Bob Fletcher

Bob Fletcher was the captain of Company B of the 35th Maine, and the regiment quartermaster, who was transported to Valdennia through the Tunnel of Light. There is one reference to him being the commander of Company G, but this seems to be incorrect.Though not well described, Fletcher was mentioned as being 'plug-shaped' and 'rotund' in frame.

As a Methodist, he focussed his efforts very early on at having a sawmill built for the purpose of building a clapboard church, and his company went out of their way to build Kathleen O'Reilly's cabin at Fort Lincoln.

His company focussed on building a grain mill, after helping Tracy Houston's Company D to build the dam on the Mill Stream for their sawmill. They located a source of granite for millstones, starting with three-foot stones before moving up to six-foot. The wheat ground here helped the regiment to secure the Rus bricks they needed to build their first iron furnace.

Following the Peasant's Revolt, Colonel Keane gave Fletcher the task of 'supplying an army and all of Suzdal once the war starts', including the expected Siege of Suzdal. Particular priorities for Fletcher at this stage included the production of iron harvesting tools, glass vessels to store food, as well as the construction of a larger grain mill.

When the Tugars finally approached Rus, Fletcher's men drew in the harvest and burned whatever they could not take for the siege, with the final result being that the army had rations for 5 months.

Following the war, Fletcher ended up heading the department of agriculture in the new Republic, again proving to be an effective quartermaster for the army. In the lead up to the Merki War, John Mina reported that 100 days of salted meats had been stockpiled for the army, and hardtack for an entire year.

Fletcher also had a more light-hearted side, taking on the role of Juliet opposite Pat O'Donald in a staging of the 'Romeo and Juliet' balcony scene, part of a variety evening in Suzdal in the days before the Merki War. When the Potomac Line collapsed mere days later, Keane sent Fletcher with Emil Weiss to Kev to arrange food storage and distribution during the evacuation of Rus.