Archival researchers have located what appears to be an authentic photograph from the 1757 siege at Fort William Henry at the foot of Lake George.* The photograph is the only known likeness of a particularly dangerous French and Indian War-era coureur du bois known to the English as The Dog Man (L’Homme Chien).
He can clearly be seen at third from left, with his arms wrapped around a French Charleville musket. Must have been a prototype, since that was a 1766 model.
This deadly ghost of the North Woods bears a striking resemblance to Frontier Partisan scout and correspondent Lane Batot. Reincarnation, perhaps?
Also note that the warrior in the center is a proto-Oregon Ducks superfan. Ain’t history fascinating?
* In the words of storyteller Mitch Barrett — “I’m not lying; I’m telling a story.”
.lane batot says
Monsewer, yoo deed nawt waysse inny ahv zee tahm een presente’ le photographs! Layt zee stoorytahme oov zat era beegins! I am most ready to recount incidents from that incident of my–ahem!– “ancestor”! Proof at last that “zee mohss aylooseev feelm coureur de bois” was indeed THERE(doubted by so many because of lack of visual evidence in the film)…..Inquiring readers want to know!(perhaps…..)
JimC says
You must! History demands it!
RLT says
Oh my god hahahaha awesome!
Thom Eley says
My favorite is “don’t let truth get in the way of a good story”–Waddie Mitchell.
.lane batot says
That’s funny, right enough, but although I will play around a lot whiles makin’ fun of stuff meeself, when it comes down to the actual story I’m relating, I’m a stickler for the FACTS! Keeping in mind, of course, the FACTS are what I consider facts from MY point-of-view…..but with that, let me just go on and tell a story(hopefully it will lead to some more story-swappin’ here…..)
.lane batot says
OK, well, since nobody is knocking any doors down with pertinent(or impertinent) questions, let me just relate one of the “Tales of the greatest of all invisible film coureur de bois”(ahem!)…..As I mentioned on the earlier Facebook posting by my friend from Wolf Park, one of the VERBOTTEN things regarding everyone on set, was to ONLY have on yer person the “authentic” costuming and accoutrements you were supplied with–no personal stuff allowed–not only for the more visible Big Actors, but for us HUNDREDS of Xtras(yes HUNDREDS–no exaggerration at all–the Indians alone had over 300 Xtras from all over the U. S. and Canada–let me tell ya, the Massacre Scene was indeed a massacre! I ended up being glad as hell I was on the side of the French and Indians!). After my first day at The Siege Of The Fort, in the blazing hot sun in August with zero shade, on burnt black ground, allowed only a tiny paper Dixie cup of water on rare occasions supplied by a Water Girl with a cooler(for the several HUNDREDS of Xtras, mind you!), I most certainly started packing my own canteen tucked up under my breech clout(which served a second purpose as a marvelous cooling device!). And I HAD to replace the tookie costume knife with my own real one–you know, just in case…..Even so, it was still rather galling to sit out there for HOURS doing take after take after take of the same things, over and over and over(something this Director is notorious for, apparently), until even we Xtras knew all the Big Actors lines, and we flippant coureur de bois often recited them after a “cut!” when one of the Big Actors messed up or forgot–much to their annoyance of certain production people. We were just immersing ourselves in our role , of course, as the rude and somewhat disrespectful of rigid authority attitude that the true coureur de bois always is!….to be continued…..
.lane batot says
…..Anyhoo, I often fetched up right behind His Royal Eminence, Monsieur Le Director’s chair with it’s lovely umbrella for shade, and His Own cooler with all manner of lovely iced drinks parked beside it. Though I had supplied myself sufficiently with basic contraban H2O, my uppity peasant self could not help but eye those ice cold drinks in that shaded cooler with some envy. I began to worm my way a bit closer, as unobtrusively as possible, then a bit closer again. I mean, I was a coureur de bois, for crying out loud! It’s what we DO! There were CONSTANT temper tantrums displayed by His Eminence, which always got everyone’s attention, and after getting myself in arm’s reach of that cooler, I was just waiting for the next one…..Sure enough, some peon made some blunder(bless him), and while everyone was focused on the Fuhrer’s tirade, I just slipped into that cooler and lifted a Coca cola! A few other peasants noticed, and gave me rueful smiles and thumbs up–none of the authority figures noticed. I disappeared back into the filthy, stinking masses to enjoy THE BEST soda I’ve ever had!
JimC says
Classic Sun Tzu work there Lane.
lane batot says
I HAVE read Sun Tzu–maybe it was in my subconscious at the time. I could write my own little volume(oops, perhaps I just did!) “The Art of Soda Theft”…..
RLT says
Our family priest (a Celt himself) used to say that to the Irish, the truth is a nice piece of furniture that you just need to put a little doily on.
RLT says
(In regards to Thom’s original comment)
lane batot says
Well, yeah, I suppose I coulda just said I stole a drink from the Director’s cooler, and left it at that, but it’s the PERTICKULARS that make it a better(and more accurate) story!
JimC says
Hell yes.
FrenchCanadianMilice says
There are more photos of the dress that the Coureurs des bois wore for the filming of this great movie, I understand that they used precise sources from period historians to recreate the dress, I have been looking for photos or videos for years but I couldn’t find anything, only the few minutes that are filmed in the film, until in the search engine I wrote “Coureur Du Bois” and found this fantastic file, if you have more photos or videos I would appreciate it, since it serves me as patterns for the historical reenactors club in which We share research, I attach my email below, in the message, I send you my regards.
lane batot says
Alas, you are communicating with someone with the modern technical ability of an actual Coureur De Bois! It WAS a bit of typecasting, that Xtra part! The above is the best photo I have, showing the majority of us Coureur De Bois(there were only a handful of us, compared to the three hundred Indian Xtras, and like number soldier xtras, although some days they came up short on soldiers, so had them dress as Redcoats shooting, then had them change into the French uniforms, and film the same Xtras shooting back in the direction they had been as Redcoats! Hilarious, yet effective!. But you are right–the costuming folks were METICULOUS and particular about every little thing–and the Fureur(I mean the Director!) did know his stuff, and heaven help anyone caught with something “inaccurate” on their persons! Sorry I don’t have more old photos(showing more than this one), but if I did, I have no means of transferring said photo onto a computer–I ain’t learnt that kinda technology yet(I have no computer phone/camera thingy…..)
FrenchCanadianMilice says
I find everything you are commenting super interesting, and everything you comment on how the film was signed and made is very interesting, you had access to situations that many people did not even have in the behind-the-scenes of the DVD. It is a real shame. that they have captured a single photo of the Coureur De Bois that appeared in the film, your role in the film was fantastic, in fact in a scene that is one of the best in the film that is titled “sending a courier”, you can see a chase of an English courier who is attempted to be murdered by enemy Native Americans and French Coureur De Bois, I don’t know if they let you participate in that scene, the costumes are magnificent and extremely successful for all the characters, in fact many French militiamen dressed In this way, to go to war, they used luggage and light clothing that allowed them to walk for weeks through the forest without needing anything more than what they were wearing. Surely to recreate the dress they used historical writings from soldier travelers such as Peter Kalm or the British merchant Alexander Henry. The Robert Rogers copied some of the French Coureur De Bois’ clothing because it was excellent for different reasons. The director of the film took it very seriously that this was respected to give realism to the film, which is very respectable, in fact in more current films on the subject that are not documentaries. The dress is poor and there is little interest in representing what life was really like in those hard years, which shows how the art of cinema is evolving in many aspects. , probably when you were with the historical dress assistant in the locker room and instead of giving you a pair of breeches he gave you a set of leggings and breechcloth that meant that he knew what he was doing and wanted the recreation of the Coureur De Bois more faithful possible never done, some true researchers of the history of North America who made up the costume team.