[grant] THE CAPTURE OF OSWEGO BY MONTCALM 199 



of Oswego will admit, and that on any future intelligence of the enemy's 

 increasing their naval force, that the General should build such and 

 so many more vessels as he finds necessary for securing the mastery 

 of that lake." 



Early in 1756 Capt. Housman Broadley was sent up to command 

 the fleet, 1 and on 25th May, 1756, Shirley informed his Council of 

 War, "That the naval force upon the lake will consist this year of 

 two vessels of ten carriage guns each, built last year, and one vessel 

 of eighteen, one of ten, and another of eight carriage guns, for building 

 and equipping of which preparations have been making at Oswego 

 some time, and which were three months ago ordered to be built 

 and equipped as soon as possible this year; and that there will be 

 250 whale boats for the navigation of the Lake, capable of holding 

 16 men each." 



Meanwhile, however, everything was going wrong. In a dispatch 

 of Lord Loudoun, written on 3rd October, 1756, is enclosed a report 

 from one George Dunbar: "February the 26th .... came up 

 40 carpenters, for building new vessels, but could not employ them, 

 for want of guards for them in the woods, and also no provisions 

 to supply them with, according to their contract." The lot of the 

 unhappy carpenters was hard, for on May 11 "ten carpenters were 

 killed and three taken by the Indians in the face of the Fort." Noth- 

 ing could better show the demoralization of the garrison. The officers 

 in command were well aware of the importance of naval control. 

 On 25th May Mackellar wrote to Montressor, "I intended according 

 to his Excellency's orders to have set abroad repairing the most 

 material and least costly of these defects immediately after my 

 arrival and spoke to Colonel Mercer the commanding officer upon 

 that head who immediately consulted some of the principal officers 

 and it was agreed that as they were under no apprehensions of a siege 

 the work of the shipping was the most requisite to be forwarded and 

 that as the weakness and sickness of the garrison would not admit 

 of them giving a sufficient number of men even for that service, the 

 other work must be postponed until the hurry of that business should 

 be got over." 



1 May 7, 1756. Shirley to Fox. 



"I am likewise, Sir, to acquaint you that the Commanding officer of the vessels 

 built on the Lake Ontario the last year is gone to Oswego, with a sufficient number 

 of sailors to fit them out as soon as possible; and 100 carpenters are gone there to 

 build three vessels more, 30 of which have been at work on them above five weeks, 

 and the stores for them all are on their way to Oswego." 



See also Broadley's letters in Appendix. 



Sec. I and II, 1914—14 



