Ben Comee : A tale of Rogers's Rangers, 1758-59

Born in Lexington in 1737, Ben Comee grows up amid the rough wooden cabins and bustling taverns of a fledgling New England village. His childhood is a blend of schoolyard games, muskrat trapping, and the lingering threat of Indian raids that shape a tough, self‑reliant youth. Through his grandfather’s stories and the daily grind of frontier life, Ben learns the hard skills and fierce loyalty that will soon draw him to the famed Rogers’s Rangers.

When the French and Indian War erupts, the call to arms reaches Ben, and he trades his apprentice tools for a rifle and a place among the elite ranger company. Under the guidance of seasoned officers, he experiences grueling marches through dense forests, daring scouting missions in bitter winter, and the camaraderie forged in shared danger. The narrative captures the raw landscape of early America and the uneasy balance between survival and honor that defines the young soldier’s first steps into war.