding the ambush of the titular company of about fifty British colonialists by a party of French and Indian allies in September 1756 along the west coast of Lake George. Within the first few pages, the reader is immediately placed in the midst of the chaos and confusion following the attack on the scout and is immersed into the mystery of what exactly had happened. What follows is a skillful establishment, in chronological order, of the wider contextualization and reconstruction of the event. The book is structured into twelve chapters, evenly divided between two sections: the first on Hodges' Scout and the events leading up to its discovery by the enemy and the second on what became of the captives. Included are a handful of illustrations, mostly maps.

Beyond the book's inherent interest as the "anatomy of [a] disaster" during the French and Indian War (4), Travers' work will appeal to many students of this conflict due to the treatment of various topics and themes relating to the scout. For example, as famous as the Rogers' Rangers were, we are reminded that most reconnaissance parties were not nearly as successful or renowned: Travers discusses this and other challenges the British army faced in securing intelligence on the enemy early in the war. There is the question of origins and networking: most members of the scout were from Massachusetts, and some already knew each other. In discussing these connections and individual cases, Travers evokes the variety of reasons that led each man to the war front. Finally, this book will interest anyone invested in the history of British prisoners: as already mentioned, half of the book deals with what can be known of the survivors of the scout, their treatment by the enemy, how they came to be released (or how they escaped), and what became of them.

Since no members of Hodges' Scout published memoirs of their captivity (207), Travers' research is built upon a solid foundation of archival work. As a terrific "exercise in historical forensics" (4), his research includes analysis of various period journals, official reports, newspaper articles, petitions, and family histories. However, the one issue that can be had with this book is in regards to the lack of variety of French documents. Indeed, it is ironic that Travers explains in his essay on sources: "Often ignored or overlooked by Anglophone writers is the French perspective of the war" (287). Yet, his only perspective outside of British sources is the translated writings of Louis Antoine de Bougainville by Edward P. Hamilton. Though it is understandable that linguistic barriers often put a stop to further inquiry, in this case in particular, certain questions summoned by Travers would have greatly profited from a peek on the other side of the "language wall." Consider, for example, the identification of Joseph Marin as the leader of the French and Indian party. Suspecting a numerical mistake in Hamilton's publication regarding the...