Major Arent Schuyler DePeyster - 1736-1822

Major Arent Schuyler DePeyster - 1736-1822. Mackinaw City Historical Pathway. , DePeyster - Warrior, Diplomat, Poet , British Captain Arent DePeyster, with his wife Rebecca, was deployed to Fort Michilimackinac in 1774. The couple remained here for five years before being transferred to Detroit., First the Warrior , Born in New York, DePeyster was educated in England, joined the British army, and returned to America to fight for the British in the French and Indian War. His capture took him to France; his release and reassignment took him to Scotland. There he met and married his beloved wife, Rebecca, before being deployed again to America., Then the Diplomat , DePeyster was sent as commander to Michilimackinac. The outpost required a diplomat's touch to balance the interests of British merchants, French Canadian traders, and thousands of Native Americans. He was a master at keeping the fur trade operating smoothly. When he departed, the appreciative merchants honored him with this exquisite silver bowl., Always the Poet , Although not a notable poet, DePeyster wrote poems about his adventures. One often quoted, even if written with poetic license, laments the Native American women left behind with babies conceived by British soldiers.