Colonel Daniel Robertson (c. 1733 – 5 April 1810) was an officer in the British Army in North America, commandant of the British post at Michilimackinac, and a landowner in Chatham Township, Canada. Born in Scotland, he first joined the 42nd Regiment of Foot, also known as the "Black Watch," and was present at the British capture of Montreal in 1760, as well as the invasion of Martinique in 1762. During the American Revolutionary War, he was an officer in the 84th Regiment of Foot, another regiment of Scots known as the Royal Highland Emigrants. In 1779, he was appointed commandant of Fort Osgewatchie and oversaw Native American raids on American settlements on the Mohawk River.
From 1782, Robertson served as commandant of Fort Michilimackinac (later known as Fort Mackinac). He freed his black slaves, Jean Bonga and Marie-Jeanne Bonga, before leaving Mackinac Island for Montreal in 1787. "Robinson's Folly" at Mission Point on Mackinac Island was originally called "Robertson's Folly" after Captain Robertson.
Early military career
Daniel Robertson was born in Dunkeld, Scotland. In April 1754, he was appointed as a surgeon's mate in the 42nd Regiment of Foot. The regiment was sent to North America in June 1756 and was first stationed at Albany in the Province of New York. In July 1756, Robertson received the rank of ensign.
Robertson participated in the Montreal Campaign of 1760 and the British invasion of Martinique in 1762. On 29 April 1762, he purchased the rank of lieutenant in the British Army. After the capture of Havana in 1762, the 42nd Regiment returned to the mainland.
In the summer of 1763, Robertson went with his regiment to relieve Fort Pitt in present-day Pennsylvania, which was under siege by Native American forces during Pontiac's War. The 42nd Regiment fought in the Battle of Bushy Run under the command of Colonel Henry Bouquet.
Following the conclusion of the Seven Years' War, Robertson left the army and returned to Montreal.
Family and life in Montreal
In 1760 or 1761, Daniel Robertson married Marie-Louise Réaume, the young widow of Joseph Fournerie de Vézon. His wife came from a prominent French Canadian merchant family.
Between 1763 and 1773, they had four children who survived to adulthood, including daughters Margaret, Charlotte and Elizabeth, and a son named John. Marie-Louise died in 1773. Their daughter Margaret Robertson married Montreal businessman Daniel Sutherland in 1781.
Medical practice
After leaving the 42nd Regiment, Daniel Robertson practiced medicine in Montreal and was one of the few British represented in the professions in Montreal.
Appointment as justice
In 1765, Robertson was appointed as a justice of the peace in Montreal. Through the 1760s, he was a highly active magistrate. In 1768, he served as a member of the grand jury at Montreal and was publicly commended by the other members for "your just and spirited Behaviour as a Magistrate and your indefatigable Care to bring Offenders to Justice."
However, he eventually became entangled in local politics around merchant disputes with the military, and was also accused of leading a campaign against his fellow justice Pierre du Calvet. Robertson and other British justices in Montreal ceased to act after 1770.
American Revolutionary War
At the start of the American Revolutionary War, Daniel Robertson became a major in the Montreal militia. On 14 June 1775, he was appointed captain-lieutenant of the 1st Battalion of the 84th Regiment of Foot, also known as the Royal Highland Emigrants.
His company was sent to defend Fort St. Johns at Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu from invasion by the Americans. The fort surrendered on 3 November 1775, and Robertson was taken to Connecticut as a prisoner. Following a prisoner exchange, he returned to the 84th Regiment in early 1777.
Indian raids in Mohawk River valley
In 1779, Robertson was appointed commandant at Fort Osgewatchie, a small British post near present-day Ogdensburg, New York. He oversaw Native American Indian raids on American settlements in the Mohawk Valley region.
In June 1782, Robertson led an attack that destroyed two mills and five houses on the Mohawk River. After the successful raid, he secured a commission for his son-in-law Daniel Sutherland as an ensign under his command.