PAGES FROM THE ORIGINALMANUSCRIPT AS WRITTEN BYDANIEL MORISON, SURGEON’S MATE2ND BATTALION, 60TH REGIMENTFORT MICHILIMACKINAC 1769-1772

“... swore by a bloody oath he would come witha Hatchet and pull down my house.”

the DOCTOR’S
Secret Journal

by DANIEL MORISON, Surgeon’s Mate

Edited by George S. May

Illustrated by Dirk Cringhuis

Mackinac State Historic Parks
Mackinac Island, Michigan

ISBN-0911872-05-1

Private
BRITISH 60th FOOT ROYAL AMERICANS

Copyright © 1960 by The Fort Mackinac Division Press
Printed in the United States of America by Harlo Printing Co., Detroit Michigan
Third Printing, 1969 15,000 copies
Fourth Printing, 1974 15,000 copies
Fifth Printing, 1984 10,000 copies
Sixth Printing, 1993 5,000 copies
Seventh Printing, 2001 3,000 soft cover—1,500 hard bound

Introduction

On September 28, 1761, a year after France’s vast NorthAmerican empire had been surrendered to the British atMontreal, Canada, the flag of Great Britain was raised overFort Michilimackinac, far to the west at what is now MackinawCity, Michigan. A force under Major Robert Rogers,leader of the almost legendary Rogers’ Rangers, had reachedDetroit in 1760 and had taken control of that post, but thecoming of winter had compelled the British to wait until thefollowing year to take over the other French outposts in theupper Great Lakes.

Although Major Rogers later was to serve as commandingofficer at Michilimackinac, the red-coated troops who marchedinto the little stockaded fort on the south shore of the straitsconnecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan were commandedby Captain Henry Balfour. He found that the French garrisonhad departed for the west months before, leaving thefort in charge of Charles Langlade, a native of the area whohad fought brilliantly on the French side during the Frenchand Indian War. Balfour was greeted by several enterprisingEnglishmen who had gotten a head start in the race to gain6control of the lucrative fur trade which for so long had beenmonopolized by French traders at Michilimackinac.

A